There it is.
I'm Getting Better: Reflections on a Broken Heart is now off to the printer. I hope to have the first copy in my hand by my birthday in a couple of weeks.
Wow. This feels weird. Granted, there's a lot that this project is not. It's not in the hands of a "real publisher" paying me "real money" so that "real people" can read a "real book." It's only 100 pages, and according to people who know such things the "Self-Improvement" genre is saturated with people way more famous than me writing a lot more than me.
But still. I've written a book. I've actually written a book.
What's next? A marathon?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Book Deadline
My new book is almost finished. If all goes according to plan, the first copy will go to the printer tomorrow. Then I can blog again like a normal human being.
Wish me luck.
Wish me luck.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Buzzer Beater Update
Chronicling NCAA Tournament buzzer beaters.
I define a "buzzer beater" as a shot that will win or tie where the ball is in the air with less than a second left in the second half or overtime.
Here's the list so far:
Belmont -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Justin Hare. Duke 71, Belont 70.
Drake -- MISSED LAY-UP, Adam Emmenecker. Drake 88, Western Kentucky 88 (end of regulation)
Western Kentucky -- 3-POINTER GOOD, Ty Rogers. Western Kentucky 101, Drake 99 (OT).
Stanford -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Fred Washington. Stanford 71, Marquette 71 (end of regulation).
Butler -- MISSED JUMPER, Michael Green, blocked by Wayne Chism (Tennessee). Tennessee 63, Butler 63 (end of regulation).
Mississippi State -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Jamont Gordon. Memphis 77, Mississippi State 74.
So far, that makes 1-for-6 shooting, 1 of 4 from 3-point range. Credit the defenses for keeping the miracle shots at bay. So far, teams are defending buzzer beaters very well. Rogers was the only player to make one, and his came from about 35 feet away, ata steep angle, and against a double-team.
More as they happen.
I define a "buzzer beater" as a shot that will win or tie where the ball is in the air with less than a second left in the second half or overtime.
Here's the list so far:
Belmont -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Justin Hare. Duke 71, Belont 70.
Drake -- MISSED LAY-UP, Adam Emmenecker. Drake 88, Western Kentucky 88 (end of regulation)
Western Kentucky -- 3-POINTER GOOD, Ty Rogers. Western Kentucky 101, Drake 99 (OT).
Stanford -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Fred Washington. Stanford 71, Marquette 71 (end of regulation).
Butler -- MISSED JUMPER, Michael Green, blocked by Wayne Chism (Tennessee). Tennessee 63, Butler 63 (end of regulation).
Mississippi State -- MISSED 3-POINTER, Jamont Gordon. Memphis 77, Mississippi State 74.
So far, that makes 1-for-6 shooting, 1 of 4 from 3-point range. Credit the defenses for keeping the miracle shots at bay. So far, teams are defending buzzer beaters very well. Rogers was the only player to make one, and his came from about 35 feet away, ata steep angle, and against a double-team.
More as they happen.
Duke 71, Belmont 70
Wow.
Belmont has nothing to hang their heads about.
For one, they came from 10 down in the second half to take a late lead.
Final 5 seconds notwithstanding, Belmont coach Rick Byrd coached Mike Krzyzewski under the table. Belmont has been a team known for it's 3-point shooting all year. Knowing that Duke would want to deny the 3, Belmont ran Princeton-style back-cuts the entire first half. Once Duke adjusted, Belmont was able to get open 3's in the second half.
Abso-smurf-ly brilliant.
Also brilliant? Not shorteneing their bench late in the regular season and postseason. Belmont played 10-deep against Cincinnati and Alabama in November. They played 10-deep against East Tennessee State and Lipscomb in February and March. And they played 10-deep against Duke.
Thus, when All-conference performers Shane Dansby and Justin Hare were held in check most of the night, Andy Wicke, Alex Renfroe, Matthew Dotson, and Henry Harris were able to step up.
A couple of comments about the 104.5 The Zone broadcast. Memo to Kevin Ingram -- there is no "Y" in Duke. The middle two letters are pronounced "OO," not with a long "U." Here's a hint: It rhymes with "Boo."
On another note, the Belmont Media Relations guy was doing the color commentary. Between the grunts and moans, we got to hear the occasional complaint about the referees. Is it just me, or did he soound just like Tim Thompson calling a Vanderbilt basketball game? Or maybe it was Bob Kesling's color guy from Tennessee football season? Either way, welcome to the big time.
This next part is just for me, but you can read it if you want to:
Mike Krzyzewski proved yet again why none of his assistant coaches ever succeed much as head guys. Simply put, his teams and coaches rely on him entirely too much.
Exhibit A -- When Coach K had his hip surgery in the mid-90's, his team went 14-16. With him the previous year, they won 25 games. With him the next year, they won 26. If a coach makes that big a difference to his team, they rely on him way too much. The best thing you can say about Dean Smth is not that he won 879 games, nor is it that his coaching tree is do wide and fruitful. After Dean Smith retired, Bill Guthridge took the next 3 North Carolina teams to the Final 4. Dean Smith built a program that could go on (for a while) without him.
Exhibit B -- In the 2002 Final 4, Duke is playing Maryland. Jason Williams is dribbling near half-court as time winds down in the first half. He turns to the bench behind him to get the play. Meanwhile, the Caner-Medley for Maryland jumps in, steals the ball while Williams' head is turned, and gets a break-away lay-up. The point: If Williams doesn't know what to do late, that's the fault of the coach.
Exhibit C -- Last year, VCU hits a shot to go ahead late in the first-round NCAA game. Rather than hurrying up the floor to get a shot against an unsettled defense, Duke calls time-out. My beef is not that they did the wrong thing, it's that they simply didn't know what to do. They needed Coach K to tell them.
Exhibit D -- Yesterday, Coach K had the flu. For most of the game, his team played like they all had the flu. Never mind that Byrd coached him under the table. Krzyzewski's team needed him, and he didn't "have it" last night. And it almost cost them.
The point: Duke without Coach K is mediocre at best. This is a significant leadership flaw. The difference between a competitor and a leader is how your team does in your absence. Whether this is an intentional part of the Krzyzewski personality or coaching style, or it's simply an overlooked flaw, I don't know.
The paradox of leadership is that the most effective leaders are the ones whose people can live without them. Creating an enviornment where you are indispensible ultimately sets up your organization for failure.
Everybody eventually goes away. What will the people you leave behind do then?
Belmont has nothing to hang their heads about.
For one, they came from 10 down in the second half to take a late lead.
Final 5 seconds notwithstanding, Belmont coach Rick Byrd coached Mike Krzyzewski under the table. Belmont has been a team known for it's 3-point shooting all year. Knowing that Duke would want to deny the 3, Belmont ran Princeton-style back-cuts the entire first half. Once Duke adjusted, Belmont was able to get open 3's in the second half.
Abso-smurf-ly brilliant.
Also brilliant? Not shorteneing their bench late in the regular season and postseason. Belmont played 10-deep against Cincinnati and Alabama in November. They played 10-deep against East Tennessee State and Lipscomb in February and March. And they played 10-deep against Duke.
Thus, when All-conference performers Shane Dansby and Justin Hare were held in check most of the night, Andy Wicke, Alex Renfroe, Matthew Dotson, and Henry Harris were able to step up.
A couple of comments about the 104.5 The Zone broadcast. Memo to Kevin Ingram -- there is no "Y" in Duke. The middle two letters are pronounced "OO," not with a long "U." Here's a hint: It rhymes with "Boo."
On another note, the Belmont Media Relations guy was doing the color commentary. Between the grunts and moans, we got to hear the occasional complaint about the referees. Is it just me, or did he soound just like Tim Thompson calling a Vanderbilt basketball game? Or maybe it was Bob Kesling's color guy from Tennessee football season? Either way, welcome to the big time.
This next part is just for me, but you can read it if you want to:
Mike Krzyzewski proved yet again why none of his assistant coaches ever succeed much as head guys. Simply put, his teams and coaches rely on him entirely too much.
Exhibit A -- When Coach K had his hip surgery in the mid-90's, his team went 14-16. With him the previous year, they won 25 games. With him the next year, they won 26. If a coach makes that big a difference to his team, they rely on him way too much. The best thing you can say about Dean Smth is not that he won 879 games, nor is it that his coaching tree is do wide and fruitful. After Dean Smith retired, Bill Guthridge took the next 3 North Carolina teams to the Final 4. Dean Smith built a program that could go on (for a while) without him.
Exhibit B -- In the 2002 Final 4, Duke is playing Maryland. Jason Williams is dribbling near half-court as time winds down in the first half. He turns to the bench behind him to get the play. Meanwhile, the Caner-Medley for Maryland jumps in, steals the ball while Williams' head is turned, and gets a break-away lay-up. The point: If Williams doesn't know what to do late, that's the fault of the coach.
Exhibit C -- Last year, VCU hits a shot to go ahead late in the first-round NCAA game. Rather than hurrying up the floor to get a shot against an unsettled defense, Duke calls time-out. My beef is not that they did the wrong thing, it's that they simply didn't know what to do. They needed Coach K to tell them.
Exhibit D -- Yesterday, Coach K had the flu. For most of the game, his team played like they all had the flu. Never mind that Byrd coached him under the table. Krzyzewski's team needed him, and he didn't "have it" last night. And it almost cost them.
The point: Duke without Coach K is mediocre at best. This is a significant leadership flaw. The difference between a competitor and a leader is how your team does in your absence. Whether this is an intentional part of the Krzyzewski personality or coaching style, or it's simply an overlooked flaw, I don't know.
The paradox of leadership is that the most effective leaders are the ones whose people can live without them. Creating an enviornment where you are indispensible ultimately sets up your organization for failure.
Everybody eventually goes away. What will the people you leave behind do then?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
You Heard it Here First
Erica and Katie have made their NCAA tournament picks.
Upset Specials from the 5-Year-Olds:
Katie has American in the Sweet 16, knocking off Tennessee and Butler.
Erica has Austin Peay in the Sweet 16, beating Texas and Saint Mary's to get there.
Katie has Portland State over Kansas. Apparently she has about as much confidence in the Jayhawks and Darren McFarland has.
Erica picked San Diego over Connecticut and Cornell over Stanford.
Katie's Final 4: Louisville, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Duke, with Duke over Louisville in the title game
Erica's Final 4: Tennessee, Georgetown, Memphis, and UCLA, with Georgetown beating Memphis for the title.
Remember, these were the only two three-year-olds in the country to predict the George Mason-Wichita State Sweet 16 game a couple of years ago, so there you go.
My Bracketology turned out "not too bad." I got 63 out of 65 right, and 49 within one seed line. I had Illinois State and New Mexico while the committee put in Oregon and Villanova. The biggest miss in terms of seed line was Vanderbilt. I gave them an 8, the committee put them at 4. Counting Oregon and Illinois State as 3-line misses and Villanova and New Mexico as 1-line misses, my average error was 0.86. The pros generally run in the 0.65-0.75 range. I was also one of a very few to correctly predcit the play-in game teams.
Not bad for an amateur.
Upset Specials from the 5-Year-Olds:
Erica has Austin Peay in the Sweet 16, beating Texas and Saint Mary's to get there.
Katie has Portland State over Kansas. Apparently she has about as much confidence in the Jayhawks and Darren McFarland has.
Erica picked San Diego over Connecticut and Cornell over Stanford.
Katie's Final 4: Louisville, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Duke, with Duke over Louisville in the title game
Erica's Final 4: Tennessee, Georgetown, Memphis, and UCLA, with Georgetown beating Memphis for the title.
Remember, these were the only two three-year-olds in the country to predict the George Mason-Wichita State Sweet 16 game a couple of years ago, so there you go.
My Bracketology turned out "not too bad." I got 63 out of 65 right, and 49 within one seed line. I had Illinois State and New Mexico while the committee put in Oregon and Villanova. The biggest miss in terms of seed line was Vanderbilt. I gave them an 8, the committee put them at 4. Counting Oregon and Illinois State as 3-line misses and Villanova and New Mexico as 1-line misses, my average error was 0.86. The pros generally run in the 0.65-0.75 range. I was also one of a very few to correctly predcit the play-in game teams.
Not bad for an amateur.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
My Very Own Bracketology
Because I can, that's why. And because I want to get it on-line before the Selection Show, even though I'm going to be ridiculously busy tomorrow. So some of this will be pending the outcomes in the Big XI, SEC, and Big XII.
Well, here goes:
1 -- North Carolina
16 -- Mount Saint Mary's/Coppin State
8 -- Mississippi State/Arkansas
9 -- Kent State
4 -- Washington State
13 -- Oral Roberts
5 -- Marquette
12 -- New Mexico
3 -- Wisconsin/Texas**
14 -- Portland State
6 -- West Virginia
11 -- Temple
2 -- Kansas/Wisconsin/Texas**
15 -- Winthrop
7 -- Gonzaga
10 -- Arizona
Kansas win + Wisconsin win -- Kansas is the 1-seed below. Wisconsin is 2 here, Texas is 3.
Kansas win + Wisconsin loss -- Kansas 1, Texas 2, Wisconsin 3.
Texas win -- Texas 1, Kansas 2, Wisconsin 3.
1 -- UCLA
16 -- Mississippi Valley State
8 -- Oklahoma
9 -- Miami (FLA)
4 -- Connecticut
13 -- George Mason
5 -- Indiana
12 -- South Alabama
3 -- Xavier
14 -- Boise State
6 -- Pittsburgh
11 -- UNLV
2 -- Tennessee
15 -- Maryland-Baltimore County
7 -- Davidson
10 -- Baylor
1 -- Memphis
16 -- Northwestern State/Texas-Arlington
8 -- Vanderbilt
9 -- Kansas State
4 -- Michigan State
13 -- Siena
5 -- Butler
12 -- Oregon
3 -- Stanford
14 -- San Diego
6 -- Clemson
11 -- Kentucky
2 -- Georgetown
15 -- Belmont
7 -- Texas A&M
10 -- Illinois State
1 -- Kansas/Texas** (see above)
16 -- American
8 -- BYU
9 -- St. Mary's
4 -- Drake
13 -- Cornell
5 -- Notre Dame
12 -- Saint Joseph's
3 -- Louisville
14 -- Cal State Fullerton
6 -- USC
11 -- Western Kentucky
2 -- Duke
15 -- Austin Peay
7 -- Purdue
10 -- Arkansas/Mississippi State
If Arkansas wins, they're an 8. If they lose, they're a 10.
If Georgia wins, they go where Winthrop is.
If Illinois wins, they go where Cornell is.
If either Georgia or Illinois wins, Oregon is out.
if they both win, New Mexico is out.
Breakdown by conference:
Big East -- 7
Big 12 -- 6
Pac-10 -- 6
SEC -- 5
Big 10 -- 4
ACC -- 4
Mountain West -- 3
Atlantic 14 -- 3
West Coast -- 3
Missouri Valley -- 2
Sun Belt -- 2
We'll see.
I'll have more comments early next week, book deadline permitting.
Well, here goes:
1 -- North Carolina
16 -- Mount Saint Mary's/Coppin State
8 -- Mississippi State/Arkansas
9 -- Kent State
4 -- Washington State
13 -- Oral Roberts
5 -- Marquette
12 -- New Mexico
3 -- Wisconsin/Texas**
14 -- Portland State
6 -- West Virginia
11 -- Temple
2 -- Kansas/Wisconsin/Texas**
15 -- Winthrop
7 -- Gonzaga
10 -- Arizona
Kansas win + Wisconsin win -- Kansas is the 1-seed below. Wisconsin is 2 here, Texas is 3.
Kansas win + Wisconsin loss -- Kansas 1, Texas 2, Wisconsin 3.
Texas win -- Texas 1, Kansas 2, Wisconsin 3.
1 -- UCLA
16 -- Mississippi Valley State
8 -- Oklahoma
9 -- Miami (FLA)
4 -- Connecticut
13 -- George Mason
5 -- Indiana
12 -- South Alabama
3 -- Xavier
14 -- Boise State
6 -- Pittsburgh
11 -- UNLV
2 -- Tennessee
15 -- Maryland-Baltimore County
7 -- Davidson
10 -- Baylor
1 -- Memphis
16 -- Northwestern State/Texas-Arlington
8 -- Vanderbilt
9 -- Kansas State
4 -- Michigan State
13 -- Siena
5 -- Butler
12 -- Oregon
3 -- Stanford
14 -- San Diego
6 -- Clemson
11 -- Kentucky
2 -- Georgetown
15 -- Belmont
7 -- Texas A&M
10 -- Illinois State
1 -- Kansas/Texas** (see above)
16 -- American
8 -- BYU
9 -- St. Mary's
4 -- Drake
13 -- Cornell
5 -- Notre Dame
12 -- Saint Joseph's
3 -- Louisville
14 -- Cal State Fullerton
6 -- USC
11 -- Western Kentucky
2 -- Duke
15 -- Austin Peay
7 -- Purdue
10 -- Arkansas/Mississippi State
If Arkansas wins, they're an 8. If they lose, they're a 10.
If Georgia wins, they go where Winthrop is.
If Illinois wins, they go where Cornell is.
If either Georgia or Illinois wins, Oregon is out.
if they both win, New Mexico is out.
Breakdown by conference:
Big East -- 7
Big 12 -- 6
Pac-10 -- 6
SEC -- 5
Big 10 -- 4
ACC -- 4
Mountain West -- 3
Atlantic 14 -- 3
West Coast -- 3
Missouri Valley -- 2
Sun Belt -- 2
We'll see.
I'll have more comments early next week, book deadline permitting.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
And We're Off
No real surprises yet in Nashville. Campbell gave Belmont a good game, but Justin Hare hit an ill-advised shot late to put the Bruins over the top. Jacksonville handled Mercer fairly easily, with James Florence shooting his team out of the game . . . again. Seriously, dude shoots way too much. He's got good guys around him. Use them.
On the women's side, Stetson gave Jacksonville all they wanted, but the Lady Dolphins pulled away late. ETSU crushed Mercer.
An upset by seed-line but not by conventioal wisdom saw Gardner-Webb blow out Stetson by 20. The best game so far has been G-W's women vs. Campbell. The conference really got lucky that their 3-6 and 4-5 women's games today are local rivals. G-W led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Campbell came back to take a late lead. Campbell had the ball down 1 with 16 seconds to go, but Lauren Arthur missed a well-defended jumper with 2 seconds left. G-W held on to win 57-56.
Two games left in the quarters -- Lipscomb's women host Belmont tonight at 6, followed by the men vs. ETSU.
Two things I've noticed so far:
1 -- Allen Arena may be the least telegenic building in college basketball. Oh my, that place is dark. They do their best to light up the floor, but the sideline beckdrops are really, really dark. Memo to Lipscomb students: if you're going to the game tonight, wear bright colors. The TV people will thank you.
2 -- Some of the pictures I've seen of the arena are not just dark, they're outright stark. There is nobody there. Attendance yesterday afternoon was about 1300. Compare that with 3500 last year for the first afternoon session in Johnson City. To be fair, the ETSU folks support college basketball better than anybody else in the conference by a wide margin. Their average home attendance was more than double the conference average, even for the women.
But that said, 1300 is just embarassing. Last night wasn't much better. Even with Belmont playing, only just over 1500 came out. Put a "home" team in a conference tournament and you HAVE to do better than that. Belmont averaged 1,350 per non-Lipscomb home game. Last year, ETSU averaged triple that. That's right, I said triple.
I'm not sure why the A-Sun decided to bring their tournaments to Nashville, but I hope whatever publicity they were trying to generate was worth the hit at the gate.
On the women's side, Stetson gave Jacksonville all they wanted, but the Lady Dolphins pulled away late. ETSU crushed Mercer.
An upset by seed-line but not by conventioal wisdom saw Gardner-Webb blow out Stetson by 20. The best game so far has been G-W's women vs. Campbell. The conference really got lucky that their 3-6 and 4-5 women's games today are local rivals. G-W led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Campbell came back to take a late lead. Campbell had the ball down 1 with 16 seconds to go, but Lauren Arthur missed a well-defended jumper with 2 seconds left. G-W held on to win 57-56.
Two games left in the quarters -- Lipscomb's women host Belmont tonight at 6, followed by the men vs. ETSU.
Two things I've noticed so far:
1 -- Allen Arena may be the least telegenic building in college basketball. Oh my, that place is dark. They do their best to light up the floor, but the sideline beckdrops are really, really dark. Memo to Lipscomb students: if you're going to the game tonight, wear bright colors. The TV people will thank you.
2 -- Some of the pictures I've seen of the arena are not just dark, they're outright stark. There is nobody there. Attendance yesterday afternoon was about 1300. Compare that with 3500 last year for the first afternoon session in Johnson City. To be fair, the ETSU folks support college basketball better than anybody else in the conference by a wide margin. Their average home attendance was more than double the conference average, even for the women.
But that said, 1300 is just embarassing. Last night wasn't much better. Even with Belmont playing, only just over 1500 came out. Put a "home" team in a conference tournament and you HAVE to do better than that. Belmont averaged 1,350 per non-Lipscomb home game. Last year, ETSU averaged triple that. That's right, I said triple.
I'm not sure why the A-Sun decided to bring their tournaments to Nashville, but I hope whatever publicity they were trying to generate was worth the hit at the gate.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Coaching Change
Mercer has announced that they will not renew the contract of head coach Mark Slonaker.
A-Sun Women's Picks
Real quick. More later as time and work permits:
Quarters -- ETSU over Mercer, Jacksonville over Stetson, G-W over Campbell, Lipscomb over Belmont.
Semis -- Jacksonville over G-W, ETSU over Lipscomb.
Finals -- Jacksonville Dolphins.
More on the All-Conference teams later. Let's just say for now I disagree with some of the selections.
Quarters -- ETSU over Mercer, Jacksonville over Stetson, G-W over Campbell, Lipscomb over Belmont.
Semis -- Jacksonville over G-W, ETSU over Lipscomb.
Finals -- Jacksonville Dolphins.
More on the All-Conference teams later. Let's just say for now I disagree with some of the selections.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A-Sun Tournament Fields Set
Just when we thought we had it, somebody else goes and blows up the bracket.
Welcome to March.
Lipscomb did what they had to do this weekend, sweeping at home to get to 9-7 and into the #5 slot. But rather than taking their #4 seeding like we all expected, Stetson went and beat Jacksonville. The hot-shooting Hatters made half of their 3's while holding the Dolphins to 1 of 12. So now Stetson is the 3-seed, their 11-5 record tied with
[drumroll please]
East Tennessee State. [/drums]
Suddenly, what looked like the best possible draw for Lipscomb is now the worst. 4 of Lipscomb's 7 conference losses are to ETSU and Belmont, their first two opponents in the tournament. ETSU and Belmont are the only A-Sun teams to win in Allen Arena this year. So for Lipscomb to get a look at the conference finals, they have to beat two teams against whom they are a combined 0-4. Suddenly, a 6-seed isn't looking so bad.
My A-Sun brackets:
Quarters -- Belmont over Campbell, Jacksonville over Mercer, Gardner-Webb over Stetson, ETSU over Lipscomb. (Sorry, I tried to go the other way, but I just can't.)
Semis -- ETSU over Belmont, Jacksonville over G-W.
Finals -- Jacksonville over ETSU.
Here's hoping I'm wrong.
Welcome to March.
Lipscomb did what they had to do this weekend, sweeping at home to get to 9-7 and into the #5 slot. But rather than taking their #4 seeding like we all expected, Stetson went and beat Jacksonville. The hot-shooting Hatters made half of their 3's while holding the Dolphins to 1 of 12. So now Stetson is the 3-seed, their 11-5 record tied with
[drumroll please]
East Tennessee State. [/drums]
Suddenly, what looked like the best possible draw for Lipscomb is now the worst. 4 of Lipscomb's 7 conference losses are to ETSU and Belmont, their first two opponents in the tournament. ETSU and Belmont are the only A-Sun teams to win in Allen Arena this year. So for Lipscomb to get a look at the conference finals, they have to beat two teams against whom they are a combined 0-4. Suddenly, a 6-seed isn't looking so bad.
My A-Sun brackets:
Quarters -- Belmont over Campbell, Jacksonville over Mercer, Gardner-Webb over Stetson, ETSU over Lipscomb. (Sorry, I tried to go the other way, but I just can't.)
Semis -- ETSU over Belmont, Jacksonville over G-W.
Finals -- Jacksonville over ETSU.
Here's hoping I'm wrong.
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