#but when we compare the lineup of this years horror to last year… yeah

[pinkeoni]

saw a list of “top horror films of the year” and it made me realize how good we had it last year

[optimistredsox]

HOU @ BOS, ALDS Game 4, 9th October (5-4, loss)

It’s taking a while to wrap my head around the season. I’m still not sure I’ve managed it. I mean, there’s a lot to take away from the game itself on Monday, good, bad, and ugly. But for the last game of the year, I’d like to manage some sort of broad view of the year as a whole. That can wait, I suppose. I mean, there was a lot of the year in last night’s game, to be honest. Exciting plays and frustrating plays from Raphael Devers, overall inconsistency when what was needed most was consistency. As with all of 2017, there were moments that the Sox thrilled, and moments they made me slap my face in horror. Watching Pedey struggle up to first for the last out… man. I’ve written up 166 games this season, and trying to come up with the sense of sadness that hit me watching that I find hard to quantify or even qualify.

The Red Sox were not the best team in the American League this year. In my heart of hearts, I know that. But, and this is where all that hope came from, at their best, they could totally beat all the teams that were better than them. The Astros deserved to win that series, because they played better than us. And, like, maybe half the Sox starting lineup needs surgery or something. But they were not unbeatable. Hell, we nearly evened the series and never had a starter get out of the fifth. It was an unlikely scenario, because it relied on the Sox playing like they did in August, which they hadn’t done since, well, August. We might’ve won this year, it would’ve been a jammy win, but it coulda happened. Compared to last year’s performance in the ALDS, that’s saying something. We didn’t have a chance last year.

So it was nice to have a chance, even if, had we got through, I would’ve thought we were getting away with something. I remember being so upset in 2008 because a) I had a nagging feeling that the Rays, having won the season series, had our number that year and b) we would have totally fucking beat the Phillies in the World Series. In 2010 I was upset because I just so fucking loved that team, man. My favourite non-playoff Sox team of the last 35 years. This year… I loved so much, but there was so much to get frustrated by. Listing those things, even just remembering them, makes my heart feel heavy. That weight, along with the heaviness that come with the rest of the postseason continuing on without us, makes it hard to look at the bright sides. But that’s what I’m here for, so the final straws to grasp at for 2017, both Monday’s game and the season as a whole:

Raphael Devers’ inside-the-park home run  was easily my highlight of the game, but also one of the bright sides looking forward to 2018. He was a joy to watch and in some ways carried the team during the latter half of the season. Yeah, he had some rough spots, including in game 4, but the sheer joy of raw talent and energy that he bursts with is just awesome.

Andrew Benintendi followed a sad trend that included Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr where, as excellent as he was, wasn’t quite as excellent as we hoped or even needed. But he woke up game 4, put the Sox ahead, and gave a glimmer of hope that we’d send the game back to Houston. He hit a two-run homer against Justin Verlander (in an unfamiliar relief appearance), which is an exceptional feat in itself. But his potential, and his ability to come up big in that spot, make me very excited for his future.

Xander Bogaerts had a rough season, by his standards. His play at short felt a little unfocused, and his play at the plate was not what we’re used to seeing from him. He’s still young. I think he’s his own worst enemy. But I think he’s going to set himself straight, and come back stronger next year. Also, he went deep in the bottom of the first in game 4, and his homers tend to be quite pretty.

Mookie Betts never got into his groove. I reckon his injuries were more of a factor than was let on by him or the team. And yet in spite of that, he was one of the top ten players in baseball. While his bat flailed on occasion, his glove rarely faltered. A joy to watch.

Jackie Bradley Jr is one of my favourite players. Again, I think there’s a bit of his own-worst-enemy going on there, but his play in centre is a joy, and when he does connect with the bat, the ball goes very far. Again, I think he’s got a bright future.

Chris Sale faltered at the final hurdle(s), but good lord was he something to watch this season. With the bats due an upswing next season, he might get the run support he deserves. With a slightly tweaked workload, perhaps we won’t see that downturn in 2018.

Christian Vazquez, always dominant behind the plate, proved to be an asset at the plate. If that isn’t just a one-off, if that’s a sign of things to come, that is exciting.

We’ve got a pretty good bullpen on paper still. That’s never a sure thing one season to another, but it’s a start. One less thing to pull your hair out over.

I’m curious to see who replaces Farrell. I was not as down on him as some others were, but I can’t bring myself to be outraged at his firing. I really want Dave Roberts, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen. I’m crossing my fingers that it’s someone awesome. I can’t deal with another Bobby-V situation. 

I’m excited about 2018. I think you should be too. 2017 showed that we can win without David Ortiz, though it always felt a little harder. 

On a personal note, I wrote up all 166 games this season. I wasn’t sure I would manage that sort of commitment. 

Genuinely cheering for the Astros to win the pennant now. Fuck the Yankees.

Until next year (unless some really amazing Sox news comes up in the off season).

[yahoo-shutdown-corner-blog]

NFL Preview Week: One day, the NFL will die, and these are the suspects

All season long, Yahoo Sports will be discussing What’s Next in the NFL. Who are the next hot teams, players and coaches? We’ll let you know right here. But today, we look at the darker side of that idea: what if What’s Next is, there is No Next?

Football’s here! Football! You’ve waited so, so long for this. It’s been an eternity since Tom Brady wiped the scraps of Atlanta Falcons off his cleats back in February. You’ve sat by patiently, watching the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Dodgers scrabble around through the sweltering summer, but now it’s OUR TURN, BABY! FOOTBALL!

You and everyone you know are stoked for Thursday night. You and everyone you know are setting your fantasy lineups, plotting your grilling schedule, deciding whether to invite over your brother-in-law who always brings cheap beer but drinks your good stuff. You’ve got access to the NFL on widescreen TVs and your phone and in stadiums more awe-inspiring than the Grand Canyon. These are the best of all possible days for NFL fans, and it’s easy and seductive to believe this will always be the case.

But what if …

… what if this IS the mountaintop? What if it doesn’t get any better from here? What if the NFL is already looking down into that Grand Canyon, and there’s nothing ahead but a long, slow decline?

The NFL will be around 20 years from now; if nothing else, stadium deals that have cities in fiscal hammerlocks will ensure that. But will your children and grandchildren revere the sport the way you do, or will they regard the NFL the way 2017 America regards Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe—bygone icons, still casting flickering light but little heat?

For all the NFL’s relentless self-mythologizing and talk of global domination, there are clouds on the horizon. Each of the threats to the NFL deserves—and, in many cases, already has—its own investigation, if not its own book. Taken individually, the NFL could withstand each of these dangers. Taken together? Not even Bill Belichick could scheme up a defense to hold off all these at once.

Everything ends Know who Martin Truex Jr. is? How about Garbiñe Muguruza? Anthony Joshua? Tapwrit?

Those athletes (and, uh, horse) are the current leading lights of four sports that once dominated the American landscape: NASCAR, tennis, boxing and horse racing. Truex is the current NASCAR regular-season champion. Muguruza won this year’s Wimbledon. Joshua is the current IBF heavyweight champion. Tapwrit won the third leg of this year’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. And if you knew all four of those off the top of your head without looking them up, you’d better be getting paid for your sports knowledge.

Point being: in American culture, nothing lasts forever except boundless, groundless optimism. The main reason why football might not last forever at the forefront of our national consciousness is that nothing ever has.

But let’s dig a bit deeper than that.

Ratings You know how terrible horror movies from the ‘80s always start the sinister music two beats before the ugliness goes down? You’re getting a cue to prep yourself. Last year’s early season ratings declines were the first minor-key notes in what could be one hell of a jump-shock.

You know all the theoretical reasons for ratings declines: cord-cutting, problems with the on-field product, too many ads, the presidential election, multiple non-sports entertainment choices, political stances by the players, disgust with the NFL’s endorsement of alleged and convicted criminals and so on. The truth is that all of these contributed to some degree, but the larger truth is this: in a disconnected world, there’s nothing that binds us together on a pop-culture level; the only reason football has in the past is because of the lack of other options. There’s an upper limit to ratings, and we may well have found it. Advertisers are already aware of that; are you?

Attendance It’s a bedrock fact that you’ve got to be a hell of an NFL fan to attend a game, much less pay for season tickets. The experience is a costly, all-day commitment, one that an ever-increasing number of fans are rejecting. Why spend more than $500 – the average cost to take a family of four to an NFL game in 2016 – to go to a single game when you could flip that into a dedicated sports shrine in your home and watch every game, free bathroom and cheaper beer included?

NFL teams have seen this one coming, and have tried with both carrot and stick to entice fans to attend more games. Gameday experiences are now closer to theme parks than Friday night lights, with food and entertainment options so vast you don’t even have to bother with the game you’re watching. On the flip side, more than half of the NFL’s teams require you to purchase a seat license to get tickets, meaning you’re investing mortgage payments and home loans in your team. At what point will fans decide seeing a real live NFL game just isn’t worth the financial and logistical hassle?

Look at the numbers: attendance at once-foundational NFL teams has fallen off a cliff. The Washington Redskins were at 85 percent capacity last year, and anecdotal accounts put the 49ers’ Levi’s Field at 60 to 70 percent full at times. When pillars of the NFL crumble like that, it’s time to worry.

Global appeal Give the NFL credit for trying to export good ol’ American football all over the globe, with games in or planned for England, Germany, Mexico and China. But the NFL’s getting lapped in the global arena, and not just by That Other Sport The Foreigners Call Football. No, the NBA is absolutely smoking the NFL on a global stage, both exporting its players’ fame—far more people around the world know Kevin Durant and LeBron James than Ezekiel Elliott and Aaron Rodgers—and developing and importing international talent.

Soccer is the world’s sport, baseball has a pipeline from both Japan and the rest of the Western hemisphere straight to America and the 1992 Dream Team put the NBA on the global map. The NFL has only its own reputation to ride, and at the moment, that’s not enough to carry it into the upper echelon of global sports. (Side note: tell me you wouldn’t want to see American football in the Olympics. The Patriots, or even Alabama, literally COULD beat the rest of the world.)

Politics Yeah, yeah, we know, you’re never going to watch another football game because Colin Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, and neither is anyone you know. Sure. Truth is that protests by Kaepernick and others have had little effect on the NFL as a business. (Click that link for details. Remember, friends, feelings aren’t facts.) But the NFL’s brand is taking a hit regardless of what actual facts say. Note how ESPN now must fend off the inane and largely groundless idea that it’s “gone liberal.”

The real threat the NFL faces isn’t the number of people threatening to boycott the league for political reasons. That number’s largely insignificant. (A mere three percent, according to one national survey.) The real problem comes if the NFL gets stamped with a label—“racist” if no team signs Kaepernick, “politically correct” if players continue to kneel—that wipes away all nuance. You may have noticed that many of your Facebook friends lack the ability to discuss complex political issues in detail, particularly in relation to sports. Unfortunately for them, “stick to sports” is no longer even remotely defensible in 2017; unfortunately for us, the people who yell that always seem to yell very, VERY LOUD.

Combine that with the fact that Donald Trump’s campaign siphoned off some of the NFL’s ratings—and his endlessly headline-generating administration will do the same—and the NFL has a problem in Washington that, for once, has nothing to do with Daniel Snyder and the Redskins.

Concussion concerns Each year brings stories of players retiring after just a handful of games in the league, citing the cumulative effect of concussions. The fear of a connection between repeated blows to the head and the degenerative disease of CTE is real, even if CTE isn’t necessarily the cause of all player problems. And fewer NFL players are willing to risk the long-term damage to their lives that could come from seasons in the NFL’s trenches. The NFL isn’t solely to blame—these players have been taking hits since childhood—but as players opt out of the football life earlier and earlier, the league’s prospects narrow.

There will always be players willing to play football, just as there are always fighters willing to box. But just as the sight of a Parkinson’s-crippled Ali gave many boxing fans second thoughts about the sport, the departure—or decline—of many former players could force fans to take a harder look at what we call entertainment.

Youth football in decline As heretical as it might sound in football-mad enclaves like Texas and Florida, kids aren’t playing as much football. Some are drifting to other sports like soccer and baseball, and some locales have dropped the sport entirely. A Chicago-area park district dropped tackle football entirely last month after only 11 kids signed up for the league; at the same time, flag football and baseball saw significant gains. Whether parents are worried about concussions or angling their future pro athletes for more lucrative, less-violent careers like baseball and basketball, the effect is the same.

When you lose players, you lose battles. When you lose moms, you lose the war.

Entertainment options Ever watch a teenager work Snapchat? It’s an impressive thing, swiping and posting and assessing and responding, over and over again, with all the speed and grace of a symphony conductor. Or consider—right now—how many entertainment options you have quite literally at your own fingertips, from Netflix to YouTube to—HEY, DON’T YOU CLICK AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE, WE’RE NOT DONE YET.

Now compare that with the NFL, which has about 11 minutes of action over the course of a three-hour block of time. There’s an awful lot of standing around, untangling of bodies, coaches yelling at fields, dudes in black-and-white under hoods. See the disconnect here? Like it or not, we’re in a hyperconnected, hyperactive, attention-deficit society. You may think nothing of kicking back for three hours watching football. Your kids or grandkids might well see that as worse than solitary confinement. Why watch one single sport when you can take in a dozen streams of entertainment?

And let’s not forget that the days of the NFL showing up on just two or three channels are long gone. The iconic Monday Night Football has already jumped to cable, and we’ve already seen games only accessible online. (Like right here at Yahoo.) If you’re not willing to pay up, you’re out of luck—and increasing rates of cord-cutting are suggesting that many Americans are deciding they can live without entertainment options they’d previously considered untouchable. There’s a gigantic glowing lesson-slash-warning for the NFL right there.

Granted, many of the threats facing the NFL are years, even decades away. Some will materialize, some will fade away…and some we can’t even see coming right now will rise up. The only certainty is change; popularity wanes and celebrity fades, as half-full NASCAR tracks, anonymous heavyweight champions and unread Wimbledon recaps can attest.

Sure, the NFL’s on top of the world right now. But as we’ve seen over and over again in the last year, starting with a certain Super Bowl—right about when you start thinking “what could possibly go wrong?” … that’s when you find out.

Podcast: NFL season preview! It’s here!

Subscribe to Grandstanding • iTunes • Stitcher • Soundcloud

What’s ahead for the NFL? (Reuters)

____ Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

More from Yahoo Sports: • Rockets reportedly sold for record price to Houston billionaire • NFL Fantasy yearbook 2017: MVP, big bust and more • Pat Forde: Which conference was Week 1’s biggest winner? • NFL Power Rankings: Does Edelman injury derail Pats?

[purplesurveys]

128

How do you feel about fire drills? They’re necessary at least for us since the Philippines has been a hotspot for earthquakes recently - but I just get so lazy every time classes have to be cut off because we have to gather outside and deal with sirens and firetrucks. Do your socks usually match? Yeah, I make sure they do. The idea of them mismatching is unsettling for me. Would you date your best friend? I already am. It’s turned out pretty damn well, I think. Whats your favorite weather like? I love love love when it’s dark and the air is cold. Rain or no rain is fine - I live mostly for the cold. How do you determine if a band is good or not? What do you look for most? There’s no one thing I’m looking for, really. As long as I find the song catchy and finding myself wanting to listen to it, and even that’s unpredictable every time. Are you addicted to anything? If so, what? No. That’s a sensitive word… What’s your favorite movie genre? Horror, drama, romantic comedy. Have you ever had an inside joke based on a quote from a movie, book, etc? Sure, I may have a few of those with Gabie. What do you want to do as a future career? I’m not looking for a particular path anymore at this point. Just something useful I can do with my journalism degree would be great. If you were pregnant right now what would you do? Who would be the father? Highly impossible. But in a very hypothetical sense, I would keep the kid. Whether I would raise it or give it up for adoption is something I can’t see anymore; but abortion isn’t an option for me. As for the father, fuck knows lol. Would you rather bake or cook a meal? Bake. It’s more precise and more prone to mistakes, but I have more fun doing it and at least I don’t have to deal with being splashed on with oil. If you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be? Job security. LOL. I’m getting so old so fast. What’s going to be the first song at your wedding? I really REALLY love Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine. Twilight did a good job making it such a feelsy song. But I don’t know if that’s still suitable for a wedding ten or fifteen years down the line haha. What’s something only you think is cute/funny? I don’t think there is anything; there’s always at least one other person who agrees with me when it comes to things like that. What do you find attractive in the opposite sex? Our guy friends sometimes treats us food, which is nice. Otherwise, none. Do you ever compare yourself to members of the same sex? Like in general? It’s unavoidable. What’s the perfect snack when you want to relax? Pizza. Would you rather have a few friends over & order in a pizza or go out? I always love going out with friends. Staying in with pizza is only good if it’s happening at Chelsea’s house. They have a veranda reserved for parties, her dad is a jokester and her mom makes food for us too so it’s always fun. Not to mention she has the sweetest 1 year old German Shepherd, too. If you could change any situation in your life what would it be? Having a conservative, homophobic family. Like if they tilt their views *just a little bit*, it would greatly help. Do you listen to music while you work/study? Nope. That doesn’t work for me. Describe a person you wouldn’t be able to live with? Someone who starts their sentences with, “well not all men…” “what men like is…” anything of the sort. I’m kind of heated about that now, since I’m seated at Starbucks and have no choice but to listen to a woman give such misogynistic advice to her fellow woman friend who has husband issues. Definitely not someone I’d want to ask advice from. What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time? I like watching videos on YouTube. They provide enough distraction for me. If you could learn the subjects you wanted to what would they be? World history, geography, biology, Spanish, Korean. What’s a weird food only you like to eat? I eat mayonnaise with my tilapia, and thought it was normal until my friends were repulsed when they saw me eating it. If you could relive one memory what would it be? This is different on any given day, but right now I’d want to go back to any good memory I had in high school. Those geneuinely mean a lot. What super power do you want most of all? Time travel, but to be invisible for all of it so I don’t mess anything up. Is there a celebrity that you’d be willing to have a one night stand with? Hahaha. I always say I’m game for Kristen Stewart, but I think I’ll be too intimidated for real. Describe the perfect concert-lineup, arena, weather, w/e? I have a vast taste in artists, so I think if they'reput together it would really suck. Like I’m pretty sure putting Kendrick Lamar and Against Me! and St. Vincent in one show will never work. Do you like family restaurants or really fancy ones? I like both. Great food is what I’m here for. Are you more of a city person or a country person? why? City, because I’ve never experienced living in the province (closest thing the PH has to what the US calls ‘country.’) I’ve been around long enough to be fully reliant on internet and electricity and kitchen appliances that moving to the province would entail a really big adjustment. Do you want to live in your current town the rest of your life? Hell no. I’ll get a job, save up enough, and move out the first chance I get. What’s a negative thing about your town? Nothing ever really happens here. It’s the city right beside Metro Manila where everything takes place, so this is just pretty much where everyone passes through. Nothing special. A positive? Everyone lives near each other so that’s convenient. Would your rather drown to death or burn to death? Drown. They say burning is the most painful way to go, so I’ll have to pass on that. How many years longer are you hoping to live? 81. What song describes your typical mood? Or your current mood? I don’t think there’s any song that says “I have to pee and the table beside me is way too noisy. Also when is Gabie coming back?” If you found out today your best friend was gay what would you do? I found that out three years ago. I simply told her 'okay,’ because it’s the sort of thing that should be normalized. Congratulating is fine, but I prefer not to do that especially with Gab. I know she wouldn’t like if I made it a big deal and told her congrats, I’m proud of you, happy for you, etc. Describe the perfect kiss or date. I’m dying to have a fine dining date. With our actual hard-earned money. Do you have a special material item you hold sentimental value to? There are lots of items I view that way. Would you ever throw a dart at a map and go where it lands if you could afford it? Yes, if I had the time and money. Where would you hope it lands? (Continued from last morning) Chicago, although I have to have a good aim to hit just Illinois lol. Do you take care of yourself or do your parents help you out financially? I don’t have a job as of yet, so they take care of everything money. If you could get a pet for free today-what kind/what name? A golden ret named Theo. If you won 100 million dollars what would you do with it first? LOL maybe settle everything my parents have to (house, cars, etc.) because I’m sure they will nag me as if I owe them anything. Once they’re off my back I’ll probably save the rest of it, since it’s stupid and impractical to just run away with it. How many people have you slept with? One. Does true love wait? Hold on there, Disney. I mean yeah I guess it does but idk this is too poetic lol. What’s a huge turn off? Being too Catholic, based from 19 years of experience in a predominantly Catholic country. Or smoking. I can’t pick. Do you dig people with lots of body mods? Tattoos, yeah. If you could pick up on any instrument what would you choose? PIANOOOOOO. Any language? Japanese would be a huge help. Also want to learn Korean and Spanish. If you had your own business, what would it be? Nope nope nope. Do you ever wish you had a family business to become a part of? Kind of, yeah. It would admittedly be more convenient because at least I have something to fall back on if something doesn’t work out. What’s the most gruesome way you could come up with to kill someone? I dunno, look up people like Ed Gein or John Wayne Gacy or that dude who used a pre-recorded tape before he murdered his victims. Ask them. Do you think anyone deserves to die that way? Just those serial killers and anyone as heinous as they were. If you had to fight for survival, what would your weapon of choice be? Meh. Maybe the invincible tanks from GTA San Andreas so I can be untouched. Omg! Zombies are attacking. Where do you go, who do you find, whatta ya do? I’ve watched The Walking Dead long enough to know that I just wanna be one of the first to go lol. What’s in it for me in the end? All I will see are guts and undead loved ones and broken down cars and expired food. What cellphone is the best in your opinion? I dunno. I’m happy with my iPhone, but Apple can be so problematic and I know it’s not the best one out there. I’m sure there are better models, but just don’t know enough about phones to pick which one. Do you flip your pillow over to lay on the cool/cold side? Sometimes. I never picked it up as a habit. Stop playing with yourself! What are you going to do now? Finish my breakfast then maybe another survey.