#actually another 4th era pirate

[impostorsshow]

Okay so you’re my Legend of Zelda person

How are you feeling about the Echoes of Wisdom announcement? Surprised? Excited? Eh? Did you like what you saw of the game? The art style? The Echo mechanic?

(Personally, I’m really looking forward to the game, and it’s looking like the twink will finally have to be saved this time.)

I haven't seen much of the trailer and don't know what the echo mechanic is, I only get game info through my partner that stays up until 3-4 am their time to watch the Nintendo directs and I prefer to find out about zelda games far after the community has discussed it or play it blind myself with trusty non spoiler guide site zeldadungeon.com, but I love that we're getting another game in the chibi links awakening style!! It's my favorite, and my old comfort object that I lost was an amiibo figure of links awakening link, so I really hope they make a figure of Zelda I can buy - my family pirated every amiibo for Zelda that was released up to botw and they're about the size of the first index of my thumb but having a full figure of a Zelda character would be nice again.

I am also really surprised about it, and having Zelda as a playable character is amazing again. I only know of 4 Zelda games that have had the goddess reincarnation herself be the protagonist, 3 of the games were most likely released in the OG Zelda/adventure of link titles era or around the oracle games based on the cartridge? Art I saw idk it might also be related to the PC quest games that came out around the same time which for reference is the uh. "eXCUSSEEE ME PRINCESS" one I think that's the thing it's well known for that is a whole different convo with a different blog i know nothing of the older titles except the basics. Anyway anyway I own the 4th game I know about that no one else mentions because it's technically not canon and is worse off than Hyrule warriors is but it's called cadence of Hyrule I think just search up "Crypt of the Necromancer Zelda" you'll find it and I did play through most characters campaign including Zelda's in that one, and think it's definitely worth mentioning due to how different Zeldas gameplay is to links. Uh anyway based on that game alone I have very high hopes for the gameplay of Zelda, as well as the thinks the higher ups at Nintendo said about sticking with botw/totks direction and play style.

Lastly I'll be honest with you im sleep deprived as shit cause emergency irl shit happened last night and I havent been sleeping well in general so I forgot my big thing i wanted to talk about in this segment but uh. Salvaged bits are yada yada Zelda mechanics parallels to other games more characterization more well written fanfics that aren't JUST skyward sword and botw for her etc etc based on how they handled princess peach showtimes characterization [which like. Honest to God really hard character to write in 2024 due to her roots being damsel in distress 101 and people tending to mostly correctly point at any pinky extra feminine girl and shout misogynistic] I really don't think Nintendo can fuck this up, and I am fully confident they won't fuck it up :].

ALSO CAPE CAPE ZELDA CAPE SHE HAS A CAPE ITS A CAPE ZELDAS CAPE ITS SO CUTE GOOD CHARACTER DESIGN SHE HAS A CAPE ITS SO CUTE OH MY GOD CAPE CAPE CAPE SHE HAS A CAPE

Oh yeah actually I did like the little bit of the trailer I did see that link shot her free at the last second, showing he is still in character and they didn't shoehorn in an idea to have a female protagonist like other series would do, but that every side of the triforce is equally powerful. I expect this game to be like if links awakenings dungeon puzzles were used on the overworld, and based on another Tumblr post I saw there might be some diplomatic puzzles. Or at least dual sided quest lines

Uh is there anything else I was gonna say. Oh I'm definitely going to be live posting about when I play the game since my birthday [shoutout to sans undertale] is in September so im definitely planning to ask for it or get it myself, even though I know it comes out past my birthday

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Apparently, there is some hubbub going on over a newly announced spin-off of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie franchise that Disney is planning to go forward with. One of two, actually. There was another project that was set to star Margot Robbie as the lead, but it appears that Disney is more interested in another take on the classic Disney parks ride starring Ayo Edebiri.

And of course, the usual suspects, including the wannabe-edgelord dingus running what was once "Twitter", are complaining. They're big mad that Ayo, a Black American actress, is "replacing" Depp... Never mind that this movie is a FUCKING SPIN-OFF???

Also... All of a sudden, people *love* the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels now?

I was a teenager when most of the PIRATES sequels came out, and I remember them getting rather duff critical reception. Audiences kinda didn't stick around for them, either. They all opened huge, DEAD MAN'S CHEST with a record-breaking number at the time of its release (2006), but then dropped off and had blah multipliers. The 4th film, ON STRANGER TIDES, came out when I was 18. And I just remember it coming and going, whatever. And then the fifth one, again... Just a sort of "ugh, another one?" reaction. That fifth film, titled DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES in the U.S. (SALAZAR'S REVENGE, elsewhere), just did alright. Like, near-$800m is a great amount for any movie, but it was less than the other POTC sequels.

It wasn't a problem when other big movie franchises got reboots with all-new casts. Spider-Man has been played by like three different actors in live-action over the past three decades.

I guess enough time has passed for there to be this kind of intense nostalgia for these movies. That's cool, I guess. After all, filmtwitter never shuts the fuck up about the CGI on Davy Jones, and how the first three movies are Gore's through-and-through.

As for all this clinging to Depp's iconic Captain Jack Sparrow... As if it isn't PIRATES without him?

Pal... PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, the original dark ride attraction, opened at Disneyland in 1967. Depp was about FOUR YEARS OLD when it opened. PIRATES existed long before he had a career or had some kind of prominence in the world, m'kay? PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is more than just one single actor. And hey, why is it just him and not director Gore Verbinski? Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio? Producer Jerry Bruckheimer? They all made that first movie happen, too, ya know.

My MAJOR concern with any new Pirates movie is whether it'll be its own beast or not. I feel a lot of live-action Disney movies as of late are not directed by anyone, they're made for the directors before they get to them. The director is hired, given a template that's already ready-made for them, and then BOOM movie done. Basically the MCU way of doing it. That's kinda how it feels to me. Same studio that won't make a third TRON movie from the previous film's director and the cast (which consists of the guy who directed massive blockbuster TOP GUN: MAVERICK and an actor who lead the massive blockbuster OPPENHEIMER, Disney do you hate money or something???), instead opting for Jared Leto. Like... Make it make sense.

So, if this Ayo-lead PIRATES spin-off goes through, I look forward to it! Pirates are cool, there's still a lot to play with regarding this concept, the ride is iconic. Just... Disney... Get a really good director and let them do their thing, alright? It'll be an all-timer if you do.

My ideal PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN would be animated. With designs based on Marc Davis' exemplary concept art and resembling a 1960s Xerox-era Disney film, like a high seas JUNGLE BOOK or something incorporating the original 1967-era music of the ride. That's what I would make, although I don't know if the public would fly out in droves to watch that, lol.

Anyways, I wanted to rant. People are being silly about a fucking pirate movie franchise.

[idlesuperstar]

originofspecies-blog-blog replied to your photoset Happy Birthday Roger Livesey (25th June 1906 - 4th...

I’m new to Tumblr and don’t really understand how it works but I wanted to thank you for your diligence in producing all these wonderful Roger Livesey gifs. I’ve had trouble locating much footage of him in the non-Pressburger and Powell films so it’s a joy to see these!

Awww thank you you are MOST welcome! It’s always great to meet another Roger fan :) And while nothing can beat Roger in

Powell

and

Pressburger

films, 

there is a LOT of joy to be found in his others :)

You can check out all my gifs here should you so desire, I have giffed every flipping Roger film I could get my hands on, personal faves being:

The Drum (because COLOUR and restored and young swoony Roger! also SABU who we all know makes everything better)

 Green Grow the Rushes because CAPTAIN BIDDLE IS SO GREAT and it’s a joy of a film which really really needs to get a proper dvd release (but is usually on youtube also young Richard Burton which is a winning argument in my book)

The Master of Ballantrae because it’s ridiculous but also great, lots of swashbuckling and pirates and fake scotland and ERROL FLYNN who even in his 1950s tiny-Howard-Moon-eyes era is awesome

No My Darling Daughter because Roger and Michael Redgrave play the dads of the young couple who are ostensibly the leads and obviously steal the whole film as well as my heart

Girl in the News because you get detective!Roger in an early 40s Carol Reed film need I say more

Also I would deffo rec The League of Gentlemen and Vice Versa because they’re both actually really good films, as well as having Roger in them. I will stop now before I basically list just all of his films. 

[theonyxpath]

Friends, this has been a tough week.

So we’re going to actually provide you with all the usual material that comes after the Blurbs!, but this upper part of the blog where I try and ramble through some useful stuff; I’m keeping this short.

In fact, the topic I’m really writing about this week is on another blog post that I’m going to link to. The post concerns Matt McFarland and why we are no longer working with him, and further connected issues:

http://theonyxpath.com/?p=11633

Why? Because the topic is an ugly one. It’s not what I normally post about, and it’s not what you probably expect from your weekly MMN blog. But it is an important one, and it needs to be written.

But after discussing it during our monthly meeting, we decided on this method of delivering it to you. This way, the topic isn’t just sitting on top of wacky Blurbs! and business as usual, because that would be inappropriate to the subject matter.

At the same time, we think it is important for our community to read this even while it might run counter to the expectations of some of our folks who come here specifically because this is a relief from real-life issues, or even more importantly, for some of those people who are actually affected by the matter in question.

We really do not wish to minimize what they have gone through in any way.

Along the same line of thought, I’m not including any art up here, just this message. We’ll have lots of art next time. Finally, I’m putting some space between this and our usual tagline. Not because it is no longer appropriate, but because it represents what we can all achieve together in a cheerleading sort of way that is important, and we’ll get back to, but which isn’t right at this time.

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER:

A week into our Kickstarter for the Deluxe version of EX3‘s Lunars (that funded in less than 40 minutes) and we are almost at 300% funded and have over 1500 backers! Multiple Stretch Goals have already been achieved, and we’ve just gotten started. So c’mon and get your beast-form on and join the fun!

The Story Told Podcast has a wonderful interview about Lunars: Fangs at the Gate: https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-5-exalted-lunar-ks-interview-with-eric-minton

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Illustration by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast is an in-depth interview with Eric Zawadzki, writer and a developer on Deviant: The Renegades. I’m told it’s just chock full of spoilers. https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

If YOU have a podcast, YouTube or Twitch channel, or talk about games on a blog or other website, and want to perform actual plays or make reviews of our games, please reach out to the Gentleman Gamer on the Onyx Path forum. From there we’ll share emails and get you started, so when you do start producing content we’ll be able to promote it on our blog and YouTube channel!

Lots of media today!

First up, we have Caffeinated Conquest‘s Scion actual play, which has proven very popular and entertaining: https://youtu.be/MqCNQq6a7gs

High Level Games continues their actual play of Pugmire! For those of you who love adventurous tales of dogs and cars, check out their video: https://www.highlevelgames.ca/podcastingnetwork/pugmire-actual-play-episode-3

Matthew Dawkins and Red Moon Roleplaying continue with their actual play of They Came from Beneath the Sea! both on our channel and their website: https://youtu.be/FL_v0OfJ3n4

The Story Told Podcast has a wonderful interview about Lunars: Fangs at the Gate: https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-5-exalted-lunar-ks-interview-with-eric-minton

Travis Legge continues with his superb Myths and Matchmakers Scarred Lands actual play too: https://youtu.be/W-_szpegJpc

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING:

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking!

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue you bought it from. Reviews really, really help us with getting folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296

And available this week! Deluxe Changeling: The Dreaming and Deluxe Beckett’s Jyhad Diary! The additional books we have after the Kickstarter ship-outs are done are now at IPR!

DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday, we’re releasing PDF and PoD versions of the new Map of Stygia for Wraith20 on DTRPG, as well as Changeling: The Lost 2e T-Shirts on our Onyx Path Redbubble store!

Also we will be adding two new Art Packs to the Slarecian Vault community content site for the Scarred Lands!

CONVENTIONS

UK Games Expo: May 31st – June 2nd Gen Con: August 1st – August 4th Save Against Fear: Oct 12-14 GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year. n!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM FAST EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Geist2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Let The Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Redlines

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Ready Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Development

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

CofD Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Manuscript Approval:

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Editing:

Aeon Aexpansion (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Tales of Excellent Cats (Monarchies of Mau)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)

V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Wr20 Book of Oblivion (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel: Cup of Dreams (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Scion Jumpstart (Scion 2nd Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon (Werewolf: The Forsaken 2nd Edition)

Indexing:

Ex3 Dragon Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

The Realm – More sketches in. Some finals finalized.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff –

Chicago By Night – Notes and contracts going out.

Aeon Aexpansion

They Came From Beneath the Sea!

EX3 Lunars – KS going.

Signs of Sorcery

Hunter: The Vigil 2

Shunned By the Moon – All artists contracted and then one bailed.

Book of Oblivion – Sketches coming in slowly but surely- some finals.

Contagion Chronicle – AD’d for KS.

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

Dystopia Rising: Evolution

In Media Res

Proofing

M20: Gods and Monsters – Finishing backer errata.

Pugmire Roll of Good Dogs and Cats – Gathering backer errata.

Adventures for Curious Cats – First proof corrections in.

Trinity Core – Inputting Errata. Cross referencing with TC: Aeon.

Trinity Aeon – Inputting Errata. Cross referencing with TC: Core.

Ex3 Dragon Blooded – Indexing.

Geist 2e

C20 Player’s Guide

False Images – EX3 novel – Finishing and inputting backer errata.

At Press

Wraith 20th – Shipping to KS backers.

Wraith 20 Screen – Shipping to KS backers.

Scion Hero – To press.

Scion Origin – To press.

Scion Dice – At Studio2.

Scion Screen – At Studio2.

Fetch Quest – Shipping to US.

Wraith 20th Stygian Map – PoD and PDF versions on sale this week.

Slarecian Vault Art Pack 01 and 02 – Available this week.

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: 

And another US holiday: boom, on top of last week. Presidents’ Day! Well, we’ve had a mixed bag with these guys, but some actually made a difference and set us on better paths because they were in office. And in this world…that’s worth a celebration!

[apexblog934]

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Park

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Park Birmingham

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Park Illinois

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Parkway

Last updated on February 4th, 2021

If you are looking for the best places to meet girls in Myrtle Beach with a dating guide then you found the right post. Just give us a few minutes so we can inform you about where to pick up single women and also some great ideas for a date night.

Villa Park welcomes up to 42,000 fans on a matchday, plan your travel & parking in advance to make sure you have a great time. May 18, 2016 Picnics in the park. Water gun battles. And, of course, camping – a universal experience loved by both kids and adults. We Pittsburghers are pretty lucky to live near spectacular scenery and equally spectacular campgrounds. These 9 amazing places for camping in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area are an absolute must see.

Table of Contents

We always like to begin with the nightlife, then we will move on to where you can meet single Myrtle Beach girls throughout the day or how to use online dating sites to your advantage. Date night ideas and more things to do during the day will also be discussed.

The goal is to help you hook up or find a girlfriend as quickly as we can so let’s get this started.

Nightclubs & Pick Up Bars

Here is a list of singles bars and nightclubs to pick up Myrtle Beach girls:

The Bowery at 110 9th Ave N

Duck’s Beach Club at 231 Main St

Senor Frogs at 1304 Celebrity Cir

Pirate’s Cove at 205 Main St

Fat Tuesday at Celebrity Square

Handleys at 3873 Renee Dr

Bumstead’s Pub at 400 Mr. Joe White Ave

8th Ave Tiki Bar at 708 Ocean Blvd

Hurricane Maggie’s at 7710 N Kings Hwy

Duffy’s Tavern at 110 9th Ave N

Crocodile Rocks at Celebrity Square

The main area for singles nightlife would be Celebrity Square at Broadway by the Beach. This is a bar and nightclub complex with multiple venues located in the same place.

This makes it a lot easier to hook up with girls in Myrtle Beach, hit up one spot and if you don’t like the girl to guy ratios or talent inside just move on to the next. You can also find plenty of pick up bars along Grand Strand and North Ocean Blvd right by the beach to search for a one night stand.

Definitely try to get a hotel as close to one of these areas as possible. Like most beach towns the nicer the weather the more women to hit on that will come into town and the more likely you will be to get laid.

During spring break you will find lots of girls from Charleston, Asheville, and the nearby universities coming here. Plus long weekends like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and even the 4th of July can get really crowded.

Some guys will prefer to try and pick up women with more options, others will think there is an easier chance of hooking up without as much competition around.

Meet Myrtle Beach Girls During The Day

Hanging out at the beach probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. On the sand or just walk along the boardwalk to catch single women coming and going.

Another option would be to meet Myrtle Beach girls at malls and other gathering points like:

Broadway at the Beach

Village Square

Coastal Grand Mall

The Market Common

Barefoot Landing

Northwood Plaza

On Sundays you can find some great day parties at The Boathouse Waterway Bar & Grill as well.

Chat With Girls Online

A lot of guys are starting to feel like dating has become a lost cause in this social media era. How often do you see a sexy girl near you who isn’t buried in her phone or listening to headphones?

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Park Birmingham

It doesn’t happen very often, does it? Then if you go out to a nightclub and see a group of women do they actually mingle or dance with other people?

Often times you just see them standing around their table shooting selfies or videos for social media with the same group they came with. Everyone is a star in their own mind, and good luck finding a girl with over a thousand followers that is still level headed.

But you don’t need to give up, girls in Myrtle Beach are hooking up just as much as ever before. Heck, they probably even more, it just may not appear to be that way.

In the modern age you have to find your way onto a ladies phone if you want any chance with her. The easiest way to do that is to use online dating sites, and there are numerous options for them.

We aren’t going to bore you with Findmywife.com or any of the hundreds of sites to meet your future bride. You can easily find those on your own and any should work well enough.

Instead we have a great tip for guys who just want to get laid and not give up their freedom to do so. Try using Adult Friend Finder, the biggest hook up dating site in the world.

There are hundreds of girls in South Carolina using this site to get laid, and tens of thousands in the Southeast region. Think about how nice it would be to meet a girl who wants to hook up like you that you won’t need to lie to or lead on.

No being fake, no acting, just be yourself and have some fun. If you want to have casual sex in Myrtle Beach or anywhere then the girls on Adult Friend Finder are the answer. It is a great way to bring the wild beach party atmosphere back to your hometown when the vacation ends.

Myrtle Beach Dating Guide

We just fully covered the best ways to meet singles near you, now our dating guide for Myrtle Beach can fill you in on where to show them a good time. Getting a girl to go out with you is definitely a positive, but now you have to show her a good time on your date night.

Any of these romantic restaurants or cocktail bars should work out well:

Luigi’s Trattoria at 503 61st Ave N

Aspen Grille at 5101 N Kings Hwy

Toscana at 2703 N Kings Hwy

Library Restaurant at 6613 N Kings Hwy Unit D

Villa Romana at 707 S Kings Hwy

The Melting Pot at 5001 N Kings Hwy #104

Thoroughbreds at 9706 N Kings Hwy

Pop’s Place at 511 S Kings Hwy

Rioz at 2920 Hollywood Dr

The Chemist at 300 9th Ave N

Liberty Tap Room at 7651 N Kings Hwy

Chuck’s Steak House at 9695 N Kings Hwy

After dinner and drinks you could go watch the Carolina Opry or see who is performing at the Carolina Comedy Club.

Day Date Ideas

Once again don’t overthink this, the beach is the perfect spot for a day date. If you get bored of laying out under the sun here are some other outdoor places to check out:

Grand Park Recreational Complex

Myrtle Beach State Park

McLean Park

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Brookgreen Gardens

You could just take a romantic stroll along the boardwalk and find things to do at Broadway at the Beach. For more adventure you could do sport fishing, take one of the numerous boat tours like the Carolina Rover Eco Tour, or head to the Radical Ropes Adventure Park.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park can be fun, or for some more sophistication on your date during the day try:

Hollywood Wax Museum

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Patriots Point Naval Museum

Ripley’s Aquarium

If you prefer big cities to small beach towns check out our list of date spots in Charlotte. On the other hand if you can’t get enough of the beach try Hilton Head next time.

Enjoy Dating Myrtle Beach Girls

Luck will have a lot to do with your chances of hooking up here. You never know what the crowd will be like at a touristy beach town until you visit.

One weekend there might be terrible girl to guy ratios and all of the girls might be with a boyfriend. The following weekend the singles nightlife could have so many women near you that it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Either way, you can improve your chances of getting laid at any time by logging on to Adult Friend Finder. That wraps up our best places to meet girls in Myrtle Beach with our dating guide, enjoy your time here.

Related Posts:

Last updated on January 29th, 2021

If you are looking for the best places to meet girls in Abu Dhabi with a dating guide we have you covered. If all you care about is partying and hooking up with single women you should probably just stick to the great Dubai nightlife if possible.

Table of Contents

This city is much more conservative, you can find some places to party around but women here aren’t going to be quick to hook up with a one night stand most of the time. However you searched for places to meet single girls in Abu Dhabi and/or a date night guide so we will do our best to accommodate you.

Towards the end of this post we will also share some travel tips and talk about the dating customs in the United Arab Emirates. If you are new to town definitely stick around for that.

Nightclubs & Pick Up Bars

These days many people just want lists and have no patience for reading. Lets satisfy them first with some of the best nightclubs and singles bars to pick up Abu Dhabi girls:

Iris at Yas Island Building 1

MAD on Yas Island at Yas Leisure Dr

Sax at Le Royal Méridien, Khalifa Bin Zayed The First St

Saadiyat Beach Club at Exit 14, Saadiyat Island

Legends at Sheraton Hotel, Abu Dhabi Corniche

(email protected) at Aloft Hotel , Khaleej Alarabi St

The Yacht Club at InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Bainouna St

Barfly at Venetian Village, 3rd St

Hookah Lounge in Marina Village

Hysteria Club at Hilton Capital Grand

Skylite at W Hotel, 9th Fl, Yas Marina Circuit

BU! at The Hub at The Mall, World Trade Center

Exchange Lounge at Le Meridien

Stars N Bars at Emporium Bldg, Yas Marina Circuit

Hidden Bar at Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island

Hemingway’s at Hilton Abu Dhabi, Corniche Road W

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Park Illinois

Now lets take a deeper dive into the nightlife you can find here. We hit on it already but this is a much more conservative place than Dubai, it may even feel like a different world entirely.

But much like Dubai many of the best clubs and bars are located in swanky hotels. There are two main areas for singles nightlife in Abu Dhabi, the one is around the Marina Village and along the Corniche to the west.

The other would be over to the east at Yas Island. Having the two best nightlife areas spread out on opposite sides of town is pretty annoying, it should take about half an hour to get from one to the other.

If all you care about is partying and trying to find girls for one night stands then Yas Island might have the best clubs and bars. But for an overall vacation the Marina Village area might have more to offer.

Either way choose one of those to make your home base. You shouldn’t run into any problems drinking in the fancy hotel bars or clubs, but don’t drink and drive that is for sure.

Don’t be surprised if there are prostitutes at nightclubs in Abu Dhabi. There is a ton of money in this city and prostitutes from around the world know this.

We didn’t list any of the most well known prostitute bars, but they might be out partying at Yas Island or near Marina. But there will be plenty of girls who aren’t looking for money to try and hook up with as well.

It definitely needs to be pointed out that if you are planning a trip here and want to party don’t come during May or early June during Ramadan. At that time you will have even less chance of getting laid as you usually would somewhere like Riyadh or Sana’a.

Meet Abu Dhabi Girls During The Day

When we say ‘meet Abu Dhabi girls during the day’ we need to mention that we are actually talking about foreign women who have traveled here. The local UAE women are going to be extremely conservative and hitting on them on the street is likely to be more trouble than it is worth.

Don’t even bother with them unless they are giving you some extreme looks of interest. The same can pretty much be said for the nightlife as well, just try and hook up with tourists or expats who now live here.

You can walk along the Corniche and see plenty of single ladies around during the day, or visit malls and shopping districts like these to pick up girls in Abu Dhabi:

Hook Up Spots Near Villa Parkway

Marina Mall

Abu Dhabi Mall

Al Wahda Mall

Yas Mall

Khalidiyah Mall

Mushrif Mall

The Galleria

Chat With Girls Online

Even in the most conservative places around the planet you can still find some women who want to hook up before marriage if you put in the effort. In this city there are two main ways to look for a one night stand, the first would be the nightlife we covered already but that is mostly for foreign women.

The second would be online dating, and believe it or not Adult Friend Finder actually has quite a few girls from the United Arab Emirates using it. Some are from Dubai, but many are also from here.

Anyone who is familiar with that site knows it isn’t where you go to enter into a long term commitment. Instead it is where you go to meet singles near you to hook up with and have some fun.

If you want to meet other tourists or local Abu Dhabi girls online then use Adult Friend Finder. The discretion and the speed this dating site offers is pretty much your only chance to get laid with the UAE women.

Abu Dhabi Dating Guide

Now you should be as caught up as possible on where to meet single girls near you and our Abu Dhabi dating guide can fill you in on the rest. When you get one to go out with you it is a nice start, but you still have plenty of work to put in.

Try to show her a good time at one of these romantic restaurants or cocktail bars:

Villa Toscana at Corniche Rd, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi

Punjab Grill Restaurant at Venetian Village, The Ritz-Carlton Grand Canal

D’ Capital Steakhouse at 925 Muroor Street

Finz at Ground Floor, Beach Rotana Hotel & Towers, Street # 10

Butcher & Still at Al Maryah Island Abu Dhabi

Trader Vic’s at 10th St, Beach Rotana

Ray’s Bar at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Corniche Street

Appaloosa Bar at Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, 12th Street

Avasa at The Collection, St. Regis Hotel, Sadiyaat Island

Glo at Sowwah Square

The Corniche can be really beautiful and a walk along it is perfect for an Abu Dhabi date night. For something a little more upscale see who is performing at the Al Raha Theatre.

Day Date Ideas

There are plenty of fun things to see and do here, but the weather can be a pretty big obstacle. If you get the right temperature and a clear day try to get outside and enjoy it.

That could mean going to a world class amusement park like Ferrari World, checking out Warner Bros World, or visiting one of these nice parks when dating in Abu Dhai:

Umm Al Emarat Park

Khalifa Park

Mangrove National Park

Al Ain Oasis

The Marina and Corniche are always a good choice on a date during the day, or you can see some art and history at:

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Palace Museum

Manarat Al Saadiyat

Qasr Al Hosn Fort

Al Jahili Fort

For a weekend getaway consider Muscat in Oman or Doha in Qatar.

Tips For Tourists & Expats

Time for some quick travel and dating custom tips for you. As far as travel goes we covered it before but try to get a hotel either near the Marina or near Yas Island, preferably at one of the hotels with a bar or club where you plan to use as a spot to pick up.

Unfortunately if you try to book a cheaper local hotel they may have a no guest policy meaning you may not be able to bring a girl back with you. If you want to hook up book a name brand chain hotel and book your room for two.

If you search online through the above link you can probably find a pretty good deal. The local currency is the AED and you get between 3.5 and 4 per US dollar depending on when you visit. You can also get a map of the metro system here.

When it comes to the dating customs in the United Arab Emirates they are extremely conservative, at least as far as the local women go. You probably already know that, but outside of a very few rare flowers most will have zero interest in getting laid with a stranger, at least outside of the prostitutes.

Mostly focus your attention on the other tourists from around the world if you want to have a one night stand here. You can meet some great women in Abu Dhabi for serious dating if you really want to put in the effort, but most guys reading this probably won’t be in town long enough to make that happen and just want to hook up quick.

Enjoy Dating Abu Dhabi Girls

We tried to cover the scene here as well as we could. This really is a very conservative city, if you come here right after your trip to Dubai you might be in for a shock.

But there are some places to party and if you have a little luck on your side you might just hook up. And don’t forget about the single women on Adult Friend Finder who are always ready to get laid.

That wraps up our best places to meet girls in Abu Dhabi with our dating guide, enjoy your time here.

Related Posts:

[kaialone]

Catching up on Yokai Watch News

Yokai Watch Spoilers (Movie 4 and Busters 2) under the cut.

--

Mastertag for pre-release Movie 4 information.

Mastertag for pre-release Busters 2 information.

--

Sorry this took a while but, this is gonna be a post to mostly summarize the information that was released via magazine and website updates in the past week.

I have been somewhat busy, so I don’t have time to translate every bit of this, gotta kinda skim over some parts, so this won’t be 100% complete, but I wanted to put out something at least.

First I’ll go over the stuff revealed for Busters 2 and then the stuff revealed for Movie 4, so if you’re only interested in one of the two, just go to the part you wanna read.

Busters 2 Stuff:

A lot of the stuff that the magazine leaks covered are also mentioned in the trailer that was released shortly after. The website also updated with some of this information and can be found here.

The game will appearently take place on a island called Karakuri, where the treasure of a pirate king is said to be hidden?  The Busters will go there to look for treasure, with the New Busters (Indy Jaws, Zom B Chopper, Neko II, and Mr. Scoop) presumably still being after the goals theyve been said to have in the anime and YKW3. (This last part is more my conjecture than anything)

It has been revealed that there will be two versions of “Yokai Watch Busters 2: Hidden Treasure Legend of Banbaraya”, called “Sword” and “Magnum”, and we also now know it’s release date, which is the 7th of December, 2017.

Each version will come with a special Yo-kai Treasure Medal, both featuring Enma and a new character called Kaira, who will seemingly play a role in the 4th movie, too.

Seems that these come with QR codes that will allow you to battle and befriend both Enma and Kaira, too.

It also seems like with this game you will be able to play online with up to 4 people? Though I’m unsure if I understood this right, cause I’ve never played a Busters game myself.

Something else that is shown off is the Treasure Gear, which from what I understand is the various weapons that the Yo-kai Pod merchandise can be turned into.

(for the reference, this is a Yo-kai Pod:

Its a lamp-like device that can have additional stuff get attached to it to turn into various other stuff.)

The Japanese version of the recent Nintendo Direct showed of the Treasure Gear well, showing the Chainsword, Sniper, and Magnum modes.

Unless I’m misunderstanding, there are also certain item boxes you can only destroy with these? (I could be wrong about this part)

A magazine also showed off a 4th Treasure Gear, which is literally called Hyūdroid, but could also be romanized as something like Hughdroid?

(image source)

The text is as follows:

“The Adventure Partner Hyūdroid also appears!

A new model of Treasure Gear. Within a dungeon, it moves around automatically and finds treasure!!”

Something else interesting the magazine mentioned that doesn’t seem to be adressed in the trailer or on the website is this bit:

(From the same source as the one before)

“The Mysterious Cry ‘Banbarayahh’!?

Within the game, when this cry occurs, strange events will...!?”

A new group of characters called the “Bundori Family” (might be romanized differently) has also been revealed:

It seems that they will be your “rivals” when it comes to treasure hunting in the game, whatever that means.

Twitter user rabbittotank has kindly translated the information on them that the magazine provides. You can check that out here.

In addition to these guys, 6 new Hidden Treasure Yokai (or Hihou Yokai) have been shown off:

Again, twitter user rabittotank has translated the information on these yokai found in the magazine. You can see those here.

--

And that’s about it for Busters 2, from what I can tell, cept for some merchandise related stuff, new Treasure Medals, and of course Emblems for the new Hidden Treasure Yokai and the like.

So onto

Movie 4 Stuff:

Here I must apologize again, because of how blurry some of the text is, I can’t translate all the text from the magazine, but I will show off the bits that I can translate.

First we have this page:

(image source for this and the following magazine pics)

While on this page, they point at Enma and the Enma Blade he is wielding and have descriptions for them, sadly I can’t really make out either of those. Though what little I can read of the Enma Blade’s description, it just seems to go over what it is again. (In case you dont know, the Enma Blade already appeared in YKW3)

What I actually can read is this bit:

“Kaira enters the war, too!?

Do not miss Onimaro VS Yōkai (Shadow Side) !!

The Yōkai ‘Onimaro’ that have appeared alongside the comet, who transform the humans they inspirit into Kaodeka Oni (Huge Faced Oni), are terrifying beings!! And Kaira plans to take advantage of this situation and take over the world!? Can the yōkai, transformed into the Shadow Sides, their combat forms, save the world from crisis!?”

And this:

“The king of the Yōmakai is me!!“

Aside from these there is also this little bit, but it’s literally just listing their names:

From left to right: Jibanyan (Shadow Side), Onimaro Leader, and Kaodeka Oni.

Next is this page:

Again, I can’t make out everything, and some stuff is incomplete, but I will go over the stuff I do understand.

This page features the new character Kaira again:

“Kaira the Snake King A yōkai who has tricked Enma and became the king of the Yōmakai. Using the power of Onimaro, he plans to rule the human world as well.”

Note: I am unsure about the world “tricked” here, might be another kanji, it’s a little blurry. If it IS the kanji I think it is, it could also be translated as “framed” or “trapped” or the like.

Also Note that his sword is labelled too, but

I can’t really make any of it’s description. It appears to be called “Snake King Sword”, but that name might be incomplete.

“The Era of Enma is over!!“

“This Sword holds the key to the story!?

Fudō Thunder Sword A legendary sword that was sealed away, for its power is too strong for anyone to control it.”

Note: “Fudō” could possibly translate to “Immobile” or “Unmoving”. Also cause I was confused about it for a moment, I want to point out that this is NOT the same as Kaira’s sword. It’s a different sword.

“In the setting of the movie - 30 years into the future, Kaira the Snake King has become the master of the Yōmakai!? And the swords that the two of them possess, alongside the legendary sword sealed in the Yōmakai, appearently will be important keys of the story!!”

And that’s it for what I got on the information from the magazine, but there is a little bit more from recent news udpates to the website.

First, there is a little notice about how if you got a pre-sale ticket for the movie, you can scan the QR code on it to get a treasure coin in YKW3.

--

Second, more interestingly, there will be some sort of crossover between Yokai Watch and Gegege no Kitarō.

I will translate the entire news post on that one:

“Gegege! Nyo, nyo, nyo way!! 'Gegege no Kitarō'

will appear in a 'Yokai Watch Movie'!

With this, the shocking 'Yōkai Tag Team' is born!

(Translator's Note: I am not sure if it refers to 4th movie specifically, but given the context I feel like it more than likely does.)

This new work is...! The veteran of Yōkai Anime, the national character everyone knows about, 'Gegege no Kitarō' will appear! And not just Kitarō will appear; Daddy Eyeball, Catchick, Old Man Crybaby, the Sand Witch, Rollo Cloth, Ratman, everyone from the familiar 'Kitarō Family' will make an appearance!

(Translator's Note: I used the english names from 2002, I hope thats okay?)

'Gegege no Kitarō' is the master piece of Shigeru Mizuki, which could be called the parent of modern Yōkai Manga and Anime. The manga series started in 1965. The anime started to be broadcast in 1968, and in the blink of an eye, started a Yōkai Boom, spreading the image of 'Yōkai' throughout the world, with 5 more national anime series being produced afterwards.

The voice actress who plays the role of Kitarō, who breathes life into numerous super popular characters, and enjoys national popularity, is the outstanding Masako Nozawa! Kitarō is brought back to life with Masako Nozawa's voice!

(Masako Nozawa's comment): "The protagonist of the first series, Kitarō, fully lives within me. This time around, I am looking forward to see and imagining, how we will be accepted, or what kind of welcome we will receive, as we enter Yokai Watch. For now, I am very excited and looking forward to the completion. Yōkai are immortal."

Furthermore, this Kitarō-like Jibanyan form is known as 'Kitanyan'. Somewhere within the work, this 'Kitanyan' will appear!”

--

Third, there’s a little thing about Kaira, which is mostly the same as what the magazine already said, but since that makes it not that hard to translate, here it is:

“ Kaira the Snake King,

the strongest (worst) rival,

for the strongest of the Yōmakai,

The Great King Enma,

makes his appearance!

(Translator's Note: the word used to describe Kaira here is a pun that can mean both "strongest" but also something like "most vile")

In the setting of the movie - 30 years into the future, Kaira the Snake King has become the master of the Yōmakai!? It seems he also plans to rule the human world.

The swords that the Great King Enma and Kaira the Snake King possess, and the legendary sword sealed in the Yōmakai are important keys to the story!?”

--

And lastly, it seems that the winner of the Shadow Side design contest has been chosen.

From what I understand, people where able to submit their own ideas of the Shadow Side design for a Yokai of their choice, via various forms released in different magazines around the time.

Unless I’m mistaken, it appears that someone named Kakuto Yona (unsure about the surname’s spelling) was the one to win first place, and their drawing of Shadow Side Bushinyan (Shogunyan) will be turned into a treasure medal

And with that we should be all caught up on general news, again, sorry it took me so long to get this finished.

[professorurha]

So I worked out a timeline and I cracked jokes through the whole thing because you have to.

TIMELINE There’s a few things that are important to Urha, who should be around 40, depending on how you view the timeline. She isn’t part of the timeskip, but she knows people who were, so let’s establish a few historical points. 3rd Astral Era, aka about 5,000 years ago, Allagan Empire rises and falls, shit happens. This is the height of technology as far as the history of this world is known. (4th Umbral era, Calamity of Earth) 4th Astral Era: The Eorzean Alphabet, not much else. 5th Umbral Era, ???, Calamity of Ice, Miqo’te can survive in Eorzea I guess. They can hunt, and enjoyed the Alphabet a lot. This is why they aren’t mentioned later in the waves of immigration I assume, because they were kind of there. (5th Astral Era, Mhach and Amdapor) (6th Umbral Era, Calamity of Water) (6th Astral Era, Pre-ARR. The reason a 7th calamity was not predicted was because the 6 elements had all been accounted for. I guess some people knew another one was coming, but no one really cared I guess, so they assumed it’d just all be great forever. If you think about it, it sort of makes sense since yeah that’s all the elements. Yoshi P, an as yet  unknown element,  was the 7th Calamity, as we all know. The Calamity of Deus Ex Machina, also known as, fuck, the moon.) - 969, the Lalafellian nation of Belah’dia, made up of descendants of ancient Mhach, is split into Sil’dih and Ul’dah. Some Hyurs try to come in around 755, and Belah’dia tells them to fuck off using the universal language of explosions. - ca. 1000, Ul’dah accepts some people from the prior waves of immigration to Aldenard, Hellsguard and Highlander sellswords. -1179, Ala Mhigan Mercenaries introduce Highlanders once again to Ul’dah. For 17 goddamn years Sil’dih has taken Ul’dah’s water and they are PISSED. They also fucked up Thanalan, helping in making it the crap place it is today. -1181, Ul’dah raises the fucking dead to destroy Sil’dih, thanks alchemy. -1224-1355, Thorne Dynasty, aka Hyurs sort of have some significance in Ul’dah for less than 150 years, good job guys, way to let the potato man keep you down. -1468-1469, Autumn War, Big Huge Deal. In summary, Ala Mhigo is an asshole and Ishgard, Ul’dah and Limsa all help Gridania fuck them up. -1476, Ul’dah isn’t gonna fuck someone up and not make a profit, so they force Ala Mhigo to reduce their tolls. This is great because pirates are still this huge problem for Ul’dah, and they haven’t invented flying yet, but they will soon. This is the beginning of it, where Tatanora makes coaches bigger and lighter using Ixali technology, which involves ceruleum vapors, and becomes a really famous figure in Ul’dah’s history as a fantastic and filthy rich merchant. -1522, Tatanora starts to do airships too, mostly used for exploration. Flight is available to the public as Highwind Skyways, 9 years later, but this turns out to be a terrible time to figure out how to fly because The Republic of Garlemald has just become the Garlean Empire in 1522. Somehow this doesn’t become a problem immediately. -1552, Garlemald Annexes Doma. -1557, Garlemald Annexes Ala Mhigo. -1561, Battle of Silvertear Skies. Neutral area of Mor Dhona is attacked by Garlemald, but they crash into a dragon. Midgarsormr and the warship makes a huge, gross mess. Ul’dah is still flying around like nothing’s gonna ever go wrong. -1563, Not only can Ul’dah fly now, but Garlond Ironworks works with Highland Skyways to make modern airships suitable for regular service between the citystates, available to an average citizen. -1569, Finally Garlemald shoots one of those airships out of the sky, so they suspend airship travel, limiting it only to “extraordinary circumstances”. Yes, it was only that recently. -1572, 7th Umbral Calamity, WOOPS WE HAD ANOTHER CALAMITY. Cue ARR. -1577, ARR, and we are in the 7th Astral Era. Some people who were at the Battle of Carteneau are forgotten along with the Warrior of Light and kind of jump ahead 5 years. It’s not really clear if it’s only the Warrior of Light or if it’s anyone out there fighting. Basically, if you were a player before ARR, your character has woken up 5 years later and someone took your shit. This blows. Fuck you, Yoshi P. (WE ARE NOW IN THE NOTORIOUS TIME BUBBLE) -1578 (?), Doma rebels, but it doesn’t work very well. Monzen’s bombed, because as previously established, explosions are a universal language. Doman refugees are refused entry to Ul’dah because Ul’dah has enough problems, and they are taken into Mor Dhona, which has now had not only a warship and a dragon fall on them, but also the moon. A regular local weather pattern is “gloom” so needless to say, this place sucks.

-1579 (?), Doma and Ala Mhigo is liberated by Some Guy, and I guess all of Heavensward happened last year, and/or this year, also Stormblood. These are a pretty impressive 2 years. They sure just flew by. -1580 (???), the year of our headcanon, Professor Urha, who is 41 or 42 sometime in the fall. Also known to some as The Future*. This could be ShadowBringers, but probably ShadowBringers also happened last year. Sorry, it’s not my fault. * (The only thing for certain is… heavensward happened, Yugiri said there was a rebellion at some point, and 25 years ago from that day, Doma was annexed, stormblood happened, and an NPC said the rebellion was last year. At least one year has passed. I allowed the canon to exist, and for 3 years to have past since ARR began, and that we are living in year 3, and will be living in year 3 for some time. When a more strict timeframe is referenced, my character’s age will reflect this.) Now that we have that established, let’s overlay Professor Urha’s history. Thanalan. Urha’s mother’s side is a seeker of the sun of the J tribe, who were there since magical ice age I guess or something. Her mother is a first generation citystate-cat, sired by a Nuhn named Raahn. Hyurs were let into Ul’dah around 1000, 6th astral era. It is suspected by her father’s side that in 1179, Urha’s Hyurian descendants were permitted to exist in Ul’dah society. The city of Davenport is on record existing at the time of the Autumn War, 1469, and is where her father, Miles Davenport, or at least that Surname, comes from. 1539: On the 30th Sun of the 6th Astral Moon, Myria Davenport is born to J’urhalla Raahn, AKA Rosegold, and Miles Davenport. This is a fantastic time to be born a Monetarist. No Ala Mhigan refugees, Ul’dah can fly, is dealing with the east near and far, Ul Dynasty is doing great, plenty of money to be made and no one to stop you. It’s been almost 10 years since the previously unknown republic has named itself an empire, but they’re mostly dominating Ilsebard, maybe the start of some of Othard, and not an issue Eorzea has to worry about. There aren’t very many Miqo’te monetarists, and so her father is very protective of her, as she came out with ears and a tail like her mother. He wants her to be taken seriously in business and gets her the best education money can buy. He takes it a little too far, and in the end, all members of the family go missing, with only some members of the Syndicate at the time aware of what actually happened. 1550: Something really really awful. 1552: Doma is Annexed by Garlemald. 1555: Something even more awful. 1557: Myria Davenport is all but forgotten, and somewhere in the east, a beautiful 18 year old Miqo’te is a horrible monster, and is frustrated her research has been rejected. She is being transferred. Oh, and Ala Mhigo is Annexed by Garlemald. 1559: Not a great time. Chemical Burns. 1561: Nope. 1572-1577: Calamity, and then a new era is born. The entire planet changes, physically and in spirit. Everyone works to repair their lives. When people try and remember those who fought for them and are the reason they are alive, they can remember neither the name nor face nor life of any being, only a shining, lighted silhouette. Myria Davenport returns to Eorzea after spoilers, in the year spoilers, using a short and sweet version of her mother’s name as her alias. She is found unconscious by a tribe of Keepers in the South Shroud, between the Black Shroud and Thanalan. Many keeper tribes have fled Eorzea entirely, a few broods moved from the West Shroud, now no longer in existence, to other parts of the Black Shroud. In spite of the fact she is a Seeker, she is accepted due to her medical knowledge and asked to act as the tribe’s wisewoman. Keepers are way more chill than she remembers them being, but I guess a calamity or two will do that. Once confident, she leaves them, and rebuilds her fortune, even though she cannot rebuild her family name, because spoiler.

[satinself5-blog]

1 non-tender candidate for all 30 teams

With more than 200 players eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, the Nov. 30 deadline to tender contracts figures to present myriad decisions to club executives around the Majors.

For players tendered contracts, they will have more than a month to work out new deals with their teams before exchanging arbitration figures on Jan. 11, after which they can still hammer out a deal or go to a hearing.

So which players may be in danger of being non-tendered and added to the free-agent market? Here's a team-by-team look with the most likely candidate from all 30 clubs.

American League East

Orioles: Tim Beckham Beckham had the worst season of his career in 2018, slashing .230/.287/.374 in 402 plate appearances. He earned $3.35 million last season, and given the Orioles' rebuilding movement, it seems likely they would move on rather than paying him more in '19.

Red Sox: Tyler Thornburg Thornburg missed all of 2017 and half of '18 following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, appearing in only 25 games since being acquired from the Brewers two years ago for Travis Shaw. Thornburg earned $2.05 million and is a year away from free agency.

Yankees: Didi Gregorius Sonny Gray could have been the pick here, though he may be traded before the non-tender deadline. Gregorius earned $8.5 million last season and is likely in line for a raise, but he'll probably miss at least the first half of the season following Tommy John surgery and will be a free agent next winter. Will the Yankees want to pay him that much for 2-3 months of work? The guess here is that he is tendered, but never say never.

Video: BOS@NYY Gm4: Gregorius dives, nabs Pearce at first

Rays: Chaz Roe C.J. Cron was the obvious non-tender candidate only a few days ago, but the Rays designated him for assignment, despite the fact he led the team with 30 home runs last season. With only four players eligible for arbitration -- Mike Zunino, Tommy Pham, Matt Duffy and Roe -- it's a near-certainty that Tampa Bay will tender contracts to all of them, though if any of them were to be non-tendered, Roe would be the most likely.

Blue Jays: Yangervis Solarte Barring an unforeseen trade, Solarte appears destined for a non-tender. The infielder's slash line plummeted for a second straight season as he hit .226/.277/.378 in 122 games in 2018. Solarte made $4.125 million last season, adding $750,000 on a buyout when the Jays declined his $5.5 million option for '19, though he's still a year of service time shy of being a free agent.

American League Central

White Sox: Avisail Garcia The White Sox have been aggressively shopping Garcia, leading some to believe they'll non-tender him if they're unable to trade him. Garcia couldn't follow up his strong 2017 campaign with another good season, posting a .719 OPS -- a 166-point drop from the previous year. Garcia earned $6.7 million last year and is in line for a raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Video: CHW@MIN: Garcia hustles and leaps to grab sac fly

Indians: Danny Salazar Cleveland has six arbitration-eligible players and is likely to tender contracts to all of them, but given that Salazar earned $5 million last season and missed the entire season with a shoulder injury that required surgery, it's a decision the Indians might at least have to discuss.

Tigers: James McCann McCann's numbers declined significantly in 2018, when he slashed .200/.267/.314 in 457 plate appearances. Though given the free-agent catching market, Detroit might give McCann one more shot. He earned $2.375 million last season and is arbitration-eligible for the next two years.

Royals: Cheslor Cuthbert The Royals are likely to tender all three of their arbitration-eligible players -- Cuthbert, Jesse Hahn and Brian Flynn -- as none of the three are likely to earn much as $2 million in their first year of arbitration. Cuthbert gets the nod here after playing only 88 games over the past two seasons, posting a .591 OPS during that time.

Twins: Robbie Grossman Grossman has posted a .741 and .751 OPS the past two seasons, unable to get back to his .828 mark from 2016. Having made $2 million last season, he could be in danger of a non-tender after the Twins claimed Michael Reed -- who had a .972 OPS at Double-A and Triple-A last year -- off waivers from the Braves.

American League West

Astros: Jake Marisnick Marisnick's 2017 season (.815 OPS, 119 OPS+) is looking more like an outlier after he reverted closer to his career averages in '18. Marisnick posted a .674 OPS and 85 OPS+, earning $1.9 million in the process. He has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

Video: HOU@BAL: Marisnick lines a 2-run home run to left

Angels: Matt Shoemaker A right forearm strain limited Shoemaker to seven starts in 2018, when he earned $4.125 million. He's made only 21 starts since the start of '17 and has topped 136 innings in a season only once, when he threw 160 in 2016. He's two years away from free agency.

A's: Mike Fiers Fiers pitched well for both the Tigers and Athletics last season, posting a 3.56 ERA in 172 innings. The right-hander earned $6 million on a one-year deal in 2018, though he's still a year of service time away from being a free agent. With 12 players eligible for arbitration, Oakland could decide to non-tender one of the higher-paid players -- and it won't be Khris Davis.

Mariners: Roenis Elias Seattle has two arbitration-eligible players -- Alex Colome is the other -- and both are expected to be tendered contracts. Elias showed promise as a starter in 2014 and '15, but he threw only eight big league innings while spending most of 2016 and '17 in Boston's Minor League system. He was traded back to Seattle this past April, pitching well in 23 appearances (four starts).

Rangers: Delino DeShields DeShields is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, but after posting a sub-.600 OPS for the second time in three seasons, it remains to be seen whether Texas still believes in him long term.

National League East

Braves: Adam Duvall Duvall displayed great power in 2016 and '17, slamming 64 home runs over two seasons for the Reds. But after hitting 15 in 105 games with Cincinnati this past season, he was a bust in 33 games with the Braves, going 7-for-53 (.132) with no homers or RBIs and a woeful .344 OPS. He earned $645,000 last season, and even a modest raise would seem to be against Atlanta's best interests given its roster.

Video: TB@ATL: Duvall scores to give Braves' lead in 8th

Marlins: Dan Straily Derek Dietrich was the top candidate to be non-tendered, but the Marlins designated him for assignment on Tuesday. Straily earned $3.37 million last season and will be due a raise in his second year of arbitration. But after posting a 4.12 ERA and 5.11 FIP in 23 starts (122 1/3 innings) in 2018, the Marlins could let the soon-to-be 30-year-old walk and look elsewhere.

Mets: Travis d'Arnaud The Mets are seeking catching help on the market, which could be bad news for d'Arnaud, who was limited to four games in 2018 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. d'Arnaud, who had a sub-.300 on-base percentage in '17, made $3.475 million last season.

Phillies: Luis Garcia After a solid 2017, the right-hander was a mess last season, posting a 6.07 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 46 innings over 59 appearances. He made $1.2 million in '18, and although he isn't likely to get a huge raise in his second year of arbitration, Philadelphia should have better (and less expensive) options for the bullpen.

Nationals: Sammy Solis Solis has had back-to-back subpar seasons, posting ERAs of 5.88 and 6.41 over 86 appearances in those two years. Solis earned about $560,000 last year and is entering his first arbitration year, but his performance might be enough for Washington to say goodbye.

National League Central

Cubs: Addison Russell Russell earned $3.2 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility, then posted the worst season of his four-year career. Russell had career lows with five home runs, 38 RBIs, a .657 OPS and a 74 OPS+. It's possible the Cubs decide to move on from the 24-year-old.

Reds: Curt Casali The Reds appear unlikely to non-tender any of their arbitration-eligible players, but Casali would be one to watch. He earned the minimum last season and is entering his first year of arbitration, but Cincinnati could work out a deal with him ahead of the non-tender date.

Brewers: Jonathan Schoop Schoop made $8.5 million in 2018, posting mediocre numbers in Baltimore before being traded to Milwaukee on July 31. The infielder struggled with the Brewers (.577 OPS in 46 games), and with a deep free-agent market at second base, Milwaukee could non-tender him and look elsewhere.

Video: DET@MIL: Schoop smokes RBI double to left in the 4th

Pirates: Michael Feliz Pittsburgh seems likely to tender all three of its arbitration-eligible players -- Corey Dickerson, Keone Kela and Feliz -- but Feliz struggled again in 2018, posting a 5.66 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Feliz -- who was part of the return in the Gerrit Cole trade -- is in his first year of arbitration, however, so the salary raise shouldn't be steep.

Cardinals: Chasen Shreve Shreve earned $825,000 in 2018, his first year of arbitration eligibility. He pitched well at times after being traded to the Cardinals, but lefties had a .911 OPS against the southpaw, leaving him susceptible to a non-tender.

National League West

D-backs: Shelby Miller Injuries have limited Miller to nine starts and 38 innings over the past two seasons, and his performance when he's actually been on the mound has been underwhelming over the past three years. His 2015 All-Star campaign feels like an eternity ago, and having made $4.9 million in 2018, Arizona could decide whatever raise he'd get in a fourth year of arbitration isn't worth it.

Rockies: Tony Wolters In all likelihood, the Rockies won't non-tender any of their eight arbitration-eligible players. But Wolters, who hit .170/.292/.286 in 74 games last season, would be the most susceptible. Wolters, who had the game-winning hit in the 13th inning of the National League Wild Card Game, earned $550,000 in 2018 and is in the first of his four arbitration-eligible years.

Video: NL WC: Wolters gives Rox lead with single in the 13th

Dodgers: Yimi Garcia Tom Koehler, Erik Goeddel and Zac Rosscup were all prime non-tender candidates, but the Dodgers released Koehler and designated the other two for assignment on Tuesday. Garcia, who earned $630,000 in 2018, missed all but nine games in '16 and all of '17 following knee surgery and Tommy John surgery. He made 25 appearances last season, posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings.

Padres: Bryan Mitchell Mitchell earned about $550,000 last season, and although he's only entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, he's coming off a subpar season in which he had a 5.42 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 73 innings. Of San Diego's seven arbitration-eligible players, he appears most in danger of being non-tendered.

Giants: Joe Panik Panik made $3.45 million in 2018, his first year of arbitration eligibility, but injuries continue to hamper the second baseman. Panik's .639 OPS, four home runs and 24 RBIs were all career lows, so if new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi wants to shake up the roster, second base might be the logical place to start.

Mark Feinsand, an executive reporter, originally joined MLB.com as a reporter in 2001.

Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/1-non-tender-candidate-for-every-mlb-team/c-301063350

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

You’re In Striking Distance, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates, 

Your offense certainly showed up this weekend. You scored twenty-five runs in three games and paid back the Mets for taking two out of three in Pittsburgh last weekend by taking two out of three in New York. Unfortunately you started the week losing two out of three at home to Arizona so that makes for a 3-3 week. You are 26-31, you are still in last place, and by some miracle you are only 3.5 games out of first place. Who would have guessed your division would be this bad? You’re still not quite performing like a true contender but there is reason for hope. You’re as healthy as you have been all season especially considering Jameson Taillon is on the verge of returning. You need more consistency in every aspect of the game. The offense comes and goes. The starting pitching looked like a strength a couple weeks ago and now looks more questionable than it has all season. The bullpen has a couple weak links but has overall performed admirably. You need to elevate your game in all levels if you want to make a run at this thing but you are still in it.

Jameson Taiilon had another extremely successful rehab outing on Friday. He will have one more start in Triple-A which means he will probably rejoin the rotation after that. Who does he replace though? Trevor Williams originally replaced him but he’s pitched too well (7 IP 7 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K today) to remove him. My vote is Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow had another poor start on Saturday to raise his ERA to 6.97 and his WHIP to 1.87 in eleven starts. He’s only averaging 4.58 innings per start. Chad Kuhl has been almost equally as bad posting a 6.02 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Kuhl is also only averaging 4.48 innings per start but he had a start cut short by injury and another cut short by a rain delay. Ideally both would be replaced with someone better but that second person doesn’t exist right now until Nick Kingham gets more minor league innings under his belt. With all else being equal, I keep Kuhl in the rotation simply because of his fastball command, He has some and Glasnow doesn’t. That’s a prerequisite for pitching in the major leagues. Unfortunately, I’m starting to think that’s something Glasnow will never master which will be a problem throughout his career but send him down so he can figure it out in Triple-A and stop costing the big league team victories. 

Cutch might actually be coming around. Since his benching in the Atlanta series a little over a week ago he’s been on fire. Cutch highlighted it with a 3 for 5 performance today including a three-run homer. His splits since his brief hiatus are an extremely impressive .394/.500/.727 for a 1.227 OPS. They moved him down to the sixth spot in the order but his success hitting in that spot is only a coincidence. He’s finally hitting balls on the outer half of the plate to the opposite field. He’s not swinging at balls out of the zone. He’s not missing fastballs thrown right down the middle. He was doing none of those things prior to his break. Does this mean he’s back to being MVP Cutch? I’m far from assuming that. He hasn’t looked like MVP Cutch in two years and one week of domination isn’t going to change my mind that quickly. If somehow he is back to being great, that changes the outlook of this season tremendously. You’re still very much in striking distance in this division. You just need to iron out the rotation if you plan to contend, Taillon’s return will help that but other things need to happen like Gerrit Cole getting back on track and Cutch performing more like this on a regular basis. 

Yeah, Gerrit Cole has not been good recently. He started the season so well and now his last few starts have been a disaster. He got rocked on Friday night giving up seven earned runs over five innings. He did get hosed on pathetic defensive play by Gregory Polanco. A ball was lined directly at him that he managed to misplay leading to a two run triple but because the ball didn’t hit his glove it was deemed a hit. I don’t understand why a play like that can’t be a judgment call to determine it was an error. Regardless, Cole still pitched poorly. For the year, he has a 4.27 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and a 4.77 FIP. The biggest problem is the fifteen home runs he’s allowed this season. In no other season has he allowed more than eleven and we are only at June 4th. That’s a glaring problem. He’s still struggling to get lefties out with their OPS against him at .881 as opposed to .718 versus right handed hitters. I don’t know what the answer is and Cole doesn’t seem to either. If he gets hot again, do you trade him? I know I brought this question up previously but you need to seriously consider it especially if you fall out of contention. None of this really matters unless Cole turns it around. Here’s hoping he figures it out. 

Monday is another off day which will be helpful given you only have one more off day over your next nineteen games. You have an odd two game series in Baltimore against the Orioles on Tuesday and Wednesday. You immediately travel back home to begin a ten game homestand starting on Thursday with four games against the Miami Marlins. These are winnable games especially considering the week after brings the wildcard leading Colorado Rockies and the defending World Series champs, the Chicago Cubs. Take advantage of this week because next week could be rocky (pun intended). No one wants to win this division the way they are playing right now. This offense can be very good. The pitching needs to improve but once Taillon returns you have a legit top of the rotation if Cole can get it together and Nova keeps pitching this way. Your defense has even improved over the last month, minus the Polanco play, to the point that it’s almost a strength. Winning the division is a possibility. You need to defend your home field and find a way to beat some very good teams. If you can’t beat good teams, then you can’t win the division. It’s as simple as that. Keep swinging those bats and I look forward to talking with you next week. Love you bunches!!

                                                                                          Your Prudent Partner,

                                                                                                         Brad

P.S. still stands for Pens’ series. The Stanley Cup finals have began and it started off beautifully. The Pens won the first two games at home to take a 2-0 lead. They dropped the first game in Nashville last night to put the series score at 2-1. They play game four in Nashville tomorrow night. If they can manage to steal that game, then they only need to win one out of the last three games and two of those will be in Pittsburgh. The power play needs to improve and they just need to play better than last night. They’ve bounced back after every bad game in these playoffs so no reason to believe they can’t do that again. LET’S GO PENS!!!

[candy-floss-crazy]

Coronavirus Diary 4th April

Well, a week after my release from hospital I am walking a 4-5 mile course every day. The 2 stone I lost inside wouldn’t have been too bad if a lot of it hadn’t come off my arms and legs. So to build them back up I dusted off my kettlebell weight. The only one I have at home is 16kg so its good for a decent workout, and I am feeling pretty good so no problem. Ha, I only managed to get half way before I felt absolutely knackered. And my arms and legs feel like they belong to someone else this morning.

A lot of the fairground industry is starting to go into panic mode. Initially they thought this was going to be a two or three month break, but now I think we are all realising that we may end up writing this season off. The government has just cancelled the major climate change conference in November, so they aren’t too confident that things will be back to normal by then.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. An awful lot of the showmen I know seem to have turned into fruit and veg salesman, with a multitude of home delivery options on offer. Good luck to them.

Poor Premiership Stars

I see the players football association is suggesting the premier league stars take a 30% pay cut. The poor darlings, the average wage is £3 million a year, how an earth will they manage on only £2 million per annum. Perhaps we should start a gofund me page to help them out.

The major clubs have furloughed their support staff, because obviously all of them together will add up to perhaps the left backs salary so its a big saving. The next step will be them asking for a government handout to enable them to keep paying their stars mega salaries.

When I was a kid my dentist was actually an ex professional footballer. He had played for Newcastle United, and was wanted by Manchester United. He instead chose to go to Darlington. When I asked why you would choose them over Man U, his reply was, “At the time I could earn more as a dentist, than I could as a football player, Darlington offered to let me continue my dentistry as well as playing football. Man U insisted I stopped being a dentist, and with a family to look after I couldn’t afford to do that.”

How things have changed.

Its A Conspiracy

I tend to use Facebook for my business pages, its another business tool. With the lockdown I have to admit I am using it more from a personal perspective. One of the things which really tickle me is the prevalence of conspiracy theories. It turns out there isn’t actually a virus after all, its 5G transmitters that are causing people to have viral symptoms. Its the fault of the Illuminati and the Masons who are ushering in the new world order.

People are calling on their comrades to get ready for the fightback. Well, any organisation that can successfully have every health care professionals, not only in the UK, but the rest of the planet, all toe the line and lie that its a virus, well, do you really think power like that can be challenged?

Personally I know its not 5G, its pod people from Mars. That’s why Boris isn’t appearing on TV, his symptoms was the first stage of his body being taken over by a pod person. When he appears again he will be fully assimilated. Bit like the Borg really.

Though my wife has a novel theory. She claims that I am the cause of the coronavirus pandemic. Allegedly I am trying to keep my daughters boyfriend away.

My Tin Foil Hat Will Save Me From The Aliens

American Pirates

I see in the news that America has been accused or piracy. It seem Trump has invoked a Korean war era directive to prevent companies like 3M exporting face masks to the rest of the world. Their entire production is now being ring-fenced for the States. Whilst I can understand the outrage of other countries that were expecting deliveries from them. Can you really condemn Trump for looking after his own people first. Imagine the scenario of Europe recovering with the aid of millions of 3M masks. Whilst Americans die due to a lack of them. In all honesty I would hope our government would make the same call in that situation.

Coronavirus Diary 4th April was originally published on Candy Floss Crazy Blog

[aesteron]

My most recent piece. 

Sort of goes with that 4th era pirate I posted recently.

Mixed feelings about this one, if i’m honest, but here it is anyway!

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

We Can Be Better, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Happy Opening Day! A brand new season is upon us. Opening Day is always filled with hope and optimism. I’m here to ground it in reality. Last year was rough on both of us. I said some things I didn’t mean. You played mediocre baseball. We weren’t the best versions of ourselves. You won twenty less games than you did the previous year and didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in three years. I’m sure me and the other fans haven’t taken that for granted at all. You are in a division with the defending World Champs, the Chicago Cubs, who look they will be awesome forever. You also have the St. Louis Cardinals who just gave 34 year old Yadier Molina a 3 year 60 million dollar deal. That’s a deal you will never be able to give anyone. Ever. It’s hard to compete consistently when your spending is so limited. Whether it needs to be so limited or not is another discussion all together. The fact is you can’t/won’t spend much over 100 million dollars and therefore you have to be creative in your spending. That’s why you give Daniel Hudson a 2 year 11 million dollar deal instead of giving Mark Melancon a 4 year 62 million dollar deal like the Giants did. To return to the playoffs this year, you’re going to need a lot of things to go right because you have a relatively young but talented team. More than anything, it’s just good to see you again!

You found out the hard way last year that nothing is more important than your starting rotation. The Jeff Locke/Ryan Vogelsong/Juan Nicasio/Jon Niese disaster won’t soon be forgotten but this year’s rotation has a much higher ceiling. The sure-bets for the rotation were 1. Gerrit Cole 2. Jameson Taillon 3. Ivan Nova. Chad “He’s so” Kuhl always seemed like a lock for the 4th spot which came to fruition this week. The only remaining question was who takes the 5th spot. Friday it was announced that the uber-talented but always wild prospect Tyler Glasnow would fill that role. He didn’t really earn the role as much as he was given it by default. Drew Hutchison, acquired in the Francisco Liriano salary dump last season, was given 2 million this offseason and I guarantee was your first choice for the 5th spot. He had an abysmal spring training highlighted in his last start by giving up 9 ER in under 4 innings. That was after he gave up 6 ER in his previous start. After those back to back pathetic efforts, he was demoted to Triple-A. Honestly, I’m thrilled about this. You might as well put your most talented guy out there, toss him in the deep end, and see if he can swim. If he even pitches close to his potential, it changes the entire complexion of this rotation. Put your most talented foot forward. What do you have to lose? No one is giving you a chance in a division with the Cubs anyway.

Everyone will have many different opinions on who or what is the most important aspect to your success this year. I have one word for you: health. Maybe it’s the obvious answer but your roster is getting the reputation for getting injured A LOT. You don’t think so? How many Cubs players got hurt last year? Your ace, Gerrit Cole, missed most of the season last year with an injury. Your #2, Jameson Taillon, had missed the 2014 and 2015 seasons with injuries. Your catcher, Francisco Cervelli, gets injured constantly and missed over a month last year with a broken hand. He’s already injured himself this spring as did his backup Chris Stewart. Gregory Polanco played injured most of the second half and is already suffering from shoulder soreness. Starling Marte missed the last couple weeks of the season with back spasms and twisted his ankle during the World Baseball Classic this spring. Cutch was arguably hurt for at least some of last year which led to his down season. Catch my drift? Last year’s bats didn’t suffer as much as it could have due to your bench depth but with the departures of SRod and Matt Joyce and Jung-ho Kang’s inability to get into the country that depth is highly in question. You will have to rely on Adam Frazier, Alan Hanson, and Phil Gosselin to pick up the slack if someone goes down. Far from proven commodities. The quickest thing that could sink this season will be injuries especially to the pitching staff. 

I know on paper I really shouldn’t be but I’m worried about your lineup. The concern that injuries are inevitable and your lacking depth is one thing. The fact that there’s a very real possibility no one will hit more than 20 home runs on this team is scary especially considering that Jung-ho Kang might not play this year. Cutch could. Polanco could if he can stay healthy. You are more built to be a high on base percentage team which I do think is the smart way to go. I don’t really know why I’m concerned. Maybe because I’m not convinced Cutch will go back to being one of the better players in the league. Maybe the likelihood of Cervelli or Marte or Polanco getting hurt is clouding my judgment. Maybe I don’t think Adam Frazier’s current production is sustainable. Maybe I think that while Josh Harrison is a very good defensive option, he will bat about .260 with a .300 OBP. Same with Jordy Mercer. It’s not good to have too many guys like that in the lineup. The rotation is what everyone else is worried about and, believe me, I get it. I might also be comparing your lineup to teams like the Cubs who are the toast of the division so that might not be fair. You just don’t have the fire power that they do but that’s OK if you find a way to get on base. I might be overreacting. You were one of the better offenses in baseball last year but that also included 31 combined homers from Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce who respectfully had a .349 and a .403 OBP in a combined 531 at bats. You will not get that kind of production from your bench this year. I can promise you that. You very well might be fine. I just feel like I’m one of the only people questioning it. I’d love for you to prove me wrong.  

The season doesn’t start off easy for you. Your first series is in Boston against the Red Sox, a favorite to win their division and possibly the World Series. You get the reigning Cy Young award winner, Rick Porcello, in your first game and the biggest acquisition of the offseason, Chris Sale, in the second game. After that series, you go home to face the still rebuilding Atlanta Braves. I usually make my prediction of the opening day starting lineup but I wasn’t sure of Polanco’s status. After Hurdle announced that he will be the DH and Frazier will be in LF, here’s my prediction:

LF Frazier/CF Marte/RF Cutch/DH Polanco/3B Freese/1B Bell/C Cervelli/2B Harrison/SS Mercer

Frazier is going to be the JHay of this year. He will play multiple positions and start 4-5 games per week because you love him leading off. Will he continue to be the hit machine he has been? That’s one of the many questions surrounding you this year. Will Cutch be Cutch again? Will this extremely young rotation perform and/or stay healthy? Can Tony Watson be a better closer than he was last year? Can Alan Hanson and Phil Gosselin provide adequate depth? Can Polanco take it to the next level? Can you even be mediocre at running the bases after being horrendous now that you fired your base coaches? I honestly don’t know what to expect. You could be a 90 win team or a 70 win team. We will find out starting tomorrow. I hope I didn’t come off too pessimistic. There is just a lot of uncertainty surrounding you this year. We will find out if you can bounce back or if you will remain below average. Either way, I’m so happy that you’re back. It’s the best time of the year and that’s mostly because of you. Get off to a good start and most importantly have fun. Actually most importantly win but when you win you have fun so it still applies. I love you and I’m so glad you’re back. 

                                                                                        Your Eager Beaver,

                                                                                                    Brad

P.S. I am seriously concerned about Tony Watson as your closer. He’s been terrific over the past few years but when he was given the closer role last year after the brilliant Melancon trade (seriously with how good Rivero looks you could have done it straight up and it would have been a good deal but you also got Taylor Hearn) his ERA was over 5.00. I think there’s a good chance Rivero ends up in the role before the season is over especially because if you struggle you will trade Watson at the deadline. Same with Cutch. Everyone who freaked out at the thought of trading Cutch does know that he will either be gone at the deadline or at the latest next season, right?