Offtopic/fun » Before losing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, they wer

MIAMI -- Wayne Ellington is standing in a room filled with hundreds of high school students, all of them silent and hanging on every word that the new Miami Heat guard is saying.Hes not there to tell basketball stories.Hes there to talk about his father -- a victim of gun violence not even two years ago.Ellington plays his first preseason game with the Heat on Tuesday night, an exhibition matchup in Washington against the Wizards that will soon be forgotten. But hes already trying to make a much more lasting impact in Miami by sharing the story of the pain that continues to linger after his father was shot dead when an argument went very wrong.Still grieving and its still fresh, Ellington said. But I just realized Ive got to do as much as I can to make a difference. Every day, its happening to a different family, to somebodys son, to somebodys father. So this stage Im on, this platform Im on, I want to make use of it as much as I can for as long as Im on it to raise as much awareness as I can.Seeing athletes try to use their platform with hopes of sparking social change is commonplace right now, starting with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem in a protest designed to bring new light on racial injustice -- and countless other high school, college and pro athletes following suit since.Ellington and some members of the Heat want to go farther, beyond symbolic acts that occur during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.Its important for us to bring awareness to the situation, Heat forward Justise Winslow said. But even more important is what we do with that awareness. We have to go out in the community, we have to figure things out ... the right way to raise awareness. We all might not agree on everything, but we have to figure out something.All around the Heat locker room, there are players that can relate to what many in the U.S. are dealing with right now.Winslow is from Houston, where the city dealt with a mass shooting just last week. Hassan Whiteside is from just outside of Charlotte, where the recent shooting death of a black man by a police officer sparked two nights of violent protests and added to the nations fury over a rash of such incidents. Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson have mothers who have spent their adult lives serving in the military. Ellingtons father was killed by a gunshot.It affects all of us, Whiteside said.Ellingtons father was shot twice in the head on Nov. 9, 2014, found behind the wheel of his car in Philadelphia. A man pleaded guilty to a third-degree murder charge earlier this year for the shooting, and is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years.Ellington started what he calls the Peace Games earlier this year, an event designed to bring at-risk youth and young adults together to talk about gun violence prevention and other causes.I knew I had to do something to make a change, Ellington said.The protests and pleas by several athletes -- Kaepernick included -- have largely centered around the relationship between police and citizens. For Ellington, it goes far deeper.And his new teammates already seem genuinely moved by his story.We all have to live together -- Spanish people, black people, white people, all colors, all races, Miami forward Derrick Williams said. For us to survive, we have to stay together.Ellington doesnt speak for long when hes talking to schoolkids; in two recent appearances, his remarks lasted just a few minutes at each stop.He didnt need to say much more.His message is simple: Theres almost always a better way than violence.You dont have to take that direction, Ellington says, as dozens of kids stare right at him, many of them nodding. Theres so many other opportunities out there for you. Theres so many other different ways to solve a problem, to solve a conflict. We need to come together as people. We need to love each other. We need to find ways to help each other. Thats what Im here to do.Nolan Ryan Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Taylor Cole Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. https://www.cheapangels.com/ . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Cam Bedrosian Jersey . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. CJ Wilson Jersey .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem.6 Centuries for David Warner in 2016 - the most by an Australia batsman in a calendar year. Ricky Ponting (2003 and 2007) and Matthew Hayden (2007) previously held the record, having hit five centuries each. Only two players have hit more centuries in a year than Warner - Sachin Tendulkar (9 in 1998) and Sourav Ganguly (7 in 2000). In 2016, no other batsman has scored more than three ODI centuries.2 Bigger totals for Australia in ODIs than the 378 in this match. They made 434 against South Africa at Wanderers in 2005-06 and 417 against Afghanistan at WACA in last years World Cup. This is the third-highest total for any team against New Zealand and Australias first 350-plus total against them.126 Runs conceded by New Zealand in the last ten overs of the innings - the joint-highest they have conceded in ODIs since 2001. They gave away 126 against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2010-11. Out of the 126 runs, 89 came in the last six overs.1 Number of higher totals in ODIs at Manuka Oval than Australias 378 in this match. South Africa scored 411 for 4 against Ireland in the 2015 World Cup. Australias previous highest at this venue was 348 for 8 against India in January this year. They have posted 300-plus on each of the four occasions they batted first here. The scoring rate in first innings at Manuka Oval is 6.53, which is easily the best among all venues to have hosted more than one ODI.85 Number of innings taken by Warner to score 10 ODI centuries - the fourth-least by any batsman. Quinton de Kock is the fastest to the mark (55 innings), followed by Hashim Amla (57) and Virat Kohli (80). Before Warner, Mark Waugh (125 innings) was the fastest to ten ODI hundreds. Warnerr is the fifth player to score 10 or more ODI centuries for Australia.dddddddddddd Before his six centuries in 22 innings in 2016, Warner had hit only four in 63 innings.1 Matt Henry conceded 91 runs and Trent Boult gave away 80 to mark the first instance of two New Zealand bowlers conceding 80 or more runs in the same ODI. Mitchell Santner conceded only 47 runs in 10 overs, and was the only New Zealand bowler with an economy of less than six.2 Instances of four Australia batsmen scoring 50 or more in an ODI innings at home. Apart from Warners century, Steven Smith, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh struck fifties. The first such innings at home came against Sri Lanka at SCG last year. Overall, this was the eighth such instance for them.7 Consecutive ODIs at Manuka Oval which have been won by the team batting first, since 2013. In the previous six ODIs, the team winning the toss elected to bat, unlike in this match, which was perhaps due to the overcast conditions. Australias 116-run win is their third-biggest against New Zealand at home.2012 The last time New Zealand lost two or more consecutive bilateral ODI series. Before losing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, they were beaten 3-2 in India. New Zealand were defeated in three consecutive series in 2012 - against South Africa at home, and in West Indies and Sri Lanka.4/41 Pat Cummins figures in this match - his best in ODIs. This was his third four-for, after two such hauls at Lords and Leeds in his last ODI series, in 2015. These are also the fourth-best figures for any bowler in Canberra. ' ' '