USC wide receiver Jordan Addison stands on stage after being selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, Apr. 27, 2023, at Union Station in Kansas City, celebrating the moment as he joins Minnesota’s offense as a first-round selection. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
It’s almost here. In seven days, the Minnesota Vikings will begin to reveal their 2026 draft class, hoping to pick more productive players than in the last four drafts, which have been disappointing, on the whole. And to get you ready for the event, we have seven things to know.
Minnesota enters draft week with nine picks, several roster needs, and a few clues about what could happen early.
For starters, the Vikings have nine picks this time, four more than last year on the menu at this time.
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The Biggest Draft Clues Are Already Starting to Surface
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski takes his first swing at a draft as the boss.
Minnesota Vikings guard Ed Ingram (67) sets his stance along the interior offensive line as the team faces the Los Angeles Rams, with Jan 13, 2025 marking the NFC Wild Card showdown at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Ingram handled protection duties during the high-pressure playoff environment. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
1. A 2nd-Rounder for the First Time in 4 Years
Do you remember Ed Ingram? The guard drafted by former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who didn’t pan out with the Vikings but is apparently a stud in Houston with the Texans? Yeah — that guy. He was the last man drafted by Minnesota in Round 2 of the draft.
That was four years ago.
Since the Ingram pick, the Vikings have traded every 2nd-Rounder. For now, such deals are over. Minnesota will pick a rookie in Round 2 for the first time since 2022, barring another trade. The options are limitless. The Vikings could reasonably draft a cornerback, defensive tackle, safety, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, or center in Round 2.
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Friday night will be fun again for Vikings fans.
2. Vikings Haven’t Drafted a Good CB in a Decade
If you’ve been a Vikings fan long enough to remember Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander, know that was the last time Minnesota connected on a rookie cornerback of any kind.
Since 2017, the team has swung and missed on these CBs for various (and sad, with Jackson and Gladney both passing away) reasons:
Mekhi Blackmon
Andrew Booth
Kris Boyd
Cameron Dantzler
Akayleb Evans
Jeff Gladney
Mike Hughes
Khyree Jackson
It’s unclear if Minnesota will draft a cornerback in Round 1, such as Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) or Avieon Terrell (Clemson), but it’s a safe bet that the Brzezinski will pick one sometime between Thursday and Saturday. By the numbers, that guy is due to be good. It defies the odds that the Vikings could be that bad at this.
3. You’ll Probably See a New RB and WR
Minnesota has plenty of playmakers on the existing roster, but they’ve done pre-draft homework — as in, visits — with Jonah Coleman (RB, Washington), Emmett Johnson (Nebraska), Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest), Ted Hurst (Georgia State), Antonio Williams (Clemson), and De’Zhaun Stribling (Ole Miss), to name a few.
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The Vikings have no young running backs in the pipeline, and the prospective WR3 is Tai Felton. Expect Brzezinski to leave the draft with a new halfback and wideout.
4. Kenyon Sadiq Would Make Vikings History
No Vikings general manager has ever drafted a tight end in Round 1. Sixty-five years, zero 1st-Round tight end.
This go-round, Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq gives the Vikings a chance to end the streak. If he slips past the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota will get an opportunity to select Sadiq and get off the schneid for Round 1 tight ends.
Meanwhile, T.J. Hockenson is scheduled to test free agency in 2027. Picking Sadiq makes sense.
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5. There’s a DT Drought Ongoing
Rick Spielman and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah haven’t drafted a defensive tackle in Round 1, 2, or 3 of the draft since 2014, when Spielman made Sharrif Floyd his 1st-Round selection.
Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Peter Woods (11) reacts after bringing down Duke quarterback Darian Mensah (10), with Nov. 1, 2025 marking the ACC matchup at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Woods energized the defense with a key sack during the competitive conference clash. Mandatory Credit: Alex Martin-Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
Next week, Brzezinski will ponder Clemson’s Peter Woods or perhaps a trade down the board, leading to the eventual selection of Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald. And this all after cutting Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave last month.
Sooner or later, Minnesota will spend Round 1 through 3 draft capital on an interior defensive lineman.
6. Expect a New Center
Ryan Kelly retired, and Blake Brandel, a jack-of-all-trades lineman, is on deck to start at center. That might work just fine in 2026, but Brandel isn’t young; he’s also not a center by trade.
Therefore, the draft has a “Big Four” at center — Sam Hecht, Logan Jones, Connor Lew, and Jake Slaughter — and the Vikings will likely leave Pittsburgh with one of those men. Lew makes a lot of sense because he’s 20 years old and could watch and learn from Brandel for a year.
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7. UDFA Majesty Could Be Dead
Whether the Vikings sign the best undrafted free agents and heavily invest in the process remains up in the air. Every year under Adofo-Mensah, fans could trust him to leave draft weekend with the most coveted UDFAs, usually meeting with them before the draft and later dangling more money in front of them than other suitors.
Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (LB23) addresses reporters during media availability, with Mar 1, 2023 marking the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pace spoke about his collegiate career and draft outlook while meeting with media ahead of the evaluation process. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports.
The UDFA process didn’t operate that way prior to Adofo-Mensah’s tenure. If he personally were the special sauce, the Vikings could be back to the old days of “boring” undrafted free agents.
Carlos Ulberg is wasting no time with his recovery. Ulberg underwent ACL surgery less than a week after miraculously overcoming the injury to win the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Ulberg limped out of the Kaseya Center in Miami with the UFC title at UFC 327. Ulberg shockingly knocked out Jiri Prochazka on one functional leg after tearing his ACL in the fight. It was clear in the moment that something happened to Ulberg’s leg, but it was tough to know for sure. Prochazka appeared to ease up in his efforts with his strikes while still targeting the injured leg. Ulberg then landed a massive punch that dropped Prochazka before the followup shots forced the referee to wave it off.
“Knee surgery done,” Ulberg captioned a post to his Instagram story.
Ash Belcastro, Ulberg’s manager, confirmed to Uncrowned that Ulberg “snapped” his ACL. He also suffered bone bruising and tibia damage after fighting with the torn ACL.
“He’s dedicated to getting back as soon as he can,” Belcastro said of the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
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The typical recovery time for an ACL tear is six to nine months, according to the Cleveland Clinic, though competitive athletes might need more time to be cleared for competition. The UFC has not commented on what Ulberg’s injury means for the title. Normally, the UFC creates interim titles only when the champion is expected to be sidelined for at least one year.
Ulberg’s 10-fight win streak is the second-longest in UFC light heavyweight history, only behind all-time great Jon Jones. He can tie Jones with three more wins.
The New York Mets are coming out of the first few weeks of the 2026 MLB season with a terrible 7-12 record, which has them at the bottom of the NL East.
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It’s been a rough season already, and while the Juan Soto injury is playing a big role in the struggles so far, their multiple failing experiments to begin the season certainly haven’t helped.
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Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report gave the Mets a brutal, but also appropriate “F” grade for the season so far, thanks in large part to the poor offense and the failing experiment with top prospect Carson Benge.
Mets given ‘F’ grade for brutal 7-12 start to 2026 season
“New York Mets (7-12): F,” Miller writes. “… Unfortunately, they are bottom five in runs scored, with seven of the nine team leaders in plate appearances posting a sub-.600 OPS. (Most notably, the ‘Carson Benge or Bust’ experiment has very much gone in the latter direction thus far).”
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While the Mets could turn things around still, this grade is based on the first 20 or so games of the 2026 MLB season. And for the Mets, the first portion of the season has been a disaster.
They own the worst recovery in the National League, have very little offensive production despite the lineup overhaul, with all but Luis Robert Jr being major disappointments among the new additions to the lineup.
The pitching additions haven’t been great either. Devin Williams has a 6.75 ERA, while Luke Weaver has an 8.10 ERA. Freddy Peralta has been fine with a 3.86 ERA, but overall additions haven’t panned out.
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What other grade could the Mets receive for this start to the year than an “F” grade? It’s gone about as bad as it could, and with Jorge Polanco down with an injury alongside Soto, there is plenty to be concerned about for the Mets this season.
Shakur Stevenson has expressed an interest in moving back down to 135lbs, eager to collect two titles he never previously had the opportunity to claim.
Immediately after securing the WBO super-lightweight title, Stevenson called out Conor Benn, but has since set his sights on a potential move down in weight.
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This is seemingly because the likes of Benn, and indeed WBC world champion Ryan Garcia, are unlikely to face him at a catchweight of 144lbs.
Instead, it appears as though the pair are set for a welterweight showdown in August, while Stevenson explores the possibility of facing Raymond Muratalla.
The IBF lightweight champion comes off a majority decision victory over Andy Cruz, successfully defending his world and Ring Magazine titles in January.
Taking to X, Garcia confirmed that discussions regarding Muratalla’s next title defence are ongoing, but refused to rule out a potential encounter with Stevenson.
“If you listen to the full interview [with BoxingScene] I said Raymond will have one more fight at 135[lbs] and Top Rank is working on locking in a date and opponent. And we will be at 140[lbs] after.
“But if our next fight is [against] you we can do it [at] any weight. We don’t have anything set yet so let’s make it happen.”
If you listen to the full interview I said Raymond will have 1 more fight at 135 and Top Rank is working on locking in a date and opponent. And we will be at 140 after. But if our next fight is vs you we can do it any weight. We dont have anything set yet so lets make it happen https://t.co/H1BHVs33GW
The New York Mets travel to Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon to start a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Mets have lost eight straight games and were swept by the Dodgers and the Athletics in their previous series. The Cubs took two of three games in their most recent series against the Phillies. The Mets (7-12), who have lost three straight on the road, are 4-6 on the road this season. The Cubs (9-9), who have three of their last four, are 4-5 on their home field. Kodai Senga (0-2, 7.07 ERA) is on the hill for New York, while Edward Cabrera (1-0, 1.62 ERA) is starting for Chicago.
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Top Mets vs. Cubs predictions
After 10,000 simulations of Mets vs. Cubs, the model is going Under 10.5 combined runs. The total has gone Under in four of the Mets’ last six games. The total has gone Under in five of the Mets’ last five games against an opponent in the National League Central Division. Three of the last four games have been played to the Under for the Mets.
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SportsLine’s model projects more than 1.7 total bases for just two New York players, with Francisco Lindor leading the way at 1.88 total bases. Chicago, meanwhile, is also projected to have just two players with over 1.7 total bases, Alex Bregman leading the way at 1.78 total bases. The model projects 9.3 combined runs as the Under hits in 66% of simulations. Get the Mets vs. Cubs money-line pick at SportsLine.
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The Houston Astros (8-12) broke out of an eight-game win streak, winning their first two games in Colorado before the Rockies took the series finale on Thursday. The Astros are rock bottom in the AL West standings, 2.5 games behind the leaders, the Texas Rangers, tied on record with the Athletics.
The St. Louis Cardinals recorded two wins against the Cleveland Guardians in their latest series. They come to Houston with a 3-3 record on the road and third in the NL Central with a 10-8 record.
Astros vs Cardinals Game 1: Projected Lineups and Starters
Both lineups are fifth in their respective leagues in home run totals. The Astros have hit 21 bombs while the Cardinals have 20 homers. Yordan Alvarez has hit one-third of Houston’s home runs and also paces them with a .328 average while having an MLB-best 18 RBIs. Similarly, Jordan Walker leads the Cardinals in all three batting metrics (8 home runs, 15 RBIs, .319 average).
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The Cardinals’ pitching staff has recorded a 4.75 ERA in their last ten games. The Astros are worse with a 6.61 ERA in the same stretch of games. St. Louis will start with Kyle Leahy, who earned two runs in his previous loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 12. Houston called up Peter Lambert who will get his first MLB start since 2024.
Astros vs Cardinals Game 1: Projected Odds, Tips and Prediction
Odds as per DraftKings Sportsbook
Moneyline: Astros -143, Cardinals +119
Total: Over 9 (+102), Under 9 (-122)
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Run Line: Astros -1.5 (+153), Cardinals +1.5 (-186)
The Cardinals have a 5-4 record in evening starts, while the Astros have a 5-7 record. But the oddsmakers are trusting the Astros’ home field advantage.
Apr 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; The LIV Golf logo is seen on banners before the first round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said the league has the financial backing to finish out the 2026 season.
“The reality is you’re funded through the season and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going,” O’Neil said during Thursday’s TNT Sports broadcast of the opening round in Mexico City. “But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of man.”
The league’s fourth season his eight tournaments remaining — five in the United States — after this week’s event in Mexico. Up next is LIV Golf Virginia at Trump National Golf Club from May 7-10.
The Financial Times reported earlier this week that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has poured more than $5 billion into the league since 2022, was on the brink of shutting off the financial pipeline.
O’Neil responded to that report by assuring staff members that the season would keep going at “full throttle.”
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O’Neil put a positive spin on the circuit’s financial situation during his interview Thursday.
“Given the momentum of this business, we’re really excited about where we are and the position where we are,” O’Neil said. “… This notion of bringing teams to market, I had two calls this morning. This notion of, ‘Do you have to raise money?’ Probably. This is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time.”
Spain’s Jon Rahm, one of the players lured away from the PGA Tour and European tour by lucrative contracts and $30 million purses, said he is focusing on golf instead of the swirling rumors about the league’s potential demise.
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“For me, it didn’t make sense to think about it or waste time thinking about [it],” he said Thursday, per ESPN. “Since everything happened so suddenly and so quickly, I wasn’t very worried about it because normally, before the rumors start, we already know something — there’s always someone within the league who knows something. It happened so fast that I really didn’t worry about it.”
France’s Victor Perez held a three-shot lead at 9 under after firing a 62 in Thursday’s opening round at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in the Mexican capital.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil confirmed reports that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund will stop giving money to the golf league after this season.
However, O’Neil told TNT Sports that he has a “plan” that “might surprise some people.”
“The reality is you’re funded through the season and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going. But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of man,” O’Neil said ahead of the golf tour’s next event in Mexico City on Thursday.
Scott O’Neil attends a press conference in Johannesburg to announce LIV Golf’s return in 2027 on March 22, 2026.(Johan Rynners/Getty Images)
Despite the uncertainty, O’Neil is taking the challenge head on.
“How we go forward is what I’m really excited about. I talked about some structural changes – they’re coming. You can ask just about the 50 people I met at Augusta, I rolled out the plan. We have one, it might surprise some people…” he said.
“This notion of, ‘Do you have to raise money?’ Probably. This is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time.”
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Sources told Fox News that the Saudis will stop funding LIV after the 2026 season. The Financial Times was the first to report the news.
O’Neil wrote a memo to LIV employees obtained by Fox News Digital that confirmed that the season was going to go “exactly as planned, uninterrupted, and full throttle.”
Scott O’Neil during day four of LIV Golf South Africa at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg on March 22, 2026.(Johan Rynners/Getty Images)
“While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before,” O’Neil wrote.
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“The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure. We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we’ve answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.”
“The noise you hear is simply the sound of a movement that is working. Embrace it. We are pioneers, and while the road isn’t always smooth, the destination is worth every mile,” he said. “Let’s go out and show the world why LIV Golf is the future of the game. It matters. You mattered. Now, let’s go win.
“Long LIV Golf.”
LIV began in 2022 and has produced two major winners in Brooks Koepka, who has since rejoined the PGA Tour, at the 2023 PGA Championship, and DeChambeau at the 2024 U.S. Open.
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(L-R) Former U.S. President Donald Trump, his excellency Yasir Al Rumayyan, Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, and Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Saudi Golf Federation, are seen on stage during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 31, 2022, in Bedminster, New Jersey.(Charles Laberge/LIV Golf)
LIV Golf shifted from its 54-hole format, a draw for golfers defecting from the PGA Tour, to 72 beginning this season. Patrick Reed is also set to rejoin the PGA Tour.
Achieving black-type status is highly beneficial for any filly’s future breeding value.
Last-start winner at Flemington, the filly Exit, is bound for Adelaide seeking a stakes win in the Listed H C Nitschke Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville Parks on Saturday.
Ciaron Maher’s filly remains nominated for the Group 3 James H B Carr Stakes (1400m) at Randwick Saturday, without a jockey yet, but prominent South Australian jockey Rochelle Milnes is engaged for the Adelaide feature.
Jack Turnbull, national assistant to trainer Ciaron Maher, described the Adelaide contest as the milder choice.
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“Hopefully we can get a Black Type victory and that’s why we’re going,” Turnbull said.
“There was a horse in Sydney that was undefeated and obviously the one to beat, and it was drawn outside us, but we’ve decided on Adelaide given it’s a more realistic chance in terms of winning.
“She was an expensive yearling and if we can get Black Type on her page with victory as a three-year-old, it would be huge for her.”
Exit has secured two triumphs in eight outings to date, and her trainer foresees improvement ahead.
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Over 1400m at Flemington recently, she dominated on heavy ground, winning comfortably under Jamie Melham.
Her maiden victory came at Sandown in July on a soft track.
“She will continue to get better, and she’s really come on with the blinkers,” Turnbull said.
The 1400m trip is ideal.
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She’s versatile tactically at this distance; from barrier six, expect her upfront in the first half-dozen.
She thrives on softer ground, benefiting from any precipitation.
Discover betting sites offering the keenest odds for the Listed H C Nitschke Stakes.
England will win and, barring a sensation, they’ll win extremely comfortably. Frankly, Scotland will do well to keep England to 40 points, as they did at the World Cup last autumn.
In the seven meetings before that, England’s points totals against Scotland were 59, 46, 58, 57, 52, 53 and 80.
Against Ireland last weekend, the world champions were missing a raft of players and didn’t deliver anything like their best stuff, but they still won 33-12.
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Only seven of their World Cup starters are starting at Murrayfield and only 12 of their famous 23 are involved. Will it make much difference? Not likely. Not when the ones who are coming in are so impressive.
England have won 34 Tests in a row and are looking for their eighth straight Six Nations title.
When it’s England you’re playing you learn about the beauty of little victories – the number of chances you can create and finish, the amount of time you can keep them scoreless, the strength of your set-piece and the resilience of your mind as the white waves start to crash in on you.
It’s not about the pursuit of victory – let’s be honest – it’s about how many shots you can fire. Against England, the answer is usually ‘not many’. In their seven Six Nations titles on the spin only France have troubled them unduly – losing by one point last season, by five in 2023 and by six in 2020.
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Across the span of those Six Nations seasons the closest any other country has come, before last weekend, was Ireland in 2020 – when they lost by 27 points. As in, 27-0. Ireland’s 21-point defeat at Twickenham in round one of this season’s championship now stands as the best of the rest.
So for Scotland it’s about performance, about how they stay in the fight, how the older players lead and how the younger players learn, how they fix some of the issues they had in victory against Wales – the lineout, especially.
Head coach Sione Fukofuka talked on Thursday about using the energy of the crowd on Saturday.
He also brought it back home a little when he said, charmingly, that his four young sons back home in Brisbane tried to stay up to watch the game from the Principality, with a 01:40 kick-off time in Australia.
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Two conked out, one put in a gallant effort but was a casualty early on and one made it through. This game starts at 22:30 in Brisbane so the numbers might be higher this time.
“I’m not going to lie, there’s an edge, absolutely,” Fukofuka said. “Last week there was a slightly different prep in terms of the emotional rivalry that exists between Wales and Scotland.
“This one, the edge is around performance. The pressure’s on England. There’s an expectation on them to win every game.”
Malcolm says her team is ready to embrace the biggest challenge around. “It’s about being the best Scotland team that we can possibly be,” she says.
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“Last week we tripped up in different areas and Saturday is about taking opportunities when we get them.
“We know what we’re faced with, we’re not going to have the same number of opportunities that we had last week. It’s important that when we have them we’re accurate. We need to be brave, we can’t play within ourselves.”
A record home crowd against the best team in the world – a stage they could only have dreamed about, an occasion to live long in the memory.
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