#kingsbury's “gonna want that one back”

[the-physicality]

that sanchez-shaw connection.... damn

[bobwess]

The new chapter for Wait for the Ricochet is about 2/3 done, and has surpassed 5500 words, so she's gonna be a little long. Figured I could spare sharing a preview. Sneak peek at the beginning of Chapter 7. (DRAFT- not complete)

“Garth?”

“Howdy guys.” Garth circled the car, pulling Dean into a hug while he was still frozen with surprise. He quickly switched and met Jody with one right after. 

Jody smiled, pulling back. “It’s been what, five years since those vamps up in Kingsbury?” 

“Almost five exact.” 

“I hear you’re rocking a set of fangs these days.” 

Garth bowed his head. “Yeah, got bit shortly after.” 

“Dean gave me the cliffnotes.” Jody said. “Heard congratulations are in order. That you got hitched.” 

“Guilty.” He dug into his pocket, fishing out his wallet and opening it to a well loved photograph. “Have a daughter, Gertie. Turns four next month.” 

“Gertie.” Jody said, fondly as she looked into the smiling face of the kid in Bess’ arms. 

“What about you?”

Jody turned her smile back at the door. “Yeah, I found myself a family too.” 

“Oh?”

“You’ll meet Claire in a bit.” 

“I’m sorry, what the hell are you doing here?” Dean asked, finding his voice again. 

Garth leaned back against his car. “Same thing as you I reckon. Pack did a drive-by of our town, I’ve been on their tail ever since.” 

Dean closed his eyes, leaning his head back. “Great, just what we need.” 

“Hey, Five heads is better than one, It’d be great to have some back up on this one. Sam inside?”

“First off, my case, you’re the back up.” Dean said, finger up, ignoring Jody rolling her eyes to his left. “And no, Sam’s not here.”

Jody flashed another smile. “And it’ll be six heads.” 

Garth looked at Dean with an expression he didn’t like in the slightest. “Is Castiel with you?”

“Yeah-” Dean said, watching Garth’s eyes widen slightly. “Why?”

Garth straightened up slightly. “I’ve wanted to meet him.” 

“Since when?”

“I came across this set of books… It seemed to be about-”

“Nope.” Dean cut off abruptly, face flushing. “You forget you ever saw them. They don’t exist, you hear me?”

Jody’s brows raised. “Now I have to know.” 

“No you do not.” Dean said firmly, coughing slightly before pivoting as fast as he could. “Garth we’ve got this, you can head back to Bess.” 

“No can do mi amigo.” Garth said, shaking his head. “I made a promise to my pack to protect them, and these guys are drawing too much attention. If the wrong person tracks them back they ain’t gonna be asking questions about cow hearts.” 

Dean groaned. “Fine, but there are things you have to know.”

Garth looked at the door. “It have to do with mysterious number six in there?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “We’re in the middle of a case, ran into a bit of a situation.” 

“Lay it on me.” 

“Time travel fuck-up.” Dean sighed. “It’s me.”

“You? As in you you?”

“Yes, as in me.” 

“Him as in teenager him.” Jody interjected. “Kid is what, fifteen?”

“Sixteen.” Dean admitted.

“Woah.” Garth breathed. “That’s some wacky shit you stepped in.” 

“Tell me about it.” He shook his head. “Be careful what you say around him.” 

“You got it.” Garth said, straightening up and rubbing his hands together. “Should we get to it?”

[botherkupo]

marinette and the moving castle (chapter 10)

new chapter is up!

ao3

10: In which Chat Noir makes a decision

Marinette found Chat Noir on the edge of the moors that led to the Wastes. His back faced her, black robe fluttering in the wind. The sun danced on his hair—flecks of gold twined with silk.

“Hey,” she said softly.

He didn’t move. Didn’t even speak.

Worry twisted in her gut. She approached and touched his arm. “Chat—”

He glanced down at her. Cold seized her heart. Froze her bones. There was no warmth in his expression. No spark of kindness. Meeting his gaze was like looking into a void: just two empty gems devoid of any light.

She stepped back, her heart pounding.

“Oh, it’s you,” he said.

“Are you—are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He raised his eyebrows. “But why are you still here?”

“What?”

“You’re just a girl who invited herself into my castle. Shouldn’t you go back to your family now?”

She swallowed, stones slipping one by one down her throat and settling in a heavy weight in her stomach. “Don’t tell me I was too late.” Her voice was hushed. Scared.

He touched her cheek, almost a caress, except it was ice to her skin and made her eyes prickle. There was no love behind the touch. No feeling. His eyes were just voids that stared at her as if she might as well not have been there.

“Don’t you get it, Marinette?” he said. “You’re not wanted. You’re not needed. You’re nothing to me.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

He pulled his hand away and turned his back on her. Then he walked into the Wastes.

oOo

Marinette’s eyes snapped open. She stared at the wooden beam above her, heart beating too hard against her ribs, and her stomach an unsettled pit of stones. A dream. Just a dream. She wiped the moisture from her eyes and let out a deep breath.

A heavy knock sounded at the door.

She sat up, eyes wide. Who was knocking this early? What if it was the Wizard of the Waste or one of his akumas? What if they had come to take Chat Noir away?

The knock sounded again, this time louder.

Pulse skittering, she pushed the blankets off her body and crept to the fireplace where Plagg smouldered in his logs. He also stared at the door, his brow furrowed.

“Do you know who it is?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “It feels human. They’re knocking from the Kingsbury side.”

“Why won’t they go away?”

“I guess they really want to come in.”

She bit her lip and glanced at the stairs, wondering if she should wake Nino and Chat Noir. But then maybe it was just a customer. Maybe she was getting worked up over nothing. After all, would the Wizard of the Waste really knock?

“I’ll take a look,” she decided.

She grabbed her staff and turned the dial to Kingsbury.

“Come on,” a familiar voice grumbled from the other side. “You can’t tell me you’re all not home.”

Relief flooded through Marinette and she opened the door. “It’s just you.”

Alya scrunched her nose. “What do you mean ‘just me’? And why are you holding that staff like you’re about to stab me with it?”

“Oops.” Marinette relaxed her grip. “Sorry. A lot has been going on.”

“I can see that. You’re young again.”

Marinette fingered her loose black hair. “Yeah. Managed to break the curse yesterday.”

“You could have told me, you know. I spent hours researching everything I could about curses to see if I could—”

The staff clattered to the floor and Marinette pulled her into a hug. “Have I ever told you you’re the bestest best friend a person could ever have?”

Alya’s arms came around her, warm and affectionate, but her tone was still grumpy—albeit, in a token way. “Don’t think you can use the best friend card to get your way out of this. I’m still annoyed you didn’t tell me.”

“I was planning to let you know today. Everything has just been kinda crazy.”

Alya patted her on the head. “Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m glad you’re back to yourself.” She pulled away and met Marinette’s gaze. “Are you gonna go back to Market Chipping, then?”

Marinette shook her head.

“Why not? I would have thought you’d be glad to get back to your parents.”

“I …” Marinette glanced down at her hands. “I don’t want to leave everyone here.”

Alya’s eyes widened. “You care for them that much?”

A little shrug. “They’re like family to me. Besides, I don’t think it’s safe for me to be around my parents at the moment.”

“Why? What happened?”

Marinette explained what had happened in Porthaven with the Wizard of the Waste.

“I should have known that was you,” Alya said, pressing a hand to her forehead. “Everyone was talking about it at the office.”

“Yeah, well thanks to that, I’ve caught the Wizard of the Waste’s attention again. He knows who I am and where I used to live. I don’t want him to target my parents just to get to me or Chat Noir.”

“Makes sense.”

Marinette sighed and sat on one of the stools. “I don’t know what to do, Alya. I’m so worried. It just feels like everything is slipping more and more out of my control.”

“You—”

Footsteps sounded from the stairs. Nino emerged, hair ruffled and his mouth open in a yawn. Then he froze, eyes widening as his gaze rested on Alya. A faint blush spread over his cheeks.

“Nice jammies,” Alya said, her lips curving.

He glanced down at his turtle-printed pyjamas and let out a strangled squeak. “I’m just gonna go get changed,” he said, and dashed back up the stairs.

Alya laughed. “He’s cute.”

Marinette’s lips twitched. “Nino caught your eye, huh?”

“I’ll admit there’s something endearing about his awkwardness, but he’s not really my type, you know. Though he is easy on the eyes.”

“He’s not normally that awkward. He’s just smitten with you.”

Dustings of colour bloomed on Alya’s cheeks. “Right. Well, getting back to the important matter. It sounds like the source of all your problems is the Wizard of the Waste. Maybe there’s something that can be done to stop him.”

“He’s powerful.”

“That doesn’t mean he can’t be stopped. Chat Noir is supposed to be an amazing wizard, isn’t he?”

Marinette bit her lip. “I don’t know if he’d want to fight the Wizard of the Waste …”

“Why not? The guy is hunting him, and it’s not like anyone is a fan of the Wizard of the Waste. Even the king wants him gone.”

“Yeah, but …”

The Wizard of the Waste wasn’t the king’s father.

Nino came back down the stairs—now dressed and with his hair nicely combed—and this time Chat Noir was with him.

“You,” Alya said, rounding on Chat Noir. “Don’t you think the easiest solution to all of this mess is to just take out the Wizard of the Waste?”

His eyes widened. “Wha—”

“Alya!” Marinette hissed.

“I’m just saying.” She gave an unapologetic shrug. “If this guy is causing you all so many problems and isn’t going to give up, the logical thing to do would be to ensure he can’t cause problems for you anymore. I mean, what else are you going to do? Go into hiding forever?”

“Alya, stop!” Marinette hissed, grabbing her arm.

But the damage had already been done. Shame carved its way into Chat Noir’s features and his gaze dropped to the floor.

“You’re right,” Chat Noir said softly. “No one can run forever.”

Alya folded her arms, throwing a smug look at Marinette. “You see? He understands.”

“Excuse me a moment,” Chat Noir mumbled.

He went back up the stairs, steps quiet and his shoulders hunched. Worry pierced Marinette’s heart.

“I just remembered I forgot something,” she said.

She scrambled up the stairs, catching up to Chat Noir just as he entered his room. Shame lingered in the shape of his lips and furrowed brow. His gaze slid away from hers.

“I’m sorry about Alya,” she murmured. “She doesn’t know—I didn’t tell her that he was your dad.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like she’s wrong. I was an idiot to think I could hide from him and that would be the end of the matter.”

His voice was a bite of bitterness laced with too much sadness. She could practically taste his pain. Feel it in every beat of her heart, as if the unsteady drum was a voice for the silence that filled his chest.

“You should go back downstairs,” he said, turning to face the door. “Alya came here to see you.”

It was too much like her dream. The way he was shutting her out. The way he turned his back on her.

“Wait.” She grabbed the back of his robe.

“What?”

Her fingers curled into the thick fabric. “I said I’d always be here for you.”

“I know …”

“Then let me.” She gently turned him to face her, meeting his gaze. “Talk to me. Please.”

He closed his eyes. “What’s there to say? We’re in this mess because I’m a coward.”

“No, you’re—”

“I am.” His voice was blunt. Brutal. “Seven years, Marinette. I knew who he was for seven years, and I didn’t do anything to stop him. He terrorised people. He destroyed their homes, cast curses, and even killed. And I did nothing.” His throat bobbed. “I just ran away and hid behind aliases because I couldn’t bear the thought of facing him again.”

“That’s not—”

“It’s my fault all of this has happened.”

She stepped closer and took his face in her hands, pulling him down to her eye level. Little tears clung to his lashes. “It’s not your fault,” she said sternly. “He’s the one who chose to do all those things. It was never your responsibility to stop him.”

“But he’s my father.”

“And you’re his son.” She smoothed her thumb along his cheek, wiping away the first tear that trembled free. “Of course it was always going to be hard for you. I don’t blame you for running. I probably would have done the same in your shoes.”

“You wouldn’t. I know you.”

“Well, I know you.” She held his gaze, his skin warm and soft under her touch. “You’re not a coward, Chat Noir. You’re just human.”

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. She stayed there with him like that, close enough for their breath to intermingle.

“Alya is right,” he whispered. “I have to stop him.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

He stepped back from her. “I’m done running. I won’t let him hurt anyone else.”

“Then we’d better come up with a plan.”

“We?”

She arched her eyebrow. “You didn’t think I’d let you take him on alone, did you? I’m a witch as well, you know.”

His lips twitched. “I know you well enough to guess you won’t take no for an answer—”

“You got that right.”

“—but promise me this. Don’t put yourself in danger more than necessary. My father isn’t someone you can underestimate. He’s had a contract with a fire demon far longer than I have.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait, you mean he has one, too?”

“Yeah. That’s what makes him so powerful.”

Now it made sense. The two most powerful wizards in Ingary both had contracts with fire demons. She hadn’t expected that his father would be the type to save a falling star, though. Was it an accident? Or had he been different once?

“Chat …”

“Yeah?”

“Do you—do you think it was the contract that made your father, well …”

“The Wizard of the Waste?”

She nodded.

“I wish I could say yes.” He glanced at the magic window, which still showed the image of his mother’s statue. “Father … he was always a cold man. Hard to please. Harder to get any affection from. I admit, I was a little scared of him, but he was still my father, and I hoped …”

“What?”

A humourless laugh. “Maybe if I could be perfect. Maybe if I could really impress him, he’d finally love me.”

Her heart ached like it was being squeezed between steel fingers.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. It was the window. That woman, Nathalie, was standing by the statue in her strange suit. Her eyes were wide. Then a man came into view, magic crackling free from his fingertips. A man with blond hair a face she had seen only once in a gloomy portrait, stern and unfeeling as he gripped his son’s shoulder.

The Wizard of the Waste.

“Chat,” she breathed, and pointed at the window.

He cursed and sped down the stairs. She followed, not even caring that she was still in her nightdress.

“Whoa,” Nino exclaimed. “What’s going on—”

“No time!” Chat said, running to the door and turning the dial to black.

Marinette grabbed her staff and joined him by the door. “I’m coming with you.”

He didn’t argue and simply opened the door. Then they both walked into the shroud of mist.

[televinita]

Books Read in 2018: The Why

Third year in a row* of answering the self-imposed question: why did you read this particular book?

(*Although 2017′s is presently flagged by the garbage bot and under appeal -- WHY DO U HATE MY BOOK COVER COLLAGES, MR. ALGORITHM)

I am beginning to deeply regret the extra work involved to split them by category, so next year is probably just gonna be a numbered chronological list after the Quilt of Many Covers, but for now they are still divided into adult fiction, YA, middle grade/children’s books, and nonfiction

FICTION

True Valor - Dee Henderson. 2002. Read because: I went hunting for a military romance in which to cast Dalton and Jaz [The Brave]. This one at least guaranteed me Dalton (and included rescuing a female soldier lost/hurt in combat, so).

These Healing Hills - Ann H. Gabhart. 2017. Had this one in my back pocket for a while as a quality-sounding stock romance (nurse/soldier) waiting for players. When my need for a Barbie/Julia [Under the Dome] story reached a new high, I deemed it a match.

Shane - Jack Schaefer. 1949. This is the book Fourmile is based on, so I thought I could get a two-for-one casting thrill out of it.

The Lake House - Kate Morton. 2015. A gorgeous historic mansion hidden within an abandoned estate. A mystery from the past to be solved in the present. What are "things I am here for always."

Crimson Peak (movie novelization) - Nancy Holder. 2015. I LOVED the movie, and the only thing I love more than amazing movies is when I can have them translated into and enriched by prose.

Chasing Sunsets - Karen Kingsbury. 2015. Brush of Wings - Karen Kingsbury. 2016. I was hunting, desperately, for Ben/Ryan-shaped books [Off the Map], and "Brush of Wings" checked all the boxes (young woman who needs a heart transplant volunteers in a third world country, love interest has to find a way to rush her home when the situation turns dire). I only read C.S. first because I didn't want to miss where the romance started.

Rancher Under Fire - Vickie Donoghue. 2014. I was looking for a different book when I casually stumbled upon this title, and listen. I am not gonna turn down a ready-made Barbie/Julia AU* with bonus "single father" angle. (*cowboy/journalist)

Heart Like Mine - Maggie McGinnis. 2016. "Ben/Ryan, Sexy Hookup AU Version please."

The Mountain Between Us - Charles Martin. 2010. The request list for the movie was too long, so I decided to see if it was based on a book. Upon reading the back cover and finding out one character was a surgeon, I immediately forgot the movie cast as my brain exploded with Shondaland options.

When Crickets Cry - Charles Martin. 2006. "Doctor whose wife died young of a lifelong heart condition" sounded like the best book-shaped Ben/Ryan approximation yet, with bonus "watching out for a little girl who is sick in the same way" cuteness as well.

The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware. 2016. A woman at work recommended it to me, and I was like, "a well received general thriller? Sure!"

Listen to Me - Hannah Pittard. 2016. Put "road trip" into the library catalog --> picked 70% because "Gothic thriller" made me think of "The Strangers," and 30% because I was reliving the glory days of Derek And Addison and this marriage sounded similar.

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware. 2017. I enjoyed the other book of hers I read so my friend brought in the next one she had.

Hatter Fox - Marilyn Harris. 1973. Read in high school and forgotten until I reread the Goodreads summary, and "doctor drawn to help 17-year-old" set off my radar. Shippy or merely protective/caretaking, my radar reacts the same.

Vanished - Mary McGary Morris. 1988. The trailer for unreleased Martin Henderson film "Hellbent" whipped me into a frenzy so I did my best to find book-shaped approximations of it. (spoiler alert: this failed miserably, but I grudge-matched it out)

Thunder and Rain - Charles Martin. 2012. Former Texas Ranger who is a single dad. Rescuing & protecting a scared/abused woman and child. At his ranch with cows and horses. By an author who has proven his salt in the hurt/comfort and restrained-romance departments.

Before the Fall - Nick Hawley. 2016. Mostly I came for the dynamic between the young orphan and the passenger who saved him, but I also like witnessing the general aftermath of plane crash survivors.

The Perfect Nanny - Leila Slimani. 2018. My work friend loaned it to me with the statement, "This has such good reviews but I don't know if I 'got' it -- I am really curious to know what you think of it!"

The Girl Before - J.P. Delaney. 2017. She loaned me this one too, with a more glowing recommendation.

Everything You Want Me To Be - Mindy Mejia. 2017. Aaaand one last rec from my seasonal work friend before our projects took us in separate directions.

The Dog Year - Ann Wertz Garvin. 2014. Dog on the cover + synopsis was basically a list of tropes I love: a woman (a doctor to boot!) grieving loss of husband and unborn baby; dogs; a new love interest who is one of my favorite professions to pair with doctor (cop)...

Losing Gemma - Katy Gardner. 2002. "So basically this is the victim backstory to a Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders plot? Dude, sign me UP; I can so see this friendship!"

Uncharted - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2013. The companion novella to a book I loved.

The English Boys - Julia Thomas. 2016. Mom checked it out of the library, "guy in piney unrequited love with his best friend's fiancee" intrigued me enough to open it, and by 3-5 pages in I was hooked.

The Broken Girls - Simone St. James. 2018. Abandoned boarding-school ruins, a murder mystery from the past being solved in the present day, possibly tied to a second murder from the past?? Yeah, give it.

Heart-Shaped Hack - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2015. White-Hot Hack - Tracey Garvis-Graves. 2016. Proven quality romance writer's latest books feature a professional super-skilled hacker? Sounds right up my Scorpion-obsessed alley. First book was plenty good enough to launch me into Part II.

Shine Shine Shine - Lydia Netzer. 2012. In my continuing quest to find books in which to cast Walter/Paige, I searched the phrase "her genius husband" and this one's summary matched my desires well.

Learning to Stay - Erin Celello. 2013. Ever eager to expand my hurt/comfort scenario stockpile, I went looking for something where a husband suffers a TBI/brain damage that mostly affects their personality. The bonus dog content sold it.

The Fate of Mercy Alban - Wendy Webb. 2013. Came up on my Goodreads timeline. I read as far as "spine-tingling mystery about family secrets set in a big, old haunted house on Lake Superior" and immediately requested it from the library.

Rated PG - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 1981. I was rereading her Make Lemonade trilogy when I saw a quote in her author bio that said, "I did write an adult novel. Thank goodness it went out of print." Curious, I looked it up, and between its age and the fact that it sounded more like YA than a proper adult novel, I was immediately more intrigued by it than her boring-sounding middle grade books.

Someone Else's Love Story - Joshilyn Jackson. 2013. "Young single mom with genius son meeting a possibly-autistic scientist who protects them during a gas station holdup/hostage situation and later bonds with her son" was the exact literary approximation of a Scorpion AU I wanted in my brain. By the time I realized that was not the endgame ship, I had already flipped through it and fallen in love w/ William and his romantic memories of his wife instead.

Driftwood Tides - Gina Holmes. 2014. Cool title + I love the "young adult adoptee bonds with the spouse of their late birth mother" trope.

The Haunting - Alan Titchmarsh. 2011. Title caught my eye at the library near Halloween; I dug the "dual timelines" setup with a mystery from the past to be solved in the present, and hoped for ghosts.

The Lost Hours - Karen White. 2009. I searched "scrapbook" in the library catalog.  A family member's formerly buried old scrapbook, an old house, and unearthing family history/secrets? GIVE IT TO ME.gif.

The Etruscan Smile - Velda Johnston. 1977. Slim (quick read), attractive cover painting, an exotic Italian countryside setting in a bygone era, and a young woman investigating the mystery of her sister's disappearance all appealed to me.

Stay Away, Joe - Dan Cushman. 1953. All I could tell from the book jacket was that it was somehow Western/ranch-themed, possibly full of wacky hijinx and had once been deemed appropriate for a high school library. I just wanted to know what the heck it was about!

-------------------

YOUNG ADULT

(I’m kind of guessing at the line of demarcation between teen and middle grade audiences for some of these, especially the older ones -- another reason that I should give up on categories in the future -- but let’s just go with it)

These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly. 2015. Seemed like a YA version of What the Dead Leave Behind (which itself I was using as a Crimson Peak AU), from an author whose work has always impressed me.

Snow Bound - Harry Fox Mazer. 1973. Always here for survival stories! Also, this is a good author.

The House - Christina Lauren. 2015. I LOVE evil/haunted mansion stories.

The Masked Truth - Kelley Armstrong. 2015. It looked like Criminal Minds in a YA novel.

Things I'm Seeing Without You - Peter Bognanni. 2017. Went googling for stories that sounded like contemporary variations on Miles & Charlie Matheson [Revolution]. "Teen shows up at estranged father's door" fit the bill.

Even When You Lie to Me - Jessica Alcott. 2015. I always turn out for student/teacher stories, given enough suggestion of it being mostly an emotional connection rather than an illicit hookup.

Too Shattered for Mending - Peter Brown Hoffmeister. 2017. I also dig stories where teenagers have to take care of/fend for themselves in the absence of a parent/guardian.

The Devil You Know - Trish Doller. 2015. I enjoyed a previous book of hers, and I always like road trips and teen thrillers.

The Raft - S.A. Bodeen. Terror at Bottle Creek underwhelmed, so I thought I'd try a YA/female protagonist option for a survival thriller, not least because the girl on the cover reminded me of Under the Dome's Melanie.

Ghost at Kimball Hill - Marie Blizard. 1956. Picked up randomly at an estate sale; the vintage cover and incredibly charming first 2 pages won my heart.

A New Penny - Biana Bradbury. 1971. The rare idea of a teen shotgun marriage in this era -- when it would still be expected, but also more likely to fall apart and end in a young divorce or separation -- fascinated me; I was curious to see how such an adult situation would play out.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer - Katie Alender. 2013. I mean...it is really all right there in the title and/or the awesful puns all over the cover. ("Let them eat cake...AND DIE!") Pure unadulterated crack, combining my two fave specialty genres of history and horror? Yes ma'am.

Me And My Mona Lisa Smile - Sheila Hayes. 1981. I was looking up this author of a Little Golden Book to see what else she had, found one that suggested a student/teacher romance, and bolted for it.

To Take a Dare - Crescent Dragonwagon/Paul Zindel. 1982. 50% due to the first author's cracktastic name and my full expectations of it being melodramatic, 50% because I was still on my "Hellbent" high and looking for similar teen runaway stories.

To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie - Ellen Conford. 1982. The last one from my attempt-at-a-Hellbent-esque-storyline set -- girl hitchhiking cross-country is picked up by a middle aged man who may or may not have pure intentions, by an established quality author.

Be Good Be Real Be Crazy - Chelsey Philpot. Bright cover called out to me; I was in the mood for a fun road trip novel for spring/early summer.

This is the Story of You - Beth Kephart. Kephart's name always gives me pause due to her fuzzy writing style, but I loved Nothing But Ghosts, so I could not resist the promise of surviving a super-storm disaster.

A Little in Love - Susan Fletcher. "Eponine's story from Les Mis" on a YA novel = immediately awesome; I LOVE HER??? Also it's just my fave musical, generally.

Adrift - Paul Griffin. 2015. I've been really digging survival stories this year, and while stories about survival at sea aren't typically my fave, they keep popping up in my path so I keep poppin' em like candy.

Life in Outer Space - Melissa Keil. 2013. After delighting my brain with concept sketches for a high school AU, I set out to find the equivalent of Scorpion's team dynamics/main relationship in a YA novel, and by god I found it.

Everything Must Go - Fanny Fran Davis. 2017. The brightly colored cover drew me in, and the format of being like a scrapbook of personal documents/paper ephemera lit up the scrap-collecting center of my brain.

Going Geek - Charlotte Huang. 2016.

originally I thought it might be like Life in Outer Space, but once I realized the title geeks were all girls I shrugged and went, "Eh, still a solid contemporary YA novel at a cool setting (boarding school)."

Like Mandarin - Kirsten Hubbard. 2011.

By the author of my beloved Wanderlove, I was drawn in by the title, intriguing cover photo, rural Wyoming setting and the concept of a high school freshman girl latching onto/idolizing a cool senior girl.

Sixteen: Short Stories By Outstanding Writers for Young Adults. ed. Donald R. Gallo. 1984. Tripped over it at the library, and immediately wanted to consume a set of 80s teen book content from a pack of authors I know and love.

A & L Do Summer - Jan Blazanin. 2011. In the summer, sometimes you just want to vicariously relive the feeling of being a largely-responsibility-free teen in a small-town location.

The Assassin Game - Kirsty McKay. 2015. Looked like the (Welsh!) boarding school version of Harper's Island. (spoiler alert: it is rather less stabby than that, but still fun)

We Are Still Tornadoes - Michael Kun/Susan Mullen. 2016. "College freshmen? Writing letters to each other? Sure, looks solid."

Nothing - Annie Barrows. 2017. It looked relatable: like the kind of book that would happen if I tried to turn my high school journals into a book. (spoiler alert: dumber)

The Memory Book - Laura Avery. 2016. Contemporary YA about a girl with a(n unusual) disease, but mostly, the title and promise of it being a collection of entries in different formats.

Kindess for Weakness - Shawn Goodman. 2013. LITERALLY AU RYAN ATWOOD.

Make Lemonade - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 1993. True Believer - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 2001. This Full House - Virginia Euwer Wolff. 2008. I reread the first two so I could give them proper reviews on Goodreads, and then realized I hadn't read the last one at all.

Blue Voyage - Diana Renn. 2015. A hefty teen mystery in a unique exotic location (Turkey) -- with an antiquities smuggling ring! - called out to me.

Girl Online - Zoe Sugg. 2014. I was really in the mood to read something on the younger end of YA, something cute and fun, when I saw this at the library.

Wilderness Peril - Thomas J. Dygard. 1985. Reread of a book I rated 4 stars in high school but couldn't remember, which happened to be lying next to me on a morning where I didn't wanna get out of bed yet.

Survive the Night - Danielle Vega. 2015. The cover had a GLITTERY SKULL. Give me that delightfully packaged horror story for the Halloween season!

The Hired Girl - Laura Amy Schlitz. 2015. I've been digging into my journals and old family photo albums lately, really fascinated by personal historical documents (also recently obsessed over The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt), and when I saw a diary format book set in 1911 -- a housemaid's diary, no less; that must be interesting as far as recording grand house details -- it spoke to me.

Fans of the Impossible Life - Kate Scelsa. 2015. The colored-pencil-sketch cover gave me Rainbow Rowell vibes.

All The Truth That's In Me - Julie Berry. 2013. Someone who favorably reviewed The Hired Girl also recommended this one; the cover caught my eye, and it sounded like a thriller.

Girl In A Bad Place - Kaitlin Ward. 2017. I heart YA thrillers featuring girls.

Facing It - Julian F. Thompson. 1983. I was in desperate need of a book one night and my only option was to buy one off the library sale cart, so I snagged the one that looked like some entertaining 80s melodrama with a fun (summer camp) setting. (Spoiler alert: fun and entertaining it was not.)

A Good Idea - Cristina Moracho. 2017. "Rural literary noir," promised the cover blurb, and as I just mentioned: I heart YA thrillers.

Something Happened - Greg Logsted. 2008. Short/easy read + I was hoping for either a misinterpreted Genuinely Caring Teacher, or scenarios to use in an appropriate age difference context.

In Real Life - Jessica Love. 2016. My shipper radar pretty much looked at the summary and went "THE AU CHRISTIAN/GABBY SETUP OF MY DREAMS."

The Black Spaniel Mystery - Betty Cavanna. 1945.

Adorable cover (and dogs!) from an established quality author.

--------------

CHILDREN’S / MIDDLE GRADE

The Cloud Chamber - Joyce Maynard. 2005. The cover made me think of Under the Dome, and the MC immediately reminded me of Joe McAlister.

Terror at Bottle Creek - Watt Key. 2016. After rereading Fourmile, I got a hankering for more books I might be able to cast with the kids from Under the Dome, and figured more Watt Key + a thrilling survival adventure was the ticket for that.

Swampfire - Patricia Cecil Haas. 1973. One of approximately 100 unread vintage horse books I own at any given time; finally in mood because it was short and sweet.

Baby-sitting Is A Dangerous Job - Willo Davis Roberts. 1985. Reread a childhood favorite in order to give it a proper review on Goodreads.

In The Stone Circle - Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. 1998. Same as above.

Wild Spirits - Rosa Jordan. 2010. Clearly the "Kat & Tommy take Justin under their wing" Power Rangers AU of which I have always dreamed, in my very favorite version of it: the one where Kat surrounds herself with animals.

Claudia - Barbara Wallace. 1969. Picked up cheap at a book sale, standard cute vintage Scholastic about a girl and her school life. Comfort food.

Reasons to be Happy - Katrina Kittle. 2011. The cover and the 5 reasons excerpted in the summary were so cute that I wanted to know what more of the reasons were.

Dark Horse Barnaby - Marjorie Reynolds. 1967. Needed a quick read and I'll p. much read any vintage horse book.

Runaway - Dandi Daley Mackall. 2008. Start of a companion series to my beloved Winnie the Horse Gentler, featuring some favorite themes: foster care + animal rescue.

Wolf Wilder - Katherine Rundell. 2015. Pretty cover, girl protagonist, historical Russian setting, wolves. All good things!

Backwater - Joan Bauer. 1999. Sounded like a beautifully tranquil setting.

The Dingle Ridge Fox and Other Stories - Sam Savitt. 1978. Animal stories + author love = automatic win.

If Wishes Were Horses - Jean Slaughter Doty. 1984. Overdue reread of a childhood favorite because I needed some short books to finish the reading challenge.

-------------

NONFICTION

Junk: Digging Through America's Love Affair with Stuff - Alison Stewart. 2016. I mean, I am definitely an American who has a love affair with stuff.

Keeping Watch: 30 Sheep, 24 Rabbits, 2 Llamas, 1 Alpaca, and a Shepherdess with a Day Job - Kathryn Sletto. 2010.

As soon as I saw my favorite fluffy creature on the cover, I felt an immediate need to transport myself into this (dream) hobby farm setting.

(Side note: this is probably the lowest amount of nonfiction I have read in 1 year for a decade, but I was just so busy hunting down specific types of stories that I could not get distracted by random learning.)

[townienews]

The Townie Crier - Tuesday May 1, 2018

**notice no "It's Gonna Be May" cutesy Timberlake meme here** (mostly because It's Already May! And that meme doesn't exist)

pic.twitter.com/8FPEJMTqmf

— Boston Bobby (@TheBostonBobby) May 1, 2018

Welcome to The Crier for May 1, 2018. Yeah, we settled on a name for this daily ding dong post. @daelderstatesmn suggested that title and gets himself a shirt, and you get this highly digestable dose of daily Boston sports goodness. Links, tweets and videos aplenty. So let's briefly remember a Monday night that exhausted our thumbs and eyes equally...for more better than more worse. Or however that goes.

Let’s goooooooo

A post shared by Celtics GreenRunsDeep (@greenrunsdeep) on Apr 28, 2018 at 7:38pm PDT

And buoyed by that vintage double troll job playoff shirt that all in attendanc eat The Gahden 2.0 received, the hot shooting Celtics dispatched the Sixers (on a 20-1 streak rolling into Monday) in Game 1 of the ECSF, 117-101. Well, the shirt helped. So did great shooting from 3, team heart and hustle (the signature of this undermanned but never to be underestimated Celtics team), and some kickass individual efforts. Like The Buffet (my new name for Horford). Fahk that Average Al or Ordinary Al nonsense. That's old fake news, which is the worst kind. Al's getting it doen all over, from every inch of the court. He's The Buffet because he provides everything you need, and when you need it you can always go back for more. He's one of many making Ainge look like a friggin genius of late. And he'll tell you what you can do with your "Al is average and I can't draft" takes...

Danny Ainge status: still a competitor. pic.twitter.com/TcOWQL0OqQ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 1, 2018

No, but seriously, Horford has been great. It's like one of those high school rom-coms where there's no attraction until the kids get in detention of are stranded in some absurd situation together, and then suddenly love blooms. COnvenient how that works.

Al Horford has been a monster in these playoffs. An absolute force on both ends. Hopefully we've heard the last of the "overpaid Al" stuff. #Celtics

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) May 1, 2018

Oh...and if you're feeling THE BUFFET as much as we are, might I suggest a new Horford jersey or such? (**shameless merch plug**)

Umm...back to Ainge being a boss at his job? I think again, if not especially with Fultz on display miserably in the Garden, he came out smelling like fresh beer and roses when Tatum went off. Again. This kid's all-around everything is absurd. AND HE CAN'T LEGALLY DRINK.

"He's a rookie!" #CUsRise 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/t8bwFeHQMn

— '03 Kliff Kingsbury (@fearthe_beard11) May 1, 2018

Granted, the likes of Tatum and Horford were enabled offensively by Philadelphia's famous "Phantom Zone" defense.

Nice defense pic.twitter.com/rhxmDFMVpc

— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@RedsArmy_John) May 1, 2018

But nothing - not fatigue, Philly's hot streak, an invisible defense - nothing was holding Terry Rozier back. This friggin guy...

The Boston sports fan heart is pretty full these days. But Terry Rozier is fighting hard to find himself a place in there.

— Fitzy (@FitzyGFY) May 1, 2018

Calling him SAVAGE for his pregame and in-game antics would be correct, but also an understatement. He's a savage, alright. And a beast. And the easiest guy to like and rally around. A savage rally beast. Filling in for Kyrie and dropping 29 in Game One against the Sixers? Draining threes left and right. And setting the emotional tone for the team and the night upon arrival...

Drew Bledsoe knows who Terry Rozier is! (Via @espn) pic.twitter.com/NoNI2pT76b

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 1, 2018

And now we've got this unexpected random magical bromance between Rozier and Drew Bledsoe? Couldn't ever have seen that coming, but that's the magic of playoffs in Boston. Can never be enough love for Drew by me. That he's become the symbol or icon, rally monkey of the Celtics playoff run thanks to an accidental troll job? (Guinness vice) BRILLIANT! Everyone needs to wear their Bledsoe jersey to work this week. So they can reach their peak Rozier level. Game 2 Thursday night, already can't friggin wait! And that genius Brad Stevens has deployed a stellar lineup to counter what should be quite acharge from the Sixers...

The Celtics have announced their Game 2 lineup: -PG: T. Rozier -SG: T. Rozier -SF: T. Rozier -PF: J. Tatum -C: A. Horford Bench -Terry Rozier -T. Rozier -Rozier -PG #12 -The guy in the Drew Bledsoe jersey -The guy Ainge wouldn’t trade for 100 first round picks

— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) May 1, 2018

Oh - and Sports Radio and Hot Take Nation who will give the Celtics no credit and say that Philly played no D ("Philly used the New England D plan from SB 52" - you'll hear that shit)...you guys can tuck it and suck it!

via GIPHY

Meanwhile, in other Boston professional sports persons team playoff action...the Bruins lost to the Lightning 4-2. Gonna be honest (Monday was National Honesty Day)...I didn't really watch much. Beex were up 1-0. Woprst case (which played out) they go home split. So nice work, head help high, fellas. I thought the C's need my attention Monday (I don't parent mutliple children well). I read something about a bad call, Marchand getting hosed, Cassidy, who's a feisty sonofabitch in a Men's Wearhouse suit, wasn't happy. Good! A happy hockey cocach is an ineffective one (or so I heard...or not...I don't know hockey). They'll come back, chip on shoulder, tied in best of 5 with home ice in their pocket. Wednesday night, maybe the Bruins should all come to work wearing Drew Bledsoe jerseys??? Because this QB rally showing for a different hockey team didn't make me feel any better...

I really didn’t need to follow a Bruins loss by immediately seeing Jimmy G pump up the Sharks. God damn, plunge the dagger

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 1, 2018

And on the same night he was named to the NFL Network Top 100!

He has yet to lose a game as a starter 👀@49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo (@JimmyG_10) is #90 on the countdown!#NFLTop100 pic.twitter.com/SPwl3KIbtL

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 1, 2018

When Tom Brady did an appearance with Jim Gray and said he didn't feel apreciated by the Pats (**cough** Belichick)

Tom Brady was asked today at the Milken Institute Global Conference if he feels appreciated by the Patriots. His response: "I plead the 5th..." pic.twitter.com/8Tl6k5emj9

— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) May 1, 2018

Come on, Sports! Can't I just enjoy this Celtics win and the Pats draft, and the night, and maybe a whole week without any Pats related off-field disharmony or disturbance or disfunction or other dis- words? Not now...nope. Not. I can't...spent too much time wondering WTF with TFB and the NEP this offseason after the February 4th flying nutpunch. All set, check please! I'll pass. Too busy feeling good about what's coming this week, this fall...we'll just leave at it Tom being a sass, keeping the Pats atop page views for a while, taking attention away from the other teams who don't need the scrutiny? AWW MAN! Tom, you magnanimous SOB! Or maybe it was to get you in the news to elevate Best Buddies ride awareness? No press is bad press, right? Just ask Michelle Wolf! **NEXT MORNING UPDATE-AGE** There are plenty of sound bites of Brady paying due respect to Belichick and saying he knows BB is best for him, tough to play for, and that they make each other their best. Which is what we've all always known. Again, they don't need to quilt together or share recipes or watch "This Is Us"., Just win football! Enough Fake Foxboro News! Alright, enough of that for now. We'll let it slide until someone tells me I should give aflying summer sausage. OH...and the Sox won, beat the bumbling Royals, 10-6. E-Rod sucked himself off early, but fear not - healty Xandah to the rescue.

Heads up we got a piss missile on the Pike expect delays seek alternate route pic.twitter.com/HoKIUe6hOs

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 1, 2018

2 wins in a row? HOT STREAK AHOY! use caution when handling these Sawx! KC coming to town might be the perfect remedy to flush last week away like a carton of old chineser food you know will smell the garbage barrle up too much. Alright, so there we go - C'ss and Sawx win! Bruins lose! Brady wants the love. Now let's all carry on and booze. Hapy Tueday, ya humps. More soon - make sure you catch the Draft webcast, and all-new slew of NFL FAN THERAPY coming all week long. GFY!

[thekillerssluts]

Arcade Fire talk employment, American Dream, 'Everything Now'

Art-rockers Arcade Fire are trying to make us think. They've always tried to push their audience toward social responsibility and awareness. But with their 2017 release Everything Now, they're pressing even further, overinflating their lyrics and live shows with hot-air messages of consumerism, hoping their fans will once again wake up and pop the balloon.

In light of that prevalent issue, I wondered, what's their perspective on opportunity in the U.S.? Do they feel they have too much stuff themselves? How do they avoid working too much to fund their own lifestyles?

Ready to dig deep into all that and more, multi-instrumentalist Will Butler and bassist/guitarist Tim Kingsbury sat down to talk with me before the show.

Cecilia Johnson: Hey, thanks for talking with me. Between "Everything Now" and "Creature Comfort," you guys have been focusing on possession and overabundance on the new album. What's something in your life that you have but could do without?

Kingsbury: I just got rid of a lot of stuff. I moved houses, so it was a big purge. It felt good. Still feel like I need to get rid of more stuff. I could do without CDs at this point in my life.

I also think about consumerism and overworking as really linked -- more money to buy more stuff. How do you avoid working too much, or how successful are you at that?

Butler: We've always worked how we've wanted. Luckily, we've had success from the get-go. I mean, obviously, we've worked really hard. But from the moment Funeral came out, we haven't had to have day jobs. Which has been affirming of the work. It's like, "Oh, that worked, so just keep working as you are."

I mean, toward the end of a touring cycle, you start to feel a little crazy physically, and emotionally, and spiritually.

Kingsbury: Yeah.

Butler: But it's also [that] playing for people and putting on a show is quite meaningful. Like, nothing we do is a money grab. But we've definitely become more of a business. We're literally 70 [people] on the road, so there's six of us, and then the rest of the people are technically our employees. We're employing 64 people to go around the world, and build this crazy stage, and cook for us and cook for the crew. In addition to the local crew. Which is a funny feeling if you think about it.

Kingsbury: I do find that sometimes, further into a tour -- as I get a little more existential about what I'm doing -- I think, "Whoa. All this production. This is crazy." But then that goes away, and I'm like, "There's nothing better than playing these songs to people that want to hear them." It feels very good.

Do you try to keep in mind anything in particular about being a boss? Knowing that these 64 people are your employees, how do you take care of people?

Kingsbury: I just try to talk to everybody, partly. Stay tuned in.

I mean, we have a great tour manager, and our production manager's amazing. I think [it helps to] have a team that you know is communicating well together.

Butler: Yeah, a lot of the crew are rigging stuff at 6 in the morning, and then they rig down after, from midnight to 4 in the morning. We're on utterly opposite schedules.

But we're really intimate with the stage crew. The keyboard tech, Don Lee, has become our studio manager. He's been with us for...ten years?

Kingsbury: Since Neon Bible.

Really? I didn't know that. Do the same guidelines play into how you work with each other as a band?

Kingsbury: It's very different. It doesn't feel like an employee/employer relationship at all; it's more of a partnership. We're not hired to be here. So it's more challenging balancing it with the rest of our lives. Having families and doing all that stuff. It doesn't get easier to balance that stuff, I don't think. It's a constant negotiation.

I thought one of the coolest parts of Everything Now was the way it's sequenced: how it starts with "Everything_Now (continued)," goes right into "Everything Now," and ends with "Everything Now (continued)." Why did you guys want to play with chronology and sequencing like that?

Will Butler: I think we've always made records. We've never had a hit song; we've only had records, and we've technically had three number-one records now. [laughs] They've only lasted a week or so. But albums are the art we make. So we've always deeply thought and sequencing, and pace, and flow, and naming. All of those things really matter.

Tim Kingsbury: I don't know if you noticed, but at the end of the record, it loops straight back into the beginning. We get very nerdy and excited about that kind of stuff. [We like to] pay attention to the whole record as an entity.

Do you each have a favorite song off Everything Now? I know you think of the album as a thing first and foremost, so if that's the answer, that's cool.

Butler: No, it changes as you play them live. Currently, "Put Your Money On Me" is a technical challenge for me that I really enjoy. I have to twiddle a lot of knobs at the start of it, and it still feels a little panicky, and that's a good thing.

That's funny -- I saw your tweets a few days ago about messing up, and they were cool. It is genuinely cool to see someone working for what they're playing, even if they slip up once in a while.

So "Peter Pan" talks about a "dead-eyed American Dream," and there's "the white lie of American prosperity on "Creature Comfort." Do you think the American Dream ever existed? If so, where's it at now?

Kingsbury: Well, I'm a Canadian, so I don't know if I can answer this question.

Butler: What do you think of the Canadian Dream?

Kingsbury: The Canadian Dream is basically to not be America. [laughs] It was like, "Let's stay British. Britain doesn't want us? Oh. Okay, let's not be American." [all laugh]

Will, what about you?

Butler: I think you can have a complex and accurate relationship with American history -- the first Butlers came to Boston in 1630, and they've kind of fulfilled the John Adams idea, where it's like, "We're going to war so that our children can be mathematicians so that their children can be teachers so their children can be artists." That's very much been the arc of my life's path.

My great-grandfather on my mom's side was Mormon, and their family was literally driven from America by shotguns and pitchforks, and they went to Utah because of their religious belief. And then my grandmother grew up in a traveling band. Like, poverty wages. Pre-Great Depression. They would go camping in the summers. They're like, "Remember when we used to go camping and we brought the cow?" And then one of them would be like, "You know we were homeless, right? We weren't camping. We were homeless."

But then they provided for my mom who provided for us. So for us, [the American Dream] has been true. But I think you can also have a really keen eye as to how that has not existed for numbers of people. I think you can be of both minds -- it's a lot easier to be of both minds when you're a rich white person, like myself. But I have heard enough passionate defenses of [the American Dream] from people throughout history that I know there's some truth to it.

Yeah, how do you stay in the present? When you talked about your grandmother being homeless, it reminded me of how we like to romanticize the past. You can do that as a band; fans of the band can do that to your career, too. How do you stay in the now?

Kingsbury: In terms of the band, it's just 'cause I don't want to keep playing the same old songs over and over. It's compelling to explore new ideas. Do you mean in general, or just in the band?

Either or. I guess as a band.

Kingsbury: It's a little bit challenging, because not all of us live in the same city anymore. It takes more of a concerted effort to get together and be like, "Okay, we're gonna do something." When we started, Will was gone for part of it, but we basically all lived in the same place and could just get together.

Butler: On tour, playing the music, you can retreat into the music. It is actually creating stuff in the moment, and people are responding to it. It's rare to be in a line of work where you can actually do that. So there is a very distinct nowness to making music -- almost more than other arts. You're literally just shaking the air between you and someone else.

Kingbury: Mm.

Butler: It doesn't always happen. Sometimes you're just like, "I am doing a job." [sings and mimes punching synthesizer] "I'm doing a job. I'm doing a job." But I find you can retreat into the music whenever it gets dark.

The last thing I wanted to ask was whether Will, you had a favorite song on Tim's new Sam Patch album. Have you had a chance to listen?

Butler: Yeah, it's great. I actually really loved the opening and closing synth swoop of "Must Have Been an Oversight." To me, that's classic. It's like an archetypal sound of the world. That's so cool.

Now that I'm thinking of solo projects, I'm wondering: have you two ever been to Eaux Claires [Festival]? I knew Richard [Reed Parry] and Sarah [Neufeld] have played there.

Butler: No, we're interested. We'd love to do it someday.

Kingsbury: Yeah, it'd be fun. We talk about it.

Thanks for taking the time.

[donaldkingsbury]

Did ya read the article?

SomeoneDid you even read the article?

Me:the tomatoes are ready being hurled at "liberals" & "feminists" for letting girls in the bsa. I was commenting on wut was gonna ripple through the zeitgeist on this. The waves are turning into Tsunamis, volcanos are erupting in the brains of ppl ejaculating upon the screen as they masticate upon grey pupon & chocolate covered zuccinis as they wear the hip new threads by Jams listening to new songs from Oingo Boingo, learning the mashed potatoe.

Someone:On a scale of 1-Snoop Dogg, how high are you right now?

Me: i wish I was high as Bukowski or drunk as Burroughs, wait hold up, reverse that. but I am only loaded on garlic spaghetti with pickles & peanut butter.

Someone else:Are you serious, yes it is. Cause the girls scouts could have changed their curriculum to deal with what they wanted. The boys scouts where set up for boys to be boys the girl scouts where set up for the same. So stop that shit

Someone else:The boy scouts where there to teach boys how to become men the girl scouts where there to teach girl how to become woman. Whats wrong with that?

Me: a scout is a scout is a scout. Scouting is for all, it's not limited to genitals or creating a propaganda of curriculum to be prescribed predetermined ways. The individual can take wut they choose from the buffet of learning & decide for themselves how they should in whatever way they want for themselves.

Someone else:My uncle was a boy scout leader my aunt a girl scout leader. They helped raise alot of young men and woman. Guess what woman are losing their uniqueness trying to be too much like men. We were put here to counteract men we do what they can't we arent equal in alot of ways

Someone else:

We lost our way raising our kids thats why kids are such assholes now. Parents lost their way. Teach them young teach them right help them think for themselves

Me: there was never a time I experienced in cubs or boy scouts in the 80s I thought "iph a girl or jung womyn does this they will lose the uniqueness of being a wombmyn." I wanted my wimmin friends there at camp. It woulda been fun & more enriching learning experience for all.

Someome else:Donald Joseph Kingsbury if u wanna have a discussion be a fucking adult and have one

Someone else:I'm far from dumb so don't treat me like i am

Someone:

Why not let boys have boy things, and girls have girl things. Why do girls need to invade boy spaces? Why is masculinity a trait that is being systematically annihilated?

Me to someone else:

I didn't make one joke in that response. I was being sincere. Oy

Someone else:Donald Joseph Kingsbury show me what was sincere?

Me to someone:masculinity isn't innately only a male thing. EVERYONE of the enterity of the sexes has attributes of both masculinity & femininity. By saying one is only this your by default limiting someone's natural being.

Someone:Except it's a defining trait of males. Why not let us have it, in our formative years?

Someone:I mean if gender is a social construct, why are trans males ruining female sports?

Me to someone else:was it because I spelled if as "iph" or young as "Jung" that's how I write at 1:36 am. But the message of my strung together individual words creating sentences illustrated a concrete factual though based on experience of what & how I thought 30+ years ago.

Someone else:How about talk like an adult

Me to someone: but it's not "defining" that's limiting. That's like the ole saying of "boys don't cry" great song & movie. But creating false stereotypes based on genitals is willingly dulling of the senses. It goes against the motif of self reliance & don't tread on me.

Me to to someone else:I'm an adult no matter what I say or do, or how I say it install like an adult. I couldn't escape it iph I try. Im a product of my age & time like anyone else.

Someone else:

So i hope u marry a real masculine bitch cause i bet u wont

Me to someone: i go back to my post on this subject a few days ago. There's so many things that need to be done. EVERYONE needs to be brought to the table. The young women & transsexuals right now are being used by pseudo conservatives for political reasons. It's as neasuating as the over reactions to the young woman who was wrestlingand earned hervspot but the young man got scared and used his "religious beliefs" to chicken out & orvwtestle her. But she wrestled like 10 other young men & destroyed them, but he got applauded. It was sad to watch.

Me to someone else: I wouldn't marry a dog. I maybe from Cleveland, I love my dawgs inn the dawg pound, but I wouldn't marry a K9. No no no, just say no.

Someone else:But u want woman to ne masculine

Someone else:They should be with the boys

Someone else:You put girls with boys they compete as boys

Me to someone else: no matter what a girl does she is a girl. No matter her actions or what she likes she is still a girl. Same all around.

Someone else: Whats wrong with teaching her to be a woman?

Me to someone else: she's a womyn no matter wut she does. She's aware of her body, she's aware of how strangers look at her, she's aware of the unsaid things she's supposed to do, she's aware of her hair & how the boys stare and how the limitations of & on clothes isn't fair, especially wut she wears, she's told it's her fault for distracting the boys who get erections at the wind blowing through the trees in the spring winter fall summer breeze

Me: Kids need to kids without the fargin trappings of false traditions that Harkens back to nostalgia of an age that never existed. Always room for Jello (biafra)

[sfkedamono]

Kumbaya

By John H. Reiher Jr.

Jason Smith looked out over the sea of cameras and faces. He had requested this meeting with “…every government, science nob, and other important people…” And that this had to be televised around the world to as many people as possible. Now it’s his turn to step forward and tell the masses what the aliens told him. “Bloody hell,” he muttered as he took a drag on his cigarette.

“It’s not too late to cancel this,” said his handler from Her Majesty’s Government. “We can make an excuse and keep this revelation secret.” His handler was smarmy older gent, with the look of Oxford prominently boot stamped on his face.

“Shit,” said Jason, “I wish I could. But I can’t. You really don’t understand what I’m going to say, and… hell, everyone has to hear it.” Privately he wished he had run just like the rest of them when the saucer landed in the Kingsbury football pitch. No, he just stood there and decided to be famous. Bloody effing hell…

“Well I hope you are right and these aliens will handle the translation to other languages,” said his handler. Cecil something? Or was it Sid?

Jason shrugged. “That’s what they told me they could do. Hey, they came all the way here to deliver a message to mankind, I’d expect that they bloody well can make sure everyone understands it.” He finished his cigarette, threw it on the floor and crushed it into the boards that made up the impromptu stage that had been set up in Wembley Stadium. It was the largest venue that could be found to hold as many dignitaries, presidents, premiers, and rulers from every nation on Earth. There were a couple of holdouts, but the visitors had assured Jason that their people would hear his words nonetheless.

The visitors. He looked up and thought he saw a glint from their massive ship in orbit. He had been aboard a smaller version of that ship… and what they showed him… He patted a pocket and the device was still there, despite being searched several times. It truly was invisible to anyone else but him. He had a show to put on.

A man wearing earphones gestured that they were ready, and Sid escorted Jason to the right of the stage. The Prime Minister was warming up the crowd, unsuccessfully, and when he saw Jason, he said, “And now let me introduce to you, the first man to ever encounter an alien race from the stars, Jason Smith!”

Jason resisted the urge to behave like a game show contestant, and walked calmly out on to the stage and shook the hand of the Prime Minister. ‘Bugger, I didn’t even vote for your party, and now I’m shaking your hand,’ Jason thought as he smiled.

Taking the microphone, he felt the buzz from the device and heard the resulting voice say: “We are now live and translating this transmission. Go ahead Mister Smith and relay our request as you see fit.” The voice wasn’t audible, but he still heard it. It sounded like was inside his head. Maybe it was.

Jason smiled and looked out at the sea of faces and camera lenses. “Hi, I guess you’re all wondering why I asked you all to be here,” he joked, his laugh dying in his throat as a sea a faces frowned at him. “Uh, right. Let’s get to brass tacks. Our guests,” he looked up at the night sky, at the twinkling dot that was the kilometer-sized spaceship, “have asked me to explain to you what they want. They chose me, primarily because I didn’t run when they landed, and also because I was smart enough to realize why it wouldn’t work…”

He stood on the pitch, debating whether or not to run like everyone else, but thought ‘Iffen they can fly here from the stars, land their ship without rockets or something, what use is it to run. Might as well put out the hand of friendship.’

The saucer looked like… well a saucer. It had a flat bottom with a bulge in the middle, and the top sloped up from the sides to a larger dome on top. The ship settled on the pitch, and Jason realized that the bulge was making a rather large divot in the pitch. “That will be a bitch to fill in,” he said keeping his eyes on the ship as it settled into place. After a moment, a hatch appeared in the side of the ship and a… bloke, stepped through.

“Hello there!” the man said with a distinctive American accent. Jason thought, ‘Right, this will be a walk in the park, the Americans are joshing us and there are no alien…’

Next to the man a creature that looked like a giant insect house fly. “Greetings fellow sapient! We wish to communicate.”

Looking around to see if anyone else was with him, Jason gave a sly smile, and walked over with his hand out. “Welcome to Earth. I’m Jason Smith and you’re an… whatsit? An Earther?” he said shaking the hands with the human looking alien. Jason then held out his hand to the alien. It took it and it felt like he was shaking a hand made from sticks.

“Thank you Dirter!” it said as it shook Jason’s, “We have spent a long time seeking the world of Dirt.”

”Don't try correcting him,” said the human “it's something with their language. They actually only have one word for the word dirt. So yeah whenever they hear the word ‘earth’ they hear the word ‘dirt.’”

The human held out his hand “My name is Miles Wilson," he looked a little embarrassed, "but my nickname is ‘The Man’. I'm a law officer from Washington State, so it figures that the first guy that I meet on the ship is a hippie who promptly nicknames me The Man, oh well.“ He shrugged. “So, want to come in and see the ship?”

Jason thought for a second, then said “Sure, why the hell not. Lead on McDuff.”

The three walked back up the ramp into the ship and the door and ramp slid close.

“So you were abducted?” asked Jason as they walked the twisting corridors of the ship.

“Yes several years ago,” said Miles. “And well we been traveling around for years and well this is the first time back to Earth, but back to Earth with a mission.” He led Jason down a twisting corridor. ���Before we do anything else,” he said, ushering Jason into a medical looking room, “How about a checkup?”

Jason looked startled, “You gonna probe me?” he said, his hands flying to his backside.

“No,” said Miles calmly. “When I said checkup, I mean a checkup, a medical checkup. This is an autodoc and it can fix just about anything wrong with you. This is Amanda, our resident doctor…”

“I was an intern when I was… taken,” said the pretty, young woman who stepped from behind a machine with a large glass tube. A man-sized tube Jason noted. “The autodoc has been calibrated for human galactic genotype, so just step in and it will do most of the work.”

Jason hesitated, and then said aloud, “And if you meant me ill will, I’d be dead or with me hindquarters up in the air.” He smiled, “So, do I need to strip?”

“Yes,” replied the pretty young thing. “Youri will help you. Please, disrobe and get on the bed.”

Jason turned and faced an unshaven face of a decidedly Slavic origin and sighed and obliged. Yuri took his clothes and placed them into a slot that hummed. As he got on the bed and the tube lowered, he noticed his clothing reappearing cleaned, pressed, and folded.

Lights glowed, things moved back and forth, and in a few seconds, the young woman frowned, and then asked, “Do you smoke?”

“Um, well yes,” he guiltily replied. “I’m trying to quit.”

She fiddled with a dial, and a full color image appeared before him, showing pink foamy-looking flesh. A bit of it was red and angry looking. “That is an incipient cancer. Right now, it’s not doing anything, but if left untreated… So, do you want me to fix that?”

“Yes please.”

A button push, and the angry tissue took on a healthy color and less tumor-like appearance. The rest of the exam was like that, she’d find something and asked if he wanted it fixed. And he did. The badly set fracture in his right arm, fixed. A nasty looking abscess in jaw, fixed. A fungal infection on his feet, cleansed and cured. Everything fixed, included incipient male pattern baldness, but one…

“No,” she said, “I don’t do ‘cosmetic’ surgery. Live with what nature gave you.”

“Just an inch more?” he asked.

“No.”

He sighed and said “So, do I have a clean bill of health?” The tube rose up and Yuri handed him his clothing.

“You do now,” she said. “By the way, I’m Sylvia, I’m the Ardanna Nuu’s doctor.”

“The Ardanna Nuu is this ship?” he asked, slipping on his Baby Metal t-shirt.

“Yes. And the real reason we ran you through our autodoc, was to make sure you weren’t carrying some new disease or bug. We don’t have the resistance we used to have.” She led him to what looked like a conference room.

Seated around the table were… people. Some were humans and… not human. And some of the “humans” didn’t look right. He looked at them as he was introduced to each of them. He then got it. they had human-like faces, but the details were off. Eyes just a bit too widely set apart, the head just little bit too domed, the teeth too small, and other tells. They were different, but similar.

Miles sat at the head of the table. “I bet you wondered why I called you here?” That got nary a chuckle, and Miles played with his tablet for moment before continuing. “Jason, we’re here to deliver a message to the people of Earth, and we can’t do it ourselves. It needs to be done by a person who has no connection to us. You’re that person.”

Youri spoke next, “You see, everything you know about humanity and its history is both wrong and correct with some caveats. The biggest of which is that there are other humans out there… but not human.”

The man with the too wide set eyes and slightly off skin color nodded and said, “Yes, that is true. I, Tal Sha, am from the world Shohana. My people, the People, evolved on that world, much like you humans evolved on your world. And you’re not listening are you?”

Jason had been staring at Tal’s mouth as he spoke. The words didn’t match his mouth and lip movements. “Sorry, but you look like a badly dubbed movie when you talk.”

Youri leaned next to him, and said, “Yes, and you’ll notice that I don’t speak English either.” Jason stared at his mouth as well, then his eyes went wide.

“Bloody hell!” he exclaimed, standing up, “What did you do to me?”

“He’s a smart one, isn’t he,” said Miles.

“You shut up!” said Jason pointing an accusing finger at Miles. “You messed with me head! You put something innit!”

Sylvia nodded her head, and said, “Yes we did. We inserted a translator nodule into your head. It’s now fully integrated and can’t be removed. It’s mostly a relay with any compatible system that can provide translation services. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to have this talk.”

“But that…” Jason pointed at the insect-like being, “bug, spoke English before I had the translator thing in me head.”

Somehow, the “bug” smiled and said “I took great pains to learn your language ‘man’ and I’m quite fluent in it. Can you dig it? Oh, and I am !gzzbzzzt^zzt! of the Greez!ebe! But you already know my human name, Bug!”

Jason stared again, then sat down with a thump, his mouth opening and closing without sound.

“I think we broke him,” said Youri.

“No, no,” Jason finally managed. “Seen too much Dr. Who on the telly to be that surprised. But seeing it up close an’ personal… that’s another thing. Got anything strong t’drink?”

An appropriate beverage was poured for him and he downed it in one shot. “Cor! That’s a burner!” he exclaimed, then licked his lips, “But good. It’s alien popskull innit?”

“Yes, if you mean from another world,” said Tal. “it’s a distilled beverage from my planet.”

Jason nodded and held his glass out for a bit more of the beverage and then sipped it. “So, there are humans that evolved on other worlds?” he asked. “That’s bollocks, but I can’t deny what I see wit my own eyes. There’s a reason for this isn’t there?”

Tal filled his glass as well and nodded with a waggle of his head, “Yes, and it’s a long story…”

Nine billion years ago, the Anshani arose on one of the few worlds capable of supporting life in the galaxy. They lived, loved, and expanded their knowledge of the universe until they were able to leave their home system and venture out into the galaxy. There, while looking for other races to be friends with, they instead found the ruins of other cultures that rose and then killed themselves off. They were, in fact not the first sentient species, but they were the first that managed not kill themselves.

This was because the Anshani were different from other species: They were true pacifists. They could not even think of harming others. Yes, they were omnivores and ate animal flesh, but the flesh was willingly given to them, as the creatures on their homeworld had evolved into a self-supporting ecosystem, every creature with something like a brain linked together in an empathic web, with each creature filling its roll to its utmost. And into the galaxy, went a true innocent, looking for others to be friends with.

Instead they found death and hate. This confused the Anshani, as they were incapable of the kinds of emotions that would lead to harming or even killing another sentient creature.

So for the next billion years, they sought out cultures that had just achieved spaceflight and gifted them with their advance technology. Which was promptly turned into weapons of mass destruction. Species after species wiped itself out, leaving their homeworlds glowing balls of radioactive lava.

This frustrated the Anshani. They gave no weapons, but each species found a way to make the technology into weapons. Luckily, the Anshani weren’t stupid, and never divulged where their homeworld was. Nor did they share their more advanced hyperdrive with other cultures. They wanted to make sure that they could run away if necessary.

They ran a lot.

In that billion years, their technology grew by leaps and bounds. Their understanding of how things were, was near godlike… but, they also knew that there was more to learn. Every discovery lead to new questions. They tried to understand why the other civilizations that they encountered were the way they were. But because the Anshani were natural empaths with each other and all the creatures of their homeworld, they couldn’t understand the fear of the of the other. They couldn’t understand hatred of those that were different. The Anshani imposed their world view on everyone else, but never realized why others didn’t behave “the right way.” It was their blind spot, their own blinkers that prevented them from understanding.

After a billion years of failure, the Anshani decided to ignore those violent species, and instead find and nurture proto-sapients. They would find likely candidates and slowly lead them down the path to full sapience. By this time, the Anshani were functionally immortal, and had all the time in the world to uplift a species. The process took millions of years, but in the end, the resulting species were less violent than the unguided ones, and rose up and left their cradles and joined the Anshani…

And then fought amongst themselves over who was the favorite.

They tried and tried over and over, but each time ended up with a race that was more like a spoiled child, than a sophisticated, intelligent species. This frustrated the Anshani to no end.

So, they started The Long Project. They located likely candidate stars that had sprung into being at approximately the same time. From a selection of several thousand “starter kits”: Genetic seed packages that would overwrite the genetic code any existing native life, they planted their crop and watched over it and tended to its seedlings.

At the same time, they had to deal with the uplifted and the native-born spacefaring species that inhabited the galaxies with them. Yes galaxies. Their domain stretched from the Milky Way Galaxy, all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy. The Anshani had become the keepers of the peace, the watchers over the weak, the punishers of those that transgressed. And they used the same methods of control for all three: The Kumbaya Device.

The Anshani was familiar with over a million species. A million different, yet similar ways to generate thought, consciousness, sapience. From collective hive minds to neural nets forged in silicon, they knew it all. And what they knew, they could control.

The Kumbaya Device allowed them to make sophonts happy and peaceful. To make them sing songs of friendship, in Anshani of course, and dance the dance of friendship.

As long as the device was used on them.

Turn it off, and for short period of time, the people they used it on would be happy and friendly. But it would always wear off. And the result were angry people, shouting people, threatening people. No sophont liked having it’s free will taken from them, so they all hated the device that made them happy.

Meanwhile, around 200 thousand years ago, the seeds that they had planted, started to bloom. New sophonts appeared, ones that stared at the sky and wondered. Who, at first were friendly with one another. But soon, the first hand was raised in anger, the first life was snuffed out over greed.

It was just too much for the Anshani. Frustrated and hating to be frustrated, they threw their collective hands up in disgust, and left…

“Some say that they finally ascended into a higher plane of existence,” said Tal, “others say they broke the barriers between universes and moved to one better suited for them, and others said they created a new universe just for themselves. In any case, they created a power vacuum and you can imagine the rest.”

Jason sipped his popskull and nodded, “Bloody war it was, wasn’t it?”

The rest nodded, wobbled, clicked, and waggled antenna in agreement.

“But wait,” he said, putting his drink down, “I’ve seen on the telly that we evolved on Earth. You’re saying we was planted like seeds?”

Sylvia nodded, “Yes, and we’re compatible.”

“’Compatible?’” asked Jason.

Smiling, she called out, “Talia, you can come in now.”

A young girl, no more than ten walked in. She had Sylvia’s hair… and Tal’s eyes.

Staring at her for a moment, then looking down when he realized what he had been doing, Jason said, “Oh my god. It’s true.” Looking up, he then said “So that’s what you want me to tell everyone?”

Sylvia sat her daughter in her lap and hugged her. “Yes and no. What we want you to tell them is…”

He could hear the murmurs and angry whisperings from the crowd when he finished giving them the true history of life on Earth. The crew had taught him enough so that he wouldn’t sound like a loon when he broke the news. But that’s wasn’t the bombshell.

“Now, understand something,” he said, as the crowd grew silent, “they seeded us for one purpose and one purpose only: To find a race that could be both violent and peaceful at the same time. A bridge between hooligans and the angels. We humans, we Galactics are the most peaceful and sometimes, the most violent species around. Now, we’re not saying we are the only race capable of being peaceful. No. Species like the…” he paused as he remembered how to pronounce the name, “Greez!ebe! are pacifists. But they are small ‘p’ pacifists. If push comes to shove, they fight. Us Galactics have had people who refuse to hurt others, even other living creatures. Gandhi, Buddhists, others, would rather die than to hurt others. Big ‘P’ pacifists. Of course, they’ve good way to far in the other direction.”

“No, we, and this time I mean us, us humans, have a chance to do something, not only for ourselves, but for the whole galaxy. We can learn how to get along with each other.”

That got a laugh from the assembled dignitaries, to which Jason smiled and said, “Yeah, I laughed too at the thought. But, we’ve had lots of people who just want to get along and live together peacefully. Well now we have to figure out how to do it. And in the process, teach others how to do as well. And when I mean us, I mean all of us.”

He looked back up into the sky at the bright dot. The bigger ship, the Dormas Nuu. The Peaceship. The closest thing that the Anshani made to a warship.

Looking back at the crowd, he said, “The larger dot up there? That’s the Dormas Nuu, an Anshani Peaceship. Remember when I talked about the Kumbaya Device? The Dormas Nuu has one big enough to cover the whole of the Earth. And it will make every sentient being on this world sing and dance and be friends with one another. All of them.”

As what he said sank in, he saw the look of shock and fear cross many faces. “I’m sorry,” he said, “But we have to know. Ok guys, it’s dance time.”

The bright spot that was the Dormas Nuu glowed pink. And then, everywhere, people stood up and began singing a song of peace and love. They danced the dance of friendship. Some of the people were in zoos, behind protective walls, and were called Chimpanzees and Elephants. Some were in large aquariums, and were called Dolphins and Orcas. The Great Whales sang the song and danced in their own way, while Crows, Parrots, and Ravens sang along. In the deep, dark ocean, the Giant Squid’s skin flashed in colors in time with the unheard music. All the People of Earth sang and danced.

Then the light from the Dormas Nuu went out, and everyone felt love and friendship for each other, for while. Jason, who had been exposed to the device earlier, fought the rising tide of bile that he felt as the effect wore off. “Ok, some of you are going to be right mad at the folks in space. Dammit!” he swore.

“Right mad,” he said as he kept his temper, “But understand, look at the monitors...” And the large display behind him showed the supposed animals singing along with their keepers, with each other. “It’s not just us humans. It us Earthers… Dirters, whatever. We all need to learn how to live together. Because if we can do it, we can do it for everyone. We can all learn to get along.”

After the stadium quieted down, he continued, “But, much like Moses, I can’t be here to help. I’ve seen too much and I now know too much. I would contaminate the attempt. So, I have to leave. I’m going to bring some of my friends and family with me, and the invite will go out to certain folks to see if they want to go out there and see what’s what. I’m not saying we’ll never be back, no, but it will be for tea and biscuits, and a chat about the upcoming FIFA games.”

“They won’t stop you from going into space. However, they assure me that it will take a couple of centuries for Earth to make it to the stars. Hopefully by then, it will be as teachers and friends.”

He looked at the camera, “So, the task is before you. There’s not test, no passing grade. You either succeed or fail. I hope you succeed. I wish you all good luck, and Godspeed. I hope you do it. I hope that someday, we’ll all be friends, not enemies. All of us.”

[localfreshies]

New Post has been published on Local Freshies | Be a local wherever you go

New Post has been published on http://localfreshies.com/heavenly-kind-day/

A "Heavenly" Kind of Day

***RUMBLE*** The house shakes like a freight train. Is that lightning? Avalanche guns? Looking up to the skylights, you notice snow sliding over the glass at a fantastic speed. It’s a mini-avalanche! As the noise comes to a halt, you walk outside to the backyard. Standing in front of you is a six foot pile of debris! The weight of the snow collapsed the innocent garbage cans and plastic lawn chairs that were sitting there minding their own business. Looking at the snow mound, you are transported to the backcountry. You drop in… making one single turn on a pitch as steep as your roof, kicking off a massive avalanche. Joy transitions to fear. Shaking your head quickly, you snap yourself out of the terrible image of being buried underneath the heavy snow staring back at you. You now understand why most of the the ski resorts in Lake Tahoe remained closed during the biggest storm to hit since the legendary 2010-11 season. Once the storm does clear, you know it will be the greatest days of your life.

‘Twas the night before the Powder Day at Heavenly

Day after day after day the snow continues to stack up in front of the house. The small mole hills of snow transition to large mountains that are as high as your shoulders. The storm began with heavy, soupy slush that weighed-a-ton, but tonight, it’s deep, feathery and light. Six day totals at Heavenly Ski Resort are hitting over 130+ inches and counting. Is tomorrow the day that Stagecoach will open? Your friends working at the resort are saying that it’s all-hands-on-deck to shovel out the resort. In their words… “there’s a possibility but you never know.” With boards freshly waxed, gear stationed at the front door, you make the decision to attempt to get first chair. As you begin to drift off, you fall asleep to the thundering avalanche guns blasting Echo Summit.

The Bell tolls for the Powder Hound

If Christmas is for kids, powder days are for skiers & snowboarders. The alarm blares at a godawful time. Rolling over, you look at the clock with the bright red lights reading 5:00 am. You suddenly realize… today’s the day! Game on! Looking at the weather forecast, there’s still a 40% chance of snow but it’s supposed to clear. You make a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and a pot of coffee. Gearing up, you walk outside to see what’s going on. It feels warmer today due to the humidity in the air. A light dusting sits over the car, but Heavenly Ski Resort is reporting another 6 inches.

It’s 16 miles to Stagecoach, we’ve got a full tank, it’s dark out, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it!

Cranking the key, the truck roars awake. As your ride warms up, you throw the boards into the box, boots & outerwear go into the back. Reversing out of the short driveway, you head onto the street. The roads are icy & snowpacked so like Coop always says, “Slow yer roll.” Taking your time, you turn onto Pioneer Trail and drive through Stateline, NV. Looking around, the only ones up in the darkness are around the casinos… it feels like a ghost town.

Oh no!  The sign says “Road Closed!”

Making a right onto Kingsbury Grade, about a mile down the road there are lights flashing and a sign reading “Road Closed. No Thru Traffic.” Uh oh! Is there avalanche debris? You suddenly remember that past the entrance to the Stagecoach lodge there was a sink hole. You assume the road must be closed past that so you’ll be fine. At the same time, the low lying clouds become a deeper fog making it difficult to see only a couple of hundred feet in front of you. You continue driving hoping your right and you’ll make it to the entrance. Summitting you realize you are! The road is closed fifty feet past where you make the turn. Whew. Immediately, the road conditions deteriorate the closer you get to the parking lot. You slowly make the last switchback looking for the pull-in. The entrance appears and you can only see a few cars inside the lot and it looks like all employees. You’re the first one! Putting the truck in park, you step out to see what’s going on with the current weather conditions.

Freezing rain & fog…

The humid air and freezing rain plaster your face, making it feel colder than it is. Is the snow going to sour? Your faith begins to waiver, but you’re the first car so who cares! Lacing up your boots, putting on a fleece, and zipping up your coat, you’re ready. You check the Heavenly ski phone and they confirm that they’re going to open Stagecoach. Aw yeah, it’s gonna happen! Ready for the weather, you step out and hear one of the managers grumble that she doesn’t want them to open Stagecoach due to some issues. You ask another employee if they are going to open? They don’t know, but if they do, the earliest would be 10:00 am.

Neither snow nor rain nor cold nor gloom of night stops this lift

Instead of waiting in the terrible freezing rain, you sit in the car blasting some tunes. The clock inches toward 8:00 am and you make the decision to grab the boards and head to the lift. Walking over, doubt begins to creep in your head. Standing in line, you wait like a couple of patient popsicles. Your goggles begin to glaze over from the freezing rain hitting them. You do your best to block the precip, but it still happens. Looking over at the lift you can see ski patrol loading up.  Is it really going to open at 10 am?  From the crew arguing about the conditions, you get a bit concerned again. You push the negativity out of your head and think if nothing else, at least you get a story out of this day.

It’s go time!

At 8:45 am, the lift crew gets the green light and the crowd roars! The chair scoops you up and you begin ascending.  Looking down, the snow is a blank canvas… not a single track can be found ANYWHERE. AW YEAH!!! Did the freezing rain encapsulate that beautiful luscious pow? You’ll find out quickly.

The Chairlift slams to a complete halt

Suddenly out of nowhere, the chairlift slams to a complete stop. The chair swings forward, backward, up, and then down. Your stomach drops from it plunging 7 feet like a bungee cord. What happened? After a few minutes, your mind drifts to the last time you were evacuated by ski patrol by rope. You hope this isn’t the case again. As abruptly as it stopped, the chair begins again. This happens three more times until you finally make it to the top. Your friend says she’s NOT getting on the lift again, period! Visions of sitting on the lift for hours again is too much for her to process.

Blank canvas for your riding pleasure

With a ZIIIIIPPPP, snap, click, your boots are ratcheted into the bindings. The first bit of snow is hard and firm from the groomer but as soon as you get 50 feet past the lift, you point your board and go. Taking massive turns on the blank canvas, the worries and doubt about the day drift away. Did the freezing rain ruin the snow? Nope! Your board picks up speed and you float your way down the mountain leaving huge plumes of snow behind you. Turn after turn comes so easy, even in the fog. Making a quick right turn, you pull into the trees and stop for a moment. Looking around, you hear nothing and see no one. THIS is why you came out early. All first turns in peace and quiet. You continue your way down to the bottom giddy like a child.

Today was a good day and I didn’t even have to use my AK

Coming up to the chairlift, there’s still no one there. Looking over towards your friend she says, “LET’S DO THAT AGAIN!!!!” (Clearly she let go of her terrifying chair ride up.) A big smile comes over your face. Standing there, you realize it isn’t about the powder or the deep snow.  It’s about the adventure, the story, and most of all, time with people you care about. Like Ice Cube says, “Today was a good day and I didn’t even have to use my AK…”

[ecoorganic]

MMQB: Matt Rhule Leaning on College Experience in Carolina; Joey Bosa's Big Payday

Plus, Joey Bosa's contract was a milestone for his whole Bosa family, the Chiefs and Texans are getting closer to real football, Derrius Guice's release and the latest on opt-outs in the NFL and college.

Matt Rhule might’ve held the hot dog eating contest regardless. But the one he put on Friday—with the rookie linemen going head-to-head—definitely took on a different look than it would have otherwise.

For one, it was inside Bank of America Stadium, rather than at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Also, everyone was distanced, and those not going Joey Chestnut on the food were wearing masks. And it went down before a single Panther had so much as buckled a chinstrap for a Rhule-run practice.

Because of all that, the team-building exercise took on a new level of importance, too.

“At a time when guys can’t even see each other’s faces, because we’re wearing the masks, getting to know each other’s personalities a little bit is fun. And it’s important,” Rhule said on Saturday, the players’ first day off of camp. “With no tryouts, and when you sign somebody it’s taking four or five days to get them in the building because of the testing protocols, it’s more like college, in that your team is kind of your team. You have to find out what people can do.”

On this day, Rhule found out the young defensive linemen could crush hot dogs faster than their offensive counterparts. In case you’re wondering, the coach’s fellow Penn Stater Yetur Gross-Matos was the star, and the defense got a trophy and the right to show up to work a little later on Sunday for the effort.

Moreover, it gave him another way where maybe he could use his experience the last seven years as a head coach in the college ranks to his advantage.

That’s important too, because he knows the score here. Most people look at the spot he and the NFL’s other four first-year coaches are in, and think, Those guys have no shot. And Rhule acknowledges that there are challenges he, Joe Judge, Kevin Stefanski, Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy are facing now that are pretty unique to 2020.

“The hard things, you can identify them right away. We go out to the practice field and things as simple as, ‘Hey, here’s how we want to warm up.’; ‘Hey, here’s where I want you guys to stand’; ‘Here’s how we do this drill.’ We’re going through all that now—six weeks before the first game,” Rhule said. “That’s crazy. Those are things normally we would’ve done in May, and by now we’d have a really good feel for how we’d use our players, because we’d have worked with them.

“We’re sitting here in August and I still haven’t a full-sheet drill with anybody on our defense or offense yet. That part is gonna be hard. Evaluating your roster, not just on who makes your roster but how to use them is gonna be really hard. That part’s legitimately a challenge.”

But here’s the thing: Where Rhule lacks NFL head-coaching experience, he can lap the field in the level of challenges he’s faced in running football programs. Which has given him a lot of experience in finding answers.

On Friday, one was holding a hot dog eating contest. Over the next few weeks, he’ll need plenty more in just about everything he does.

***

We’re inching closer to real, live football practice—the Texans and Chiefs put on helmets on Sunday, becoming the first teams to do that en masse since K.C. and the Niners left the Hard Rock Stadium field six months ago. And that means actual football’s closer, which gives us a ton to get to in the MMQB. This week, we’re bringing:

• An inside look at how meaningful Joey Bosa’s contract was to the Bosa family.

• A window into the opt-out decision of high-end pass-rush prospect Greg Rousseau.

• The players’ view of how the early parts of camp have gone thus far.

And, of course, we’ll have our normal run of football-related notes. But we’re starting with Rhule and the Panthers, the challenges the coach has faced before—and how they serve him now.

***

Rhule arrived at Temple in 2013 to a down-trending program one year past moving from the MAC to the Big East (then renamed the AAC). He went to Baylor in 2017 and into something much worse—the program was coming out of a sexual-assault scandal, with players fleeing the program like rats off a sinking ship. And in both cases, Rhule told his staff, We’re going to roll with all these young players and live with their mistakes.

In both places, by the end of Year 1, a true freshman was starting at quarterback, and wins were hard to come by early on. Those Year 1 teams finished a combined 3–21.

“What we tried to do at both Temple and Baylor was to say, Hey, this is the way we’re gonna play,” Rhule said. “We refer to it as our brand. We wanted to establish our brand of football. So I look at it now, and I’m blessed in that on defense we have some guys who’ve played before in K.K. [Short] and Shaq Thompson and Tahir Whitehead and Tre [Boston] and Donte Jackson. But we’re also going to be counting on some young players—you have Jeremy Chinn, you have Derrick Brown.

“It’s similar in that we drafted all these young players, and we’re gonna put them out there and play with them. And what’s most important is that they play the way we want to play forever, that we’re a physical, fast football team, that we establish what we stand for, our style, our brand.”

So if you want to know what Rhule will prioritize, and try to build in the limited time he’s getting with his players before the opener against the Raiders in five weeks, that’s it.

But more interesting to me in talking to Rhule was how he’d go about getting there. You might’ve heard Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury say a few weeks back that he believed his experience in college would help him in navigating the truncated 2020 schedule, and there’s a lot of logic behind that. College coaches have to work around the 20-hour rule, class schedules and absence of a preseason, among other things, to get their teams ready.

That, in Rhule’s case, is just the beginning of where his experience leading college programs should help. Which is why, in this weirdest of years, I figured he’d be the most interesting guy in the league to talk to about finding solutions, with the dog days of camp coming. And the conversation didn’t disappoint. Here’s where we took it …

Where the protocols create issues for other coaches, Rhule finds some normalcy. And this isn’t about the amount of days or weeks teams get, it’s more about the way their days will go. Within the time prescribed, coaches will have to allow for testing, for increased or more complicated foot traffic to and from different meetings/workouts—and many of the players will be coming and going from home, rather than all together from a hotel.

It’ll be nuts for some, not for the Panthers.

“This practice plan looks so much like what we did at Baylor,” Rhule said. “And the thing about Baylor is, last year, our guys were in classes, in summer school, for the first two weeks of camp. So, literally, I was scheduling meetings around classes. Now, you come in and there’s protocols and those things, and it’s like, ‘Well, I’m used to that.’ You have to do what you have to do.

“This year, we couldn’t go away, we’re not all at one hotel. Well, we didn’t go away in college. Guys were living in their apartments. So from no preseason games to the scheduling challenges to all the things that come up in college, you just learn to say to yourself, Hey, what’s really, really important?”

Which goes back to the idea of establishing the brand.

And defining that brand may be more in execution, than diversity of scheme. Rhule wants his coaches to be realistic. Whatever the best laid plans were for the systems on offense or defense back in February or March probably aren’t realistic now.

“The thing I always tell our guys, we can be complex, but we can’t be complicated,” Rhule said. “To me, it’s about the amount of things you can do. I never want to sacrifice the football part and make it simple. But at the same time, we can say, Instead of doing 10 things well, we’re gonna do five things really well this year, and as the year goes on maybe we can add six and seven. Coaches don’t like that, because they always like feeling like they have bullets in the gun—I can do this, this and this.

“But players win games, so I want our players to be confident. We have five or six weeks to get our players confident.”

And he does believe his staff is positioned to do that. Remember, offensive coordinator Joe Brady took an LSU offense that had long been stepsister to that program’s defense, and broke all the records in a single year. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Phil Snow was with Rhule at Temple and Baylor, where they got a steady stream of 18-year-old freshman on the field right away.

“Every year, we’ve had to start a true freshman on defense, who are literally coming out of high school, straight from the prom, and all of a sudden he’s starting for you,” Rhule said. “You want to be complex, you want to have all kinds of things. But you also want your players to be ready to play and play fast. So we’d love OTAs for those freshmen. But they had to be ready to go. So being in a position where we’re gonna play first-year players and draftees, that’s something, as college guys, [Brady and Snow are] used to.”

Camp will be taxing. Pro football players, and their coaches, are conditioned to have a difficult couple weeks of camp to start, with things getting broken up from there with preseason games. This year will be different in that regard, too. And the result is a world Rhule’s lived in for all but one year (when he was with the Giants in 2012) of his professional life.

“It’ll be a true training camp grind, just practice after practice after practice, with no game in sight,” Rhule said. “It’ll be like college that way, gotta put your head down and just wake up every morning, go to work, rest, go to bed, wake up the next day and do it all over again. Without having the breakup in the monotony, with the game, preseason games do break up the monotony of camp, this will be a mental and physical test for everybody.”

And there’s benefit in that, as Rhule sees it. Where they’ve been talking through internet connections, and around rules since March, everyone’s about to get to know the guy next to him really well over the coming weeks.

“Life happens through interactions. It happens by being around each other. A lot of that happens on the practice field,” he continued. “To me, we’ve got a couple really hard weeks ahead where we have to grind. But I do think we’ve made the most of a difficult situation, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about things that are important. One of the great things about our staff is we’re very relatable staff in that we’re talking to guys one-on-one all the time. To me, that’s how you build something.”

There’ll be less time to get hard answers on players. And that’s what Rhule emphasized above when he cited the challenge in sorting out roles and decisions on the roster. How do you make up for it? As the coach sees it, you have the players compete—over and over again. Even the hot dog eating competition had a winner and loser, and those sorts of situations are what Rhule pointed to when I asked him what he’s most looking forward to.

“Competition,” he said. “I love one-on-ones, I love seven-on-sevens, I love competition. To me, I love practice. I don’t love those long, drudgery, grinding practices, but I do love competitive practices. So just watching guys who’ve been blessed with talent go out there and compete against each other, and raise their standard of play, is something I love. I love to be a part of that, so knowing that’s right around the corner, to me, is really, really cool.”

***

Now, finding normalcy, as Rhule can tell you, isn’t the same as things being normal. This summer hasn’t been, and won’t be, and the reminders of that are pretty constant.

“The first time on the field, I went to explain the first walkthrough, where I wanted guys to go,” Rhule recalled. “And the guys walked up, and they’re in a circle around me, but socially distanced, and I’ve got a mask on and a Janet Jackson mic over the top of the mask, and I’m trying to talk. It was really hard to communicate when people can’t see your face. It was to the point where I had to laugh and make fun of myself wearing the mask, and then we moved on.

“I would say that initial communication was probably the one time I was like, Wow, this is a little different.”

So maybe that isn’t why Carolina owner David Tepper went to the lengths he did to pry Rhule from the college game, and convince him not to interview with his hometown Giants in January. But Rhule’s ability to adjust and problem-solve is.

For the last six months, he’s shown that in spades. But everyone gets that this is just the start, and bumps are coming—especially the guys who were in Philly for 2-10 in 2013, and in Waco for 1-11 in 2017. The key, Rhule said, is he and his coaches continue to be “real honest” about where they are, both to themselves, and the players. And remember that if this all plays out as they plan for it to, down the line, these will become the good old days.

“When we went to the [AAC] championship game, and won the championship game at Temple, I would always tell our coaches, just remember we did our best coaching in the first year,” Rhule said. “And all the players that won a championship, they went through that first year. And then we went to Baylor, we were going through a tough first year, and I’d always tell our guys, Remember guys, we always talked about the first year at Temple, we never talked about the championship year—do your best coaching now.

“And so that’s the approach I’ve tried to take. The ethos of the Carolina Panthers will be built now. This is an opportunity for us to completely define who we are and how we do things. … So my challenge to our coaches is, This is really challenging, make this your best coaching job. Look, we always look back, we always romanticize and talk about the early days and it was hard and we were finding a way to get it done.”

Rhule then said, with purpose, “Right now, it’s hard. Let’s find a way to get it done.”

And if that means wearing masks during a hot dog eating contest, so be it.

***

After flinging aside QB after QB, Bosa will rake in more cash than any defensive player in history.

A MILESTONE FOR THE BOSA FAMILY

If Joey Bosa dreamed of a life-changing football contract back in the South Florida youth leagues, it’s fair to assume he didn’t see it going down like this.

But there he was, parked outside the Irvine Marriott, doing everything short of putting on the old Groucho glasses to keep anyone from realizing he was on the property. The orders to do so came from his agent, Brian Ayrault, thanks to the reporting deadline coming on the afternoon of July 28.

“I was off to the side where nobody could really see me, sweating and shaking, all sorts of nerves going through me,” Bosa said the other day. “I called a few teammates and I was like, ‘Don’t tell anybody, I’m just making sure, it’s still at the same hotel, right?’ So I was out there parked outside of the Marriott—you take a left to go in, I took a right and parked by some offices in some illegal spot. Luckily no one was there. But I was sitting there until literally two, three minutes before the reporting time ended.”

Then, Ayrualt called, “Head in, go take your [COVID] test, don’t say s---.”

By then, Bosa had the details—and if you watch the video that the Chargers posted on social media of him arriving at the facility, you can almost see through his mask that he’d just become the most well-compensated defensive player in NFL history. But soon thereafter, that grin Bosa was trying and failing to hide gave way to tears.

It’s not hard to figure out why. Few athletes have faced the level of expectation Bosa and his younger brother Nick have. Their dad, John, was the Dolphins’ first-round pick in 1987. Their mom’s brother, Eric Kumerow, was the Miami’s first-round pick in 1988. The brothers, three years apart in school, grew up close enough to the Dolphins’ practice facility to ride bikes there.

So from the time they took their first snaps—even with a dad who never coached them, and always tried to blend in like any other parent could—much was expected. And Joey reaching the contractual milestones he did, in many ways, signifies the last set of expectations met. Just as he delivered at blue-blood prep (St. Thomas Aquinas) and college (Ohio State) programs, the money shows he’s been all he was expected to be as a pro.

“There’s been a lot of haters along the way,” Bosa said. “A lot of doubters. But there’s also been a lot of people that have really believed in me. And to live up to and beyond those expectations for a lot of people, it means a lot. And I’m seeing it. I’m getting hundreds of texts from all these people that maybe I haven’t heard from in a while, but I couldn’t have been where I am today without. All these pieces to the puzzle that put it together.

“I internalize a lot of the stress. I’m a pretty stressed out guy because I put so much pressure on myself to perform. At the end of the day, I think I have higher expectations than anybody else has for me. It’s easy to live up to other people’s expectations when your own expectations are beyond theirs. Well, not easy, but you know what I mean …”

As you’d expected, Bosa’s first call was to his dad, and he rushed out of the team facility after taking that COVID test to place it—"I’m not sure it was a very family-friendly talk there, but pretty much a lot of screaming and yelling, and crying, a lot of crying.” And John did think back to the nine-year-old kid putting on football pads for the first time, and all the trips to games at St. Thomas Aquinas, Ohio State and in San Diego and L.A.

But most of all, the father thought of how proud he was that his son found his passion, followed it and became one of the best in the world at it.

“It’s just an unbelievable sense of pride,” John said. “Not too many dads have two NFL superstars as sons, you can probably count the families on one hand. So it’s such a blessing, to have two boys like that. And Joe, for him to achieve this, and for the Chargers to handle it like they did, the Spanoses, Tom Telesco, for that to happen, and to know he can be an all-time leader for them and have a chance to bring them to a Super Bowl, that’s cool.

“Then, to know that my little boy is about to this sign monster deal, that’s very hard to comprehend. It’s easy to talk about the numbers, any 25-year-old would have a hard time comprehending it. I’m 56, I’m having hard time comprehending it. It’s an amazing contract and what it means for generations of the Joey Bosa family, knowing that it’s my Joey that achieved that, that he made it to that point, there’s overwhelming pride.”

John Bosa remembered, too, how his kids would wake up for 6 a.m. for winter workouts as high schoolers, and he’d be up at 5 to cook them breakfast, never once having to prod or push them out the door—a pretty good sign they loved football independent of what their dad once did for a living. “I never pushed them,” he said. “They got bit by the football bug. I never remember, not one time, from the youth ranks through high school, ever asking twice about them going to a workout or a practice, they never complained.”

Because, as Joey will tell you, they loved it from the start.

And that also colors where John’s older son plans to take things from here. He mentioned maybe buying a boat, but said he plans the money to be, for the most part, “sitting around in a bank.” He also conceded that there is a heightened sense of responsibility, and that he may need to make his lead-by-example style, a “little more vocal.”

Mostly, though, Bosa’s belief is this should simplify everything. He’s signed through 2025 and, in his words, “Now, I never have to worry about money again.” Everything, again, becomes about football—where he’s never needed anyone to set the bar for him

“Getting 100 sacks would be a pretty cool goal,” Bosa said. “I think that’s a reachable expectation. I’m not really one to set a lot of concrete goals with numbers, I take it day-by-day, and I know if I do what I have to do every day, things are gonna play out how I want them to. But it’s really about winning a Super Bowl.”

And evidently, the Chargers think he can be an awfully big piece in getting them there.

***

GREGORY ROUSSEAU’S OPT-OUT DECISION

We covered the first three guys who opted out of the 2020 college football season—Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman and Penn State LB Micah Parsons—last week in the MMQB and GamePlan. Since then, with the whole college football season hanging in the balance anyway, we’ve gotten two more.

The big one was Miami DE Gregory Rousseau, an edge-rushing prospect who’s not what Chase Young was going into last fall but isn’t that far off. Which is to say he’s got a good shot to go in the top five picks, and that’s even knowing he won’t play a snap of real football during the 2020 calendar year.

Obviously, that was part of Rousseau’s decision. But there’s another piece to this, too, one that is, I believe, indicative of how deeply personal these calls are.

Rousseau says that back in March and April, as the pandemic took shape, the idea of leaving his Hurricane teammates wasn’t really on his radar. That changed as things worsened around him—and his view of COVID-19 intensified. His mother is an ICU nurse at the Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, and as spring turned to summer, South Florida emerged as one of the country’s coronavirus hotspots.

“So just seeing her go through it, and seeing what’s going on, made me really think about it,” Rousseau said. “I went over it with my family and weighed out the pros and cons, I realized I had an opportunity to help them, obviously I can get money from endorsements and stuff like that. And I wanted to give a little of myself if I had the opportunity to help out my family.”

His father, a mechanic, worked through the spike in the area too, and amidst all of that, one of Rousseau’s best friends contracted the virus. "He got pretty sick. He’s OK now, but his lungs, he said they’re not the same.”

All of that dealt Rousseau with a new reality, tipping the risk/reward scale toward the idea of leaving school to focus on the draft. And at that point, the hardest part was figuring out how to tell his teammates.

He and the other starters on the Miami defensive line lived close to one another, and they convened at a friend’s house for Rousseau to deliver the news. "They were sad, but they said, We understand, we feel you bro.” After that, the rising redshirt sophomore told a few other teammates before going to head coach Manny Diaz, who was very involved in Rousseau’s recruitment.

“We talked about it multiple times and I finally told him [Thursday], and he said, ‘Yeah, man, just go be great. Work hard, don’t settle, don’t change who you are,’” Rousseau said. “It was the best talk you could ask for, I’m so grateful he responded like that, and didn’t try to guilt trip me or anything.”

Rousseau added that, in taking part in all of Miami’s on-campus workouts until last week, he didn’t feel at risk. “This was more to help my family. Coach Diaz and the staff are doing a really good job of protecting the players at UM. I’m not sure how it’ll be when football starts, but they are doing the best job they can to keep everybody safe.”

And that was reflected in how the news got out. It actually came on Diaz’s pre-fall camp conference call with the media. The coach simply asked Rousseau beforehand, Hey, should I just announce it? Rousseau responded, Yeah, go ahead. And so it was done.

Now, it’s not like Rousseau won’t face questions. The obvious ones are there. He took a medical redshirt his freshman year after appearing in just three games, which means he has an injury history, and he’ll have only played in 16 games (the equivalent of one NFL season) between his senior year at Champagnat Catholic (enrollment from Grades 6-12: 213) and his rookie year in the NFL.

That said, he’s pretty confident in who he is as a player, after a 15.5-sack year as a redshirt freshman and, at 6' 7" and 254 pounds, there’s a lot of untapped potential there to mine.

“I’d say I’m definitely a blue-collar guy who’s really hard-working,” Rousseau said. “And I’d also say I’m very versatile, I can play in the 3-4 and drop back into coverage, I play a 9-tech, a 5-tech, 3-tech, 0-tech, I can play end on the D-line or I can stand up. I feel like I’m really versatile, I can do whatever a team needs me to do.”

Of course, it’ll be a while before he can prove it. For the time being, he’ll be working out at Bommarito’s, a well-known combine prep center, in Aventura, Fla. He’ll do the usual strength-and-conditioning work, and NFL combine prep, and mix in as much game-speed football work as he can (he wants to work on his get-off and hand placement, specifically) to try and stay sharp.

He knows, too, that nothing will replace the game action he’ll miss. But clearly, personally for him, there were bigger things at work here.

***

And while we’re here, some quick scouting reports on the three opt-outs (Rousseau, Pitt DT Jaylen Twyman and Purdue WR Rondale Moore) we didn’t cover in last week’s columns.

An NFC exec on Rousseau: “He’s polarizing right now. Some don’t see it with him, there are differing opinions. He’s only played one year, but it’s impressive in that first year to have 15.5 sacks. You’re going basically off 500 or so snaps. He’s a former high school receiver, he did play defense there too, so he’s pretty raw still. As a redshirt freshman, you saw a ton of upside. He’s a big, long dude, a good athlete who can drop his weight, and turn the corner. He has good ability to finish. He can close with some athleticism, and he has a pretty good feel for where the quarterback is, and how to get on him. He’s only gonna get better. His lower body strength, and overall strength, and power and physicality, all those things would be the question. If he proves himself there, he’ll be a really high pick. … And he’s supposed to be a real good kid. When you have so little info on a kid, because he hasn’t played much, that’s a real positive. If you’re taking a chance, you want it to be on a kid like that.”

A second NFC exec on Moore: “Super dynamic. He’s not as fast as Tyreek [Hill], but he’s just as dynamic, and really tough, really instinctive, too. He’s just a good football player. I don’t know if he’ll test well enough to go top 10, but the league is looking for guys like him. … It’s really the idea of him as a concept. He’s versatile, even though he really only plays out of the slot, because they move him around, and give him the ball in a lot of different ways. … The questions are his size, and I’m sure how fast he is, as far as timed speed. He might not be a 4.2 or 4.3 guy, I’d say he’s probably in the high 4.4s. But I still think he’s a first-rounder. … Call him Tyreek Lite.”

An AFC area scout on Twyman: “He’s an average athlete. Not dynamic. He was productive in 2019, but those stats were inflated and not reflective of the caliber of player he is, and he needs to improve his skill set against the run. I think he’s a third- or fourth- round type.”

***

CHIEFS, TEXANS INCH CLOSER TO REAL FOOTBALL

I’m not sure anyone realized it, but the first full-squad NFL practices of the 2020 season took place on Sunday in Kansas City and Houston. And while it wasn’t exactly a reenactment of Braveheart out there, helmets were worn, plays were run, and another step was taken.

“It felt like a little bit of an in-between type of practice,” said Texans tight end Darren Fells, now 34 and an eight-year NFL vet. “It was like a Phase II practice. But it was good to be out on the field, doing actual football stuff.”

“Honestly, it feels like OTAs, just with the days being a little longer,” said Chiefs tackle Mitch Schwartz, 31 and heading into his ninth year. “Based on what we’re allowed to do, it’s like it is April through June. You’re used to training camp being where you show up, take your physical, take the conditioning test, start practice, and we’d be right into pads already. Now, it’s been two weeks, and we’re still not in pads.”

Indeed, the Texans’ and Chiefs’ practices didn’t even allow the offenses to line up against the defenses—Schwartz described K.C.’s session with offensive backups standing in as defensive players and going off cards just to give the starters a cursory look. “I don’t wanna call it a walkthrough, but it was sort of a faster-paced walkthrough.”

The teams will have another day like that Monday. On Tuesday, they can put shells on and have competitive drills, and after a day off and another day like that, live contact for the teams start Friday. That first day of pads, by the way, is separated from the opener by just 27 days.

The other 30 teams are three days behind these two on the calendar—they’ll start with their “Phase II” work on Wednesday, and put the pads on Monday, Aug. 17.

“I personally love it,” said Fells. “As a vet, the biggest thing, in reality, is that injuries happen in camp. You’re beating up on each other. So instead of that, we’re working on the mental part of the game, we’re working on technique. I think it’s been very helpful. I don’t know how the games are going to be, but having this level of freshness physically is good.”

That said, Fells and Schwartz both agreed that, for young players, this circumstance steepens the hill they need to climb to win jobs and then roles for the fall.

Schwartz raised the example of Andrew Wylie. An undrafted free agent, Wylie spent 2017 bouncing from the Colts to the Browns to the Chargers and, finally, to the Chiefs, earning a spot on K.C.’s 2018 camp roster in the process. He came into that summer running with the 3s. But a strong preseason game vaulted him to the second string. And Wylie wound up starting 10 games that fall after Laurent Duvernay-Tardif got hurt.

“This is a tough one for young players, because you see players every year go up and down the depth chart based on camp and preseason games,” Schwartz said. “The element of showing the coach that he can trust you in a high-leverage situation is huge. You see guys who are awesome in practice and can’t translate it, and vice versa, and it’s going to be hard to make determinations on those guys in general.”

“One-hundred percent,” Fells said. “They missed a lot—OTAs, the mental aspect of the spring, getting to see the defense in front of you. The offense vs. defense piece is huge, because that’s where you see the speed of football at this level. It’ll be tough for them.”

The flip side—guys with knowhow and experience have an edge.

And it’s one both the Texans and Chiefs should carry based on how their rosters are made up. In fact, Fells pointed out not just the guys coming back off the 2019 Texans, but also how the brass emphasized acquiring a certain type of more experienced, more professional player this offseason. That wasn’t specific to the pandemic, but, as Fells sees it, it sure won’t hurt the group under these circumstances.

“Having vets on this team playing back in the same offense is huge,” he said. “We don’t have a ton of teaching to do. And the guys they did bring in, we have a lot of confidence in as teammates, they’re very professional. … You can just tell everyone’s focused, guys like [Brandin] Cooks and [Randall] Cobb know how to conduct themselves in meetings, know when to speak up, they aren’t making mistakes. That should be huge in a year like this.”

Which, as we’ve said a million times in this space the last few months, will be a year like no other—something evidenced again Sunday on those fields in Missouri and Texas.

***

TEN TAKEAWAYS

The NFL has to be happy with its testing results thus far. Obviously, the league would like to have zero opt-outs, and zero positive tests. But nearly two weeks into camp, with players now into the ramp-up period, this qualifies as positive news: Through nearly two weeks, the NFL has placed 105 guys on COVID-19 IR (and not all of those are positive tests, some are a result of contact tracing), and just 67 guys opted-out. If you take into account that around 2,700 players reported to training camp, less than 4% of the league has had to go on the COVID list, and less than 3% opted out. Also, 74 of the 105 who have gone on COVID-IR have come back already, and just 36 of the 67 opt-outs were under the voluntary category, meaning nearly half who opted out did it with a very specific medical reason. This reflects a couple things for me. One, I do think it shows that the raw number of guys wasn’t as high as some might’ve feared—the league was bracing for a large number of positives in the initial round of testing (for players to gain entry to facilities), and that didn’t happen. Two, I think it does show that players who want to play, and players who feel like they need to play (who might worry a job won’t be there for them when they come back) comprise a huge percentage of the league. And that’s one reason why the union’s goals aligned pretty seamlessly with the league’s during their negotiations—the focus for most was on getting a season started and finished, which required putting a premium on health and safety. Overall, if you’re an NFL fan, you should feel encouraged right now.

I think some positives arose from the Matthew Stafford situation last week. One, a team stood up for a star player and the league’s reaction wasn’t immediately to slap that team on the wrist. The Lions were aggressive in helping Stafford in this case. His false positive–after he tested negative on July 28 and 29—came on July 31. Later that day, the team got him tested again, which was the first of four negative tests he turned around before being reinstated on Aug. 4. And then, they went forward in saying, in a statement, that the positive was, in fact, a false positive. So good on Detroit for all that. And good on the league for seeing that, in a certain way, it was lucky to have a situation like this arise now. It perfectly crystallized the fear of a lot of NFL coaches, that a poorly-time false positive could sideline a starting quarterback for a game. (If the Lions were playing last Sunday, that would’ve been the case.) The league acted by updating its protocols to allow players who persistently test negative before and after a positive to be reinstated. So what happened with Stafford? It’s possible it was just a faulty test. I’m told one other scenario was that he already had COVID-19, and there were traces in his system detected, even though the virus is now gone. Either way, this situation created a pathway for players in Stafford’s situation not to miss games, which is a good thing.

Overall, people need to listen to character flags on players coming out of college. You may remember Derrius Guice’s mysterious draft-weekend fall a couple years ago. There was a ton of negative noise surrounding the ex-LSU star that April, and it was enough to scare some teams away. You may also recall why DeAndre Baker slid a little last year, with questions about his discipline and how he’d fit into a professional environment. I know people like to poke fun at the pre-draft process, but this is why teams basically have their area scouts doubling as private investigators on the ground (it’s often as important for them to have connections with local law enforcement as it to be close to the local offensive line coach), and have actual private investigators on retainer. I wrote a story on this years ago, in the aftermath of Aaron Hernandez’s arrest, and I still remember how then-Rams coach Jeff Fisher explained that the job is only beginning with the pre-draft vetting. “I've often said that when I first started as a head coach, 80% of your time, or thereabouts, was X's and O's,” Fisher said. "And now there are days and periods of time where that's flipped, where 80% of your time winds up being those other things, because my responsibility, in addition to a lot of other things, my ultimate responsibility is to make sure that the players are physically, mentally and emotionally right when they either step on the practice field or play on Sunday.” The fact is, teams wouldn’t pour the resources they do into turning over rocks on prospects if the off-field stuff didn’t matter. Guice and Baker show it does.

Guice, who averaged 5.8 yards on 42 carries, was unclaimed on waivers after Washington released him following his domestic violence arrest.

And credit to Washington for moving on from Guice as swiftly as it did. I’m not totally sure that it’s fair that Ron Rivera’s had to be the front man for so many different off-the-field things for the Washington Football Team this offseason (the nickname change, a sexual harassment scandal, now this), but I’ll say this—for a franchise that’s long had a history of internal back-stabbing, and one guy climbing over the next to get to the top of the flowchart, there is zero debate over who’s in charge now. This, in many ways, is how New England empowered Bill Belichick at the start of his tenure, and it’s the “one voice” way that a lot of coaches believe in. There’ll be very little question in that locker room who everyone is answering too. (And yes, it was a little awkward to see Rueben Foster, given his history, activated into a roster spot vacated by Guice. But Foster has been fine since arriving in D.C., so it’d hardly be fair to penalize him for someone else’s transgressions.)

Cam Newton hit all the right notes in his availability with the New England media. And he even stayed in character with the grandma-chic look. I took this quote, in particular, as a good sign of where he is, especially in how he referenced his end in Carolina, and the tepid market he faced in the spring: “It’s a breath of fresh air to be honest with you and a challenge I have to accept each and every day. But no challenge is ever going to be greater than a personal challenge that I challenge myself. Yeah, we all know what that was and what it was needs no mention. But at the same time for me, I think I have my hands full trying to learn as much in a short period of time. That’s what I’m trying to do—meeting with coaches day-to-day and getting assistance from Hoyster and Stiddy.” In one fell swoop there, Newton showed a lack of entitlement, an ability to compartmentalize what was an uncomfortable few months, and respect for new teammates who are in a competitive situation with him. Here’s the other thing—I’m not sure people understand how Newton’s teammates in Carolina loved him as a person. He never cared to fix public perception on that, but it’s true. And it’s also notable that he was a captain on a very tight-knit 2015 team that made it to the Super Bowl. So I think Newton will fit in New England better than some think.

Maybe I’m alone, but I think pushing Sunday games to Saturday would be a mistake. And I know that sounds nuts coming from someone who loves football—and I can’t wait to have football on my TV again. But I firmly believe that one of football’s great advantages as a televised sport is its scarcity. The NFL doesn’t ask of a fan what other sports do. Pro football is on three days a week, and the fact that it doesn’t require its audience to be locked in on a nightly basis allows each broadcast window to feel like an event. If you’re moving games to Saturday? Now we’re talking about something else. Let’s say the NFL, in the absence of college football, put tripleheaders on Saturdays. You’d have, very naturally, some real dogs as stand-alone games in those windows. On weekends with six teams having byes, you’d have seven games total in the four FOX/CBS windows at 1:00 and 4:25 p.m. ET. On weekends that four teams have a bye, you’d have eight games in those windows. So, to me, what I see here would be more bad games on national TV, and a destruction of the beautiful chaos that is the two Sunday afternoon slots (it’d also be tough for my buddies Andrew Siciliano and Scott Hanson on the RedZone channels). Would it drive me away? Of course not. I do this for a living and I’d be watching even if I didn’t. But looking at the casual fan (which is what the NFL is after), you’d be asking for that person to spend two full days on the couch watching a watered-down product. Which seems like one of those ideas that looks a lot better on a whiteboard than it does in practice.

I’m encouraged seeing the XFL bought by RedBird Capital and The Rock. The former has deep NFL ties. The latter was a football player before he became a pro-wrestler-turned-actor. And I think the two combined can bring a handle on the macro “football as a business” element of restarting the league, and micro “how we can serve players trying to make it” part of all this as well. The fact is, the NFL really could use a developmental league, and both the AAF and the latest iteration of the XFL showed that, even as they failed when it came to the bottom line. The challenge with constructing a viable minor league in football, given the cost in staging the sport and the structure of it in general, is always going to be finding a way to turn a profit. But this group, at the very least, should give the XFL a fighting chance.

This is why Calais Campbell is who he is: “The first thing you do when you come to a new team is you want to just show people your work ethic and how hard you're willing to grind, try to earn their respect. So I've spent the last couple weeks, and really the offseason program that we had virtually, just trying to earn my teammates’ respect." Remember, this is a guy who’s played a dozen NFL seasons, turns 34 on Sept. 1, and has made five Pro Bowls. And he is the one trying to win the respect of those around him. The Ravens got themselves the right kind of guy, like they usually do. Also, it’s interesting how Baltimore has stocked its defense with a number of third-contract guys—Campbell is joined in that category by Derek Wolfe, Earl Thomas and Pernell McPhee. That, of course, says something about what John Harbaugh and GM Eric DeCosta value.

Good to see the officials taken care of. The NFLRA got its group (of which a decent number is older in age) a pretty good set of options, amid the issues created by the pandemic. Game and replay officials can voluntarily take a leave of absence, no questions asked, with a stipend of $30,000 and a guarantee that their job will be waiting for them in 2021. Also, if an official tests positive for COVID-19 during the season, it will be treated as if that official sustained it on the field—making the official eligible for injury pay with his medical expenses covered. Obviously, there’ll be risk for the officials the next few months. This is a nice acknowledgement of that.

I’m fascinated by the Buccaneers. I’d like to think I knew I would be. But there’s such an interesting group (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, et al.) around Tom Brady, and then there’s the dynamic between Brady, Bruce Arians, OC Byron Leftwich and QB coach Clyde Christensen, and how Brady himself looks at 43, and this is all gonna be really, really intriguing. I know I’m not breaking new ground here. But that’s one team I’ll look forward to seeing in August, even in just a practice setting.

***

SIX FROM THE SIDELINE

1) The idea that college football isn’t happening in the fall is pretty devastating. My first thought is that I wish we’d had our crap together as a country in the spring. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if we had. My second thought is this is also thanks to the failure of the conference commissioners to work tougher earlier on solutions. I sensed a lot of anger toward those guys—and the NCAA—from the college coaches I communicated with Sunday night. And rightfully so. The buck was passed to the schools to come up with their own protocols months ago, and a pretty fair amount did a really good job with those, only to see this outcome. I’d be frustrated, too.

2) I think the fallout from this will be massive but not in the way a lot of people think. Football and men’s basketball will survive this. If I was a scholarship athlete in a sport other than those two at a major conference school, I’d be very, very nervous right now. It’s not crazy to think there might be athletic departments in the future that have football, men’s hoops, enough women’s sports to satisfy Title IX and that’s it.

3) I didn’t get to watch a ton of the PGA Championship on Sunday—I’ve been chipping away at this column all weekend—but I will say that these events being the West Coast is always awesome, because we get them coming down the stretch in primetime.

4) Playoff hockey still rules. Even in a bubble. Even in August.

5) The baseball season, on the other hand, has been an abject joke. Just a total mess.

6) Happy fourth birthday to my stud of a middle child Drew! (I’ll make sure he sees this on Monday morning, even if he probably won’t care much.)

***

BEST OF THE NFL INTERNET

I know this isn’t an NFL tweet. But Lawrence will be in the NFL soon. And I think it’s notable that the player in college football who needs the season least is one who spoke up and took a stand. I think it also underscores what a lot of people forget when looking at the sport like an econ graduate would see an accounting job—most of the guys playing it really love it, and don’t want it taken away.

And if the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft saying it wasn’t enough, here’s the leader to be the No. 2 pick chiming in, too.

Nine years after he retired, Mike Vrabel still looks like he could suit up.

Words to live by. And it recalls an old saying from the great Woody Hayes: “Anything that comes easy ain’t worth a damn.”

Fair.

It’s still strange—all these shots.

Also strange that this was supposed to be Hall of Fame weekend.

Furrey’s one of those guys who did some really crazy stuff over a short period of time that history will probably forget. His career was unique.

How did the Browns ever go away from these spectacular uniforms?

These mouth shields got shaky reviews in college football, after the guys at that level gave them a test drive. We’ll find out soon if NFL guys feel any differently.

***

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

We’ve got a big week ahead in the sport. College football faces a critical couple days. And NFL guys will put pads on for the first time, post-COVID. We’ll have you covered on both counts at SI—and be sure to follow the work Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger are doing on the college side. They’ve killed it through this mess.

As for the pros, we’ll see you guys later today for the MAQB.

• Question or comment? Email us.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/3ismciV

[truesportsfan]

How Mike Leach balances football analytics with an old-school mentality

BOSTON — For coaches like Mississippi State’s Mike Leach, the advent of advanced analytics means striking a balance between new technologies and old-school intuition.

“What these guys can do is utterly amazing, and I have a big brother complex. I don’t even trust my phone,” Leach said jocularly in a packed room at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston on Saturday.  “I did a lot of good things academically but slide rule and math, some of this MIT stuff — I wasn’t quite qualified for that. I don’t know how many people in your class are from Cody, Wyoming. Probably not very many.”

The panel was called, “Moving the Chains: Advancing Football Analytics” at the annual conference hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The event was attended by over 3,000 industry professionals, professional sports representatives and students. It aims to address technological advancements and their pragmatic applications, as well as endemic challenges in an ever-evolving landscape.

One of the topics discussed was the league’s shift towards more pass-heavy offenses, a trend that has been fueled in part by the analytics community.

“The last several Super Bowls have been Air Raid principles and nobody likes to throw it much more than New England lately. They didn’t start out that way either,” Leach said. The Bulldogs’ coach has been a long-time proponent for the Air Raid offense, a system which relies heavily on the quarterback position.

“The way I’ve always looked at it, as a coach, you’re always looking for an efficient way to run an offense, an efficient way to score, and an efficient way to move the ball. If you have a quarterback that can throw strikes, you can make six positions better – the quarterback position and the other five skill positions better,” Leach said. “The NFL Hall of Fame is full of guys who are great at elevating their offensive unit, that were great at making the players around them better.”

Leach spoke of the qualities he looks for in signal-callers and emphasized the importance of identifying quarterback talent early.

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“They’ll do these evaluations and say, ‘Well, all he’s gotta do is work on his accuracy.’ That’s not something you just work on. If the high school coach couldn’t make him accurate then he goes to college. College coach couldn’t make him accurate, somehow the NFL is going to magically make him accurate? Like hell they are,” he said. “You can develop a lot of things, and you can improve accuracy, but you can’t go from non-accurate to accurate, particularly consistently.”

Leach previously served as head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009. He is the school’s winningest coach and developed talent such as 1999 No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch (as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator), B.J. Symons who holds the Red Raiders’ record for passing yards in a season and Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.

He and the team had a public fallout in 2009 after Leach was suspended indefinitely following accusations of mistreatment by running back Adam James.

He later coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019 where he developed former Jets backup Luke Falk and Jaguars’ Gardner Minshew. Leach was hired by Mississippi State earlier this year.

Football has lagged behind other professional sports in terms of advanced analytics. The challenge for those evaluating talent is using those metrics to project success, something referred to as the “holy grail” on the panel.

“No position’s more scrutinized than the quarterback position and yet, it’s frequently evaluated poorly,” Leach said. “I’m not going to throw out any names because I don’t want to embarrass anyone, but there’s quarterback after quarterback after quarterback that looks like some adonis-looking guy who just isn’t a good football player. … It’s more than just how big, how tall, what he weights, how fast — it’s the ability to elevate the players around you and a lot of that is awful intangible. The best way to evaluate that is, do they elevate the people around them? Then you say, how do you evaluate that? I don’t have a perfectly good answer for that.”

Leach’s remarks on analytics and overall demeanor were a significant departure from the tenor of the rest of the conference. He joked about his difficulty pronouncing the word “cognitive,” and spoke about planting corn, Idaho supermarkets and chewing tobacco.

“I love analytics and all that, but I don’t have an analytic for evaluating what creates a situation, or how this guy can elevate a team different than this guy,” Leach said. “The ability to elevate the other 11 around you is the single most important skill a quarterback has. Can you elevate the other 11 players? Can you do it at a key time? Can you do it consistently? Can you do it without pointing fingers? I hate finger-pointing. I’ll break them of that. We’ve got a sand pit for that.”

Another hot topic in the analytics community is the decision to go for it on fourth down. Unlike many of his colleagues, Leach has maintained a bullish stance over the years, rooted more in gut-feeling than statistics.

“You guys are all gonna walk out of the room when you hear this. … I feel like half a failure if a kick a field goal. I feel like a total failure if I punt,” he said. “I believe in going for it on fourth down. Sometimes the karma, the momentum of your team is such that your chances are higher. The whole group chemistry, everyone thinking the same thing at the same time. You can almost feel a little bit it on the sideline. I know it sounds instinctual, I know it doesn’t do the number thing. As a coach, you do have the sense if your guys are playing well. The results may not be what you like but you have a sense if you’re playing well and everybody’s firing on all cylinders. That’s a good time to go for it on fourth down.

“I get a kick out these guys who say there’s no such thing as momentum. Baloney, these are people, they’re not spark plugs.”

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/how-mike-leach-balances-football-analytics-with-an-old-school-mentality/

[junker-town]

NFL Panic Index 2019: Tom Brady’s backup is a rookie with zero experience

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

We also check in on Zeke and the Cowboys, Kyler Murray’s rookie outlook, Jimmy G’s comeback chances, and (gulp) the Bears’ kicker situation.

This is it. No, not the Kenny Loggins song, cowritten by Michael McDonald. Right now, at this very moment, is the height of NFL optimism. The new season is approaching. Every team is on equal footing. There is still hope for all 32 fanbases.

Here’s where the but — no, not the E.U. song featured in the film School Daze — comes in. There is also a lot uncertainty, those nagging thoughts in the back of your mind that keep you awake at night. Maybe an entire offseason of buildup will fail to meet expectations. Maybe your team will do nothing but disappoint.

So let’s talk about it. What SHOULD you be worrying about at the outset of the 2019 season, and what can you just shrug off?

The Patriots don’t have a known commodity as their backup QB anymore

If Tom Brady gets hurt in 2019, things could go very, very wrong for the Patriots. Here’s what New England’s current quarterback depth chart looks like:

a 42-year-old with 309 career NFL games and 10,964 NFL passes under his belt

a 23-year-old rookie from Auburn with 0 career NFL games and 0 NFL passes

end of list

The Pats’ decision to release Brian Hoyer means the league’s oldest non-kicker is now being backed by a player whose only pro experience came in the preseason. Jarrett Stidham’s solid exhibition performance was enough to push New England into a two-man quarterback room when final cuts came down.

Hoyer was rumored to have been waiting on a roster spot to open up before rejoining the Pats, a la Demaryius Thomas. Any plans to re-sign Hoyer were promptly dashed, though, when the Colts offered him a three-year, $12 million deal to back up another former Patriots draftee, Jacoby Brissett.

Losing Hoyer robs New England of a high-floor, low-ceiling passer who has served as one of the league’s better backups over the past decade. He was also a strong locker room presence and a support system for Brady. In his place steps Stidham, a fourth-round pick whose efficiency dropped every year after his 2015 debut with Baylor.

While the rookie underwhelmed in his transition from playing Big 12 defenses to SEC ones, his preseason gave New England reason for confidence. He completed nearly 68 percent of his passes while throwing four touchdowns and just one interception, and his 8.1 yards per attempt average was a full half-yard higher than his senior year at Auburn. If he can keep that up, he might just be the next diamond Bill Belichick has dug out of the mid-rounds of the draft.

Or he could be the next Ryan Mallett or Kevin O’Connell.

Panic index: Brady had thrown three career passes before taking over for Drew Bledsoe in 2001. Matt Cassel had thrown 72 passes in the prior seven years — at USC and with New England — before leading the Pats to 11 wins in 2008. Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo each turned out pretty well.

Besides, Touchdown Tom hasn’t missed a start since his Deflategate suspension and hasn’t missed a game to injury since Cassel played his way into a (NSFW) K-Swiss endorsement deal. New England’s gonna be fine.

What’s going on with Zeke and the Cowboys?

Ezekiel Elliott finished the 2018 season with 1,434 rushing yards and 567 receiving yards. Those 2,001 yards from scrimmage accounted for 36.4 percent of the Cowboys’ total offensive production.

Now Elliott’s status is in doubt, at least for Week 1. If he doesn’t suit up, Dallas is going to have to fill those numbers on offense without him.

Elliott is holding out from the team in hopes of getting a contract extension. That’s not an easy pursuit for running backs, but right now, things are looking up that he’ll get a deal done before Week 1.

Even if he does, the question becomes how game-ready Elliott will be. Despite Jason Garrett being adamant that Zeke can pick up where he left off, that’s easier said than done, especially after he missed all preseason. Two years ago, Le’Veon Bell followed a similar path. He returned to the Steelers before their season opener, and then rushed for just 32 yards on 10 carries against the Browns. It took Bell until Week 4 to find any sort of groove.

If Elliott doesn’t sign a new contract or isn’t at his peak performance, the Cowboys will have to turn to a rookie. Tony Pollard was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and had a grand total of 15 carries in preseason.

Panic index: While he didn’t see much action, Pollard looked damn good in his limited time in preseason. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and ran through four Rams defenders on a 14-yard touchdown.

Still, the Cowboys could be in real trouble without Elliott or with a rusty Elliott. He’s a workhorse back who’s averaged 21.7 rushing attempts per game in his NFL career. Pollard only topped 10 carries in a game twice during his career at Memphis and never once got to 20 rushing attempts.

The Dallas offense is largely built around Elliott. Matchups against the Giants, Washington, and the Dolphins in the first three weeks are easy enough that the Cowboys could start 3-0 without him. But a significant dropoff from Elliott to Pollard should be expected and could cause Dallas to stumble out the gates.

Kyler Murray sure looks like he’s in for a long rookie season

Turning around a struggling Cardinals franchise is no one-year task. If Kliff Kingsbury is going to silence doubters he’ll have to present evidence his air raid offense can work in the NFL. That all begins with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft — and it might be a struggle.

Kyler Murray suffered through an up-and-down preseason in his introduction to the league. He started with a 6-of-7 passing performance for only 44 yards in a Week 1 win against the Chargers, then bottomed out a week later by completing only 3 of 8 passes and taking an avoidable sack in the end zone in a loss to the Raiders. Though he rebounded the following week (14 of 21 for 137 yards), his 5.4 yards per preseason attempt was the lowest number from any of the Cardinals four quarterbacks during the exhibition circuit.

Murray doesn’t exactly have the tools he’ll need to thrive, either. Arizona’s offensive line remains a work of progress and was responsible for 52 sacks last year. Then-rookie Josh Rosen took the worst of those lapses, getting swallowed up on more than 10 percent of his dropbacks.

While Larry Fitzgerald remains the linchpin that holds the receiving corps together, he’s not surrounded by proven talent. Christian Kirk will have to make a big leap after a promising rookie season and will be playing with his third starting quarterback as a pro. Second-round pick Andy Isabella has dealt with injuries and struggled in limited preseason action. Hakeem Butler, who looked like a fourth-round steal back in April, was ineffective in training camp and will miss the season due to a broken hand. David Johnson, one of the league’s best receiving tailbacks, has been so thoroughly beaten down by the Cardinals experience that no one’s quite sure what he’ll bring to the table in 2019.

Still, Murray possesses an indefinable playmaking quality that made Oklahoma greater than the sum of its parts last fall. If he can do the same after a rocky preseason, he’ll make Kingsbury — and the Cardinals — look like geniuses.

Panic index: 2019 is a lost year for Arizona no matter what. As long as Murray doesn’t pick up the kind of bad habits that can derail his career and shows some kind of growth, Kingsbury can breathe easy. For one year, at least.

Jimmy Garoppolo might not bounce back in 2019

Even though Jimmy Garoppolo has been in the league since the 2014 season, no one really knows who he is as a player. The vast majority of his time in New England was spent sitting behind Tom Brady, which shouldn’t be held against him.

Since he was traded to the 49ers during the 2017 season, there have been two different versions of Garoppolo that we’ve seen. He was stellar in the final five games of that season, posting a QB rating of 80.7. That mark would’ve ranked first in the NFL if he had enough qualifying snaps.

His 2018 season wasn’t off to as great a start before he tore his ACL in Week 3. His yards per attempt dropped from 8.8 in 2017 to 8.1 in 2018 and his QB rating plummeted to 26.9 — that would’ve ranked second to last in the NFL (above Josh Rosen) if he had played enough snaps.

Garoppolo’s 2019 preseason was inconsistent, to say the least. He had a practice in which he threw five straight interceptions and then completed just 1 of 6 passes for zero yards and an interception in his preseason debut against the Denver Broncos. However, he bounced back in a strong way against the Chiefs, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown in about a half of game action.

Panic index: There isn’t too much to be concerned about yet with Garoppolo. He might be a bit shaky to start off the regular season, but he’s a great fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He has the poise, accuracy, and athleticism to be a playmaker for the 49ers. He just needs to stay on the field.

The Bears kicker is ... (checks notes) ... Eddy Pineiro

It wasn’t long ago that fans of the Chicago Bears were talking about the potential of solving all of their kicker woes with a trade for Robbie Gould. Gould, now with the San Francisco 49ers after spending the bulk of his career in Chicago, wanted out. More than that, he wanted to go back to Chicago with his family.

Many felt it was only a matter of time before the 49ers traded Gould to the Bears, who happened to be searching for a reliable kicker after Cody Parkey’s missed field goal was the catalyst for their early exit from the playoffs. Fast forward to now and Gould is (seemingly) happily still with the 49ers and the Bears are starting the season with a guy who has never attempted a kick in the regular season: Eddy Pineiro.

More than that, they’re proceeding after one of the weirdest, sometimes-problematic, and oddly secretive kicker battles ever, as detailed by Sports Illustrated. That competition included intense golf-inspired analytics, oddly nebulous coaching points, far too many people, and a coach who seemed obsessed to the point of concern with Parkey’s miss in the playoffs.

And this is all on top of Parkey himself being a fine kicker who probably would have beaten out all nine of the guys in the competition.

Panic index: The Bears will hardly be the first team in history to enter the season with a young, unproven kicker. But they are a high-profile team, so if things go awry, they go awry in a very big way, as they did in the playoffs last year. There is plenty of reason to worry, but hey, at least Pineiro looked good in the preseason, going 8-for-9 on field goals with a 58-yarder.

[televinita]

Library Triage Time

I have made pretty good progress since my last post, but I’ve started to stall out again, and I’m holding on to so many library checkouts I’ve read or watched but keep wanting to look back through that I can hardly keep track of what is actually still on my to-read/to-watch list, not to mention ones I still need to check out...so I think it’s time to talk it out again.

CURRENT CHECKOUTS

1. Brush of Wings - Karen Kingsbury: I am gonna power through this because the summary promises that Mary Catherine’s storyline is like 70% identical to Ryan Clark’s (Off the Map) and that is what I went hunting in the library catalog for, but after suffering the previous Walking Angels book I am already girding myself against the awful writing.

2. The Many Lives of John Stone - Linda Buckley Archer:

The last holdout from January, put off because it is very thick and I am just about satiated on both sprawling manors and historical fiction that contains them at this point. It is Officially Due March 7 and I am about to run out of time, but goonies never say die so it stays here until that day.

3-4. The Secret Keeper or The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton: Speaking of being satiated -- I was just enthralled by The Lake House, and my first instinct was to stock up on more, but that also required several hours of reading commitment, and now I wonder if I shouldn’t let that reading experience percolate and settle a little more before I pack in a similar story.

PENDING REQUESTS

5. Heart Like Mine - Maggie McGinnis: I’m still on the prowl for Ben/Ryan shaped stories, but after getting bogged down in anguishing Grey’s Anatomy clips last night, I might run with Derek/Meredith for this one instead.

6. The Raft - S.A. Bodeen: Terror at Bottle Creek proved somewhat disappointing, so I’m hoping a survival adventure with a female protagonist will turn it around.

7. Bobby’s Watching - Ted Pickford: A book I was attracted to but too scared to read more than a few pages of as a kid, which the library purged so long ago I forgot what it was called, but I recently found it again thanks to a “what was that book?” post and now I want to see how it turns out. EDIT: ...I mean, if I feel like buying it I guess; THANKS FOR NOT HAVING IT IN STOCK, EVERY LIBRARY IN MY STATE.

8. When Crickets Cry - Charles Martin: I dunno exactly how I’m going to cast this, but there is so much hurt/comfort/emotion on the table that there’s gotta be something spectacular I can do with it.

BOOKS I OWN

9. The Ghost at Kimball HIll - Marie Blizzard: an adorable looking 1950s teen book I just bought.

10. The Things a Brother Knows - Dana Reinhardt: Bought for a quarter at a library sale. I should know better than to read this; Dana has averaged a 2.33 star rating from me across 3 books so far, but I’m kind of in the mood for a brothers-bonding story so Imma be reckless.

MOVIE CHECKOUTS

11. Autumn in New York: Listen. I don’t care how mocked or panned this is. It simultaneously pings my “middle aged dude charmed by bright young thing” AND my hurt/comfort radars and it stars gorgeous people to boot. This movie answered my dreams before I was old enough to dream them. I cannot believe I only just heard of it last year, and finally got around to checking it out.

12. When A Stranger Calls (2006): Because “The Strangers” wasn’t checked in at this location, and I’m revving up my horror movie palate in preparation for The Strangers: Prey at Night.

13. The Strangers: See above. I can’t believe I’ve never seen this; it really looks like my kind of thing.

14. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: First of all, because Dude Movies seem to be my accidental wheelhouse and the fact that this was panned as such makes me more convinced I’ll like it, and second of all, because Charlie Hunnam keeps being in things that are, and consequently making himself, relevant to my interests, and while I’m still insisting he does not twitterpate my heart, he is quite enjoyable to look at as he disappears into his roles.

[lipwak]

VHS #329

American Roots Music 1-4 PBS, Down From The Mountain concert at the Ryman Auditorium with O Brother Where Art Thou musicians, Life and Times of Bill Monroe, Agnazar - A singer from Badakhshan, Coleman Barks & Paul Winter Consort - 3 Rumi poems (2002?) Geraldine R Dodge poetry festival, Ray Charles at the White House 2003 Correspondent's Dinner, 4/26/03. *** American Roots Music 1-4 Produced by Ginger Brown/The Ginger Group Narrated by Kris Kristofferson (Ginger reads some credits, Buzzy Hum mixed it…)2001 http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/ Episode One: When First Unto This Country Marty Stewart, Bernice Johnson-Reagon, Ricky Skaggs, Robert Mirabel, Gillian Welch, Bonnie Raitt, Rufus ThomasMy Blue Ridge Cabin Home - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason track gangTurkey in the Straw at a fiddler's convention Dinah - Louis Armstrong Mary, Don't You Weep  -  Georgia field hands Home on the Range - Jules Allen The Fisk Jubilee Singers Mavis Staples Rockin JerusalemSteal Away - the Princely Players, Joshua Fit de Battle, spirituals James D. Vaughn and the Beginnings of Southern Gospel, Ralph Stanley,  Gordon Stoker, Doyle Lawson Amazing Grace - a group of Shape Note singersWhere the Shades of Love Lie Deep -Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver The First Recording of Vaudeville Blues and Hillbilly Music Arlo Guthrie, Pete Daniel, Rufus, Paul Kingsbury, Merle Haggard Lonesome Blues - Louis Armstrong Crazy Blues - Mamie Smith St. Louis Blues - Bessie Smith Will the Circle Be Unbroken - the Carter Family Old Joe Clark  - Fiddlin John Carson, the start of country music records Wildwood Flower - the Carter Family, Bristol sessions Keep on the Sunnyside - the Whites, AP Carter collected songs and reworked them Waiting for a Train  - Jimmie Rodgers Never No Mo Blues - Doc Watson In the Jailhouse Now - Jimmie Rodgers Country and Delta Blues Bonnie, Keb, Robbie Robertson, Keith Richards Henry - Keb' Mo' Death Letter Blues - Son House John the Revelator  - Son House Crossroad Blues  - Robert JohnsonLove in Vain Blues  - Keb' Mo' Love in Vain Blues   - Robert Johnson Boogie Woogie Dream  - Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons, 1930s Foldin' Bed - Whistler's Jug Band The First Recording of Cajun and Tejano Music  (brief mention only) Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza The Influence of Radio and the Grand Ole Opry Ranger Doug (Riders In The Sky), Mike Seeger, Sam Phillips, Doc Take Me Back to That Old Carolina Home  - Uncle Dave Macon, old but regular Fox Chase - DeFord Bailey Great Speckled Bird  - Roy Acuff Hillbilly Fever - Roy Acuff The Father of Gospel Music Thomas Dorsey, It's Tight Like That - Tampa Red and Georgia Tom (Dorsey), after he lost money he turned to gospel He's Blessing Me - The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses If You See My Savior - Thomas A. Dorsey and Sallie Martin Precious Lord - Thomas A. Dorsey Precious Lord - The National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses Mike Seeger - The Cuckoo *** Episode Two: This Land Was Made For You And Me Opening Sequence: Lord, Lord - Mamie Smith Boogie Woogie Dream - Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons Cowboys and Western Swing Tumbling Tumbleweeds - Douglas B. Green (Riders In The Sky) Tumbling Tumbleweeds -  The Sons of the Pioneers Pete Seeger talks about John LomaxLay My Burden Down - Turner Junior Johnson Unknown title - Ken Maynard on fiddle Back in the Saddle Again - Gene Autry Silver Haired Daddy of Mine - Gene Autry A breakdown - Bob Wills Merle Haggard, Ray Benson and Willie Nelson talk about Bob Wills, Bob wanted to sing like Bessie Smith (Ray) Sitting on Top of the World - Bob Wills (distorted) Bonnie Raitt talks about the Lomax field recordings Early Folk Revival: Good Night Irene - Lead Belly Alan Lomax talks about LeadbellyPick a Bale of Cotton - Lead Belly Gray Goose - Lead Belly Leadbelly met Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie in NYThis Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie Arlo talks about his dad, voice of Woody talking about the dust bowl Blowin' Down the Road - Woody Guthrie, pic of him singing in the subway, Marty Stuart talks about WoodyJohn Henry - Woody Guthrie with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGeeWoody joined the Almanac Singers, This Land is Your Land, songs could bring about social change, Studs Terkel Bluegrass: John Henry - Bill Monroe Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Bill talks about singing in church, learned music by ear A Voice from on High - Bill Monroe Mike Seeger talks about Bill, James Monroe, Earl Scruggs Sally Goodin'  - Earl Scruggs Doc Watson and Bela Fleck talk about Earl's banjo playing. Rabbit in a Log - Flatt and Scruggs Salty Dog Blues - Flatt and Scruggs Monroe didn’t want Flatt and Scruggs to go on the Grand Ole Opry until Martha White Flour insisted Earl's Breakdown - Earl Scruggs (at Newport) Earl's Breakdown - Earl Scruggs and friends Country, Honky Tonk: Dark as a Dungeon - Merle Travis Paul KingsburyNine Pound Hammer - Merle Travis If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time - Lefty Frizzell Kitty Wells, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson talk about honky tonksI'm Walking the Floor Over You - Ernest Tubb Always Late With Your Kisses - Lefty Frizzell (distorted) I Want to Be With You Always - Merle Haggard It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels - Kitty Wells Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams … Robbie Robertson talk about Hank The Blues & Radio: Your Funeral and My Trial - Sonny Boy Williamson King Biscuit Time - couldn’t give away the flour... Bye, Bye Bird - Sonny Boy Williamson King Biscuit Time Theme - James Cotton (wanted to be just like Sonny Boy Williamson) Take a Little Walk with Me - Robert Lockwood Jr. with James Cotton BB King talked about listening to Sonny Boy Williamson during an hour off for lunch when he worked on a plantation Rufus talks about BB, BB talks about Memphis,Sweet Little Angel - B.B. King WDIA first black station in the nation, Sam Phillips, I'll Be Back Someday - Howlin' Wolf Sun Records/StudioI'll Never Let You Go Darlin’ - Elvis Presley BB talks about ElvisThat's All Right Mama - Elvis Presley Blue Moon of Kentucky - Elvis PresleySam talks about Blue Moon and Bill Monroe *** Episode Three: The Times They are A-Changin’ Opening Sequence: Foldin’ Bed - Whistler's Jug Band Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Earl Scruggs Electric Chicago and Urban Blues: Rollin' and Tumblin’ - Muddy Waters Keb Mo, Marshall Chess, Muddy Waters talk about Chicago Rock Me - Muddy Waters BB, Bonnie Raitt, Marshall Chess, Rufus Thomas talk about Muddy Got My Mojo Working  - Muddy Waters (with James Cotton) Willie Dixon - unknown songBuddy Guy, Marshall, Hubert Sumlin talk about WillieShake for Me  - Howlin' Wolf Bonnie talks about Howlin’ Wolf - take me, take me, take meKeith Richards talks about MuddyI'm Ready  - Muddy Waters Three O' Clock Blues - B.B. King Rufus, Koko Taylor, BB, Keb talk about BBHow Blue Can You Get?  - B.B. King The Thrill is Gone  - B.B. King Cissy Houston, Keb, Flaco Jimenez, WIllie talk about BB Gospel's Golden Years: Do You Call that Religion?  - a quartet of oyster shuckers Blind Barnabus - the Golden Gate Quartet BB KIng and other talk about the GG QuartetWade in the Water  - the Soul Stirrers Down  the Riverside - Sister Rosetta Tharpe Bonnie, others, mavis Staple talk about Sister Rosetta Tharpe He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - Mahalia Jackson Mahalia worked for Thomas Dorsey selling sheet music, Mitch Miller promoted herMove on Up a Little Higher - Mahalia Jackson Come on Children Let's Sing - Mahalia Jackson When the Saints Go Marching In - the Clara Ward Singers CL Franklin, Sam CookeSit Down Servant - the Staple Singers Robbie Robertson, Mavis, Marty Stuart talk about the Staple Singers Folk and Blues Revival: Good Night Irene  - The Weavers Pete talks about The Weavers and Gordon Jenkins, Decca Record Co totally dumbfounded over success of first recordHarold Leventhal, talk about Carnegie Hall concert and blacklisting, Peter YarrowSo Long, Been Good to Know Ya  - The Weavers Tom Dooley - The Kingston Trio Harry Smith's American Anthology of Folk MusicThe Soldier and the Lady  - the New Lost City Ramblers John Cohen, MikeSeeger, (Dave Van Ronk song), John Sebastian, Washington SquareIf I Had a Hammer - Peter, Paul and Mary Peter talk about PP&M, Albert Grossman, Bitter End, the rest is historyA Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan Dylan becomes Woody, John Cohen, John Sebastian, Pete Seeger on DylanThe Times They are A-Changin’ - Bob Dylan Newport Folk Festival, Ralph Rinzler looked for talent for NewportCuckoo Bird - Clarence Ashley Doc Watson - son, I believe you’ll do (Ralph)Way Down Town - Doc Watson Spike Driver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt Dick WatermanWe Shall Overcome - Odetta with The Freedom Singers Blowin' In the Wind - Peter, Paul and Mary Juke -  the Paul Butterfield Blues Band Dylan went electric at Newport with Butterfield Blues Band backing him, Pete retells story of wanting to change it Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Bob Dylan *** Episode Four: All My Children of the Sun Opening Sequence: The Times They are A-Changin’ - Bob Dylan We Shall Overcome - Odetta and The Freedom Singers Cajun & Zydeco: Dans La Louisianne - Marc & Ann Savoy Marc talks, Ralph Rinzler looked for music there, Port Arthur Blues - the Balfa Brothers La Valse Criminelle - the Balfa Brothers, 1975Steve Riley, Savoy jam session, over 100 accordion builders in LA, Ann Savoy Zydeco Two-Step - Clifton Chenier Marc talls of Clifton Two-Step d’Amede - Marc Savoy I'm a Hog for You Baby - Clifton Chenier  at Jazz Fest Ossun Two-Step - Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys during Mardi GrasAnn Savoy La Valse de Mardi Gras - the children of  the Basile Mardi Gras trail ride Tejano: Rosalito - Valerio Longoria with Little Joe Hernandez and Mingo Saldivar Flaco, bajo sexto, Valerio made the accordion sound Cajun-y (Saldivar)Las Nubes/ The Clouds - Little Joe y la Familia with Valerio Longoria and Mingo Saldivar Ring of Fire - Mingo Saldivar!Sorry Boy - Flaco Jimenez, rock?? Native American Pow Wow and Crossover: Traditional Powwow Drumming  - Renzel Last Horse and his group Robert Mirabal, Floyd Red Crow WestermanTraditional Powwow Drumming  - Nellie Two Bulls and Lakota children Robbie Robertson, native americans used to follow the buffalo, now they follow the pow wowWounded Knee - Floyd Red Crow Westerman Enchantment Song - R. Carlos Nakai Jesus Loves Me  - Everette Red Bear and Sandor Iron Rope of the Native American Church, peyote The Dance - Robert Mirabal, native american rock operaSmithsonian Folk Life Festival Century Wrap Up: Stomping Grounds - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, one of the first integrated bands on the circuit Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins with the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, hit on underground rock station in SF, then NY... Stomp Remix - Kirk Franklin Hoochie Coochie Man - Billy Branch with Pinetop Perkins, John Primer and Willie Big Eye Smith Mannish Boy - Billy Branch with school kids Rock of Ages - Gillian Welch, repackaged… alt/no depression, Steve Earle Train on the Island  - the Old Crow Medicine Show Little Maggie - Ralph Stanley Get Up John - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Worried Man Blues - Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, James Cotton and Marc and Ann Savoy, Stewart Duncan on fiddle *** O Brother and Beyond - Down From The Mountain Musicbenefit concert, CMT1/2 hr, s, 2001missed beginning Coen Brothers, T-Bone Burnett, Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski, I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow, Fairfield Four, music recorded before the movie then they performed for playback, "Down From The Mountain" concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 24, 2000 filmed by DA Pennebaker, Fairfield Four - Lazurus (https://youtu.be/sxSRkYaGgDc) this clip, The Cox Family, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Alison Krauss (https://youtu.be/tCQiCCnn9IQ), The Whites, John Hartford, Alison Krauss, Chris Thomas King, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - My Dear Someone (https://youtu.be/lswjecWmJkM), Ralph Stanley. *** Life and Times of Bill Monroe 1 hr, cmt, smissed beginning1996 Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Mac Wiseman, Sonny Osborne, birth, Charles Wolfe, Arnold Shultz, Uncle Pen, moved north, worked at Sinclair, Monroe Brothers, fighters, The Bluegrass Boys, John Hartford, Muleskinner Blues, Chubby Wise, Flatt and Scruggs, baseball, tent shows, when band members left he wouldn’t talk to them for years, Del McCoury, took a long time to accept other bluegrass groups, Ralph Rinzler, doesn’t talk much. *** Agnazar - A singer from BadakhshanPersian music 1/2 hr, 2002sibilant narration lyrics by Rumi, wedding, funeral songs, dancing, top themes - girls, girls and girls, *** Bill Moyer’s - NowColeman Barks & Paul Winter Consort 3 Rumi poems (Geraldine R Dodge poetry festival 9/22/02?, Sun am session I just missed?)(https://youtu.be/a-AX6_YrsWM) this clip!2003 Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field...Who makes these changes? ...Today, like every other day, we woke up empty and frightened. ... *** Ray Charles at the White House 2003 Correspondent's Dinner w/ President Bush, 4/26/03, C-Spanpt 1 of 2, (see #311 for pt 2)See the whole thing here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?176331-3/2003-white-house-correspondents-dinner-entertainmentsmall band of 4crowd looks bored, Bush too Georgia On My Mind.Stranger In My Own Home TownYour Cheating HeartRain Teardrops From My EyesJust For A Thrill (tape runs out)

[junker-town]

A list of players with draft stocks changing at the combine

Some are going up, and some are going down. Follow along with this list from Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — If you’re a big-time football nerd, the NFL Combine is one of the best times of the year. It’s loaded with meaningless podium interviews, ogling over player measurements, and throwing out years of college tape because of a fast 40-yard dash.

Still, it’s a good time to collect data and keep track of how prospects perform during the weekend — that’s what this post is. Who helped themselves, hurt themselves, and other nuggets of information live from Indianapolis.

This post will be updated regularly throughout the combine.

Quarterback

Kyler Murray, Oklahoma: Murray helped himself by firmly committing to football and being tall enough to see over the podium. Murray measured in at 5’10 and weighed 207 — both good numbers for him, considering his height and weight were big concerns coming into the week. Murray also had a solid hand size measurement at 9.5”, which crosses the baseline measurement for most NFL teams.

If there were still any doubts over whether or not Murray wanted to play football, then he shut down those concerns at his press conference.

Kyler Murray says “no turning back,” and that he’s all in on football. pic.twitter.com/hvVquj1s3T

— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) March 1, 2019

Murray also noted that he’d have a formal meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, who hold the first overall pick. That’s notable considering new Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury loves Kyler Murray as a player and general manager Steve Keim didn’t exactly seem committed to Josh Rosen as the long term quarterback in Arizona.

Murray won’t be throwing or participating in drills down here in Indianapolis, but he seemed to do well in the public portion of his NFL Combine experience.

Drew Lock, Missouri: Lock might not be the best quarterback in this draft class, but he certainly is the most charismatic quarterback in the class. Lock was jovial and engaging during his combine presser and noted how great it was to be reunited with some of his college teammates this week in Indianapolis.

More importantly, Lock declared himself an extremely accurate thrower of the football, rating his own accuracy a 10 out of 10. Lock also called himself the number one quarterback in this year’s draft class.

Asked to rate his accuracy, Drew Lock says he’s a 10. Knows he has room to improve though. pic.twitter.com/kSsryCAvIV

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 1, 2019

Lock will have a chance to show his accuracy during the throwing sessions with the receivers.

Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State: Dwayne Haskins had an impressive press conference, simply by refuting Stephen A. Smith’s analysis that he was more of a runner than a thrower.

What does Dwayne Haskins think about Stephen A. Smith’s assessment that he’s “more of a runner than a thrower”? #NFLCombine #OhioState pic.twitter.com/zEDMxvQVZF

— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) March 1, 2019

Haskins’ 50 passing touchdowns compared to four rushing touchdowns should have spoken for itself, but a little clarification never hurt anyone. (Haskins also ran a 5.04-second 40-yard dash, further confirming he’s a passing QB.)

Running backs

Elijah Holyfield, Georgia: Holyfield had a chance to really boost his draft stock with a strong workout at the combine, but unfortunately he fell a little bit short. Holyfield finished the day with an official 4.78 40-yard dash, which ranked 22nd out of the 23 running backs that ran the 40-yard dash. The only back to have a time slower than him was Wisconsin fullback Alec Ingold. Oof.

Justice Hill, Oklahoma State: Hill had an incredible workout. Hill ran a 4.4 40-yard dash (first among running backs), had a 40-inch vertical (first), and hit 10’10 on the broad jump (tied for first). Hill measured in at a tick under 5’10 and a solid weight at 198 pounds.

Unfortunately for HIll, he also tweaked his hamstring and is hoping to be ready for his pro day workout, but that might be a bit of a tough task considering his pro day is on March 12.

Travis Homer, Miami: Like Hill, Homer seized the opportunity he had at the combine. He tied Hill’s broad jump mark of 10’10 and ran the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash among all running backs with a time of 4.48. After a quiet college career where he never topped 1,000 yards in a season, Homer put himself on the map.

Wide receivers

A.J. Brown, Ole Miss: Even though Brown is here with two other receivers from his college team, he emphatically noted that he is the best receiver in the draft.

If the rest of the NFL feels about AJ Brown the way AJ Brown feels about his talents, he will not drop to the #49ers at No. 36 overall pic.twitter.com/rL9GdHHWdP

— Brad Almquist (@bradalmquist13) March 1, 2019

Tight ends

Dawson Knox, Ole Miss: Knox was the fourth receiving option in an Ole Miss offense that featured A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Damarkus Lodge. Knox only had 15 catches in his last season at Ole Miss, but he hasn’t let that discourage him — although he did tell me that he thought he was going to see more targets than he got because those three receivers would command so much attention:

“So going into the season, I was hoping that it would help me a little more than it did. I was like, ‘I got three potential first round guys -- definitely two or three top two round guys around me -- they’re gonna be doubling those guys, so surely I’ll get the ball more.’”

He didn’t, but he still has a chance to establish that he can be a legitimate receiving threat on his own when he goes through the drills on Saturday.

Offensive linemen

Iousa Opeta, Weber State: The big guard prospect repped 39 times on the bench. Nobody else in his position group repped more than 34. He also put up a 112-inch broad jump, one of the better figures for O-linemen, and put up a top-five 40 time for the position: 5.02 seconds. He has probably helped his stock a lot.

Defensive linemen

Stay tuned.

Linebackers

Stay tuned.

Defensive backs

Stay tuned.