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Mid-American Conference football goes all in on November weeknights for the TV viewers

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Several times following New England’s 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said he wanted to review the game film before making a final assessment of his team’s performance. He did, and on Monday he said the overarching feeling he was left with was one of pride. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL is commendable. Mayo also remains confident this group has even more room for growth over its final two games this season. “To be frank, I don’t believe in good losses,” Mayo said. “I think there’s a lot to learn from the game. Look, we’re headed in the right direction, but it’s all about consistency, and we have to do that on a down-after-down, a game-after-game basis to be successful in this league.” What is also clear is that despite their 3-12 record, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye wants people to know that he and his teammates believe in their coach. No matter what conversations might be going on outside the Patriots locker room regarding shortcomings by the coaching staff, or Mayo’s job status. “We’ve got his back, and he’s coached us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We’re all frustrated,” Maye said. “We’re just plays away, and it’s basically me turning the ball over. I think it’s just a testament to these guys that keep fighting. We keep fighting. Shoot, we’re not going to make the playoffs; we’re out of the race, and these guys are coming in, frustrated when we don’t score. ... So, I think we’re building something good, building something that feels right here, and I’m proud to be a Patriot.” The Patriots entered the week scoring only 7.5 points per game in the first half this season, which ranked 29th in the NFL. The offense woke up with 14 points in the first half on Sunday, notching multiple offensive touchdowns in the first half for the first time in 2024. Stopping the run has been an issue for New England’s defense for most of the season and it was on display against the Bills. With Buffalo trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, running back James Cook sliced through the interior of the Patriots defense and broke free for a 46-yard TD run. It was a big chunk of Buffalo’s 172 yards on the ground for the game. CB Jonathan Jones. He was tasked with being the primary defender on Buffalo’s top receiver Khalil Shakir for most of the game. The veteran held his own, helping limit the Bills’ leader in catches and receiving yards to only two catches for 22 yards on six targets. Jones also forced a fumble by Shakir in the fourth quarter, though Shakir was able to recover it. Marte Mapu. The linebacker started at safety with Jabrill Peppers sidelined with a hamstring injury. Mapu was strong for most of the game and had a chance to set up the Patriots offense in the second quarter when he snagged his second career interception, picking off Josh Allen’s pass in the end zone. But Mapu decided to run the ball out of the end zone and was tackled on the New England 1-yard line. The poor starting field position eventually led to a punt and the Patriots couldn’t add to their 14-7 lead. The Patriots didn’t announce any injuries during the game. But along with Peppers, cornerback Marcus Jones also sat out with a hip injury. 2-6 — The Patriots’ record in one-score games this season. Four of those have been by three or fewer points. The Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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NoneBrody Mace, 13, of Stockton Springs almost didn’t get to go hunting for deer this fall. He broke two major bones in his right arm at school while playing football about six or seven weeks before deer hunting season began. Brody was in a full arm cast and couldn’t even bend his elbow. He and his dad Josh Mace were afraid his arm wouldn’t heal enough to get the cast off for hunting. But just before the season opened, the doctor put Brody’s arm in a removable cast so that he had more movement with his hand. Brody went from the disabled list to having family bragging rights with one well-placed arrow from his crossbow. The family owns 9 acres on Cape Jellison in Stockton Springs, where the Maces hunt. They had seen a particular buck on their game camera early one morning. It had bedded down in a nearby thicket. There are old apple trees that the deer and other animals and birds like to frequent in that area, so it’s a good place to watch for game, Josh said. The Maces were a little late getting to their hunting spot, so they weren’t sure if they might spook some deer. But they cleared a spot, set up their blind, cleared some branches out of their expected shooting lane, set up Brody’s crossbow on its shooting stand and settled in to wait, hoping a deer would show up. During the last 45 minutes of daylight, Brody was looking through his crossbow scope into the woods and saw a deer rack. “Dad, big buck! Big buck!” his dad recalled Brody whispering. The buck was looking right at them, Josh said. He got out a range finder to figure out the distance, but was having trouble focusing it because he was breathing so hard, he said. There were a few trees to work around, but they waited for the deer to take just one step and it would be enough. Brody dropped the buck at 45 yards with his crossbow. Brody said he was shaking really hard after, and Josh said he got as much of a rush as Brody did, watching his son shoot his big deer. The eight-point buck weighed 205.4 pounds, qualifying Brody for the Big Buck Club, which is a distinction that his father hasn’t earned in 27 years of hunting. Josh has been hunting since he was 10 years old. This wasn’t Brody’s first deer. He has shot two does, a spike horn buck and a six-point buck with his crossbow. He also has killed turkeys with a crossbow. Brody fishes too and this year caught a 41.5-inch-long striped bass. “Every time he goes, he gets big fish, turkeys, deer,” Josh said. “After this deer, he rubbed it in to Dad.” Josh has killed a bear, but Brody hasn’t yet. Brody thinks he may try regular archery next. His favorite part of the hunt was seeing the deer’s rack through his scope, Brody said. A taxidermist is doing a head and shoulders mount of the deer for Brody. The teen plans to hang his prize buck in his bedroom.

Despite a 10% decline in voting across the world, India reversed the trend by hitting the 65% markRupee Depreciates 3 Per Cent In 2024, Manages To Remain Less Volatile Than Its CounterpartsNEW YORK — There's a Christmas Day basketball game at Walt Disney World, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby. An animated game, anyway. The real game takes place at Madison Square Garden, where Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs face the New York Knicks in a game televised on ABC and ESPN and streamed on Disney+ and ESPN+. The special alt-cast, the first animated presentation of an NBA game, will be shown on ESPN2 and also stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. Madison Square Garden is a staple of the NBA's Christmas schedule. Now it merges with a bigger home of the holidays, because the "Dunk the Halls" game will be staged at Disney, on a court set up right smack in the middle of where countless families have posed for vacation photos. Why that location? Because it was Mickey Mouse's Christmas wish. "Basketball courts often have the ability to make a normal environment look special, but in Disney it can only turn out incredible," Wembanyama said in an ESPN video promoting his Christmas debut. The story — this is Disney, after all — begins with Mickey penning a letter to Santa Claus, asking if he and his pals can host a basketball game. They'll not only get to watch one with NBA players, but some of them will even get to play. Goofy and Donald Duck will sub in for a couple Knicks players, while Mickey and Minnie Mouse will come on to play for the Spurs. "It looks to me like Goofy and Jalen Brunson have a really good pick-and-roll at the elite level," said Phil Orlins, an ESPN vice president of production. Walt Disney World hosted real NBA games in 2020, when the league set up there to complete its season that had been suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those games were played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The setting for the Christmas game will be Main Street USA, at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Viewers will recognize Cinderella's castle behind one baseline and the train station at the other end, and perhaps some shops they have visited in between. Previous alternate animated broadcasts included an NFL game taking place in Andy's room from "Toy Story;" the "NHL Big City Greens Classic" during a game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers; and earlier this month, another NFL matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys also taking place at Springfield's Atoms Stadium as part of "The Simpsons Funday Football." Unlike basketball, the players are helmeted in those sports. So, this telecast required an extra level of detail and cooperation with players and teams to create accurate appearances of their faces and hairstyles. "So, this is a level of detail that we've never gone, that we've never done on any other broadcast," said David Sparrgrove, the senior director of creative animation for ESPN. Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 phenom from France who was last season's NBA Rookie of the Year, looks huge even among most NBA players. The creators of the alternate telecast had to design how he'd look not only among his teammates and rivals, but among mice, ducks and chipmunks. "Like, Victor Wembanyama, seeing him in person is insane. It's like seeing an alien descend on a basketball court, and I think we kind of captured that in his animated character," said Drew Carter, who will again handle play-by-play duties, as he had in the previous animated telecasts, and will get an assist from sideline reporter Daisy Duck. Wembanyama's presence is one reason the Spurs-Knicks matchup, the leadoff to the NBA's five-game Christmas slate, was the obvious choice to do the animated telecast. The noon EST start means it will begin in the early evening in France and should draw well there. Also, it comes after ABC televises the "Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade" for the previous two hours, providing more time to hype the broadcast. Recognizing that some viewers who then switch over to the animated game may be Disney experts but NBA novices, there will be 10 educational explainers to help with basketball lingo and rules. Beyond Sports' visualization technology and Sony's Hawk-Eye tracking allow the animated players to make the same movements and plays made moments earlier by the real ones at MSG. Carter and analyst Monica McNutt will be animated in the style of the telecast, donning VR headsets to experience the game from Main Street, USA. Other animated faces recognizable to some viewers include NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who will judge a halftime dunk contest among Mickey and his friends, and Santa himself, who will operate ESPN's "SkyCam" during the game. The players are curious how the production — and themselves — will look. "It's going to be so crazy to see the game animated," Spurs veteran Chris Paul said. "I think what's dope about it is it will give kids another opportunity to watch a game and to see us, basically, as characters." Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Train union backdown gives businesses, revellers Sydney NYE reprieveMarket cap of 6 of top 10 most valuable firms jumps ₹86,848 crore; HDFC Bank, RIL amongst top gainers

Energy stocks as a whole delivered an underwhelming performance in 2025. The average one in the S&P 500 has only managed to eke out a small gain (the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund -- an ETF that tracks energy stocks in the S&P 500 -- is only up about 1% on the year). Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has rallied more than 25%. A few Fool.com contributors expect a better performance from energy stocks next year. Chevron ( CVX 0.01% ) , Enterprise Products Partners ( EPD -0.23% ) , and Occidental Petroleum ( OXY 0.75% ) top their lists as the best ones to buy in the new year. Here's why they expect these energy companies to deliver a strong performance in 2025. Chevron has you covered through the energy cycle Reuben Gregg Brewer (Chevron): Energy stocks can be volatile, given that oil and natural gas prices are notoriously volatile. So you have to go in ready to handle the inherent ups and downs of the industry, regardless of whether you buy at the top of the energy cycle or the bottom. Chevron is built to ride the wave -- and keep paying you well throughout. The proof is in the $250 billion market cap energy giant's 37-year streak of annual dividend increases. There are a couple of important reasons for this reliable performance. First off, as an integrated energy company, Chevron has exposure across the energy sector, including the upstream (energy production), midstream ( pipelines ), and downstream (chemicals and refining). Each of the sectors operates a little differently from the others and, as such, having all three in the portfolio helps to soften the broader industry's peaks and valleys. CVX Debt to Equity Ratio data by YCharts Then there's Chevron's rock-solid balance sheet , with a debt-to-equity ratio that's a very low 0.2. That would be low for any company, but it gives Chevron the leeway to take on leverage during energy downturns so it can continue to support its business and dividend until the energy sector recovers, as it always has before. Add in an attractive 4.5% dividend yield , and there's even more reason to buy Chevron right now. Dual drivers should fuel more growth in 2025 Matt DiLallo (Enterprise Products Partners ): Midstream giant Enterprise Products Partners had a very solid year in 2024. The master limited partnership ( MLP ) grew its distributable cash flow by 5% in the third quarter. Meanwhile, it has increased its distribution payment by 5% over the past year. The company benefited from recently completed organic expansion projects, which supplied it with new sources of cash flow . That momentum should continue in 2025. The midstream company has several more organic expansion projects in the pipeline that should enter commercial service over the next year. Those projects will supply more sources of cash flow growth next year. In addition, Enterprise Products Partners will get a boost from its recently closed acquisition of Pinon Midstream. The $950 million deal will be highly accretive to its cash flow. The MLP expects it to add $0.03 per unit in 2025, with further upside potential from commercial and operating synergies. Those visible growth drivers should give the MLP the fuel to continue increasing its distribution in 2025. That would extend its growth streak, which reached 26 years in 2024. Its payout currently yields a very attractive 6.8%, putting it much higher than average (the S&P 500's dividend yield is around 1.2%). Enterprise Products Partners' lucrative income stream and visible growth drivers should give it the fuel to produce a solid return in 2025. That low-risk probability of earning a solid return makes it stand out as a top energy stock to buy for the next year. A compelling bounce-back candidate for 2025 Neha Chamaria (Occidental Petroleum): Occidental Petroleum stock turned out to be one of the largest underperforming large-cap energy stocks of 2024, losing 19% of its value in the year as of this writing. While falling oil prices in the second half of the year hit several oil stocks, Occidental Petroleum stock took a bigger hit partly because of debt, which zoomed after its multibillion-dollar CrownRock acquisition in August. At this point, however, Occidental Petroleum looks like the kind of energy stock you'd want to buy for 2025 for one big reason: Management is laser-focused on cutting down debt. Occidental announced a target of reducing debt by at least $4.5 billion within 12 months of closing the CrownRock acquisition. The company, however, hit 90% of its goal in less than three months, driven by strong cash flow generation in its third quarter. During its third-quarter earnings conference call, management stated that Occidental Petroleum has enough cash to repay debt maturing in 2025, and that it should be able to pare debt further next year even in a low-oil price environment. Meanwhile, CrownRock's key assets in the Permian Basin are already contributing to Occidental's production and cash flows, as was evidenced in the third quarter. Occidental also has other growth catalysts, such as its low-carbon ventures business and its chemicals business, called OxyChem. Given the backdrop, Occidental Petroleum looks like a value stock worth betting on for 2025 .

Conor McGregor’s longtime fiancée, Dee Devlin, issued her first public statements Wednesday since the former two-division UFC champion was in a Dublin hotel in 2018. In a series of messages posted on her Instagram stories, Devlin, the mother of McGregor’s four children, defended McGregor and aggressively attacked the character and credibility of Hand. “Imagine a WOMAN, with her own boyfriend and child, texting provocative pictures of herself to another woman’s man with a family and child on the way. This woman claims to know me, yet still went ahead and sent messages and pictures of herself over and over to my man? Really? Whilst on a 3 day bender, texting excuses to her own child at home where mammy is on a Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night into Monday morning. All the while out of her face in a hotel room, dancing around a hotel carpark. What sort of WOMAN are you!!! “My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world. “CCTV DOES NOT LIE. I look forward [to] the day the world will see the footage on that night and the carry on of you. Not a bother on you having the time of your life. This is the real evidence, video footage no one knew was being taken in the moment which you miraculously don’t remember? To me it looks like you’re the one sexually assaulting in the lift. To me it looks like everybody is trying to get away from you. “Conor and I dealt with these issues privately many years ago, as should be done in a relationship and we have come out stronger than ever. We have four beautiful children now whose smiling faces and happy hearts are a testament to who he is and who we are! "They without sin cast the first stone" Devlin, McGregor's partner since prior to the fighter's rise as a UFC star, additionally posted a similar statement on Instagram alongside a photo of the couple and two of their children. My man and I have created a beautiful life together. I love him I trust him and I BELIEVE HIM! Our four beautiful children whose smiling faces and happy hearts are testimony to the man he is and who we are! No one is entitled to comment on our relationship- we trust one another and love one another Nothing or nobody will change that Our family stands strong! As a result of the sexual assault verdict in Hand's civil case, McGregor, 36, has been ordered to pay Hand a total of €248,603.60 ($261,246.63) in damages. Multiple retail giants in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Tuesday , and Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey — the alcohol brand founded by the fighter — announced that it no longer intends to use McGregor's name or likeness in its marketing. remains offline as of this writing. On Monday, , removing content featuring the former UFC champion from its video game "Hitman: World of Assassination." A solidarity march for Hand took place Monday in Dublin's city center. Following a slew of furious and largely vulgar posts on social media attacking the verdict, McGregor issued a statement Tuesday confirming that he intends to appeal the decision. People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me. As much as I... — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) McGregor has not competed in the UFC since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, during which he suffered a broken leg. UFC has yet to comment on McGregor being found liable for sexual assault.