Memphis: 2014 Miami Beach Bowl Champions



The athletic directors at Memphis and BYU are expressing regret over the fight following the Tigers' 55-48 overtime victory over the Cougars in the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday.

Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said he and coach Justin Fuente will review video over the next few days and take "appropriate disciplinary measures." He added in a statement Tuesday: "Hopefully, it will be a learning lesson for both teams."

"I don't know what happened at the end, first of all, so I don't know how upset I am," Fuente said after the game. "I'm sure I'll see it eventually. It's not who we are, it's not what we want to represent. I hope it doesn't take away from an incredible football game, for both sides."

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe apologized to fans via Twitter.

After DaShaughn Terry's game-clinching interception in overtime Monday, dozens from both sidelines headed toward the middle of the field, with many punching and grabbing.

Cameras showed blood streaming from the face of BYU defensive back Kai Nacua as he came from behind to punch Memphis tight end Alan Cross, who was being restrained by someone from the Tigers' staff, in the head.

"You want them to rise above that and have fantastic sportsmanship," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I'm sure if you go back and look, there'll be an instance or two that ignited. Probably the majority wanted to handle it really well."

Memphis president M. David Rudd also issued a statement Tuesday in response to the fight.

"We will provide another statement after the completion of that inquiry," Rudd said. "We have the highest expectations of sportsmanship for all of our student-athletes at the University of Memphis. I am very confident in Tom Bowen and Coach Fuente's leadership and know that working together we will be able to ensure incidents like this do not happen in the future."

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco released a statement saying he has been in contact with Memphis officials and the league will work with the school in determining violations of the conference's code of sportsmanship.

"Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed that this happened, as we expect the highest standard of conduct from our student-athletes," Aresco said in the statement.

Memphis is a member of the American. BYU is an independent in football.

Nodoka Haramura: 13th Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan (with Saki Miyanaga)



My partner for so long was unable to come up with a speech, so tonight, I am speaking for us.

For me, patience is something that cannot be forced or taught. Patience is one of those virtues that comes with winning. It comes from within. I came close so many times in my life, only to fall at the last hurdle or fall short of the edge of glory. This year has been different. Fueled by a drive to return to the policies set my my predecessor, Toki Onjouji, in 2012, the Saki Party has chosen me and my partner, Saki Miyanaga, in leading Japan into the year 2015.

My patience has been rewarded, my future has been secured, and with this, I am accepting your offer to become the 14th Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan with Saki.

The many years that I have been active in Saimoe have given me experience and a legacy that is unique in so many ways. People know my skills as a mahjong player and I have aspirations to play this game professionally. I have dreams of being a family person, a mother, and a good...wife. I promote lesbianism and the choice for anyone to choose who they want to love, regardless of sex, race, creed, color, orientation, or any other category that may restrict the empowering, emancipating power of choice.

We are here to not only promote the progressivism of our society, but also promote peace here in Japan, and around the world. Mahjong is our sport, and our country loves to play the game of mahjong. So as with the 2013 session, we plan to promote the game of riichi mahjong around the world and allow players to develop their own special abilities that will makes heads turn and convert skeptics into believers.

People will say that we have been too influential the past several years we have been competing in Saimoe. People will tell us, "Saimoe is dead," and bring other competitions to a more positive light. However, even after I am through with my term, I am confident that our competition to find the best young woman to lead Japan will continue with a new outlook and a toughness and resilience that you will not find in any other competition in the world. I believe the 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament is the gold standard. And if they mock our process, that is a sign we are doing our job and we shall continue to promote the message of moe around the world.

I want to tell you a story. Last night, I was summoned by the outgoing Saimoe Prime Minister, Ms. Madoka Kaname, to take part in a mission that I will never forget. I was summoned to deliver Christmas presents to many people across the country, some in different dimensions, and some in different timelines. It was a journey of highs, it was a journey of lows. But through thick and thing, I learned a lot more about myself and how I could also help people who need happiness in their lives this holiday season.

I did this with my two deputy prime ministers: Saki, of course, and Shizuno Takakamo, both of whom I have known for many years, and whose lives I am indebted to, especially Saki's. We flew on a sleigh powered by men who never tired, who never quit, and who were dedicated to seeing us cross the finish line tonight.

And the people I met, and the lives I touched, were all amazing and unforgettable in their own right.

In a future timeline, I met the spirit of a young gamer who lost her life due to AIDS. With the blessings of her friend, I was able to initiate a foundation in her name dedicated to the research of a cure for AIDS, cancer and other terminal illnesses.

In a place about the skies called Synapse, I was able to bring close to an angeloid who lost her life out of love and devotion for the one person she always wanted. With her wedding dress and her ring worn, the cycle and exchange of vows was complete, the closure was made, and no matter what, they are forever together as one.

As the very first mission in this long journey I made, I went to a school in the heart of Akihabara to reward a rising idol group for reaching the pinnacle of success. Their tireless work and dedication to entertain audiences of all ages is commendable and must be respected by those who knew them, and those who have yet to know.

I even went to dimension in a game. There, the residents prefer card games or chess. I was able to introduce our party's sport of choice to the residents of Elchea City. It is my unshakable hope and belief that the Elchea Federation and all of Disboard will consider and use mahjong as a way to settle differences in the name of sport while at the same time experience fun and camaraderie among those special to them.

We even had two of our meals at places that were stomping grounds for some of the receipients of our gifts, A master of electricity, a teleportation aficionado, a computer genius and a daughter of a JSDF official were among some of the faces there. We passed by another school in which a lesbian couple were celebrating their new life together while reuniting with those that used to be their classmates. The power of the holidays allows old ties to be strengthened while creating new ones that will last a lifetime.

We gave gifts to important members of our party across the country, stretching from Hokkaido to Kyushu, our symbol of thanks for their support throughout this long drawn-out campaign. And before we arrived here, we gave gifts to everyone at a festival in both Mitakihara City and Kazamino City on behalf of both the Puella Magi Party and the Saki Party for their faith and support in the Saimoe movement this year.

Ecchi, yuri, comedy, drama, we do it all because we're all women and we love to be awesome. To the people in all those towns we visited, I collectively thank you for being on our side this year and supporting a winner.

This coming year, we plan to do more than just promote our party platform and work with the Imperial Household's Princess Aiko. We have a number of important events this year that we are planning to advocate. First, the FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup is coming. I call on the residents of Japan to support Nadeshiko Japan in the hopes that they will win their second FIFA Women's World Cup and further the perseverance from the disaster that took place in Tohoku in 2011.

A new threat to the world, the Islamic State, is rising in stregth and is unlike anything we have seen in our world. As your Saimoe Prime Minister, I will be an advocate in strengthening self-defense while advocating for humanitarian relief in those war-torn regions of the Middle East and North Africa that need our help.

The concept of East Asian Strength is important to us, and the Saimoe Diet will advocate for concessions to our partners in Korea and China while making changes to our study material in the name of historical accuracy. Cloud computing is another technology that we are hoping to advocate. Our goals is to ensure that everyone that is a part of the Saimoe movement utilizes the cloud to get things done.

Finally, we are hoping that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is able to outlive her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch. For this, three members of our Saimoe Diet, Aislinn Wishart, Karen Kujou and Alice Cartelet, will be assigned to be joint Saimoe ambassadors to the Commonwealth of Nations and Great Britain so that they may check on the progress of Her Majesty the Queen.

There are many other events, functions, and duties that I will need to do, but as I have an ambition to be a professional one day, I plan to use this as a way to better myself, to prepare for a life outside of school, and build the type of resolve that will make me a more complete individual. This is a calling that eluded me for many years. Now, I get my chance to show what I can do.

We are so confident about the future of Japan and what is next. New shows, new faces, new looks and feels, new everything. Saimoe will not end here. The movement will continue to go on because our supporters never waver and are dedicated to keeping the spirit alive and relevant in our society. So to the voters who participated during this campaign, I applaud you faith, I applaud your perseverance, and my election as your Saimoe Prime Minister is now your reward.

Japan is now ready to put its best foot forward and carry on the legacies of those that came before us into the future. We are ready. We are committed. We are excited and drive. The time is now. Rise. Stand up, Rejoice. Saimoe is now alive again, everywhere, always and forever. This is what makes Japan the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, have a wonderful evening, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and Season's Greetings. Take care of yourselves, be good to yourselves and be good to those you love. We love you all, we love you and we support you. May God bless you, and may God Bless Japan. Good night, everybody!

-Nodoka Haramura
13th Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan (with Saki Miyanaga)
Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
December 25, 2014

2channel Anime Saimoe 2014: Championship Result



CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Nodoka Haramura @ Saki 187
Saki Miyanaga @ Saki 187

Top 4:

T-1. Nodoka Haramura
T-1. Saki Miyanaga
3. Shizuno Takakamo
4. Sayaka Miki

It is very unlikely that the tallies will change. This is official. Victory speech coming.