#and Tommy does. of course he does because he's missed it. missed saying Evan's name. missed the way it felt on his lips

[loverboykinard]

thinking about Buck with his hands under Tommy's shirt, fingers tracing down his sides and back as they make out against the front door. Tommy's got one arm slung over Buck's shoulder, his hand guiding the other man's head in the direction he wants as they kiss. his other hand is settled on Buck's waist to keep him close. but after a while, Tommy's brain catches up, and he's trying to get Buck's attention because they were just supposed to be talking, trying to be friends, getting some closure even. so he tugs gently on Buck's hair, murmurs a quiet "Buck" between them as they separate and Buck's eyes are hooded and his lips are kiss swollen when they look at each other and all Buck says is "don't call me that. call me Evan like you used to, like you want to." and a shiver runs down Tommy's spine as he groans out an "Evan" between them before they're both surging forward into another bruising kiss.

in that moment Tommy decides they can talk in the morning.

[leashybebes]

Congrats on the increased follower count, you deserve it after exes detriments (sorry, I can’t remember the official name) but here’s a prompt for you:

Buck and Tommy struggle to find time in their schedules to see each other

aww, thank you so much! 💛💛 and thanks for the prompt!

Buck knows he should be getting some rest. But if he has to lie sleepless in his bunk and listen to Chim snore much longer, he's going to do something drastic. He creeps out of the bunk room, shoots off a text, and makes his way up to the roof. He's barely sat down by the time his phone rings.

"Hi," he says, and he feels breathless and eager all over again. Still.

"Did you seriously just 'u up?' me, Evan? Aren't you at work?"

"Hey, it was a sincere question. You can tell by the lack of the eggplant emoji."

"You're ridiculous."

"Yeah," Buck agrees easily. "I miss you. And your eggplant."

"Evan!" Tommy's so good at sounding scandalized and delighted all at once and Buck grins.

"What are you doing after your shift on Tuesday?"

"Errands, then therapy, then sleep."

"Gotcha. I'm working Wednesday."

"Me too. Thursday?" Tommy suggests.

"Looking after Jee," Buck says, and while he's never going to regret time spent with his niece, this is starting to get ridiculous. "They should be picking her up by eight?"

"Drinks with the team at nine," Tommy says, and he does sound regretful, but part of Tommy working on himself is trying to let himself have more meaningful connections, both in quantity and depth, so Buck's not about to try talking him out of that. "And you're working Friday."

"Yeah. And you have that private flying lesson Saturday, right?"

"Yeah. Should be done mid afternoon if that's any good?"

Buck rubs his hand over his face. "Video call with Eddie and Chris at four, and then I'm supposed to be going for dinner at Maddie's."

"Ah."

"I could come over after?"

"I'd need to leave before seven for my Sunday shift."

"Honestly, at this point, I'll take it."

"Evan."

Buck sighs. "I know, I know."

They're dating now, is the thing. Not going on a couple of dates and then weaving their lives together without discussing it until it blows up in their faces. Actually dating.

"I could - I could tell them. You could come with me."

There's a long, heavy silence.

"I don't think I'm ready for that."

Because they're also keeping it to themselves for now. They both want to see where it goes without any outside influence, to see what it is they settle into when it's just them. It's honestly - it's kind of fun, having this little secret to themselves, going further afield than they usually would for dates, trying new places and new things. But it can't go on forever, and although he's only referred to it jokingly, Buck knows Tommy's worried what people will think - that he screwed up too bad, that they'll hate him, that they'll tell Buck he's an idiot to give him a second chance. Buck's pretty sure that's not on the cards - Maddie might go a little overprotective big sister with a side of pregnancy hormones, but he thinks that'll be it. And that's nothing they can't handle.

"Hey," he says. "Can we talk about this sometime? Check in, see where we're at?"

"Yeah," Tommy promises. "Of course."

"Okay. Monday, then?"

"Monday," Tommy agrees. "My neighbour's been raving about this seafood restaurant in Santa Barbara if you're up for a bit of a drive?"

"Sounds good. Monday's so far away, though," Buck laments.

"I can hear the pout from here, Evan," Tommy teases.

"Well," Buck says, letting his voice drop deliberately into a tone that never fails to make Tommy a bit wild. "You'll just have to buy me a nice meal and kiss it better, huh?"

"God, Evan - "

"I'm off Tuesday too. Maybe we find a nice little bed and breakfast and make a night of it? I can show you just how you how much I've missed - "

He hears the door open behind him and his mouth snaps shut. "Gotta go. Call you later."

Tommy lets out a huff of laughter. "Bye, Evan. Be safe."

"You too," Buck says, as Bobby drops into the chair next to his.

"Hey, Cap."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"With Chim sawing logs one bunk over? I'm amazed anybody can."

"You don't normally struggle."

Buck shrugs, tries not to meet Bobby's eye. Everyone used to tease him about his Tommy-face, his Tommy-voice, his Tommy-pout, and for all they're taking it slow - and they are - Buck knows he's right back there. If Eddie wasn't in Texas, he's pretty sure their secret would have lasted a week, and Bobby's the next best thing when it comes to reading Buck with a glance.

"You doing okay?" Bobby asks.

"Yep! Real good."

"Hm. Apropos of nothing at all, Kaur from B shift is looking for cover. You interested in Friday off in exchange for a six to six Saturday?"

"Yes! I mean. Yeah, I can do that."

Bobby shoots him an amused look. "Okay, then. Happy for you, kid."

Buck grins up at the dark sky. He can push his call with Chris and Eddie a little later, and still make it on time for dinner with Maddie and Chim.

"You coming back inside?"

"In a minute," Buck says. "Just gotta make a call."

"Uh-huh. Tell him hi from me if you like," Bobby offers, patting Buck's shoulder as he goes.

[queermatcha]

"Buckaroo, if you and Tommy would get married, what last name would you choose?" Buck looks up from where he's sitting at the dinner table of the station, munching on some vegetables he had cut up for himself as a snack. Hen sits down at the table too, across from him, smiling.

"Kinard. I want his name," he says without even missing a beat. Hen is apparently a bit surprised and she raises one of her eyebrows. "Really?" she asks. Buck nods. "Yep," he says, plopping a piece of yellow pepper into his mouth. "I've never felt any kind of deep connection to my name," the young firefighter then explains. "I even resented my first name because of my parents. And Tommy has changed that. He made me love my first name again." Smiling, Buck thinks of the way Tommy always calls him Evan and that makes his chest feel all warm. "But I'm definitely fine with letting go of the name Buckley."

"Evan Kinard does sound quite nice," Hen then comments and Buck beams at her. "But we can keep calling you Buck, right?" That question makes him laugh and he nods. "Of course, Hen!" And Hen smiles softly because the happiness in his eyes, his voice and his whole demeanor is such a great look on Buck.

[alj4890]

Prompt Request/Rachel Green Friends Quote Prompt

(Matt Rodriguez x Addison Sinclair) with the quote, "Come on, Name! Let's go have sex!" As requested by @krsnlove​

(Matt x Addison) in a Choices Red Carpet Diaries fanfic.

A/N A little angsty in parts but fluff always abounds with this particular pair 😉

Masterlist

Messed Up

"ADDISON!" Shannon cried out.

She and Holly burst into Addison's West Hollywood apartment.

"I'm in the kitchen." Addison yelled out.

The two friends rushed in there, expecting to see mass amounts of blood, broken bones, perhaps even a severed limb. 

The emergency text they had received earlier had said, 911 I'M DYING!

Instead, the two found their friend with an open tub of ice cream, a bottle of rum, and a can of whipped cream.

Holly folded her arms. "I thought you were dying?"

"I am." Addison whined. "I messed up big time tonight." She squirted some whipped cream in her mouth. "I either have to die or move to another country."

"Addi." Shannon slumped over the bar. She held her hand up and put her thumb and index finger close together. "I was this close to getting Chris ready to talk about our future."

Holly softly snorted. "I was sorting laundry." Her usual smirk formed. "I'm all for an embarrassing story."

Addison dropped her head back. "I can't believe what happened."

"Just tell us." Shannon pleaded.

"Remember when I said I was going to that party of Marianne's?" She scooped ice cream in her blender, poured some rum and milk, then added caramel sauce. Within minutes she had the three of them some boozy milkshakes.

Holly and Shannon took their drinks to the couch while Addison settled in her oversized chair.

"I might have made a fool of myself." She began.

**************

Earlier that night...

"...and these are a sample of what the fall styles will be." Marianne flipped through some of her mockups.

"These are gorgeous." Addison gushed. "I can't wait until the Milan fashion show."

Marianne smiled indulgently at her favorite former student. "I'm going to end it with your winter gown designs."

"No! Really?" Addison squealed and hugged her. "I can't believe it! Thank you so much!"

The doorbell rang.

"Enjoy the party." Marianne winked and hurried off to mingle with those that had come in.

"Someone's happy."

Addison spun around. "Evan? Where--when did you get back in town?"

"Yesterday." His bright smile glowed against his tan skin. "I was hoping I would bump into you."

"Really?" She couldn't quite keep the bitter skepticism out of her tone. "When--"

**************

"Hold up!" Shannon interrupted with her hands up in the air. "Evan was there? Evan, I'm the biggest cheating scumbag walking, Richards?

"Yep." Addison shot another burst of whipped cream in her mouth

Holly rolled her eyes. "Your mistake that you are dying over doesn't have anything to do with your ex, does it?"

"Kinda." Addison stirred her milkshake. "Anyway, at that moment...you know who walked in."

*************

"Looks like the tabloids are correct." Evan whispered.

"Huh?" Addison followed his gaze and felt her heart drop.

Matt had arrived with that skank, Elisa, on his arm.

***************

Shannon choked on her drink.

Holly added more rum to her own shake. "You're not wrong. She is a definite skank of the first order. A destroyer of men. A plague upon the innocent. The pain in my a--"

"And let's continue with the story." Shannon quickly interjected. "What is our sweet and precious Matt doing with someone like her?"

*************

Elisa Marinova smiled as she held fast to Matt's arm. The famous model made sure to be on her best behavior while around the movie star.

She basked in the attention she was drawing by having someone like Matt by her side. It was just the change she needed to reinvigorate her career. Her agent could not have given better advice than to pursue Hollywood's nicest guy.

Surely if he appeared to like her then everyone else would and the acting offers she coveted would begin to pour in.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Matt asked.

"I would love a cosmo." She watched him walk away and smoothly settled within a circle that had a number of producers and directors in it.

***************

"Who was in the group? Was Thomas? Please tell me either he or Marcus was." Shannon begged. "I would love to see them set her in her place."

"They weren't." Addison sniffed and held her glass out for Holly to add more rum. "Tommy Phelps was there and he kept going on and on how he needed her smokin' body in his next film." She took another hit of whipped cream. "The very movie he has cast Matt in."

Holly shook her head. "You still haven't gotten to the embarrassing part."

Addison dropped her head in her hands. "Evan called out to Matt."

*****************

"Rodriguez!" Evan motioned with his head. "Get over here."

Matt's friendly smile firmed into a thin line when he saw Evan's arm around Addison. "Hey. How are you?"

"Good. You?" Addison asked.

"Can't complain." He muttered. His eyes lingered on her a moment then focused on Evan. "How did the shoot go in Prague?"

"Great." Evan replied. He squeezed Addison closer. "Missed a few people while away." He winked at Matt. "Luckily there were a few locals that kept my morale up."

*************

"That sleeze! He actually said that he hooked up with locals while hugging you?" Shannon held her glass toward Holly for another refill. "He--he--somebody needs to punch him!"

"You at least stepped on his foot?" Holly asked. "Stomped on his instep? Quick elbow to the groin?"

Addison shook her head. "Not exactly." She tucked a blonde lock of hair behind her ear.

***********

"So you and Elisa?" Evan said in a low tone. "Nice."

Addison and Matt glared at him.

"How did you manage that?" Evan asked, oblivious to their annoyance.

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we aren't exactly--"

"I was afraid you forgot about me." Elisa cooed while settling her arm around Matt's waist. She focused her practiced smile upon Addison and Evan. "I don't believe we've met."

"This is Addison Sinclaire." Matt said. His smile turned tender. "If you're lucky, you have worn at least one if her creations."

"Oh, you're a designer?" Elisa asked. "I don't think I've heard of you." She shrugged with a laugh. "Of course, I do typically work only with the top of the fashion profession."

*************

"That skank!" Shannon hiccupped. "If you ever dress her, I will burn the outfit." She took another sip of her melted milkshake. "Preferably with her in it."

"Shh!" Holly hissed. "I need to hear the embarrassing part!"

**************

"Evan Richards," the movie star introduced himself while Matt and Addison fumed at the intended insult. "Weren't you a Victoria Secret model a couple of years ago?"

Elisa giggled. "I was." Her eyes cut in a coy manner. "You have some memory there."

"One has to in my line of work." His eyes drifted down her figure. "I think it helps to remember someone when they have such distinguishing characteristics."

*************

Holly clapped her hand over Shannon's mouth. "Don't stop!" She commanded Addison.

**************

"My Matt said the same thing." Elisa leaned her body against his side. "Didn't you?"

**************

Shannon ripped Holly's hand off her mouth. "I would give anything to have been there to tell that b--"

"I wish you had." Addison picked up the bottle of rum and poured more into her empty cup. "It would have helped me keep my mouth shut."

"Finally!" Holly slumped back into the couch. She held her glass up with a grin. "What did you say?"

*************

"I don't think I said--" Matt squirmed, trying to be free of her.

"Evan thinks the same about me." Addison declared. "Don't you?" She elbowed him in the ribs.

Evan dragged his eyes from Elisa's chest. "Huh? Yeah, sure do." He smiled down at Addison. "Everyone knows you're cute."

"Addison," Matt's tone gentled. "Can I talk privately to you for a moment?"

"Is it okay with you, Evan?" Addison tried to keep a look of adoration on her face as she gazed up at the slimeball.

"Sure." His lips curved. "I believe Elisa and I can keep each other occupied."

Elisa stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Matt's cheek. "Don't be gone too long."

He untangled himself from her and followed Addison to a secluded corner.

"What did you need to talk about?" She asked.

"You're not seriously back with that jerk are you?" He asked.

Addison narrowed her eyes. "No, but it is tempting."

Matt rubbed his hands over his face. "Addison, I can't stand the thought of you going down that road again."

"Why?" She prompted, hoping he would say what she wanted to hear.

"Because you're too good for someone like him." He replied. "You're one of my closest friends and I don't--"

"Friends." She mumbled. "Is Elisa a friend or something more?"

"I--" he colored some. "She would like us to become closer but--"

"And you talk about my taste in men." Addison folded her arms. "I can't believe you would choose someone like her to date."

Matt's temper flared. "I think of the two of us, your choice is much more worse than mine."

"No one is worse than your gorgeous Elisa." She glared up at him. "I didn't know you were the type of guy to go for looks only."

"I don't--" Matt's jaw spasmed as Elisa and Evan interrupted them.

"Matt, is she upsetting you?" Elisa carressed his bicep. "Why don't you let me take your mind off of everything?

Addison refused to witness Matt leaving with this skank. She grabbed Evan's arm. "Come on Evan. Let's go have sex!"

Matt's jaw dropped. "Addison! Wait! I--"

She jerked Evan along behind her, ignoring Matt's pleading.

Once outside, Evan pulled her into his embrace. "Baby, I knew you couldn't resist me." His lips barely brushed hers. He groaned and doubled over. "What the hell?!"

"Don't ever touch me again!" She yelled, shaking her hand. His abs were not the place she should have hit.

*************

"Wooooohooooooo!" Shannon bounced on the couch. "I'm so loud--cloud--proud of you." She slurred.

Holly narrowed her eyes. "So Matt thinks that you are here with Evan in naked congress?"

Addison nodded after downing her rum. Tears filled her eyes. "Why didn't I tell him the truth?"

"The one where you think he has a cute butt?" Shannon asked with a giggle.

"The one where you secretly write his name and yours in little hearts?" Holly tipped the bottle toward her lips, swallowing down a gulp of rum.

"The one where you have six babies within the first ten years of marriage?" Shannon reached for the bottle while a goofy grin formed.

"Yes!" Addison exclaimed, burying her head in the throw pillows. "He'll never like me like that now!"

"Whatcha doin?" Holly slurred, when she noticed Shannon tapping on her phone.

"Drunk texting." Shannon sputtered, causing both her and Holly to laugh.

"What's Chris saying?" Holly leaned over to read the text and ended up sliding off the couch.

Addison and Shannon laughed until they were crying at the look on Holly's face.

"He's on his way!" Shannon struggled to her feet. "I gotta meet him at the door."

Holly patted Addison on the back. "You be good. We'll check on you tomorrow."

"Thanks." Addison hugged them both. "You guys are so great."

Shannon broke away when there was a knock on the door. "There he is!" She stumbled over, holding the wall when she got dizzy and opened up the door.

"Matty!" She threw her arms around him. "Thanks for hurrying!"

"I was driving past when I got the text." His brow was furrowed as he noticed how drunk the three ladies were. "What's wrong?"

Addison stared at him slack-jawed.

"Addison messed up!" Holly's glasses were askew as she grinned. "She meant to tell you to come here for sex instead of that walking STD."

"Holly!" Addison cried out. She covered her face, praying that everyone would leave.

"We'll go so you two can Mar--hic--Mar--hic--Vin Gaye it." Shannon swayed as she walked out. "G'night!"

Holly followed her while humming Let's Get It On.

He closed the door and silently studied Addison.

She twisted the bottom of her pajama top while avoiding his eyes. "Have a seat."

He stepped into her living room and bent down to pick up the rum bottle. "Seems like you had a better party here."

"Heh. Yeah." Addison mumbled.

Matt sat down in a chair near where she sat on the couch. "Addison, I--"

"Matt, I--"

They both hesistated. She motioned for him to go first.

"I'm not with Elisa." He explained. "She asked me for a ride to the party and I didn't know how to get rid of her."

Addison looked up at him. "Thank goodness. She's such a skank."

Matt snorted and coughed on his laughter. "Anyway, Shannon's text said you needed to tell me something important and that I had to rush over."

"Oh." She rubbed her sweaty palms on her pajama pants. "Well, I'm not with Evan. And I didn't have sex with him." She shuddered. "Makes me want to throw up thinking about it."

Matt smiled at her. "Good. I'm not sure what the masculine form of skank is but he is definitely that."

Addison giggled and looked up at him. "I'm so glad you're back home."

"Me too." He murmered. "Why don't you get some rest and I come by tomorrow? We can spend the day at the beach. Go by that Chinese resturant you love so much for dinner." He gently cupped her cheek. "There's something I would like to talk to you about."

She searched his eyes for some clue to what he wanted to talk about. "I'd like that."

His smile made her own form.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Me too." He wished her a goodnight and opened her door.

Addison scrambled off the couch and called out to him as he headed toward her building's elevator. "Did Shannon text anything else?"

Matt nodded. "She did."

Addison quirked an eyebrow in silent question.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Matt smiled at her as he stepped into it. "She said we needed to finally admit how in love we are."

[caralynsmoved]

it’s human nature to miss what’s right under your nose

fandom: 911onfox

characters: bethany flynn ( original female character ), evan “ buck “ buckley, tommy kynard, fire fam, original male characters. 

relationships: bethany flynn/tommy kynard, evan “ buck “ buckley/eddie diaz ( supporting ), maddie buckley/howie “ chimney “ han ( supporting and adorable ), bobby nash/athena grant ( supporting ), hen wilson/karen wilson ( supporting and amazing )

rating: general audiences, teen

setting: i guess post season two since that’s when beth appears and maybe leading into season three ? 

∞

“ again ? “ 

“ sorry, beth. “ aidan, the man behind the counter at the coffee shop she’s fallen in love with apologizes like he’s been apologizing because the pumpkin muffins were gone .. again. “ guy took the last two an hour ago, you just missed him. “ 

“ sorry beth stops feeling sorry four muffins ago, “ a pout colored her features as she ordered her vanilla latte and blueberry muffin as a consolation prize, “ i’m going to find this muffin thief one day, “ 

“ of course you are, justice will be served ! “ aidan calls after her, raising a stirrer in the air as she raises her own cup in answer as she leaves. 

“ huzzah ! “ 

���

“ still no pumpkin muffin huh, pumpkin ? “ buck teases her with the smile she knows means he’s holding back laughter at his own joke and she throws a napkin at his head, “ come on, that was hilarious ! “ 

“ you really need to learn what that word actually means, dork. “ beth said, refraining from letting out the laugh that would give buck vindication on his awful jokes, “ and no, the muffin thief struck again and aidan did nothing but let him have it ! “ 

“ you mean he actually let someone buy a muffin and then gave it to him ? “ buck affected a mock horrified look, “ i can’t believe he just did his job like that ! the horror ! “ 

“ you know when casey phillips said you tripped him i said he was lying and backed you up, you could at least pretend to do the same for me, best friend. “ beth said, kicking her shoes off as she took a seat next to him on the couch. 

“ that was in second grade and he was lying ! “ buck exclaimed, with all the offense someone could muster over a 12 year old argument, “ casey was a complete klutz ! “ 

“ of course he was, it’s why he was the only third grader to become equipment manager instead of playing gym with the rest of us. “ beth said, picking at the remains of her muffin before rolling up the wrapper and laying it on the table, “ what i’m saying is i was on your side so you’re supposed to be on mine and not mr. muffin thief. “ 

“ fine, i’m sorry, “ buck said, making sure he was not sorry at all as he spoke with a familiar smirk, “ do you want me to stake out the muffin shop, find the first customer who buys a pumpkin muffin and hold him upside down by his ankles until he apologizes for his crimes against humanity ? “ 

“ let’s save it in our back pocket but, i like we’re you’re going with this. “ beth said, nodding as she drummed her fingers along her leg, “ for now, i’m thinking a more verbal approach, “ 

“ you’re a crazy person, you know that ? “ buck said, the words undercut by the amusement and affection in his eyes, “ an absolute crazy person and athena’s not going to bail you out like moms did. “ 

“ but, i’m your crazy person. “ beth said with a dimpled grin as she leaned over and pressed a kiss against his cheek, “ besides i’m not going to get caught, you’re the one who always gets caught. “ 

“ you know sometimes it baffles me how people think you’re the innocent one in this relationship, “ the blonde said with a near pout, “ you’re like half the reason we get into as much trouble as we do, “ 

“ hey ! you’re the other half of that, buddy, it’s not like you’re some innocent angel yourself, mr. no one will notice if we steal one golf cart as long as we give it back. “ beth said, thumping her foot against his side. 

“ hey, we didn’t even get written up for that one ! “ 

“ because my mom was the arresting officer ! “ beth insisted with a laugh, remembering the look on her mom and her partner’s face when they had stopped the aforementioned stolen golf cart and seen her and buck at the wheel, that had been a lecture for the record books, “ and trust me she was this close to arresting us anyway. “ 

“ lies, mom loves me. “ buck said, reaching over to snag her coffee off the table and take a drink, “ everybody does, it’s the buckley charm. “ 

“ yeah, the maddie buckley charm. “ beth said, under her breath only to hear an overdramatically offended gasp in response. 

“ see, now i’m glad you never get your pumpkin muffin, “ was the petulant response she received, “ maybe the person who gets it is actually super nice to the best person in their life. “ 

“ again, i’m super nice to maddie, i brought her lunch yesterday and we went shopping for boots. “ beth said, playfully oblivious to the point buck was trying to make as she fumbled around for where they had left the remote last night, “ we had a great time. “ 

“ i’m getting a new best friend one day and you’re gonna be heartbroken, “ buck said, full on pouting now as he sank back into the couch cushions, adamantly refusing to help her find the remote even though she knew he was probably the one who lost it. 

“ is that best friend going to be an eight year old boy who thinks you’ve hung the moon ? “ she said as she got off the couch to look underneath it wondering if one of them had fallen asleep with it in their hand during a bout of insomnia induced bingeing. 

“ maybe … but at least he’s got better taste in movies than you do, “ with that he reached over and pulled the remote out of the couch cushions with a smirk, “ and now i don’t have to watch another re-run of the office. “

“ well excuse me, mr. suddenly i’m too good for the hard workers of the dunder mifflin scranton branch, “ 

∞

“ hey, there’s my favorite customer ! “ aidan’s wide smile greets her, overly wide and she quirks a curious brow at the at the door greeting, “ how are you today, bethers ? “ 

“ wondering if i love or hate being called bethers, “ beth quipped, trying to peek past the young man to see what he was hiding from her, “ what are you hiding, aid ? “ 

“ why do you assume i’m hiding something ? “ the affronted look came and went in a second before aidan sighed and moved away to let her move towards the counter, he followed after slowly and made his way behind it, “ okay, fine i was hiding something but it wasn’t my fault ! it was jake ! “

“ liar ! “ came the affronted and maybe a little scared shout from the back where she assumed jake was doing prep. 

“ okay, fine. it was me, but i thought we had more .. apparently our truck isn’t coming until tomorrow, which means … “ he trails off, eyes darting to the bakery case and she already knows what she’s going to see or more likely what she isn’t going to see. 

“ dude, seriously ! “ beth cries, green eyes wide as she stares at the once more empty pumpkin muffin plate, “ we had a pact, you cretin ! “ 

“ nice use of the word cretin, b ! “ jake once more shouts from the back and she moves her glare from the pumpkin case to aidan who threw a empty cup, blindly at the backroom. 

“ thank you, my new favorite barista ! “ she calls back, crossing her arms over her chest which earns her aidan’s puppy eyes. thankfully, though a lifetime of being friends with the buckleys gives one an almost immunity to puppy eyes … almost. she softens just a little. 

“ come on, i’m sorry ! “ aidan cried, arms flailing about as he spoke, “ it was so crazy and i was going to keep one just for you, but then the truck was supposed to be here so i sold it thinking i could make you a fresh batch, but then i didn’t get the memo that truck was going to be late. “ 

“ oh my god, breathe, aid. “ beth said, a laugh threatening to escape her and undermine her totally justified anger, “ just give me a cinnamon roll and call it even, dork. “ 

“ no problem, on the house. “ aidan was quick to place the cinnamon roll into a small bakery box and hand it over, “ vanilla latte, extra whip ? “ 

“ at least no one can steal that from me. “ a pout colors her features as aidan goes about making her latte and she takes a seat at the small section of the counter designated for customers. 

“ did you show her ? did you show her yet ? “ is jake’s excited question as he comes rushing out of the backroom, dark hair a messy tangle and apron covered in flour. jake is nothing if not excitable and adorable as anything, he won her over in seconds with coffee puns and goofy designs in the foam of her coffee, he and aidan are definitely one of the main reasons she’s always come back to this coffee shop. 

“ show me what, cracker jake ? “ it’s become one of their rituals, the million and one nicknames she and jake can come up with for each other and his snort of laughter is almost enough to distract her from his curious question. 

“ the note ! “ aidan sighs with a fond smile as he reaches into the drawer and pulls out a brightly colored sticky note and passes it to her, “ pumpkin muffin guy left it for you ! “ 

“ you got into the chocolate covered expresso beans, didn’t you ? “ was bethany’s question as she reached for the note, “ you know you’re not supposed to after last time. “ 

“ that was an accident that totally wasn’t fueled by the beans besides, that’s not the point ! after like weeks of back and forth, muffin guy left you a note like some sort of scavenger hunt ! “ jake said, growing only more excited and if her heart wasn’t already stubbornly stuck on one dimpled firefighter named tommy jake would have had it in minutes. “ aren’t you the littlest bit excited ? “

“ fine ! maybe i’m a little bit excited if not for the chance to finally know his name and get some revenge. “ beth said with a playful grin as she unfolded the note. 

too slow, babe ! maybe next time ;) 

“ no name ? he can tease and write winky faces like a teenager, but no name ! “ beth dropped her forehead to the counter with a groan and one of the boys reached out to pat her shoulder before she looked up, “ how much do i have to pay to poison his next muffin ? “

“ you know we can’t do that. “ 

“ how much we talking ? “ jake said at the same time aidan protested and the other man reached over to smack his forehead, “ ow ! i mean i’m not allowed. “ 

“ buzzkill. “ bethany groaned once more, sticking her tongue out at them. 

“ well … are you going to say anything back ? “ jake asked, curiously as he poked at her shoulder, “ anything at all ? “ 

“ what would i say back ? thanks jerk for taking away my favorite muffin ? hey thanks for the note, maybe eat that instead next time or ooh ooh how about if you take my muffin again i’ll have my cop mom find you ? “ bethany suggested, picking aimlessly at the remains of her cinnamon roll. 

“ or how about something vaguely less threatening .. maybe a hello or try the blueberry ? “ jake offered with a grin and shrug of his shoulders. 

“ fine, i’ll write something. “ beth said, reaching across the counter to grab the sticky notes and a pen, scribbling out a quick note. 

hope you enjoy it for now, your pumpkin days are over, buddy ! 

“ that works ! “ jake approved and aidan shot her a thumbs up as he tucked it behind the counter, out of sight as she tossed the remains of her pastry and coffee into the trash, “ bye, bethany ! “ 

“ au revoir, jacob ! “ bethany replied with a playful bow as she made her way out of the store and into the early winter morning, a brightly colored post with a winking face still forefront in her mind.

[mytennisdiary]

Australian Open 2021 - Day 2

Before coverage began Muguruza won her first round match in straight sets. As did Mertens who took out Layla Fernandez. Sophia Kenin won a closer straight set match against Inglis.

John McEnroe is on the broadcast today and he’s talking about how far the Australian Open has come. Of course, no one used to go and this used to be in part because it was played during the Christmas holiday. McEnroe wants this tournament to be played in March so there can be more of an offseason. There’s also a lot of talk about how good older players are, filtered through the lens of Brady’s Super Bowl win.

Cahill says that they’ve had football matches with full stadiums in Australia. They’re aiming to get to 50 - 75% capacity for the final if everything goes well. Another fact, the renamed court, “John Cain Court” is named for one of the men who was responsible for bringing the Australian Open to the complex where its located now. McEnroe considers this move to be the most important in the event’s history, playing a role in shifting the focus away from other tournaments and towards the majors as the high-water marks in tennis. McEnroe says that in his era, the focus on the majors was not the same.

My typical complaints with the broadcast were more obvious today. Too much time on Nadal and Gauff. Didn’t go to Barty’s match until she was already up 5-0 in the first set. Didn’t do the best job keeping track of the other matches as they went. Even flashing the score-bug more often would have helped.

First on the broadcast is Azarenka vs Pegula. Pegula is an American who I’ve seen before. Azarenka was one of the players who had to do a hard 14-day quarantine. After serving well all set, Azarenka double faulted 3 times while attempting to serve out the set. According to Goodall, this has been Azarenka’s achilles heel in her career. The double faulting lead to a lot more errors creeping in to what had otherwise been a clean set. Pegula, despite not being that big, has a nice offensive game. She hits a very flat ball and was able to take advantage of Azarenka’s lapse in play. Pegula served for the set and won the game on 4 unforced Azarenka Errors. Azarenka had breathing problems back in 2013 and something similar seems to have happened here. She used an inhaler between games, but then up 40 - 00 on her serve she leaded against the side barrier and they called out the doctor. Pegula pulled out the biggest upset of the women’s tournament so far, even if Azarenka was hampered by her injury.

Svitolina looks to be swinging freely against the young Czech player, Bouzkova. Nothing is ever easy with Svitolina, but it did feel ultimately that she was the one who was dictating the majority of the points, especially with her forehand. 6-3 7-6 in a 2 hour match.

Rublev took out Hanfmann in straight sets to continue his good play. Hanfmann played college tennis at USC. He’s 29, but has never won a match at a major. Rublev has the big forehand, but he’s also really improved his serve, bringing it up into the 130s. 6-3 6-3 6-4 in an hour and forty minutes.

Khachanov vs Vukic was played on an outer court. Gilbert calls Kharchanov “Silent K”. He hasn’t been playing at a high level over the last year.

Gauff vs Teichmann. They just played a tight match the week before. Coco has not been great over the last year since she beat Osaka at the Australian Open. She continues to have problems with her serve when attempting to close out matches. She can also have problems with her forehand which is the wing that tends to break down. Teichmann is a Swiss lefty who broke through at Lexington last year. She has some aggressive, flat groundstrokes. Both players were serving well until Teichmann’s serve broke down entirely. Coco had a shaky service game after going up a break, but then hit 3 aces in the next game to close out the set. Probably the best I’ve seen Coco look in a while. When the problems with her serve started to emerge she was able to move past them. However, a lot of this match was about Teichmann who just looked really uncomfortable, making a lot of errors, A funny moment in the post-match interview when Coco said it was important to not look ahead, but then admitted that she knew she’d be playing Svitolina in the next round.

Next up on Laver is Nadal vs Djere. The big story with Rafa is that he is dealing with some back problems. Djere is a clay-courter. McEnroe says that Rafa’s team has been trying to get him to train less for years, saying that he over-trains. His injury occurred in training. McEnroe thinks the major thing that the back could effect is the serve and how much power he can get on it. Nadal is pounding his groundstrokes. His serve seems a little more conservative than usual. Rafa does seem a bit tentative, not running down every ball. The first set was closer than you probably would have expected it to be. Djere has been able to stay in it, doing some particular damage with his forehand. The commentators told a story about how he lost both his parents to cancer within a few years of each other when he was younger. Nadal just doesn’t seem to be in control of every point like he usually is; not smothering the life out of the match. After working hard to get the second set, Nadal rolled in the third. 6-3 6-4 6-1

Medvedev is rolling against Pospisil. Probably won’t see much of it because of the Nadal match. He won in straight sets. 6-2 6-2 6-4

Li vs Lopez showcases Tu Li, an unranked australian wild-card who’s been away from the game for about 6 years. He actually coaches Darren Cahill’s kids. Lopez won the match. He hasn’t missed a major since 2002.

Albot vs Bautista-Agut got a little play in the 4th set tiebreak. RBA hasn’t been great this last season, but he’s normally very consistent. Albot is the only player from Moldova to play in a major. Albot just seemed to have more control of the match, RBA out of sorts. 6-7 6-0 6-4 7-6

Popyrin took out Goffin in a 5-set upset.

De Minaur vs Sandgren Gilbert calls him “the little demon”. De Minaur looked strong on his serve, but Sandgren looked totally out of it. He’s one of the ones that had to hard-quarantine for 14 days. De Minaur stands way up on the baseline, even on first serve returns, to try to take time away from his opponents. A little drama in the final few games. Sandgren his De Minaur with a ball and then De Minaur returned the favor on Match point. He hit him hard. 7-5 6-1 6-1

Mmoh vs Troicki Mmoh is a young American against Troicki, a veteran Serbian. Troicki has been on tour for a long time, but he’s trying to rebuild his ranking after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. He played a strong tiebreak in the 2nd to level the match. Mmoh has been unable to stay healthy in his career. Mmoh has a big serve and an extreme western grip on his forehand. Troicki is having real problems with his forehand, ultimately making too many errors down the stretch to send the match to a 5th set.

Paul vs Basilashvili Tommy Paul looks like he’s going to win with his big serve in 3 sets.

Evans vs Norrie in a battle of the brits. Saw Norrie looking convincing despite being the lower seed, winning the first set. Evans got the 2nd. Norrie won in 4.

Pliskova beat Paolini in straight sets.

Collins vs Bogdan. Bogdan is a Romanian. Collins looks aggressive. Controlling the points. 6-3 6-1

Stevens vs Putinseva Putintseva is from Kazakstan. Both players were ones that had to do the 14-day hard quarantine. Putintseva had a mouse in her hotel room and couldn’t get anyone to come get rid of it. Apparently she fed it and bonded with it. Putintseva looks a bit more aggressive, but she’s been making a bunch of errors. Gilbert talked about Sloan and her footwork not being very good when she is in the center of the court.

Barty vs Kovinic Kovinic is ranked 575 in the world. She’s from Montenegro. Barty was up 5-0 in the first when we joined the broadcast. Kovinic has a big serve, but Barty has her totally off balance. Her slice backhand is staying really low and hew movement looks sharp. She played a 19-minute first set and is blitzing towards the finish. 6-0 6-0 in 45 minutes.

Tsitsipas vs Simon is the last match of the day on Laver. Simon moves well, but Tsitsipas looks totally in control early. Serve is imposing and he is patiently constructing points and executing well. I love the way Tsitsipas closes down space. He’s on top of the court, taking the ball early, and looking to come in and shorten points. Tsitsipas was just totally dominant. 6-1 6-2 6-1 Tsitsipas was pretty frank about how easy it was in the post-match interviews. Some laughs with the crowd about the lack of deference to Gilles.

Rodgers and Kokinakis through in straight sets.

Berrettini vs Anderson Anderson just gave away the 2nd set on his serve at 5-6 with careless errors. The australian commentator refers to it as “no wriggle room”. That might be even better than “wiggle room”. Very strong serving from Mateo. No breaks against his serve. 7-6 7-5 6-3

[brido]

Okay. Let’s Look at the Veteran’s Committee Candidates.

The Baseball Hall of Fame just announced the 10 candidates on this year’s Veteran’s Committee ballot. And it’s a fun one since it’s from the “Modern Baseball” era. Don Mattingly, Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Marvin Miller (yawn, a union executive), Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons, and Lou Whitaker are on the ballot. That’s just about the sweet-spot for my elementary school baseball card collection. Let’s see where these guys stack up now in 2019. I’ll go in order of their JAWS score, which is a combination of their career rWAR and peak 7 years. Google it. Okay... 

Lou Whitaker 

Sweet Lou gets no respect. And that starts at home, where he played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers, is the 4th-greatest player in their franchise history and doesn’t even have his number retired by the team. I guess, either does Alan Trammell, with whom Whitaker is forever linked. So maybe they’re waiting for Whitaker to join Trammell in the Hall, but still. No respect. He even hates the nickname “Sweet Lou” and that’s how I started this paragraph.  

Whitaker was the best player on the Tigers in 1983, 1989 and 1991. He was the best second baseman in the American League in 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991 and best in baseball in 1983. His career stats are similar to Ryne Sandberg, (of course) Trammell, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Joe Torre (who’s in as a manager, but could have made it as a player) and Barry Larkin. And JAWS ranks him as the 13th-best second baseman of all time, behind only Bobby Grich for non-Hall of Fame players. And only Robinson Cano and Chase Utley are better but ineligible. Over his long career (1977-1995), Whitaker is only behind Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, Cal Ripken, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray, Barry Bonds and George Brett for overall WAR.

And yet in 2001, possibly because WAR wasn’t really a thing yet, Whitaker only received 2.9% of the vote and fell off the Hall of Fame ballot after one chance. This feels like a crime. The man played the 1985 All-Star Game in replica merchandise purchased at the stadium in Minnesota. He wore a mesh cap and his number was drawn on in marker. Let the guy have something. Whitaker is probably the most-deserving player on this year’s Veterans Committee ballot. And if they vote for anyone, it might as well be him. A Hall of Fame with Trammell, and without Whitaker, feels like it’s missing something. 

Dwight Evans 

Dewey started his career as a stellar defensive right fielder - he has eight Gold Gloves - and then became a power hitter (by 80’s standards) later in his career. He was the best player on the Red Sox in 1974, 1981 and 1982. Although that team, at various times, had Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Wade Boggs. Evans was the best overall player on the franchise from 1972-1990. And he’s the 4th-greatest player in franchise history (in terms of overall fWAR) after Ted Williams, Yastrzemski and Boggs. He played and lost two World Series with the team, all during the Curse of the Bambino.  

Evans was also the best right fielder in the American League in 1984 and 1987, and the best in baseball in 1981 and 1982. And he was the best overall right fielder from 1972-1991. Over that same 20-year time period, he was also the 11th-best player in all of baseball. JAWS ranks him as the 15th-best right fielder of all time with a 52.2 score. That’s a smidge below average for a Hall of Famer, but everyone above him is in the Hall of Fame, except for Larry Walker and Shoeless Joe Jackson.  

So the long career gets him his WAR numbers (where he remains 15th all-time), but it’s the relatively quiet peak (30th) that hurts him. Evans was ‘only’ an All-Star three times. He ‘only’ had three elite seasons. And he fell off the writers’ ballot after three tries. I think he deserved to win the 1981 AL MVP (he got 3rd), when he tied for the home run title (22) in the strike-shortened season. I also would have given him second in 1982, when he finished 7th. 

The career numbers (385 home runs, 2,446 hits) are good, but not great. Similar to Billy Williams, Tony Perez and Al Kaline. Slightly below average for an inductee. Also, you would think the Gold Gloves would help, but 8 did equally nothing for Jim Edmonds. And 10 ain’t doing much for Andruw Jones. So here we are. Right field is rough. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Stan Musial played right. They bring up all the average numbers at the position. And I could honestly go either way on this one. Which means I’d probably have to vote no. 

Tommy John 

Tommy John played for fucking ever. He was pitching in the Majors at age 46. And only Cap Anson and Nolan Ryan played in more seasons than John (26). And that’s with him taking off the 1975 season to recover from his namesake surgery. He was a compiler, whether you’re impressed by that or not. And with that came 288 career wins (only Roger Clemens and Bobby Mathews - who was from the 1870’s - have more and are not in the Hall) and lands him 21st all-time in career fWAR.  

I should make a note here that fWAR and rWAR differs enough for pitchers that it makes a significant difference in his JAWS ranking. But in plain English, Baseball Reference thinks he was pretty mediocre in terms of Cooperstown worthiness. He’s 85th on JAWS for starting pitchers, which is behind way more non-Hall of Fame pitchers than I care to list. However, 80% of the pitchers with the most similar career stats (Robin Roberts, Bert Blyleven, Fergie Jenkins, Early Wynn, Tom Glavine, Burleigh Grimes, Don Sutton and Eppa Rixey) are in the Hall. That’s not nothing. And his Career Standards (44) would only be slightly below average for a Hall of Fame pitcher. 

And since I prefer fWAR for pitchers, anyway, it’s probably important that John is 30th all-time in JAWS for that non-official ranking. And only behind Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Kevin Brown for non-Cooperstown pitchers. He’d be an above average Hall of Fame pitcher by that metric. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. 

John was often the best pitcher on the teams he played on. He was the best on the White Sox in 1968, 1969 and 1970, and the best overall during his tenure there (1965-1971). He was also the best pitcher on the Dodgers in 1976 and 1978 (a pennant year), but second-best overall, after Don Sutton. He was the best pitcher on the Yankees in 1979 and 1980, and second overall to Ron Guidry. He was the best pitcher on the Angels in 1983, third overall after Mike Witt and Geoff Zahn. And he was the best pitcher on the Yankees in 1987, and best overall there from 1986-1989. John only had 3 elite seasons in his long ass career. You could make an argument for him being the best pitcher in the AL in 1979, when he got second in Cy Young voting. His teammate Guidry should have won it, but it went to Mike Flanagan instead. John also got second in Cy Young voting in 1977 (I would have given him 5th).    

Any way you slice it, John seems to be a top 10 pitcher in his era. I don’t love the Wins stat. Or the compilation of WAR stats. Especially with no real greatness on which to hang his hat. And I don’t think the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery that bears his name is so much an accomplishment for him as it is for Frank Jobe, the surgeon. John played for fucking ever. Which is not nothing. I just don’t think it’s quite enough of a ‘something’ to land him in the Hall.  

Dale Murphy 

There was probably a time in 1983, around the time Murphy won his second consecutive NL MVP Award, that people would have considered him the greatest player in the world. That was before WAR and everything, but still. He had RBI titles and that’s what got everyone horny in the 80’s. Well, that and (I’m assuming) cocaine.  

Murphy was the best player on the Braves a decade before they decided to become a National League dynasty. And he’s one of those guys that advanced stats made look worse. Like, I’m sure nobody wants to hear that Chet Lemon was better than Dale Murphy, but here we are. 

I’d say Murphy had five elite seasons. I would have given him the MVP in 1983, but not 1982 (I would have given that to Mike Schmidt and considered Murphy 5th). And then after a fairly decent peak, his numbers collapsed after 1987. Whoa. I just realized another hot shit Atlanta center fielder, Andruw Jones, kinda had something similar happen after he turned 30. But the end result is that Murphy is 25th on JAWS for center fielders. That’s behind Kenny Lofton, Jones, Jim Edmonds, Willie Davis, Jim Wynn, Vada Pinson, Cesar Cedeno, Chet Fucking Lemon, Johnny Damon and Fred Lynn. And it’s also behind Mike Trout (obviously) and Carlos Beltran. 

In his own career (1976-1993), he’s 28th in overall WAR. That’s not Hall worthy. But he seems like a nice and charitable Mormon man. I heard they can turn it off like a light switch. We all should too.  

Ted Simmons 

Should the top 10 players at every position be in the Hall of Fame? I think so. As it stands now, Simmons is 10th in all-time JAWS as a catcher and is the only one (other than Joe Mauer, who retired in 2018) who isn’t currently enshrined. If we go around every position’s top 10 non-enshrined he’s in a pretty elite company with Bobby Grich (2B), Scott Rolen (3B), Bill Dahlen (SS), Barry Bonds (LF), Pete Rose (LF), Manny Ramirez (LF), Kenny Lofton (CF), Larry Walker (RF), Roger Clemens (SP), six relief pitchers I don’t care about and non-eligible superstars like Mauer, Albert Pujols, Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout. It seems pretty clear to me that Simmons should be in the Hall. 

He was the best player on the Cardinals in 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978 and was the best overall player there during his (1968-1980) tenure. He was also the best catcher in the National League in 1973 and 1977. And he was the best in baseball in 1978. And over his entire career (1968-1988), he was second best overall to Johnny Bench - the greatest catcher of all time - who’s own career (1967-1983) was occurring at the exact same time as Simmons’. 

Maybe he’s a victim of bad timing. Simmons’ contemporaries, besides Bench, include Gary Carter (2nd all-time) and Carlton Fisk (4th). But as Jay Jaffe has pointed out, there were 5 active Hall of Fame catchers in 1929 and every year from 1931-1937. So the fact that 4 Hall of Fame catchers would have played between 1974-1983 would not be weird at all. And we’ll talk about a 5th, Thurman Munson (1969-1979), in just a second.

Simmons’ bad timing also included a playoff drought for St. Louis. Which probably had more to do with trading Steve Carlton than the play of Simmons. I would say he had 4 elite seasons while he was in St. Louis. He has similar career stats to Alan Trammel, Joe Torre, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, Barry Larkin, Joe Cronin and Yogi Berra. And the top 10 in similarity scores are rounded out by Lou Whitaker (who I heavily insinuated should be in the Hall a moment earlier) and Miguel Tejada.     

There have been a lot of theories as to why Simmons still isn’t in Cooperstown. There were contract disputes. There was the fact that he was against the Vietnam War and against Nixon. He was seen as a bad defensive catcher, although current metrics show that to be way overblown. He butted heads with Whitey Herzog, who also wound up as a  Veteran’s Committee voter. Which would be even more bad timing. But I think Simmons has mainly been vindicated on all of those things over time. And the timing should finally be right for his induction. 

Thurman Munson 

His career was cut short after a tragic Cessna crash in 1979. Otherwise, who knows? Munson was the best player on the Yankees in 1973 and 1975. And the best overall from 1969-1979. He was the best catcher in the American League in 1970, 1975 and 1976 and the best in baseball in 1973. His 11-year career also includes a Rookie of the Year Award, two World Series rings and an MVP Award in 1976. The Yankees also made him the team’s first captain since Lou Gehrig. And after his death, the Yankees immediately retired his number and never replaced his locker at old Yankee Stadium.   

A short career makes for some sub-par Hall of Fame numbers. And nobody with similar career stats is enshrined in Cooperstown. And that 1976 MVP was a bit of a stretch, even though he was 10th in the AL in fWAR. I would have given him a top 5 finish in 1973, when he finished 12th, but what are you gonna do? 

Even with Munson’s untimely death, he’s still 13th all-time on JAWS for catchers. And he’s 8th in peak (WAR7) for catchers, above average for a Hall of Fame catcher and tied with Buster Posey. Which is extra fun since Munson and Posey both won a Rookie of the Year, an MVP, a Gold Glove, a World Series title, and a College Baseball All-American nod. And they’re the only catchers to do all that.

It might be hard to say yes to Munson without putting Ted Simmons in first. Simmons is two spots higher on JAWS. And over Munson’s career (1969-1979), he’s third in fWAR after Johnny Bench and Simmons. But that peak is still better than Simmons’. And Munson still hit .357 in the postseason. Including a 9-for-17 outburst in a losing effort against Bench and the “Big Red Machine” in 1976. I mean, a Yankees team that won back-to-back titles considered Munson their heart and soul. And they had Catfish Hunter, Goose Gossage, Reggie Jackson and some pretty good years around that time from Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles and Ron Guidry. I could honestly go either way. So why not? But Simmons probably needs to go in first. 

Don Mattingly 

Two of my closest friends consider Mattingly their favorite player of all time. And he’s in one of the greatest "Simpsons" episodes of all time. Oh, and unbeknownst to the writers, he was benched for refusing to trim his mullet in 1991. So there’s that too. But let’s talk about his career.

Donnie Baseball was the face of the New York Yankees when the Yankees were in the longest postseason drought in their post-Babe-Ruth history. They were in the World Series the year before he joined the team. They won the World Series the year after he retired. You could argue that they would have won it all in the strike-shortened season in 1994. But as it stands, Mattingly’s only postseason with the Yankees was that 1995 ALDS against the Seattle Mariners that ended in the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off double (ahem, THE Double) by Edgar Martinez and an elated Ken Griffey Jr. at the bottom of a doggy pile. Mattingly is considered the greatest Yankee to never play in a World Series with the team (probably Rickey Henderson only played 5 seasons in the Bronx) and he’s the only Yankee to have his number retired by the team, without winning at least one ring (Your move, Aaron Judge).

It definitely wasn’t his fault.

Mattingly was the best player on the Yankees in 1984, 1986 and 1987. Henderson was better in ’85, even though that’s somehow the year Mattingly won his MVP (I’d would have given him 4th, after George Brett, Henderson and Wade Boggs). Mattingly SHOULD have won an AL MVP in 1984. And there’s a really good argument for Mattingly winning it in 1986, even though the bozo writers gave it to Roger Clemens (Pitchers have their own awards, guys! And Boggs was on the same team! How are you so stupid???).

Mattingly was also the best American League first baseman from 1984-1987. And probably the best in baseball at first in ’85 and ’86. During Mattingly’s own career (82-95), Eddie Murray was better. And Mark McGwire played in more All-Star Games. But I already know what you’re gonna say about that. Pat yourself on the back for your moral superiority.

Mattingly won 9 Gold Gloves. He was the A.L. MVP in 1985. He won a batting title in 1984. And then he got into a clubhouse wrestling match with Bob Shirley in 1987, injured his back, and wasn’t really the same after that. I guess, it was the same year as Hogan-Andre at WrestleMania III and wrestling was pretty big at the time, but yeah. The Yankees promptly released Shirley, by the way. Mattingly would have moments where he looked like his old self. He was still great, defensively. But the back problems persisted. And Mattingly ended his career after only 14 seasons, when he was 34-years-old.

Mattingly is ranked on JAWS as the 40th-best first baseman of all time. That’s behind first basemen like Rafael Palmeiro, Todd Helton, McGwire, Keith Hernandez, John Olerud, Will Clark, Fred McGriff, Norm Cash, Dolph Camilli, Gil Hodges, and Carlos Delgado. That’s also behind not-yet-eligible first basemen like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Jason Giambi, David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira, and Paul Goldschmidt. He has 222 career home runs, 2,153 hits, and a .307 career average. Of the 10 most-similar batters, only Kirby Puckett is in the Hall of Fame. He would be well below average for a Hall of Fame first baseman. Better than Mark Grace. About half as good as Frank Thomas.

Should Mattingly be in the Hall of Fame? No. Then again, he was better than Harold Baines, so what do I fucking know? But Mattingly spent 15 years on the writers’ ballot. He never got higher than 28.2% of the vote (his first year). His final season only garnered 9.1%. His peak wasn’t high enough. His career wasn’t long enough. And he definitely shouldn’t have played grab ass with Bob Shirley in 1987. The sideburns, however, can stay.

Dave Parker 

They called him “The Cobra”, he used a sledgehammer in the on-deck circle, he wore a Padres helmet AND a Reds helmet in the 1977 All-Star Game… while he was on the Pirates, and he loved cocaine. Boy did he ever, apparently. He was also the best player on the Pirates in 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1979. And then he was the best player on his hometown Reds in 1984 and 1985. I’d also say he was the best right fielder in baseball in ’75, ’77, ’78 and the best in the N.L in ’85. Parker was a seven-time All-Star, he won two batting titles, three Gold Gloves, two World Series rings and received MVP votes in nine different seasons, including winning one in 1978. He was baseball’s first million dollar contract. I think he had five elite seasons. He deserved that ’78 MVP. And I would have given him 2nd in 1975 (he got 3rd), 4th in 1977 (3rd again), 6th in 1979 (10th) and 5th in 1985 (he got 2nd). Parker also got 5th place in 1986, which is stupid. Dude had a 0.7 fWAR, but he also had 116 RBI and you know how stupid these guys were with the RBI. 

It’s possible the cocaine got the best of him. Or the injuries. Or the weight gain. Because it looked like he was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career in the late 70’s, and except for a brief bump (sorry) in 1985, he didn’t do much else after 1979. That leaves Parker as the 5th-best right fielder, even in his own exact timeframe in the Majors (1973-1991, after Dwight Evans, Dave Winfield, Andre Dawson and Reggie Jackson). He would be well below average for a Hall of Fame right fielder. JAWS ranks him as the 39th-best right fielder of all time. That’s behind Larry Walker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Evans, Reggie Smith, Sammy Sosa, Bobby Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Brian Giles, Jack Clark, Tony Oliva, Rocky Colavito, and Rusty Staub. He’s also behind not-yet-eligible players like Ichiro Suzuki, Bobby Abreu, and Mookie Betts. He was better than Darryl Strawberry. Miles behind Tony Gwynn.    

With over 2,700 hits and 339 home runs in 19 seasons, Parker does have similar career stats to Tony Perez, Billy Williams, Harold Baines and Andre Dawson. Not quite inner-circle guys. And Parker never got more than 24% of the vote from the writers. And I think he’s relegated to the Hall of Very Good. But he’s not a Hall of Famer. 

Steve Garvey 

They called him Mr. Clean, even though he totally wasn’t. He has some, uh, ugly relationships with women. A weird fact that dashed all of his hopes to become a Republican Congressman later in life. I think a lot of Garvey’s popularity and fame during his career had to do with his looks. He was never the best player on the Dodgers. And during his tenure there (1969-1982), he was second to Ron Cey in overall fWAR. And while he was the best first baseman in the National League in 1975, 1976 and 1978, he was only 7th-best over the 15 years he played first base (1973-1987) after Keith Hernandez, Darrell Evans, Rod Carew, Eddue Murray, Gene Tenace and Pete Rose. JAWS ranks him as the 51st-greatest first baseman of all time, behind too many non-Hall players than I care to type. His career numbers are similar to Orlando Cepeda (#33), but they look more like those of John Olerud (#22), Will Clark (#26) and Mark Grace (#41). Even though all of those players were better.  

It was the FAME part of the equation that Garvey seemed to have down. He was a 10 time All-Star. He remained a part of a Dodgers infield with Ron Cey, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes for 8.5 years. He played in 1,207 consecutive games (1975-1983), which is the 4th-longest streak ever. He won a ring with the Dodgers in 1981 and was a two-time NLCS MVP. And in 1974, he won an NL MVP while only finishing 20th in the League in WAR. And he got really close again in 1978. But he didn’t really deserve to be in that conversation either. Of all the player’s on this year’s ballot, Garvey is the weakest candidate.