I dont talk until after its done, though.Barnidge wouldnt want to try wrestling post- | Forum

NEW YORK -- Walking out of Madison Square Garden onto the chilly New York streets Saturday morning, the only way I could express the spectacle of the League of Legends World Championships semifinal between defending champion SK Telecom T1 and reigning South Korean champion ROX Tigers was with a simple smile. Adidas Superstar Wholesale China .SKT T1 and its prodigy ringleader, Lee Faker Sang-hyeok, had just overcome an unprecedented Miss Fortune curveball ROX threw at them, advancing to next weeks finals in five games by the skin of their teeth.Later that same day, exiting the Garden following Samsung Galaxys thrashing of H2k in the second semifinal (which went half as long as the first), my thoughts were still swimming of the series I had witnessed less than 24 hours earlier.Out of the two semis in New York this weekend, one delivered while the other was a lopsided snoozefest in which the MSG crowd partook in the wave and endless chanting of T-S-M! -- a team, mind you, that didnt even make it out of the group stages -- to appease its boredom from the expected South Korean dominance.Regardless of how trite the semifinals as a whole might have ended, it didnt matter: SKT T1, the Tigers, and Friday night made it all worth it -- and then some.At that point it was clear: we witnessed the best match well see at the World Championships; not only at the 2016 edition, but in the entire legacy of the tournament. ROX and SKT T1 played a best-of-five series that was worthy of being a final in any league in the world.And it was obvious SKT T1 knew that, too. Usually when SK Telecom wins -- even if its a major championship -- you rarely see much reaction on the players faces. To the contrast of the ROX Tigers fun loving, boisterous personalities, SKT T1 is seen as the cold, business-like surgeons that personify the methodical South Korean League of Legends style. However, this time, after SKT T1 completed their comeback from a 2-1 deficit to finally eliminate their greatest rival from the tournament, even Faker broke into a smile, the team converging into a sequence of hugs and laughter as they realized their defense of the Summoners Cup would move onto the final stage in Los Angeles this Saturday.No disrespect to the two teams that took the stage Saturday night -- South Korean club Samsung Galaxy dispatching Europes fiery H2k, 3-0 -- but the real Summoners Cup Final might have been played the night before.After two years without a playoff series at Worlds going the distance, the fans on Friday night received the best possible match to end the drought.In the first game, SKT T1 and Faker flexed their muscles to put the Tigers, the current domestic champion of South Korea, in their place with a lopsided victory.The next two games, though, it would be the Tigers getting the jump on SKT T1 with a never-before-seen Champion pick that shook SKT T1 to its core. In a move that no one -- and if you say you did, please tell me some lottery numbers pronto -- saw coming, the Tigers chose an unprecedented ultra-aggressive composition with two marksmen in the bottom lane at once, in place of using a traditional support. Kang GorillA Beom-hyeon played the AD carry Miss Fortune in the support role while Kim PraY Jong-in settled on his signature Ashe.Imagine the Houston Texans playing J.J. Watt at tight end or a right-handed pitcher suddenly throwing lefty, or the San Antonio Spurs playing five seven-footers. Faker said after the match he had not seen Miss Fortune used in that fashion in any professional match in his career.The risky decision worked like a charm and ROX easily won both early games in commanding fashion, and SKT T1 were not able to adjust to the double-marksmen bot lane for Games 2 and 3.PraY on Ashe would slice the air with the perfect arrow to freeze a target in place, then GorillA would let loose with Miss Fortunes barrage of bullets from her ultimate. The Tigers didnt miss a beat with this strategy, and they accomplished what they had to do to make it work: never stop moving forward. If the paper-thin composition had stopped rolling at any time during the game, SKT T1 could have caught their bearings, defended a bit, and then held on until the late game where SKT T1 would have won in spades. Instead, the Tigers would jab, move to another part of the map, take another large swing at SKT T1, and then follow that up with another brash play. For every one stop SKT T1 made on the map, the Tigers would make five plays to top the failed attempt.Predictably, SKT T1 banned Miss Fortune from play in Games 4 and 5, opening the door for a comeback. SKT T1s rookie jungler Kang Blank Sun-gu lost both games he played in the middle of the series, and he was rotated out for the actual starter of the night, Bae Bengi Seong-woong, the two-time world champion veteran that started the match with a victory before being subbed out.Faker was his usual godly self, which is great for SKT T1. Generally, when Faker plays at that level, SKT T1 wins. Except, against ROX, a team that is just as good as SKT T1 and even better in some aspects, Faker winning his lane every game wasnt enough to bring them victory. It took Bengi, the maligned, often cast-aside jungler, to come in to be the hero that not only SKT T1 needed on the night, but the one they deserved. Bengi returned from his two-game benching in Game 4 with his teams back firmly against the wall. He picked Nidalee, a strong champion to be fair, but one he had never played in his long history as a jungler.Ice in his veins. Bengi played like a man possessed in the final two games, and the Tigers couldnt contain both Faker and Bengi at their best. At the end of the deciding Game 5, when ROX was on its deathbed, SKT T1 didnt let up. Faker and Bengi, the two coldest gunslingers in the wild west, put down one of their greatest rivals, and they embraced as the packed Madison Square Garden crowd appreciated their greatness.Not Fakers greatness -- their greatness.To the Tigers, who never stopped, be it attacking or singing, this is their end. While it remains to be seen what the future holds in the offseason, Friday night, like all the others, they will leave wondering what they need to do rid themselves of the demon that is SK Telecom T1.The only thing left to be said is from ROXs Song Smeb Kyung-ho, who talked about his teammates -- what his friends meant to him before the tournament began:I dont know how to describe the members of the Tigers, said Smeb. Family, friends, I could describe my teammates that way. The things I dont show my family, the things I dont show my friends -- there are those things -- but I can show those things to them. Its hard to describe, but I dont think Ill ever have a team like this again. The people who let me comfortably show the best that I can play. Im so lucky to have come to where I am. I think Im so lucky to have met these teammates. While they are players with tremendous skill, even without their abilities, they are really good people with whom I am fortunate enough to have shared and pursued a dream.No, Smeb. We were lucky. We were lucky to watch you to fight for that dream. Adidas Superstars Sale Cheap . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Adidas Superstars Clearance Sale . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. http://www.superstarcheap.com/ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge have made a pact. When both retire, theyll score a Winnebago and travel the country to catch all the pay-per-view WWE events the NFL calendar kept them from attending all these years.First to retire buys the Winnie, which puts the 33-year-old Williams, a Pittsburgh Steelers running back, at a slight disadvantage. Barnidge, a?Cleveland Browns tight end, is 31. Williams kids might tag along too.My daughters a big John Cena fan, Williams said.For a select few NFL players, professional wrestling is not occasional TV viewing, but a way of life.Williams, Barnidge and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry are the leagues most visible converts, turning childhood memories into, well, more childhood memories.Wrestling brings out the giddy teen in guys like Barnidge, whos been hooked on the action ever since watching a family friend wrestle on a local circuit in north Florida.?Barnidge and Williams are former Carolina Panthers teammates who struck a friendship after Williams attended WrestleMania 28 without Barnidge. Theyve traveled to the subsequent four WrestleManias together and drive or fly to numerous other spots each year, such as Royal Rumble and SummerSlam.Barnidge always tries to take at least one Browns teammate to the Cleveland-area events. Sunday nights No Mercy event in Sacramento isnt close by, but that will be a no-brainer pay-per-view purchase at the Barnidge home after the Browns-Patriots game.People watch soap operas -- well, this is that, said Barnidge of the WWE. It has a storyline and action, yet its a physical sport. We know whos going to win, but it draws you in with the buildup and the tension.Williams is considered the most active WWE fan, but Curry has spent time with Williams and Barnidge on a few recent road trips. Next years WrestleMania in Orlando became a vacation for the threesome. Williams brought his family, and Barnidge -- known as Uncle Gary -- sometimes babysat when Williams and his wife step out.Our crew is pretty solid now, Williams said. Well be at Disney World the whole time, hanging out before the event. Tuesday and Wednesday you do the tourist stuff, then its all wrestling throughout the week. Its a family tthing. Cheap Adidas Superstar China. A WWE spokesperson said the organization doesnt have an official relationship with the NFL, and the players dont get preferential treatment at the events. They buy tickets like everyone else. Curry said the players do get access to various WWE events and itineraries built around WrestleMania, which is like a mini-Super Bowl for that week.For Curry, wrestling is less about the perks and more about the attitude. Well before signing a five-year, $47.25 million contract extension with Philadelphia, Curry was a New Jersey kid who couldnt afford tickets to WWE events at nearby Asbury Park Convention Hall.So Curry got nostalgic, watching old clips of World Wrestling Federation action. Bam Bam Bigelow was a childhood hero through the television, Curry said.Hulk Hogan even reinforced Moms messages on occasion.As a kid, your parents try to get you to eat your vegetables. Well, Hulk Hogan could get me to eat my vegetables, Curry said. The body slams, the stories, the costumes, the face paint. I loved all that stuff.Many NFL players watch WWE casually, but only a few die-hards travel to the events. Former Browns Johnson Bademosi and Barkevious Mingo attended a few events with Barnidge and loved them, Barnidge said. Williams has taken several Steelers linemen to events on the Pittsburgh circuit.Barnidge said he most aligns with Undertaker -- calm and collected -- but when told Williams prefers the charismatic Enzo Amore, Barnidge switched his own answer to Big Cass, Amores partner.He talks a lot, but he backs up what he talks, Williams said of Amore. I kind of push myself through my words and how I carry myself. I dont talk until after its done, though.Barnidge wouldnt want to try wrestling post-football because he would get destroyed, he said. Just because football players slam bodies doesnt mean they could absorb clotheslines to the neck 100 nights a year. Wrestling requires specific training to take the bumps, and Barnidge wont be that motivated in his late 30s.But the 280-pound Curry is game for trying.All my goals would be set then, Curry said. ' ' '