Image and video hosting by TinyPic
#1

nt. And just like the athletes, family plays an integral role

in Gästeecke 09.12.2019 09:12
von sakura698 • Neuling | 825 Beiträge

BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel held up his new brown No. Air Max 97 Scontate . 2 jersey and flashed a smile that beamed to Texas. With whirring cameras providing the soundtrack, he was welcomed to his NFL home. Johnny Football arrived. Cleveland may never be the same. Humble, confident and charmingly comfortable in handling any question, Manziel was introduced Friday by the Browns, who positioned themselves perfectly in the first round of the draft to select the polarizing Texas A&M quarterback with equal amounts of skill and swag. Sitting alongside fellow first-round pick Justin Gilbert, a cornerback from Oklahoma State taken 14 picks ahead of him, Manziel said hes stepping into a life he believes will be even crazier than his college days. "Im going into it expecting madness," he said. Manzielmania hit Cleveland like a spring thunderstorm Friday. As of 6 p.m., the Browns had sold 2,300 season tickets -- renewals and new purchases -- since the start of Thursdays first round. In the hours after Manziel was chosen with the No. 22 overall pick, the teams sales staff struggled to keep up with phones that barely stopped ringing. At the teams gift shot in FirstEnergy Stadium, fans waited in long lines to buy Manziel jerseys at $150 a pop. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner took all the attention in stride. Hes used to it, having had his every move on and off the field chronicled since the first time he scrambled out of the pocket and made a magical play for the Aggies. "It means a lot to me, obviously," Manziel said about Clevelands hyped reaction. "Ive gotten a lot of support already, but theres work that needs to be done." Manziel said he doesnt carry the burden of being Johnny Football, the kid who turns giant stadiums into his personal playground and the one who occasionally hangs out with rap stars and LeBron James. "Im Johnny Manziel," he said. "Johnny Football is what I am in the media and what is out there. I accept it and Im very accepting of it. At the same time, I know who I am. Im Johnny Manziel from Kerrville, Texas. I dont let that get to me too much or let all that weigh me down or ever make me lose sleep at night." As he spoke, Gilbert quietly took it all in as he sat next to his famous teammate. Gilbert confessed to getting caught up in Manziels selection while he was in New York. " I was on my way back to the hotel and I think my mom or somebody told me that we had Johnny Manziel so I let down the (car) window and started screaming, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Browns were here," he said. "Im excited hes here. I expect nothing but the best from him." The Browns have been waiting for someone, anyone like Manziel for years. The team has started 20 quarterbacks since 1999, a roll call that begins with Ty Detmer and includes first-round busts like Tim Couch, Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden. Manziels well aware of the Browns failings and hopes to be the one to solidify things. "I have goals for myself, expectations," he said. "But I feel like if I put in the time necessary and I do what Im supposed to do and really open myself up to these coaches and let them teach me and mould me into being a good football player and continue to build on what I did the past couple years as far as getting better year by year, piece by piece, then Ill have some success. Ill believe that." Manziel knows there are those who feel his size will limit his success. Hes the first QB under six feet to be taken in the first round since 1953. "You can measure height," he said. "You cant really measure heart." Manziel will compete with Brian Hoyer to open next season behind centre. Hoyer started two games before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in 2013, but is the incumbent. When he was told by general manager Ray Farmer that the team was drafting Manziel, Hoyer said, "bring it on." Manziel wasnt surprised by Hoyers reaction. "I wouldnt expect anything less," he said. "Hes a competitive guy. I feel like thats exactly what I want in a teammate." Manziel has spent most of the past two years in a fishbowl, so it was no surprise that photos of his post-draft celebration in New York with family and friends, including Drake and Cavaliers All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, quickly circulated through social media. One photo showed Manziel swigging from a magnum of champagne. Asked about his late-night actions, Manziel offered a quick defence. "Im 21 years old," he said. Manziel intends to shelve the party-boy antics as he strives to live up to his game-changing reputation and show the Browns they made the right move in drafting him. Hes not looking for any special treatment and intends to earn the trust and faith of teammates. "Im low guy on the totem pole," he said. "I know my place. More than anything I need to show these guys with actions, other than words or anything I can say, to earn their respect. It really is all about earning these guys respect. Im going to do all that I can to try and make these guys comfortable with me every day and know that I want whats best for this team. "Im going to come in and work extremely hard." Johnny Lunchbox. Vapormax Plus Saldi . The traditional pre-Masters event was halted early due to inclement weather. Harrington, who tied for first in 2003 and won in 2004, became the first three-time champion of the event. Yeezy Boost 350 Prezzo Basso . Austin does not believe the game-time temperature is going to be an advantage for either side heading into the Grey Cup. "We dont think about (the cold)," said Austin. "Im not even sure how you would determine an advantage. http://www.outletscarpesaldi.it/air-vapormax-prezzo-basso.html . The teams all-time leading scorer, DeRo has won everything there is to win in MLS.Now that another Olympic Games is over, many across Canada know the stories of our athletes and the various roads they took to get to their ultimate goal. But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Well, meet Derek Amell, 17-year NHL linesman and now an Olympian. When I turned on the mens hockey gold medal game between Canada and Sweden, I was happy to see that an old acquaintance would be working the lines for the biggest game on the worlds biggest stage. You see, over 25 years ago, Derek and I worked together at a drug store chain in Whitby, Ontario. I was a university student taking a year off school and he was a high school student looking to improve on his first job working the night shift at Burger King for $2.85/hr. There were two things I remembered about Derek back then: he was a lot bigger than me, and he had a very calm personality. Looking back, those are two good attributes for an NHL linesman. For Derek, the dream took off at the age of 24 when he worked his first Ontario Hockey League game. Three years later, he started working American Hockey League games and this is where our paths would cross again. I was an off-ice official with the Hamilton Canucks and Hamilton Bulldogs in the 1990s and we would touch base now and again at Copps Coliseum. I could see then that he was on his way to the NHL. "I felt the NHL was an attainable goal after working the AHLs Calder Cup Final in my first year," said Amell. He wouldnt have to wait long for the big moment. The following year, he found out he would be working NHL games in the upcoming season. In his first NHL season, the league made the decision to return to the Olympics in Nagano, meaning there was now another rung on the ladder of success for NHL players and officials. There would be some career highlights along the way, such as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the 2009 and 2012 Stanley Cup Finals as well as the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Could the Olympics be next? And then he got the news. Unlike the athletes who are introduced at news conferences, Amell was contacted through e-mail by Stephen Walkom, the NHLs director of officiating. The message was sent on December 1, naming the 13 NHL officials who were chosen to work in Sochi. Of course, when athletes go to the Olympics, they stay in the Athletes Village and invite family and friends to share in the experience. Is it the same for the officials? "The officials stayed together in a hotel right inside the Olympic area. It was great to bee together with all the amateur officials," said Amell, who is a married father of two children but did not have any family join him in Sochi. Vapormax Donna Saldi. To work the gold medal game, he had to prove himself again. "The gold medal officials were chosen by a panel of supervisors from various countries and it was based on performance during the tournament. We were told by e-mail after the semifinal games," said Amell. When the officials for the gold medal game were announced, former NHL player and Swedish international Peter Forsberg was incensed that Canadians would be working the game but some current Swedish players defended the decision, saying their nationality wouldnt affect their decision-making. "We knew there would be extreme scrutiny on the officiating when it was announced that the officials were Canadian," said Amell. "We knew the players would be comfortable with us since we are all in the NHL. It was more an issue with the media than with the players. "At the end of the game, the entire Swedish team came over and shook our hands and told us we did a great job. That was very satisfying for us." So which was more nerve-racking: the first NHL game or the gold medal game? "Working the gold medal game was the most nerve-racking game I have ever officiated," he admitted. Its been a long road from collecting shopping carts in Whitby to officiating at the gold medal game in Sochi. And while Amells appearance at the Olympics may not have been as celebrated as many of the athletes, or even noticed by most viewers, the accomplishment is no less significant. And just like the athletes, family plays an integral role in the success of officials, offering support and enduring hardships over the years. "Since we only work 6-8 games a year at home, the family sacrifices are large," said Amell. "I miss most of my childrens sports activities and birthdays. They understand the life of an NHL official, but it still can be very difficult on my wife and children," said Amell. As for the hundreds of people who show up at the airport for our returning athletes, how does the return of an official compare? "No one met me at the airport," Amell laughed. "It was like coming home from any other road trip!" The Olympics is a place where dreams can come true. Most people dream of winning a gold medal but dont tell Derek Amell that his accomplishment is anything less. He just achieved his Olympic goal with a lot less fanfare. And, like a linesman who goes unnoticed when he does a good job, thats the way he likes it. ' ' '

nach oben springen


Besucher
0 Mitglieder und 3 Gäste sind Online

Wir begrüßen unser neuestes Mitglied: bill74
Forum Statistiken
Das Forum hat 899 Themen und 995 Beiträge.
Besucherrekord: 28 Benutzer (03.08.2021 21:48).

Xobor Ein Xobor Forum
Einfach ein eigenes Forum erstellen