Brighton's pre-season has been 'done right'
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The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
How to avoid fumbling your NFL fantasy football draft party
With preseason play in full swing, millions of NFL fans across the country are preparing for the most important event in the fantasy football season: draft day. Could the 2025-26 NFL season finally be the year you win your league? Maybe you're going for a repeat, or threepeat, and hoping your friends will label you 'the Jordan of fantasy football'. Or perhaps you're just praying you don't finish rock bottom and you can avoid the flop allegations. Great fantasy managers have spent weeks fine-tuning their research and strategies, while commissioners have faced the tougher challenge of wrangling a league full of friends who can play nice with each other — or maybe your commissioner is a chaos merchant and gathered a group of people together anticipating your draft party will evolve into a street brawl. If bitter rivalries are brewing and trash-talk is flying, it's probably time to start planning your league's launch event. Pick the perfect date There are dozens of dates you could hold your draft party; there is one that stands out above the rest. While you can draft earlier – or later – Labor Day weekend, beginning August 29, is widely considered the ideal time to hold your draft. Most people have the Monday off and, by then, the preseason is over. Training camp standouts are likely on your radar and you're no longer guessing which rookies will get game time. You can also dodge drafting any star players who suffer last-minute injuries before the regular season kicks off on September 4 with the Dallas Cowboys playing the Philadelphia Eagles. You don't want to be the manager who was somehow fortunate enough to draft both Josh Allen and Saquon Barkley only for both of them to miss the first few games of the season with niggling strains that tank your prospects of winning early. Sweat the small stuff A good draft party is all about the details. Stocking TOO much of those strong beers risks everyone being plastered and if your food game is too plentiful all the managers could be falling asleep on the job before business is taken care of. Of course, it's important to have the staples: setting up a fantasy board, handing out team-branded merchandise to opposing fans just to anger them, preparing an assortment of stadium-favorite snacks (not at stadium prices) and filling those coolers with a selection of beverages that would be fit for a tailgate party. Adding in themed dress code — Travis Kelce's worst looks? — a stadium playlist or a commissioner intro video can help a party avoid feeling mundane. An original, well-thought-out launch event sets the tone for the upcoming season. Set perks (and punishments) It's time to raise the stakes. Bragging rights might suffice for some but adding in perks and punishments can add an extra layer of excitement and accountability to your league. The manager who drafts the best team could receive a straightforward league fee refund or, for the flashier managers, a personalized championship trophy that's passed down to each season's victor like a legacy prize. The lowest-ranking drafters might have to don a Tom Brady Patriots jersey or deliver a public apology video on Instagram. You can even add punishments for the party itself — first person to mention Taylor Swift has to provide an a cappella rendition of 'I Knew You Were Trouble'. Appoint a vibes commissioner You've worked hard to pull the league together and lock in the draft date. Now might be the time to delegate. The role of vibes commissioner is simple: Keep the atmosphere fun, draft managers engaged and dedicated to the cause, and help execute your carefully crafted plans. You don't want to plan the perfect party only for the reality to be a group of people who barely know each other constantly eyeing the exit door. From announcing picks to dishing out themed snacks, a good vibes commissioner sets the tone early and also does lots of the leg work for you. Start the draft with new season energy and there's a greater chance people will be talking about your league deep into the season, rather than checking out entirely by Week 6. These people drank all your beer, ate all your hot dogs and stole Jalen Hurts from you, the least they could do is treat your league with the respect it deserves.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd hold fresh Carlos Baleba transfer talks as they refuse to give up on stunning move for Brighton star
Brighton would only consider very expensive bids for Man Utd target Carlos Baleba BAL GAME Man Utd hold fresh Carlos Baleba transfer talks as they refuse to give up on stunning move for Brighton star Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED continue to talk with Brighton star Carlos Baleba as they refuse to give up on a sensational deal. United have been very active during the summer transfer window with some major signings, like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Manchester United continue to talk with Brighton star Carlos Baleba Credit:3 Baleba is keen to move to Man Utd but Brighton don't want to sell Credit:And now Man Utd are focusing on landing a new midfielder with Baleba, 21, posing as a top target in the final few weeks of the summer market. The Cameroon international is keen on moving to Old Trafford but the Seagulls are adamant he is not for sale. And recent reports suggest Brighton would only begin to consider a bid worth over the £115million they accepted for the sale of Moises Caicedo in 2023. But the Red Devils refuse to give up on the highly-rated defensive midfielder. According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the Manchester giants have held fresh talks with the Cameroonian's camp. And United continue to keep in touch with the ex-Lille star's reps looking to strike a deal on personal terms. However, there is still nothing advanced with Brighton who remain firm on their desire to hold onto Baleba this coming season. Nevertheless, Man Utd want to try and see how far they can go knowing that they have had a pretty successful transfer window anyway. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Romano said on his YouTube channel: "I told you last night [Friday] that Man Utd maintain contacts with the agents of Carlos Baleba and I want to confirm that. "Manchester United are speaking again and again, even today, with the agents of Carlos Baleba about the contract, about the salary. Man Utd open talks with Carlos Baleba | Transfers Exposed 'So Man United on the player side, they want to advance and then see what happens with Brighton. "At the moment with Brighton, it is still not something advanced or concrete or easy. 'But the contacts are still ongoing, the player is not closing doors to Manchester United and so Man Utd, from what I feel, they want to try. 'They want to try and say, 'Okay we believe Baleba is the perfect player, we are very happy with our market', because Man Utd signed Mbeumo, Cunha and Sesko - the players they wanted. 'Now they say, 'If we can get the perfect midfielder, good, otherwise we will move on'. "But Man Utd want to try and this is why even today on a Saturday, they continue to speak with the agents of Baleba and the contract is a topic that for Manchester United will not be a problem. 'So let's see what's going to happen there but for sure it is an interesting situation to follow.' 3
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
We own Benidorm's ‘biggest Brit cafe' where pints are €1 & thousands flock for whopping 4K cal Full English challenge
THOUSANDS of Brits flock to Benidorm every summer, but there's only one spot they can gorge on a 4,000 calorie Full English while guzzling a €1 pint. Holidaymakers rave about Uncle Ron's - the family-friendly diner where winners of a giant belly buster challenge will get their picture on the wall of fame. 6 6 6 The 4*-rated café is a hidden gem located on the Calle Londres, where platter-sized breakfasts go for just €12 and €1 pints pull punters in. Its famous €12 breakfast challenge consists of four sausages, four rashers of bacon, four eggs, four hash browns, four slices of toast and two slices of fried bread, mushrooms, tomatoes and baked beans. Not for the faint-hearted, it contains a whopping 3,800 calories - the equivalent of almost two days worth of a woman's recommended allowance. 'One in maybe 50 people manage to finish, sometimes it's more to be fair," owner Georgia Smith told The Sun. "Last week I was doing about 15 a day." The 59-year-old from Teesside runs Uncle Ron's with her partner, Ron, having moved to Benidorm 10 years ago. Anyone who eats the mega platter in 20 minutes gets it for free - and anyone who completes the challenge, will get their picture on the wall of fame with a free t-shirt. 'I started the wall of fame last year and there might be about 80 people up there," Georgia said. "I also do a €1 pint. Somebody came in the other night and ordered fifty. The full bar was covered. "He was a well known TikToker apparently. He gave them away to customers." While the cafe attracts its fair share of stag dos "dressed up as all sorts," Georgia insists Uncle Ron's is a family-friendly establishment. Service is "the same day and night" and "from the minute it's open to the minute it's closed you can get a belly buster". Georgia said: 'On a good day we do about 300 tickets a day, from 9am-3pm. I have drinkers on top of that. 'The euro pint drags a lot of people in and obviously people like a cheap pint, a lot of men mostly and obviously Benidorm is cheap and cheerful." Uncle Ron's has gained a loyal following since it was set up five years ago, with over 24,000 followers on Facebook alone. It comes as anti-tourism protests sweep their way through Europe, with hundreds of furious locals taking to the streets of Spain, Italy and Portugal to fight mass tourism this summer. Georgia, however, says her business has been welcomed by everyone. 'We get a lot of Brits, I've had a few Spanish, today there was Polish in, Americans, Australians, but mainly Brits," she said. 'We're welcomed by everybody. I have people that drink in my bar that are Spanish, this season I have had a few Spanish families come in for food which is quite unusual. 'Some of the Brits don't try very hard," Georgia said of the challenge. "They might be a bit hungover which is usually the case in Benidorm." When it comes to speed, the current belly buster record sits just shy of seven minutes. But not everyone is successful. 'I had somebody do it in seven minutes and ten seconds," Georgia said. "A lot of them have gone in the toilet and been sick because they are hungover or because they have eaten too much." 6 6
