The Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets are two upstart teams that crashed the NBA Cup party with big wins Wednesday. While the semifinal matchups are intriguing, they aren't registering with ticket buyers. Tickets for the NBA Cup in Las Vegas have plummeted since the teams were set. They were hoping for Lakers, Warriors, Suns, Clippers, Celtics or Knicks but no dice. The current get in prices: Dec. 14: Bucks-Hawks - $29 Dec. 14: Thunder-Rockets - $39 Dec. 17: NBA Cup Final - $79 The semifinals of the NBA Cup are set, with the Milwaukee Bucks facing the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder playing the Houston Rockets. It's not a surprise that ticket sales are lagging for the Cup, simply due to the nature of the in-season tournament. The matchups aren't set until three days before the semifinals happen, making it difficult for even diehard fans to plan a trip to Las Vegas to see their teams. That's especially true when all the teams close to Sin City lost out. Going to Vegas from Los Angeles, Phoenix or the San Francisco Bay Area is fairly easy and affordable, even on the spur of the moment. From L.A. or Phoenix, fans can even drive. But to get to Vegas from Milwaukee or Oklahoma City on short notice can be both logistically difficult and expensive. Attendance relies heavily on interest from people who are already in Las Vegas, which means that teams with a broader national fan base — like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks or the Lakers — simply are more likely to draw fans at a neutral site. The game times don't help. The Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks game starts at 1:30 p.m. locally, a time chosen to accommodate turning over the arena for the evening crowd. The second game is scheduled for 5:30. In a city where many businesses are open all night and casinos famously don't have clocks, early afternoon isn't exactly prime time. This isn't to say any of the semifinal teams are unworthy or that the games won't be entertaining. All of the potential matchups are fun, with MVP candidates, All-Stars and potential All-Defensive teamers. They simply aren't going to drive Las Vegas ticket sales on short notice. There's one simple solution that would be better for attendance and television ratings: Make the semifinals a single-ticket event. That's what the Final Four does, a single-elimination tournament that the NBA seems to be imitating with the Cup. Then, the games can start closer together, without the need to usher out one crowd and welcome another between contests. That, in turn, allows for a later start time. It's also far easier to sell out half the number of seats and ensure that there's actually a crowd cheering on the NBA's signature midseason event. Even if the Lakers and Knicks aren't playing.None
French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which hurled the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. Barnier's rapid ejection from office comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer which resulted in a hung parliament with no party having an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government's survival. President Emmanuel Macron now has the difficult task of picking a viable successor with over two years of his presidential term left. He is to address the nation at 1900 GMT on Thursday, the Elysee said. Earlier in the day, Macron is to receive Barnier at 0900 GMT who will submit the resignation of the government. The National Assembly debated a motion brought by the hard left in a standoff over next year's austerity budget, after the prime minister on Monday forced through a social security financing bill without a vote. With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government. Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis. He strolled earlier Wednesday through the desert sands of the Al-Ula oasis, an iconic tourist project of the kingdom, marvelling at ancient landmarks. After landing, he headed direct to the Elysee Palace. "We are now calling on Macron to go," Mathilde Panot, the head of the parliamentary faction of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party told reporters, urging "early presidential elections" to solve the deepening political crisis. But taking care not to crow over the fall of the government, Le Pen said in a television interview that her party -- once a new premier is appointed -- "would let them work" and help create a "budget that is acceptable for everyone". Laurent Wauquiez, the head of right-wing deputies in parliament, said the far-right and hard-left bore the responsibility for a no-confidence vote that would "plunge the country into instability". Macron on Tuesday had rejected calls to resign, saying such a scenario amounted to "political fiction". With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes against the threat of cutbacks, action that will shut schools and hit air and rail traffic, there is a growing sense of crisis. The unions have called for civil servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over separate cost-cutting measures proposed by their respective ministries this autumn. Meanwhile, Macron is due to host a major international event Saturday, with the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral after the 2019 fire, with guests including Donald Trump on his first foreign trip since he was elected to be the next US president. "His failure," was left-wing daily Liberation's front-page headline, with a picture of Macron, whose term runs until 2027. In an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen's move risked upsetting her own supporters, such as retirees and business leaders, by toppling the government. "In the space of a few minutes, she shattered the strategy of normalisation she had consistently pursued," the daily said. Some observers have suggested that Le Pen, 56, is seeking to bring down Macron before his term ends by ousting Barnier. Le Pen is embroiled in a high-profile embezzlement trial. If found guilty in March, she could be blocked from participating in France's next presidential election. But if Macron stepped down soon, an election would have to be called within a month, potentially ahead of the verdict in her trial. Candidates for the post of premier are few, but loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron's centrist ally Francois Bayrou are possible contenders. On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September. Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP. It was the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou's government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president. The lifespan of Barnier's government is also the shortest of any administration since the Fifth Republic began in 1958. bur-jh-sjw/rlp Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.Have you heard the one about the Colorado School of Mines mechanical engineer who’s going to play football at mighty Alabama? Standby. It’s a good one. “I mean, it didn’t feel real at first,” Blake Doud is telling me of his commitment to play for the Crimson Tide. “It kind of still doesn’t feel real.” Oh, it’s real alright. Really wild. Really cool. See, Doud last week became the first Mines player to enter the NCAA transfer portal in the portal era — and the first Oredigger to make the leap to a Power 4 program. Even that part is wild; it was Mines coaches, specifically punting guru Scott Groner, who encouraged him to go. “Blake would be the first to admit he didn’t want to leave Mines,” Groner tells me. It’s true. He didn’t. Mines football players don’t leave Mines football. They love Mines football. “Coming to school here was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Doud says. But that’s the thing about Mines. You opt into long study hours and brutal exam weeks to jump start your life — whether that’s building rockets or bridges as an engineer... or chasing an NFL dream with your lead foot. “At the end of the day it’s our duty to send these guys off and better their lives,” Groner says. “If he can play in front of those SEC crowds and get three meals a day and work with an SEC strength program, I truly felt that could be the edge that would allow him an NFL opportunity.” Friggin’ Alabama was never a thought in Doud’s mind. Shoot, punting wasn’t much of one, either. Mines was the only program to recruit Doud as a punter instead of a wide receiver, where he excelled at Legend High in Parker. So he chose Mines to punt balls and “hopefully build some stuff, because I’ve always liked building stuff,” he says. “It’s not easy here (at Mines),” says Doud, who will dual-enroll at Mines and Alabama next semester to complete his engineering degree. “But this place has truly shaped who I am.” Doud redshirted his first year at the Division II powerhouse. He didn’t appear in a single game in his second season. He exploded in 2023 and 2024, winning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team All-American honors. He led Division II last season at 46.1 yards per punt. “I saw it straight away,” says Groner, a former All-American punter, who spent eight years working with the Kansas City Chiefs and now works part-time with the Broncos equipment team. “I saw his 6-foot-5 frame. Being 6-foot-5 as a punter is kind of a cheat code — long levers, powering through the football, good hang time. Then his coach-ability took over.” It’s rare a single punt turns heads in college ball. But in Week 1 this season Doud launched an 80-yard boomer that went viral with over 2 million views on social media. A couple Power 4 assistants even asked me if he would consider transferring to play Division I ball for a year. Doubt it, I said. Mines football players don’t leave Mines. They love Mines. “Blake kind of came out of nowhere a little bit. He was this scrawny 6-foot-5 kid,” Groner says. “But he’s extremely coachable, which most Mines kids are. Everything I’d say, he would’t question it. He’d try it, then come back at me if something didn’t feel right. Those are the best kinds of kids to work with. And I can tell he’s really invested and driven and wants to be great. That makes it fun as a coach.” Then came the transfer portal. “I know the portal is frowned upon in college football,” Groner says. “But this is different. This is potentially life-changing.” Groner’s first call went to Dustin Colquitt, a close friend from their time with the Chiefs, who works with specialists at the University of Tennessee. The Vols didn’t need a punter. The University of Texas-El Paso was Doud’s first scholarship offer in the portal. Then the University of Missouri. Once Missouri offered, Alabama special teams analyst Jay Nunez called Doud with a scholarship offer. Roll Tide. He’s moving to Tuscaloosa in early January. “Alabama, they were always No. 1 when I was growing up,” he says. “Always in big games.” “Building stuff” is still on the table. But career plans have changed. Doud studies Los Angeles Rams punter Ethan Evans, who played at Wingate University, another Division II program. A man named Lloyd Madden was the last Mines player to play in a regular-season NFL game, the school said. That was in the 1940s. I asked Groner, who knows NFL punters: Is Blake one? “He is,” Groner says. “He has the body and he’s only getting stronger. If he doesn’t have the NFL leg now, he will. The hard work is there. The desire is there. And he’s a gamer. He is.” Before he left the Mines campus, the Orediggers had one request for their All-American punter. “When you’re playing on Monday Night Football,” Groner says, “you have to say, ‘Blake Doud, Colorado School of Mines.’” Roll Mines.
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NoneQorvo, Inc. ( NASDAQ: QRVO ) Barclays 22nd Annual Global Technology Conference December 12, 2024 12:50 PM ET Company Participants Grant Brown - Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dave Fullwood - Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Philip Chesley - President, High Performance Analog & Senior VP Conference Call Participants Tom O'Malley - Barclays Tom O'Malley Hi, Semiconductor and Semicap Equipment Analyst here. Please have Grant Brown, Phil Chesley, and Dave Fullwood here from Qorvo. And I love having a full suite of guys on stage. I never get to fill all the seats. It is awesome. Thanks for joining me. Grant Brown Appreciate it. Well, thank you. Thanks for having us. Tom O'Malley So I think a good point to start is maybe with the state of the full business. So Grant, could you walk us through what's going on with the ACG business, CSG and Phil, maybe with ACG, you guys can mix it up whoever wants to go first can start. Grant Brown Sure. Thanks very much for having us. Always appreciate the opportunity. Maybe before I begin, I'd to remind the audience that the Safe Harbor language that applies to our press release is also applies to today's presentation and this discussion and refer everyone to our filings, specifically Form 10-K and 10-Q for any additional information and risk factors. I'll go ahead and start, and then I'll throw it over to Philip or Dave, who can elaborate. Looking across the full business, Qorvo's markets are underpinned by some significant global megatrends that we commented on at our Investor Day. Those are electrification, connectivity, mobility, sustainability, datafication and AI, of course. Each of these unlock new functionality and new user experiences that are made available by the customers we serve and the products of ours that enable that.