#put porter on his knees wednesday

[iaus]

thinking about the idea of porter's humiliation kink being something jace has sat on for months and so after he broaches the subject to porter and porter immediately shuts it down he's just casually like "well, talking about it didn't work, as expected" and just proceeds to the next step of his thoroughly outlined plan to get porter to agree, but then like three days later he's in the teacher's lounge contemplating casting shatter on the coffee machine if it doesn't turn on within the next 30 seconds and some other aguefort teacher waltzes in like "okay WHAT is up porter's ass today, he's even more of a fucking weirdo today and his 'practical demonstrations' literally shook my whiteboard off the wall- uh. hello vice principal stardiamond" and jace doesn't even look at them, he just has the most vicious smirk on his face like "oh, fantastic. he's been thinking about it. that simplifies things. he'll come around soon enough"

god. i LOVE this exactly how i see it working out too. whenever jace is particularly... mean i tend to imagine it being post-shatterstar because unless it's epilogue jace i see him being just too mild to try this shit on porter beforehand. but.

y'know.

829 words.

The problem is, sometimes Jace has to wait Porter out.

It’s been a few months now since he first mentioned—casually—that, wasn’t it interesting, that Porter seemed to always fuck him harder when he was gasping, moaning about how, “You can give me more than that, can’t you—it’s all you’re good for, right. That means you can do better? Big boy like you—” the rest of what was said wasn’t really important. Usually, Porter was coming like a freight train and grabbing Jace’s dick so hard it felt almost offensive. Porter has been especially pissed off since Jace mentioned it. All hard, quick missionary fucks that left Jace a little more irritated than satiated. Which has finally come to a head this Friday afternoon as he’s staring at the horrible line-up of meetings he has for Monday.

The parking lot is near empty. Except for a familiar truck.

He'll have to get a substitute for his classes because for whatever reason, interim principals still have to teach their classes. His coffeemaker broke earlier today, so there’s a steady headache throbbing at his temples when his door opens. “I’m not having officer hours—”

“S’just me.”

Jace clenches his teeth so hard his jaw begins to ache. “Ah. Mr. Cliffbreaker.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Porter steps into the room and immediately dwarfs everything in Jace’s ten-by-ten office. Jace fixes him with an annoyed look. “Listen—about last night.”

Jace narrows his eyes. “Which part of it.”

Porter’s been a nightmare these past few weeks—like he usually gets when he’s ramping up to something. There’s something about the ambrosia that’s been affecting Porter lately. Or at least that’s his excuse. Porter, for the first time since their fling began, faltered when he was fucking Jace. Mid thrust he stopped, hand squeezing Jace’s side so hard he left bruises, and pressed his forehead to Jace’s spine as he listened to Porter stroking himself. To no avail.

It had gone on for long enough that Jace had snapped, annoyed and on the edge of orgasm, What—did you forget what to do? Porter had squeezed harder, thumb pressing hard into Jace’s hip. What good are you for if you can’t fuck me?

Porter had snarled, seemingly over whatever mental block he had, and fucked back into Jace with a renewed vigor—teeth in Jace’s shoulder. He’d come, messy, over Jace’s back but seemed no less relieved. He’d still been pissed—so much so that he was inattentive, rushing to get Jace off to seem to put the matter to bed.

Jace had let him know afterwards that Porter had given him the absolute worst orgasm of his life.

And that included the tiefling he slept with in college.

Maybe saying that had been what started the fight. (It was.) The spiral had lasted into the early hours of morning—got a complaint from Jace’s neighbor and a loud threat to call the police on them. At that point, Jace had been mollified. He had bruises going up one side that felt better than the horrid orgasm and Porter was clenching his jaw, Lichtenberg scars skating up his arm from where Jace had grabbed him and let loose.

Porter hasn’t healed the scars on his arm. Jace considers him.

He leans back in his chair, spreads his legs—tracks the way that Porter follows the movement.

“So. Are you apologizing?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here, Porter.”

Jace learned early on, Porter’s an unfortunate stereotype. He believes in action over words. Making it up to someone over saying sorry—though, Jace suspects he wouldn’t have been drawn to Porter if he was the type to say sorry.

He knows he’ll never get an apology for his murder—for the shatterstar glowing in his chest that tends to send him into frenzies of hungry, clawing rage. But usually, Porter can at least fuck him hard enough to calm him down.

The soft click of his door locking is familiar. He’s had his blinds drawn since he heard Lucilla and Hopclap muttering about Porter nearly putting a hole in the wall of his classroom with practical demonstrations.

He expects Porter to grab him—fit his palms along the bruises he left—and throw him on his desk, send his paperwork scattering. What he doesn’t expect is Porter to slowly—hesitantly, almost—get to his knees, press between the spread v of Jace’s legs.

Porter’s sucked him off before—rarely. He usually only put his mouth on him when he wants something particular. Jace shifts, rolls his hips into the press of Porter’s hands. He could cast detect thoughts—make it easier for the both of them.

Porter presses his mouth to Jace’s crotch.

Jace has a feeling.

He throws a leg over Porter’s shoulder. “Why do you think I want your filthy mouth on my clothes.”

Porter groans—moves back to undo Jace’s pants.

Jace smiles, all teeth. “Better.”

(Thank fuck it’s a Friday.)

[parragone]

I was tagged almost a month ago for wip wednesday by @r6shippingdelivery and never made good on it [ for many reasons ] but today I DO

kapglaz + muze, kind of plot relevant, snippet of a canon-divergent AU where the Coliseum never happened but Nighthaven still gets involved for different, yet just as shady, reasons

"What do you think of that Danish fellow?" Mark closed his laptop as he asked. He'd leaned back and taken his glasses off, so he had to squint slightly to make out the way Timur's face scrunched, which seemed to get a laugh out of the sniper. "Ace, I think?"

"I would refrain from insulting the young man, that is all." The sniper lifted his glass to his lips as he sighed. "I don't like the fact they know so much about us already."

"Men who are not troubled by thoughts should not be trusted with them," Shuhrat said as he took his seat next to Mark. He'd delivered the statement with such a dry tone that it took a moment for them to register what he'd said; Maxim's bark of laughter prompted a snicker from Mark and a reluctant yet earnest smile from Timur.

"You're a dick, Shuh." Maxim jabbed a finger at Shuhrat with a wry smile. "That was terrible."

"Kinda right, though."

"Don't encourage it!"

"Mark," Timur cut in with a quiet, serious tone that forced the other three to pay attention, "all jokes aside, do you trust them?"

The silence answered the immediate question, but Mark leaned back against the sofa with his arms crossed as he thought on how to answer. "I want to trust Harry, but this is a gamble in a game we don't know the rules for."

"I didn't ask about Harry."

"Short answer, then; no, I don't trust Nighthaven." After a moment, he unfolded his arms and set his hands on his knees, his eyes suddenly fixated on the glass Timur put down. "Long answer; they're poachers. They're going to try to pull tech and operators out from under Rainbow, and I think I know who they've targeted, who's next, and who's already gone."

"Holy shit, you're on top of it," Maxim muttered quietly, one arm now draped around Timur's shoulders.

"Have to be. It's my job." The Brit squared his jaw and took a quiet breath. "Listen. I know it'll kill Senaviev, but Melkinova is leaving with Nighthaven. I'm sure of it."

"Lena?" Timur nearly kicked the table as he sat upright. "What makes you think-"

"They've got James convinced, too, Tima. Weiss, Melikinova, Porter, Estrada, they're all compromised. They're going to try for Nizan, Al-Hassar, Shuh, and myself." He paused just long enough to reach for his drink and finish it off. "I'll bet money they're going to aim for Bosak."

"Zofia? They would be stupid to try," Maxim grumbled.

"Ela. And I think Shah might've already caught her."

Mark didn't have to squint to recognize concern and discomfort in the eyes of Timur or Maxim, but it was the gentle squeeze Shuh gave his arm that made his shoulders slump. The man wouldn't voice his own concerns, but the fact he was so willing to give physical comfort meant he not only saw the same threat but agreed on the targets.

[lulubelle814]

Regards, Loki - Chapter 26

Master List

By late Wednesday, Mel had been in contact with Ms. Porter who said it should be fine, but she needed to clear it with the boss and would let her know once she got his ok.  It wasn’t 30 minutes later when she followed up saying that Mr. Conrad gave the okay.  They would just need to be escorted by Ms. Porter as well as security.  They’d need to agree on when and listed a few options for weeknights and the upcoming weekend.  If an alternate date/time was needed, they could see if they could comply.

Louisa,

I spoke with Ms. Porter.  She checked with the owner and advised we could set up the after hours visit.  She and security will need to be in attendance for liability purposes but will keep a respectable distance.

Here is a list of dates and times they provided (that also work with my schedule) but will work with us if needed.

Please let me know when you have a chance.

Regards,

Mel

Louisa read over the email, feeling relieved that they’d actually get to do this.  With it being her only option, at least she’d get a head start on how it’d feel to be back in the environment.  Her therapist could then help her with ways and ideas of how to cope with issues she may have once actually returning to work.

The next evening, she and her therapist met outside her office building.  Louisa already felt the anxiety start just looking at the building.  Mel could see it.  “We don’t have to go inside if you’re not ready.”

She shook her head.  This was something she had to do.  She needed her job.  “No, it’s ok,” she lied.  They went inside and were greeted by Ms. Porter at the door.  “Mr. Conrad wanted to join us, but I told him it would be better if it were just us ladies.  He’s just a phone call away if you decide you’d like him to be here.”  Louisa shook her head.  This was already hard enough.  Ms. Porter and the security guard escorted them inside.  The further they got into the building, the more anxiety Lou felt.  

Mel wanted to visit her desk as well as the restroom where she was taken.  If things went okay, she wanted to visit that conference room.  Louisa put on a brave face as they approached her desk.  Sitting down in her chair, she felt mostly alright.  After spending a few minutes there, Ms. Porter led them to the restroom Louisa exited when the incident occurred.  Looking at the door itself made her anxious, but she shoved it down.  They went into and back out of the restroom.  Mel asked how she felt.  “It’s just so surreal being here.”  She was anxious, but she knew the next stop would be the worst.  

As they approached the back conference room where Mr. Price had taken her, anxiety gripped her tight, slowing down as they reached the door.  Memories started flashing through her mind, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Mel reassured her.  “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Ms. Porter stepped forward.  “Mr. Conrad is having this turned into a storage room.  We’d talked about it before, but since the incident, he’s eager to get it done.  We realized that I.T. would need a separate place to work, and the servers needed to be in a larger room.  Shelving is being put up to store tech and such.  The back of the room will have some long term storage so that it can be kept onsite.”

Louisa looked around the room.  The table was gone, and she saw the shelves that were being built as well as a wrapped desk on its side.  Servers were against the wall, and wires were hanging from the ceiling.

She felt the memory of her head being hit, the phantom pain in the back of her head.  Her hand reached back to touch it, feeling the scare forming where she’d been hit and began feeling overwhelmed, her breathing becoming stunted.  Mel and Ms. Porter led her back out and into a nearby chair.

“Place your head between your knees and take a deep breath.”  Lou did as she instructed, and Mel rubbed her back.  “It’s okay.  He can’t hurt you.”

Ms. Porter tried to help reassure her.  “Mr. Conrad has been working with our legal team to throw the book at him.  He has no patience for people like Mr. Price, and frankly neither do I.  If Mr. Conrad has his way (and I hope he does), Mr. Price will never see the light of day again.”

Louisa could barely hear them, focusing on her breathing.  The security guard was kind enough to get her a glass of water when her therapist asked.  Melanie handed it to her, telling her to take small sips.  Once her breathing was under control, she slowly sat back up.

They talked for a bit.  Her therapist was proud of how well she handled it, all things considered but could tell her client was hiding something.  Rather than bring it up now, she opted to wait until their next session.  Security locked up behind them, and Louisa got into her car.

When she got home, Cora was waiting, knowing this was going to be hard on her.  When she came through the front door, she was obviously shaken.  Cora led her to the sofa to sit before she passed out.  “I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”

Louisa took a few breaths before responding.  “It went a little better than I thought.  I was relatively okay until we reached that conference room.”  Tears started falling before she was aware of it.  Cora gently placed her arms around her friend, giving her a comforting hug.  “It’s ok, Lou.  I promise.”  

They had a low-key night, ordering pizza and watching tv, eventually falling asleep on the couch.

Taglist: @huntress-artemiss @jaidenhawke

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 15

Neither of us knew how to continue that conversation, especially when we were upset. We sat in an awkward silence for a while. We both seemed to unconsciously know that we couldn’t have it productively or honestly if we were both still this upset. “I uh… I need to go finish an essay so Mr. Jensen can proofread it. I’ll be at the table if you need anything.”

“Okay. Do you want to be alone or…?”

“Doesn’t matter. You can watch tv or something if you want. I’ll be in the zone soon enough.” Monty nodded and awkwardly kissed the top of my head. I sent Justin a quick text, just to update him so he knew I was okay. I told him. We are going to talk about it when we are both in clearer headspaces. It took a few minutes for him to answer.

How did he take it?

He’s upset. I mean obviously he was upset. But he agreed that we need to talk about it when we can have a rational conversation. I’ll let you know how that goes. I spent the night writing essays and finishing up a couple of writing samples. At some point Monty came over and slowly pushed a bowl of yogurt, berries, and granola over to me silently before going back to the couch. I accepted it silently. I looked at the clock a while after I finished my yogurt and yawned loudly. It was just before midnight. I saved my work, stood, and walked over to the couch. Monty didn’t seem to be watching anything exactly. More just… looking at the screen.

“Are you coming to bed?” I asked timidly, pulling the sweater I grabbed an hour or two ago around me.

“Are you sure you want me there? I’m fine on the couch.”

“No, I do.” I nodded. He nodded back and turned off the tv. I held my hand out to him and he took it gently. He seemed unsure if this was something I really wanted or not. I smiled and squeezed softly. For the first time in days, together we went and got ready for bed. I put on another one of his t-shirts while he brushed his teeth and crawled into bed. He joined me a few minutes later. When he didn’t pull me closer to him, I curled up against his side and laid my head on his chest. All is not forgiven but I really need the sleep. He ran his fingers through my hair. If you didn’t know what had transpired in the last few days, it would seem like we were simply going to bed like we had every other night since we got married.

“Night night Monty.” I muttered, halfway to what I hoped would be a peaceful slumber.

“Night night Addison.” He replied. For the first time since Wednesday night, I slept soundly through the night.

In the days that followed, it was much of the same as Sunday afternoon. We danced around each other at home. We were short but cordial at school with each other. Refusing to say more than single- or double-word answers unless necessary, spending as little time together before or after class as we could, and keeping quiet at lunch may have raised a few of our friend’s brows. They didn’t comment on it if they noticed though.  It was uncomfortable. We may have been used to hiding and keeping quiet at school but that didn’t make it any easier. The whole point of telling people was to not need to do this anymore.

Monty pulled me aside after lunch on Tuesday. “I told Coach I have an extra PT appointment today because my knee has been stiff. Are you okay to talk after school?”

I stopped to think for a moment. Am I ready? I’ll take anything over this awkward silence and wedge between us. Even if I’m scared. At least he’s taking initiative to deal with it. “Uh, yeah. After school works for me. I’ll see you at home?”

“Okay.” I adjusted my bag and hurried off to class. This is going to be a very interesting afternoon. I tried my best to focus on my work, but my mind wouldn’t stop going over the possibilities of what could happen tonight.I don’t want this to be another screaming match. This could devolve so quickly. Am I ready to deal with him refusing to take responsibility again?  What if I’m wrong? What if he really is ready to try and fix this? Maybe it could go well. It’s going to suck either way. But maybe if we have an adult conversation, we can move on and things can get back to normal faster. What if…?

Monty beat me home. Mr. Porter called me into his office during last period to give me a couple of documents to send along with my college applications. As a result, I was running late to get home. I burst through the door, clutching the files to my chest so they didn’t fly everywhere in my haste to get inside. “Hey, sorry I’m late. Porter had to give me some paperwork and I had some questions about it. Took a little longer than I expected.” I huffed.

“No problem. Get everything you need?”

“Yeah. I’ll stop at my parents place later this week to scan it all.”

“Sounds good.” I set my papers on the island and went to sit on the couch. Pulling the blanket around me, I settled in for what could be a very long night.

“Do you understand why I’m upset?” I asked when he joined me on the couch.

“I think so.”

“Can you explain why you think I’m upset?”

“You’re upset that I didn’t communicate with you enough?”

“I mean, yes. That is part of why I’m upset. But it’s not the only reason.”

“I think you’re upset because you know that” he paused and thought about it. “You’re upset because I acted without thinking about the consequences. And it’s impact on you and our relationship.” Wow. He was listening.

“Y-yes. You have it mostly right.”

“Mostly?”

“I’m also upset because I know you know better than to do that. I’m upset that it seems to be becoming a pattern. We’ve talked about it before. I have no problem with you going out with the boys and doing stuff. I don’t even really have a problem with you drinking a little. I have a problem with it when you come home trashed, and I have to clean up the mess.” I reached out and took his hand on mine. We are in this together. No matter what. We are a team.

“I know. It’s just… you know I’m not exactly used to having to answer to someone.”

“I know. But at some point, that stops being an acceptable reason. At some point you have to own up and accept responsibility for your actions.”

“I know I’m responsible for my actions Addison.” He seemed to be getting upset now. I didn’t want this to turn into another blow up fight.

“Hey, I never said you didn’t know that. But there is a difference between knowing that you are responsible and accepting responsibility.” He didn’t respond so I continued. “This is becoming a more frequent thing and it’s concerning. When I say that you need to accept responsibility, I’m not trying to attack you or say that you think your behaviour is okay. I’m sorry if that’s how it comes off.” He didn’t respond again. I watched him look into his lap. “I need you to say something. We can’t have a conversation about this and fix things if you aren’t going to contribute.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say Addison.”

“I don’t want you to say any specific thing. I want you to contribute to our conversation. I don’t want to just sit here and talk at you. I don’t want to sit and just tell you how I feel. I want you to tell me how you feel.”

“I feel like I really screwed up.”

“Okay. That’s something. What else?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t know how to fix this.”

I decided to take a risk. “Do you want to fix this?” He whipped his head up instantly.

“Of course, I want to fix this. What kind of question is that?”

Okay, maybe that was too much too fast. “It was just a question. I know you want to fix this.”

“Why are you so concerned about this?”

“About you overdrinking when you go out with your friends?”

“Yeah.”

“Because you’re better than this Montgomery. I know you are. And you don’t communicate with me when you do. It’s like you’re trying to hide it. The fact that you don’t seem to see this as a problem is also worrying.”

“I’m not trying to hide anything. I just don’t check my phone that often with the guys, you know that.”

“I do. But any other time you’re with them, you tell me where you are or when you think you’ll be home. And you tell me when you’re leaving. The only time you don’t is when you do something that you think would upset me.”

“I never noticed that.”

“I didn’t think you did. That’s why I’m mentioning it.”

“Okay.”

“It also worries me that you really only do it when you’re with certain friends.”

“You mean Bryce?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Yes. When you’re out with pretty much any of your other friends, you don’t act like that.” He huffed out a laugh.

“And it all comes back to Bryce.” He muttered.

“Apparently yes. Since he seems to be the common denominator when we talk about this. And I haven’t spent enough time with your other friends to know otherwise.”

“He isn’t this horrible person that you think he is Addison.”

“Well, that may be true to some degree, but he’s not this amazing guy you make him out to be. He encourages you to do things that you know aren’t in your best interest.”

“You mean aren’t good for you.”

“No. I don’t. You know that when you drink like that, it causes problems between us. You know that when he’s around you act differently. I mean, you said yourself that it was probably a good idea not to tell him about us when we were considering who to tell about our relationship. If he was as good a guy you think he is, why would you say that? If you’re as close to him as you say you are, why wouldn’t you want him knowing about me? You were more than happy to tell Scott about us as soon as we told Justin. But not Bryce. That isn’t strange to you?”

“Bryce and I don’t have the same kind of friendship that Scott and I do. We don’t talk about important stuff.”

“Uh huh. Okay. We’ll go with that one.”

“I told you before I’m not going to stop being friends with him.”

“I don’t expect you to. I just think you need to think about the kinds of people you want to surround yourself with.”

“Addison. Your best friend is a recovering heroin addict who abandoned you for months. You don’t really have room to be passing judgement about who I choose to surround myself with.” My mouth fell open and I stared at him. I cannot believe he just said that.

“Excuse me.”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“That isn’t fair. That isn’t fair and you know it.”

“How is it not fair?”

“Because unlike you, Justin takes responsibility for his actions. Justin didn’t do it because his friends encouraged him to do it.”

“I don’t see the difference between what you said and what I said is.”

“The difference Montgomery is that I would say what I said to Bryce’s face. You would never say what you said to Justin’s face.”

“How do you know?”

“Because even though for some reason you seem to have forgotten this right now, I know you Montgomery. I know you better than I know myself. I know you wouldn’t.”

“Fine.”

“So is this how this is going to go? We were doing so well. We were having a mature conversation. And when I presented you with logical reasoning as to why I have a problem with the way your friend influences you, you hit me with that low of a blow?” He was quiet for a while. I huffed loudly and rolled my eyes. Honestly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay?”

“I’m sorry for what I said about Justin. It was out of line and it wasn’t fair. I know it’s not the same thing. I just… Bryce is my friend Addison. You can’t expect me to sit here and be okay with you telling me what an awful person you think he is. You don’t even know him.” It was my turn to be quiet. Maybe I was being unfair. I had never really spent a lot of time with Bryce, not that I wanted to. I mean, Justin was his best friend for a really long time. And giving him a chance wouldn’t mean I have to ignore all of the terrible things he has done. I wouldn’t have to be alone with him. A chance can’t hurt.

“Okay. I’m sorry too. He’s your friend. I’ll try to be nicer to him. I can’t make any promises though.”

“Thank you. If it makes you more comfortable, I can cut down on the time I spend with him.”

“I’ll think about it?” I still wasn’t super okay with the idea of telling him who he can and can’t be friends with.

“And I’m sorry that I took things too far when I was out Thursday night and it hurt you. When you told me that it scares you when I come home like that….” I didn’t urge him to go on. I knew it would come out eventually. Instead, I inched closer to him and held his hand a little tighter. I waited quietly until he was ready to proceed. “All of the sudden I was a little kid hiding in my closet from my dad again. I never…” he paused again, “I never wanted that for you. And I don’t want that to be what our kids go through. I don’t want them to be afraid of me. I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

“I know. I never really realized that that was the reason I got so upset until I was talking to Justin. He called me out on trying to say that it was just a Bryce issue, when it’s not. Hey, can you look at me?” He looked up. “I’m not afraid of you. Not really. I know that you would never do anything to hurt me.”

“It’s hard to hear the woman you love. No, the person you love most in this world, tell you that you scare them.”

“I can imagine. Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. If you do, I want you to be honest with me though, okay?”

“Go ahead.” He nodded.

“Is there something going on with you that you aren’t telling me about?”

“How do you mean?”

“I don’t know, just something. Is there a reason you pushed so far past your limit on Thursday?”

“No. I can honestly tell you that I just got carried away. And I will concede that Bryce and a few of the guys may have encouraged it.”

“Okay. If there is, you know you can talk to me about it, right?”

“I know. I promise to tell you if there is. And I promise I’ll be more aware of what I do and how much I drink when I go out.” I nodded to him and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

When I had a moment alone, I texted Justin. Hey, so we talked for a few hours after school. I think we are at least on the road to getting back to normal. We kind of laid it all out and we both have things we can work on. Thank you for helping me figure things out.

That’s good. I’m glad to hear it Addy. What are best friends for?

Stealing French fries off of at lunch?

Hahahahhaha I knew it was you.

No comment. I love you.

I love you too.

By Thursday, Monty and I were starting to feel more like ourselves. Things were still a little tense and they probably would be for a while. At least until some of the residual tension went away. I was getting undressed when Monty got out of the shower that morning. “Uh Addison?”

“Yes?” I was trying to put on my pants while simultaneously clawing at my arms.

“Two questions.”

“What?”

“One, why are you scratching at your arms like you’re itching to get your next fix? And two, what the hell is all over your back?”

“Stress rash.”

“Why do you have a stress rash?”

“Well, it could have something to do with fighting with my husband for almost a week.” So itchy. Make the itchy stop. “And that coupled with trying to get my college applications in on time for early admission, has made me a little stressed out.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. It should clear up after I get my applications done.”

“Okay….” He passed me a sweatshirt from the closet. “Here, this is loose. Or do you want one of my shirts?”

“This is good. Thank you.”

I took a cool shower when I got home and decided to work on getting my applications finished. The sooner they’re done, the sooner the rash will go away. I merely grunted when Monty got home. I was too focused on my computer. He chuckled to himself quietly and turned on the tv. “That’s my girl.” He muttered. I smiled softly. A few hours later, I had done it. All the early applications for my choice schools were complete. I just had to submit them. Finally.

“Done.” I said as I hit submit.

“What are you done?” Monty asked, swiveling his head.

“I just submitted my last early application.”

“That’s good. How do you feel?”

“Like my entire future is traveling at light speed and is now sitting in someone’s inbox.” I put my face in my hands and groaned. Monty chuckled. I couldn’t stop staring at my computer screen. I heard him open the fridge and grab something. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

“No.”

“That’s communal food. And no sex jokes.”

“I’m not.” I heard him puttering around the kitchen, opening and closing drawers. “Do we have… never mind I found it.”

“Okay?” He didn’t respond and continued whatever he was doing. The sound of a plate being placed next to me made me jump. I looked up and Monty was grinning at me. He gestured towards the plate. He made me a sandwich. “Thank you.” I said softly.

“No problem.” He ruffled my hair and went to go sit back on the couch.

The next morning, I had Montgomery put some lotion on my back to soothe the itch while we were at school. He left little kisses down the back of my neck. I tried not to smile but I couldn’t help it. Things were still tense, even after our talk. I wasn’t sure I had completely forgiven him yet. We were still walking on eggshells around each other. This wasn’t an issue we could just sweep under the rug and pretend didn’t happen. Slowly though, our relationship was shifting back to normal. “Can you grab the cream cardigan out of the dryer when you’re in the kitchen please?”

“Sure.” While he was gone, I got dressed in black jeans and a maroon lace crop top. He whistled when he came back in. “Those should be at home jeans.” I rolled my eyes at him and he slapped my ass playfully.

“Monty!”

“What?” he shrugged, obliviously. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. He chuckled to himself, knowing he couldn’t do anything. You got yourself into this. I slipped on a pair of black flats and grabbed my travel mug as we left the house.

Justin was waiting for us when we got to school. He had two cinnamon twists and a cup of tea from Monet’s with him. Apparently with my name on them. “A rather large birdy told me you had an important night last night.”

“Ooooo.” Garrison teased.

“No.” Monty ground out.

“I submitted my last early application for school last night.”

“Oh. Not ooo then. Jeeze Addy, had to go and make the rest of us look like slackers.”

“Well, I unfortunately don’t have schools calling and sending pamphlets begging me to attend their institutions. Some of us have to rely on academics to stand out.” The small group laughed around me. I hugged Justin as I took a chunk off the muffin. “Thank you. Now I just have to wait for responses.”

“How long will that take?” Bryce asked as he joined us.

“Too long.” I stated. Don’t want to be nice. Even though I promised I would try.

“O…kay.” The bell rang before I could say anything that would get me in trouble. I did catch Justin’s lip twitch though. He knew my expressions like the back of his hand.

Geography was easily the most boring class of the day for me. I usually didn’t participate much. Today however, I couldn’t stop myself. I don’t know if it was the stress or the fact that I had been running on fumes for the last week and a bit, but I couldn’t hold back my laughter when a student made a less than thought out comment.

“But Ms. Carlson. When my family and I were in Brazil this summer, the Spanish sounded different.” Carter said. Oh my. I tried so hard not to laugh but it just bubbled out. And once it started, it wasn’t stopping. People turned to look at me. Zach and Bryce looked at me like I had officially lost it.

“I… I’m sorry. I-it’s not you Carter.” I started. “I submitted my last college application last night and,” I paused again to try to catch my breath, “my stress level has been just a little high.” I paused yet again and took a deep breath. “The reason the Spanish sounded ‘funny’ is because it’s not fucking Spanish.” He looked at me funny. “It’s Portuguese.”

“No. It’s Spanish.”

“No. It’s not.”

“Yes, it is. Ms. Carlson?”

“It’s Portuguese. Brazil was colonized by Portugal Carter.” Ms. Carlson told him.

“Oh.” I had finally caught my breath.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. I get a little loopy when I get stressed.”

“No, it’s okay Addy.” He nodded to me.

I relayed the story of the Geography incident to our friends at lunch. The boys, even Bryce and Zach who witnessed it firsthand, found it absolutely hilarious.

“So, do you like, know any Portuguese?” Ryder’s girlfriend, Taylor, asked. Monty cleared his throat and grabbed my hand, squeezing. I turned to him, seeking permission, before answering. He nodded. I turned my attention back to the group.

“I can curse and that’s about it.”

“Oh?”

“Let’s just say there’s a reason I haven’t spoken to my father-in-law since before I married his son.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“No, it’s okay.” I liked Taylor. She was nice. She wasn’t a cheerleader or overly pretentious. I could see myself being friends with her.

“We’ve talked about it and we are both comfortable with the situation.” Monty added.

“Can we get that story sometime?” Connor asked.

“You have to tell them.” Scott said.

“They need to hear it.” Charlie and Justin agreed.

“Maybe one day.” I smirked.

[plaidbooks]

Everyone Deserves Love chapter 12

A/N: This chapter is more filler; just hitting some show/canon-plot points that are important to the characters, namely Rafael’s grandmother and Olivia adopting Noah. The next chapter will be more plot based, I think!

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tags: mentions of death, alcohol/vomiting, smut, spanking, p in v sex, nipple play (only lightly)

Words: 4k+

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @mrsrafaelbarba @averyhotchner

Interstate 95

Wednesday, February 11th. 4:05pm

“Yeah, I’m on my way back to the city right now,” Devon was saying into the Bluetooth speaker of the car; the phone call she was on was displayed on the radio, audio coming through the car’s speakers.

“Good, because Barba’s having a rough time right now. Family problems,” Olivia replied, voice tight. Devon knew the broad strokes of what was going on from her rushed phone calls with the counselor—she had a hard enough time trying to talk to him at all while undercover, and he didn’t like bringing up personal problems during their clipped conversations, instead trying to stick with lighter topics, and whispering how much they missed each other, loved each other. But she knew something was troubling him. She grilled him until he finally mentioned that he was trying to have his mom help convince his abuelita to move into an assisted living home, and it was not going well.

“Thanks for the heads up, Liv. I’ll go straight to his place,” Devon said, smiling. She figured she could order them some dinner from Barba’s favorite Thai place, sit him down, and cuddle until he was feeling better.

Flanagan’s Bar

Wednesday, February 11th. 7:48pm

Devon burst through the bar’s door, eyes scanning the room quickly before settling on the familiar back of her boyfriend. She blew out a sigh of relief. She had made it to his place hours ago, only to find it empty. She sent a text to him while she drove to the courthouse but heard no response. The courts turned up empty, as did his office, Carmen, who was just leaving herself, saying that Barba had left early for the day—family emergency. Devon had switched to calling the man, but he wasn’t answering, letting it ring and ring until it went to voicemail. Heart in her throat, Devon started going to all of his favorite places that she could think of, calling Olivia to ask her if she or any of the detectives had heard from him, to no avail. Liv, just as worried as Devon, put out an APB to all units. Almost immediately, an off-duty cop responded back, saying that Barba was sitting at Flanagan’s Bar, drinking like a fish. Devon was a little upset with herself for not checking there first, hurrying to the bar and telling Liv to call off the alarm.

She walked in slowly towards the ADA. She wasn’t mad at him, quite the opposite; for him to be acting like this, she knew he was hurting, and bad.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked gently, a wave of déjà vu hitting her.

Barba turned to look at her, eyes bleary, movement slow and unsteady. “Dev?” he whispered. This was the first time they had seen each other in weeks, and Barba wasn’t quite sure if it was her, or just a drunken illusion.

“Uh huh. Come on, let’s get you home,” she said, taking his empty glass out of his hand and putting it down on the bar. She waved the bartender down, asking for the tab. Her eyes widened when she saw how much he had drunk. She paid, thanking the bartender, and scooped to help Barba stand. She never knew him to get drunk, not like this, and it worried her.

Once outside in the fresh, chilly air, Barba stood up slightly straighter, as if the cold helped sober him a little. Then, he turned towards the building and vomited. Devon rubbed his back comfortingly, whispering “let it all out, baby.” Once finished, she loaded him into her car, shooting a quick text to Olivia that she found him, had him.

They rode in silence, Devon letting him sober up, Barba leaning his too-hot face against the cold window, eyes closed. Hopefully, no one saw him in front of the bar, Devon thought ruefully; she knew how important his reputation was to him, his job.

“It’s all my fault,” Barba whispered, his breath steaming against the window. Devon waited to see if he would continue, but it seemed like that was all he would say.

“What happened, Rafi?” she prompted softly. The words hung there in the silence for a long while, long enough that Devon thought he may have fallen asleep against the window. Finally, he spoke into the silence, his watery voice slurred, strained.

“Mamí found abuelita dead in her bed this morning. It’s my fault; she always said she wanted to die in her home, and I was the one trying to move her. I killed my abuelita…” he continued to speak in mumbled Spanish, words Devon couldn’t make out, but what sounded like a hushed prayer. She glanced over briefly and saw wet streaks trailing down his cheeks.

Her heart strained in her chest and she reached a hand over, taking his hand in her own. Thankfully, she was pulling up to Barba’s loft soon after; amazingly, there was an open space almost right in front. She stopped the engine, getting out and quickly coming to his side of the car, opening the door and helping him stand. He was unsteady on his feet, swaying back and forth.

“Come on, dear. Let’s get you to bed,” Devon murmured in his ear. She whispered how much she loved him, and how amazing he was; she knew that he’d most likely forget this night—they’d talk about his grandma tomorrow, when he was a little more sound of mind. Right now, she just wanted to assure him with how much she cared for him.

They made it over the threshold and back to the bedroom before Devon deposited him on the bed. She hurried to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and a couple slices of bread—better than nothing on an empty stomach, and it would soak up whatever alcohol remained. She came back to find Barba sitting in the same position she had left him in, head lolling forward on his chest

“Drink this,” she instructed, shoving the water into his hands. She made sure he took it before she dropped to her knees, working on stripping his shoes and socks off. He obediently drank the whole glass. Devon stood, taking the glass and placing it on the nightstand and picking up the bread she had put there, shoving that into his hands. “Eat.”

Again, Barba obeyed, ripping chunks off with his fingers and popping them into his mouth. Devon worked around him, undoing his tie, forcing his suspenders off his shoulders, unbuttoning his shirt. By the time he finished the bread, he had been stripped down to an undershirt and pants.

“Up,” Devon commanded, helping him stand. He rocked for a moment on uneasy feet before he stood there. With deft hands, Devon undid his belt and shoved his pants to the floor. She moved behind him, pulling the sheets back before she was back in front of him, helping him sit back on the bed, then lay down.

“Sleep, baby. We’ll talk in the morning, okay?” she whispered, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I love you,” he mumbled. “Sleep with…me?” His voice trailed off, already falling asleep. Devon smiled. She took the glass off the nightstand, refilling it in the kitchen, before replacing it within reach of him. She stopped to look down at him, a bittersweet smile on her face as his soft snores filled the room. She then stripped down to just her shirt and panties and climbed in next to him. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close in his sleep.

Apartment of Olivia Benson

Saturday, June 11th. 5:36pm

“To Noah Porter-Benson!” everyone cheered, wine glasses clinking. Devon smiled brightly at her best friend; Olivia Benson, a permanent mother! The adoption went through; Johnny D, Noah’s biological father, was dead, thanks to Detective Nick Amaro—though he took a pretty bad shot in the knee—and now Olivia and Noah could move forward with their lives. The group had broken up into smaller pairs, people milling about, chatting.

“So, what about you two? Gonna have kids some day?” the new detective, Sonny Carisi, asked Devon and Barba, eyebrows raising.

They looked at each other; they never really talked about it before. “Ah, I was never really interested in kids,” Devon said awkwardly, sipping at her wine. She was curious how Barba would respond.

“I could go either way, honestly. But I think I’m too old for kids, now,” he replied, smirking.

Sonny nodded in understanding. It was no secret that this Italian, Catholic man wanted a big family, but at least he was respectful of others. “That makes sense. Plus, I don’t think the world is ready for little Barbas to be runnin’ around.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, detective?” Barba said, eyes flashing.

“Let it go,” Devon smirked. Sonny stifled a chuckle, then was called away by Rollins.

“But what did he mean by that?” Barba was still asking, failing at concealing his smile. Devon laughed.

“Sometimes you can be…a lot,” she grinned at his mock offended face.

“Oh? Care to explain how I’m ‘a lot’?” He moved close, hand on her hip and pulling her to him. “I’m going to be ‘a lot’ more than you can handle after this party,” he whispered before he moved away, a dark gleam in his eyes. Devon swallowed, ignoring the heat in her face, and the heat going between her legs.

She moved across the room, heading to Olivia right as she finished her conversation with Fin.

“Congratulations, Liv,” Devon said, pulling her friend in for a hug. They held each other for a long time, remembering the years they had spent together, all the hardships that they had overcome to get to here.

 “We deserve this,” Olivia whispered into Devon’s ear. They pulled away and smiled at each other. Devon finally looked away, eyes drifting across the room. They found Barba’s green ones, him somehow knowing that she was looking to him, and locking to hers. He shot her one of his small, sweet smiles, one that was meant for her and for her only.

“Yes, yes we do,” Devon replied, feeling like she was going to burst with all the love in the room, from her boyfriend to her best friend, to all the SVU detectives that she could call her friends…her family.

They mingled for a little while longer before Barba was practically dragging Devon out the door, pulling her insistently by the wrist. Devon giggled, saying goodbye and another rushed congratulations to Olivia before following her boyfriend out of the apartment. They made it a couple steps down the hallway before Barba had pushed Devon against the wall, kissing her deeply. Devon smiled, pulling him closer to her.

“Eager, are we?” she asked, laughing. His hands moved to her hips, pinning her there.

Barba pulled back, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You just look so damn delicious in that dress,” he whispered back, attacking her neck with his teeth, soothing the sting with his tongue.

Devon stifled a moan. “Come on, before the others catch us.”

“Who cares if they do?” he commented, but reluctantly, Barba peeled himself off her, hand clasping around her wrist and pulling her towards the exit. The ride back to his place took forever. Barba sure didn’t help things as his hands played with the hem of Devon’s dress, rubbing up and down on her thigh, moving up higher and higher on every stroke. His other arm was around her shoulders, hand resting on her neck, thumb caressing her cheek. Devon focused on her breathing, trying to keep from squeezing her thighs together, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure building there. She had a firm hand on Barba’s knee, gripping him with white knuckles. From the grin on his face, he was quite enjoying the effect he was having on the agent.

Apartment of Rafael Barba

Saturday, June 11th. 9:05pm

Much like at Olivia’s place, they made it to the hallway outside of Barba’s residence before he had pounced on her, one hand on her hip, the other pinning her wrists above her head. Their mouths had crashed in a fight of tongues and teeth, rough and passionate. Barba eventually moved to leave sloppy kisses down her jaw before grazing his teeth along her collarbone.

“Fuck, Rafi…” Devon whined, trying to move her hips, but he held her down.

 “I’ve wanted you all damn night,” he murmured against her skin, flicking his tongue out to taste her. She felt him grind his hardening cock against her center, making her moan.

“Take me then,” she whispered into his ear. Barba groaned, dragging her away from the wall and finally to his front door. He fumbled with his keys, finally unlocking the door, Devon barely waiting for him to close it behind him before she was kissing him, hands curling through his soft locks, tongue pushing into his mouth. Barba moved his hands to her ass, squeezing the soft flesh, causing her to yelp. Laughing, Devon wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing Barba to carry her towards the bedroom, his mouth biting and sucking deep bruises into her neck.

Barba walked to the edge of the bed, waiting until his legs touched the soft fabric before he fell forward, gently falling on top of Devon. She released him from her legs, allowing him to stand and shed his sweater, then his shirt. He held a hand out to her, and she took it. He pulled her to her feet, gave her a soft kiss, then spun them around so that he was sitting on the bed and she was standing in front of him.

Knowing what he wanted, that he loved watching her strip, Devon moved slowing, letting her hand drift behind her, clasping the zipper to her dress. She unzipped it slowly, using her free hand to hold the front of the dress, not letting it fall off her. Not yet. Plastering a playful smile on her face, she turned slowly, so that her back was facing him, before she let the dress fall. She heard Barba’s sharp intake of breath as he saw the bright red, lacy lingerie underwear perfectly wrapping her ass, like it was a gift specially wrapped for him. She looked over her shoulder at him, his lust-blown eyes indeed on her ass before slowly roaming over her hips, back, and finally resting on her face. He spun his finger in the air, motioning for her to turn.

Devon smirked, stepping forward out of the dress, though away from him, hips swaying, and his eyes snapped back to her ass, his hands unconsciously clenching the bedsheets next to him. She could see his cock twitch in response, even with it covered by the fabric of his pants. Chuckling, she finally turned to face him, red, lacy bra matching the underwear, damp spot obvious at her crotch.

“Come here,” he commanded. It came out as a growl, voice fully primal, dark with lust. Devon obeyed, swaying her hips as she came to stand in front of Barba. He grabbed her by the hips and brought her forcefully down to sit in his lap, legs straddling his. She groaned when his rock-hard cock rubbed against her soaked panties, her hips grinding against him in response. He kissed her roughly, one hand pulling her hair gently, the other moving under her bra to play with her breast, teasing and pinching a nipple. Devon arched her back, pushing into his hand, moans swallowed by his hungry mouth. She reached down, pulling at his belt, fumbling to undo it, along with the fly on his slacks.

Barba’s mouth moved to her neck, leaving more marks in its wake. He reached behind her, unclasping her bra expertly and tossing the article of clothing to the side. He picked her up, then, and flipped her onto her back, laying on top of her, mouth moving to her chest. He spent his time, licking, biting, sucking. While his mouth was on one nipple, his hand would be playing with the other. Every now and again, he would grind into her, never in a rhythm and always catching Devon off guard, making her moan loudly. He took a nipple into his mouth, suckling particularly hard, and rocked his hips against her roughly, and Devon cried out, seeing stars.

 “Did…did you just cum?” Barba asked in shock. He stopped his ministrations, raising his head to look deeply into her eyes, making sure she was alright.

Devon could feel her face heat in embarrassment. “I, uh…I think so, yeah….”

She looked into back into his face, not sure what to say. But then the most arrogant smile crept across his face. “I didn’t know I had that effect on you, Hermosa…cumming before I even touch you there….”

She rolled her eyes, huffing. “Cocky asshole.” His eyes flashed at the title, smile widening. But then, it faltered.

“Did…did you want to continue?” he asked, eyes searching hers for any kind of hesitation, of discomfort.

Devon smiled softly at him, at his concerns. “Please,” she whispered. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss, full of love, before he continued his onslaught of her chest. He didn’t stay there long, though, as he continued moving further down her body, kissing her flushed skin as he went. His fingers played with the waistband of her panties as he leaned back on his haunches, looking up at her through hooded eyes.

“I’d say you’re fucking soaked for me, Hermosa, but I think that’s an understatement,” he purred, pulling her underwear off and flinging them to the side.

“You know, Pride is a sin, Raf—ohh,” Devon moaned, throwing her head back as Barba leaned forward, tongue swirling around her already oversensitive clit. Instantly, he had a finger in her, slipping a second one in easily. He pumped his fingers, curling them, while he sucked and licked at her clit. Devon gripped the bedsheets, filling the bedroom with noises, uncaring who heard. When he added a third finger, hitting her g-spot, and sucking particularly hard on her sensitive nub, Devon came hard, his name a prayer on her lips. He continued fucking her through her orgasm, Barba lapping up everything she had to give him. He withdrew from her, licking his fingers clean, letting her breathing return to normal.

“God, you taste divine,” he commented, licking his lips.

Devon watched him through heavy lids. “And you are absolutely sinful,” she replied. He grinned darkly, looking every bit as sinful as he knew he was.

“Look who’s talking; calling me sinful while looking like this,” he gestured at her naked form, sprawled on the bed, covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“Maybe you should get over here and cleanse me then, sir,” she said, looking up at him innocently through her lashes. Barba groaned before climbing on top of her. He loved when she called him ‘sir’; it turned him on more than anything else.

He kissed her roughly, then whispered into her ear, breath hot against her skin, “confess to me what you want, and maybe I’ll give you absolution.”

Devon reached down, rubbing his hardness though his pants. “Well, for starters, I want you to lose the clothes.”

“Ask and it shall be yours,” he murmured, undoing his pants and pushing them along with his boxers off, kicking them to the floor. He hissed when she grabbed him, hand wrapping around his length and giving him a few strokes, thumb spreading the pre-cum around the tip.

“I want you to take me from behind,” she whispered against his mouth. His cock twitched in her hand and he groaned at her words.

“Fucking sinful,” he murmured before grabbing her wrist, stopping her hand. “Get on your hands and knees.”

Devon loved when he ordered her around, a fresh feeling of heat rushing to her core. But she also loved being a brat. So, she took her dear, sweet time, flipping over slowly onto her knees, but keeping her back straight, so that she was only kneeling. She reveled in the strong hand that appeared between her shoulder blades, shoving her forwards, barely getting her hands up in time to catch herself. She yelped in surprise at the swift swat on her ass, Barba letting the sting sit there for a moment before he was rubbing it away.

“Do you like that, Cariño?” he asked, hands roughly kneading the soft flesh of her ass.

She pushed back against his hands. “Yes, sir. Spank me harder, please.”

“Begging already?” But he obliged, bringing his hand down on the other cheek, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to feel the sting. Devon moaned in pleasure. He gave her a few more smacks before he was rubbing the pain away again, his hands soothing the hot, red skin.

“Please, sir. Fuck me,” she whined, wiggling her ass back at him. He didn’t respond, just chuckled darkly. She felt the bed sink down as he got on the bed behind her. He used his fingers first, using two to tease her entrance before pushing in, stretching her. Devon dropped her head, until Barba used his free hand to wrap in her hair, pulling her head back up, though not painfully. He pulled his fingers back out, causing Devon to whine at the loss of contact.

“Ready?” he asked. He always asked, every time.

“Ready,” she confirmed. Barba used one hand to hold her hips stable, the other hand guiding the tip of his cock to her tight entrance. He moved slowly but didn’t stop until he was fully seated in her, Devon moaned at the feeling of fullness, of completion. She adored how he felt inside of her, every ridge, every vein dragging against her in the perfect way.

Barba waited until her walls were no longer clenching around him until he started moving. He started at a slow, tortuous pace, both hands going to Devon’s hips, pulling her back against him as he thrusted forward, pace soon increasing. The room quickly filled with the sound of skin slapping, moaning, and the squelching sound of Barba pounding into her faster and faster. He finally reached down, pulling Devon’s torso up so that she was flush against his chest, hands groping her breasts roughly.

“God, you take my cock so good,” he grunted in her ear. One of his hands trailed down her body, fingers rubbing at her swollen clit. He leaned down to bite into her neck and Devon cried out, screaming Barba’s name as she came for a third time. Barba pumped into her, dropping her torso against the bed, Devon too tired to even attempt with her arms. He gripped her hips, hard enough to leave bruises, and thrusted until he was cumming deep inside her, Devon’s name groaned into the silence of the bedroom. He collapsed on top of her, cock softening inside of her. They stayed like that for a moment, panting. Barba finally pulled out, headed to the bathroom. He cleaned himself before bringing out a clean, wet washcloth for Devon, who had flipped onto her back, but otherwise hadn’t moved. He spread her legs open and went about cleaning her.

“I love you,” she whispered into the room, still breathless.

Barba smiled softly, running the washcloth over her soft skin. “I love you, too, Cariño.”

Devon sat up, taking the washcloth from him, and taking it to the bathroom for him. She was in there for a couple more moments before she came back, finding Barba lying in bed under the sheets. She climbed in next to him, laying her head on his chest.

“Move in with me,” he said suddenly.

Devon chuckled. “Where’s this coming from?” It wasn’t that she was against the idea—quite the opposite, actually—but they had never discussed it before now.

“We hardly see each other as it is; what’s the point of living at different places? You’re normally here, anyways,” Barba started. “If…if you think that we’re moving too fast—”

“No, not at all,” she cut him off. “Hell, we lived together the first four months we knew each other. And we’ve been dating for almost a year now. If anything, we’re moving kinda slow….”

“Soo…” he trailed off. “Is that a yes?”

Devon raised her head to look at him in the eye. Barba had that look in his bright, green eyes; it was the look where he was pretty sure he knew what her answer would be, but that doubt in his mind was still there.

“Of course, that’s a yes. Do you even need to ask?”

He seemed to mull this over, his eyes rolling in mock thought. “Generally, yes. It’s kind of expected. But I’m still happy with the outcome.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, which Devon pulled back, turning to kiss him on the lips sweetly.

[pk77m]

Celtics beat Warriors 116-100, take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals

BOSTON (AP) Throughout the postseason, the Boston Celtics had played their best basketball away from home.

Not anymore.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics rode the energy of a raucous TD Garden crowd to beat back another third-quarter onslaught by Golden State in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped fuel a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 points in the fourth quarter - third-fewest in a finals game in the shot clock era.

''Game 2, they brought the heat to us,'' Smart said. ''For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.''

Tatum said the fact the Celtics didn't hang their heads after the Warriors' third-quarter flourish is something they didn't always do in the regular season.

''I think that's when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,'' he said. ''I think we did that several times tonight.''

Boston improved to 6-4 at home, compared to 8-3 on the road this postseason. The Celtics haven't lost two straight games since the end of March.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points and six 3-pointers. He had 15 points in a 33-25 third quarter by the Warriors but was hurt late in the fourth after Al Horford rolled into his leg on a loose ball. Curry said it was similar to a play during the regular season in which Smart dove into Curry's legs while chasing a loose ball but ''not as bad.''

''I got caught -- obviously in some pain, but I'll be all right,'' Curry said. ''See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.''

Klay Thompson broke out of a finals slump and finished with 25 points and five 3s. But the Warriors' shooting couldn't save them on a night the more athletic Celtics outmuscled them for a 47-31 rebounding advantage.

''When you allow a team to get comfortable, especially in their home -- in front the home crowd, then it's tough,'' Warriors forward Draymond Green said.

Robert Williams III, who has been working his way back from knee surgery, finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

''We talked about it quite a bit, our group being resilient and being able to fight through a lot of things and at times when it's most needed being able to lock down on defense,'' Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. ''We did in the fourth quarter,''

Game 4 is Friday in Boston.

Despite Curry's noticeable limp after the play with Horford, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was not why he pulled him from the game in the closing minutes.

''The injury didn't force him out of the game, but I took him out down 14 with two minutes left because we weren't going to catch up,'' Kerr said.

The previous 39 times teams have split the first two games of the finals, the winner of Game 3 went on to win the series 82% of the time.

Feeding off the energy of a Garden crowd that jeered Green throughout his miserable night in the first NBA Finals game in Boston since 2010, the Celtics started fast and led by as many as 18 points in the first half.

Coming off a Game 2 loss in which Boston turned the ball over 19 times, the Celtics' ball movement was much crisper in the half court, which led to open perimeter shots, favorable 1-on-1 matchups and driving lanes..

It left the Warriors scrambling at times, which contributed to three foul calls on Curry in the opening 24 minutes.

But as well as Boston played, it had its early lead erased in the third quarter by a Warriors seven-point possession that included a four-point play by Curry when he drew a flagrant 1 foul on Horford and 3-pointer by Otto Porter Jr to put Golden State in front 83-82.

Boston recovered to take a 93-89 edge into the fourth, then outscored Golden State 23-11 in the quarter.

The Celtics led 56-39 before an 8-0 spurt in just 37 seconds by the Warriors trimmed the lead to 56-49 on a layup by Curry with 3:32 left in half. Boston flurried at the end of the half to take a 68-56 lead into halftime.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Shot 8 of 23 in the first period. . Were outscored 52-26 in the paint.

Celtics: Shot 57% in the first half (27 of 47. Including 8 of 18 from 3. . With two 3-pointers by Brown in the first quarter, he and Tatum became the first pair of teammates in Celtics history to each make 50 3-pointers in a single postseason.

SHOVING MATCH

Green was involved in tussles with Brown and Grant Williams in Game 2 - one that ended in a technical foul call on Green.

He had another brief run-in with Williams in the second quarter Wednesday when Williams knocked Green to the ground at midcourt.

A foul was called on Williams, but he and Green had a short face-off before being quickly separated by officials.

In third quarter, Green wound up on the ground fighting for a loose ball with Brown. This time Green was called for the foul.

FAST START

The Celtics hit three of their first four shots and scored 10 straight points to jump out to 10-2 lead.

Boston's lead grew to 18-9 when a fast break ended with Curry picking up his second foul trying to contest Smart's layup with 5:44 left in the quarter.

Curry stayed in the game and Golden State switched to zone, but it did little to slow Boston, which widened its advantage as high as 15 points. The Celtics took a 33-22 lead into the second period.

[bacondriver55-blog]

Ask Sam Mailbag: 02.22.19

On Zion. Where's he fit at 6'7" without a jump shot? I know he can drive the ball & jump like a guard, but at 285, doing that incessantly will destroy his knees. Under the hoop, he'll have Wendell's problems multiplied. No matter how high he jumps, a 6'7" guy cannot have the reach of a 7-footer. Barkley is the closest comparison, but he lost a bunch of weight... and he could shoot.

If the Bulls get the #1 pick, I'm leaning toward Ja Morant. On the Bulls, Zion would probably end up on the bench, whereas Ja would be likely to start and push Dunn to the bench. Barrett & Reddish s/b good players too, but probably not significantly better than Otto Porter. Who do you like if the Bulls don't pick in the top 3 or 4? If Zion, Morant, Barrett & Reddish are all gone, who's left who can help the Bulls?

Though the frenzy for top lottery picks is not abating, and probably just getting worse. So... First, I'd drop teams 11-14 from the lottery altogether. Those are the 4 teams who almost made the playoffs. Even though their odds are short, we constantly hear about them rather being in the lottery than losing in the 1st round. Let's start by putting an end to that. Then I'd flatten the odds among the bottom 10 teams, maybe even make them dead even, to discourage tanking into the bottom 3. That might eliminate nonsense like the Knicks sitting Enes Kanter while the fans are screaming for him.

Art Alenik

Sam: And, in case anyone wonders, I received this before the latest game of the century Wednesday that went on for about 34 seconds before Williamson got hurt. While the discussion since has been all about whether he should retire (from college ball) and Mars Blackmon's exclamation about the shoes, I think the injury issue is a legitimate question for other reasons. I don't expect the way Zion comes across personally as someone who would run away from Duke for fear of injury. He seems more committed to his teammates and the program. And even if he were to get injured, he'd still be a high lottery pick. Joel Embiid was injured before the draft and wouldn't play for two years and everyone would take him No. 1 now instead of No. 3. Michael Porter Jr. last year got into the lottery even with back surgery and knowing he wouldn't play for at least a year. Williamson doesn't seem the kind of person interested in money only. If he chooses that way, fine. It's his decision and no one will hold it against him. I'd be surprised if he did. But more so, I'd be concerned about injury and longevity given his size, and more than splitting his sneakers. I'm not a doctor and all that, but it seems this era is overwhelmed with injuries despite the incredible medical and training specialists for every team because of the way we (not me) push our bodies to ends perhaps too excessive. It seems like there's the potential for an unusual amount of strain and torque on the joints, as you suggest, with almost 300 pounds on that size of a body given he's not that tall. There's only so much the knees can take. I'm sure he'll be able to shoot at least as well as Barkley, though I see him more like an Anthony Davis kind of player—not necessarily the same style— but what I'd call a finisher instead of a starter.

The biggest impact stars of the game are the players who start the play with speed and ball handling and push, like LeBron and Durant and Harden and George and Westbrook and Curry. The finishers are players like Davis or Klay Thompson who get the ball from someone and then finish the play. They're great to have, but if they're you're best you probably aren't at the ultimate elite level. It's not to suggest Williamson won't be a superstar. We've hardly seen him play enough, and I cannot see anyone not making him the No. 1 pick in the draft. Because we've really never seen anyone like him, and when someone like that comes along you take him and find a way. No matter how good Markkanen is, Williamson would not be a Bulls backup. Or a backup even on the Warriors. But it is a reasonable point about the point. The Bulls may need my definition of a starter the most.

Meanwhile, as anti-tanking plans go, that one sounds like something. Maybe put those better teams in that single elimination thing that comes up occasionally with the seventh and/or eighth place teams in a play in over a few days at the end of the season. Really, if you're seventh or eighth you don't deserve much. Seventh and eighth don't even get into the playoffs in most sports. Then start the playoffs a few days late as that first round goes too long anyway; cut that down. And, I agree, equalize the odds through the worst six or seven teams in a lottery so that trying to get to 14 wins isn't a goal. I'll contact the commissioner once he figures out how to get out of the mess he helped create with the demand that Anthony Davis continue to play for the Pelicans while not caring or trying.

My thoughts looking at the projected top 3 guys: Zion, Barrett and Morant.

Zion - is he starting at small forward over Porter? Probably, but then you'll have a $25M 6th man. Start him at the 4 over Markkanen? Ehhhh... Would Zion be OK not starting??

Barrett- do you put him on the bench in back of Levine? Can he play a bit of small forward? Trade Levine for a point guard?? Would Barrett be OK not starting?

Morant - I hope we get him... Seems like a perfect fit. Dunn seems like a great backup point guard on a good team.

Joe Dobrzynski

Sam: I've noticed the discussion these days is not so intense about losing games with the percentages the same at 14 for the bottom three and then 12.5 for four, which is where the Bulls now are. But position does matter. The Bulls are playing out the rest of the season to win games. With the addition of Otto Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen finally healthy and playing at a higher level, they'll win a reasonable number games. The way it still works in the lottery is once the top three picks are determined—and usually one team breaks through from the bottom—the selections go in order of standings. So if, say, the team with the sixth best odds moves up to No. 1, then the records count for the succeeding draft slots. So the team with the worst record then goes second, the second worst gets third and so on. So like last season, if you're third maybe you get this year's version of Luka Doncic. And if you're fifth or sixth, well, I really haven't watched enough college basketball yet to know. The consensus seems to be your three guys will be gone by four. Like everyone else, I've mostly watched Duke and I think LaVine and Markkanen are better than everyone else I've seen not named Zion. Though you'd think with Illinois already naming a far Chicago suburb after Williamson, it's kismet.

So, here we (maybe) are again. The Bulls may have an opportunity to draft a guy who's a consensus can't-miss, rare talent...who sprained his knee towards the end of his college career. Although the result the first time around was thrilling and I don't regret any part of it as a fan...I'm not sure I'm prepared to do that again after watching that shoe-fail incident and Zion's attendant knee sprain. Besides...we have two awesome power forwards and a top-ten 3 just acquired. We need a point guard, and there's a really good one available. Even if the Bulls (again, not even as odds-against this time) luck into the number one pick overall, they should take the PG from Murray State. Shouldn't they?

Chris Granner

Sam: There are reasons to pass on Williamson, though a knee sprain—assuming it's just that—is not uncommon. But there's that torque from that incredible body. Derrick Rose wasn't even a consensus No. 1. It's been players like LeBron, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal. And Hakeem Olajuwon over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Should they? I'm wondering more, would they? I doubt it.

Joel Embiid has knee issues, hopefully not serious, but who knows? Then Zion goes down on a freaky first possession play. Maybe a point in the "tanking is bad" club? So you want to tank like the 76ers and take 5 or more years to be relevant and then uh oh maybe your main guy still has knee issues!? You want to tank to get Zion now? Can this get worse for him or could this just be an isolated incident? Just shows it is never a guarantee unless you are the machine that is Lebron James.

Jon Kueper

Sam: The holy grail in sports is the elite superstar player, and no one knows how to get one. They just kind of land on your team and then you take bows. You think the Warriors knew about Curry at No. 7 in the draft? They almost traded him instead of Monta Ellis. You think the Bucks knew about Giannis? They were trying to trade that non lottery pick all over the league that season and when they couldn't get much they did a what the heck. Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo went before Westbrook in the 2008 Derrick Rose draft, and then Mayo was traded to get Kevin Love, taken below Westbrook. No one knows how you get a player like that unless it's obvious, like LeBron or perhaps now Zion. So you take your shot because otherwise you'll generally just keep trying, anyway. Ask the Portland Trailblazers when everyone knew the next one was Greg Oden. In the meantime, you keep putting together enough talent, like the Bulls are doing now, to become competitive. And then you hope—which is everyone's plan—to get lucky in the draft or free agency or someone's owner decides James Harden isn't worth the extra $5 million.

Too many teams have created max contract spaces than there are premier, tier one free agent players. Some stars may not want to play in a specific market or for a weak team. It's a reasonable expectation that some teams with abundant cap space will not be able to sign preferred players. This sounds like a rerun of the Krause two full boat debacle with Mercer and Boozer but with more teams. A team like the Knicks with a very high pick may be "forced" into a trade to acquire good tier one talent. Assume for the moment that the Knicks were desperate for a player like Davis and were offering their lottery pick. How does the draft pick trade off against a Davis salary and the salary cap? Would the Knicks need to add additional players in that trade to match up the salaries? Are draft picks salary slotted? How are future picks valued? It would seem that pre draft trades and later free agent signings and trades will be more prevalent and especially interesting this year and be somewhat uncharted territory.

John Petersen

Sam: It's another reason we love the NBA. Relax, there's always basketball games talk. Especially playoff time, which is coming most places. The gossip, which always has been part of the NBA back to Wilt demanding trades and Oscar picking his spot with the first real no trade clause, helps make the league special. Draft picks have zero value versus salary until the players sign contracts. Maybe, as speculated and lip read at the All-Star game, Irving and Durant choose the Knicks. Durant would be making the biggest mistake of his career, though what fun we all could have driving him nuts because he reads every Tweet. I can see Irving going to the Knicks because he's always talked about finishing near where he grew up in New Jersey. Plus, I think a part of the Celtics dysfunction this season was the way he bailed out on the team in the playoffs last season and wouldn't even show up for the closing playoff game. Elective surgery from a November injury the day of Game 7? Seriously? Probably didn't want to see LeBron dance after getting himself out of there. Draft picks obviously carry intrinsic value because of their (often inflated) worth in this era.

The reason the Porter trade made sense for the Bulls was the path to attracting free agents is a better record. As Krause painfully discovered. Now we know top guys don't want to be builders. They prefer being joiners. I can see Durant if he chooses to leave, which I wouldn't but which would open up the West, going to the Mavericks or the best place probably would be the Clippers with Leonard. With Kawhi and the guys they have like Lou Williams, the Clippers probably would be better than the Warriors without Durant. Then the West would be wide open, also. If a team like the Knicks got No. 1, it likely would be enough to sell to their fans, like when they got Patrick Ewing in the first lottery, and provide enough hope not to do anything radical. From there, a team can start getting serious. It's ironic that the Bulls were candid and forthcoming and mostly got attacked for it. It made sense to add a veteran like Porter to their young players to eventually get in position for free agency rather than pursuing the fantasy that Durant or Leonard couldn't wait to join a 19-win team and then hear, see, we told you the team would not get a free agent. So why didn't you go for someone like Otto Porter?

Does the Porter trade signal the end of the 'younger and more athletic' phase of the rebuild? Seems to me like they have the pieces they want in place and the focus is on developing them and hoping at least one takes the leap to the next level. Unless we have a top 2 draft pick and get either Zion or Morant, we're likely to add a backup wing/forward. Plan A should be to bring in veteran mentors for the young Bulls. I'd love to see them use their 20ish million in cap space to bring in a combination of players like Rondo, Vince Carter, Danny Green, Taj, and resign RoLo.

Brodie Larsh

Sam: Carmelo should be available, too. Maybe Jordan makes a comeback. You know the commissioner would add him as that 13th guy for the 2020 All-Star game. He and Dominique in the slam dunk. Now that would be something to see. That's a bit too veteran, I'd say. I could see Taj, though I think Taj would rather go somewhere he could play more. I doubt he sees himself as the mentor quite yet.

The problem with bringing in those aging veterans no matter how good it sounds to many fans and media is the players don't much listen to them if they can't play anymore. It's like your parents telling you about what they did. Players roll their eyes, too. With Porter, I think the Bulls are in a good place at, going by the numbers, two, three and four. Wendell Carter is perhaps at five, but they also need some depth and size there. And, of course, there's Dunn and the point guard conundrum. Can he be the guy? If not, you need a fairly high level starter because this time, no really, this time the Bulls have to be playing to be a playoff contender. With Markkanen going into his third season and Zach into his sixth, there's no younger anymore. Porter is a head start into that. We'll, of course, wait out the luck of the lottery and draft. But I expect the addition to be a starter or capable of that. With so many free agents and so many likely to return to their teams, it's too soon to know who even will be there. I expect several new Bulls faces who don't know where the G-league cities are.

Kaiser Gates of the G League Bulls looks ready to come onto the NBA Bulls. He was the Big East's best shooter. I could see him really contributing off the bench as a sharpshooter. And with his size at 6"8 he trumps Blakeney and Alkins. What do you think of bringing him up now?

Ryan Carpel

Sam: Even though guys play for the Windy City team, they are not Bulls minor leaguers. That's only the two-way players, Alkins and Sampson. All the others can sign with any NBA teams. So the Bulls have to have a roster spot to sign someone on a 10-day contract. I think they do have one open, but Hutchison should return soon and I don't know if there's much point in carrying another backup big man at a time they appear to be trying to play a more open game. Is this a tanking thing?

Am I the only one questioning how Anthony Davis can leave a regular season game (and arena) due to a "shoulder injury" but still deem himself able to play in the All Star game? Also why doesn't Adam Silver intervene?

Anthony Reed

Sam: Plus the Cubs, I hear, feel Sammy Sosa may have made him do it and aren't allowing Davis to come back, either, given their historic anger about anyone leaving early.

What are the odds the Bulls bring back Luol? watching the Bulls haven't been the same since they traded him and it would be nice to see him retire a Bull!

Joseph Higgins

Sam: Well, I suggested that recently for Noah and Rose; at least the retirement part. Actually, Lu could be one of those veterans that might be fine closing it out being the bench mentor. How much anyone 22 would listen is another thing, though it would work for me. Though that stuff didn't work too well in the early 2000s when the Bulls brought back Scottie Pippen, Will Perdue B.J. Armstrong and Charles Oakley. Tough to see these guys finish on those 60-loss teams.

Am I right in noticing that amongst the under-25 players in the NBA, the cream of the non-USA players are clearly better than the cream of the USA players?

Simmons, Doncic, Giannis, Embiid... maybe KP or later Markkanen for PF. What group of USA 25 and under is beating that?

Alejandro Yegros

Sam: And you left out Jokic and Porzingis. It is an interesting evolution, and at least demonstrates what we often fail to accept in the United States, that there's excellent athletic talent everywhere. Notice they usually lose the Ryder Cup golf, also. This should be viewed as a positive for the NBA, which remains without walls. You know, Basketball without Borders. Obviously, the depth of talent still is from the United States given our infrastructure. But what we are seeing is more fundamentally sound, mature players coming from outside the U.S. because of our flawed and often corrupt AAU and prep feeder systems. The training and coaching overseas tends to be more disciplined. I suspect it accounts for many U.S. players not reaching their potential, which also helps explains the surfeit of depth. We've got a lot of kids, but they jump around to schools and AAU teams in mostly informal competition and then into the NBA. And aren't ready. It can short circuit a career. I remember when the NBA started the high school direct to pros. Obviously there were some great players, but I remember one GM telling me many of the players who'll be hall of Famers now would max out as all stars, and the players who might be all stars would max out as just good players. Can't prove it either way, but I would not be surprised. So many of these players from overseas are on professional teams playing with adults at a younger age and knowing the game better. Which also is a reason why as they get older and learn the game and competition more, it's so many U.S.-born players who emerge at the top. There are enough developing, young NBA players now no to quite embarrass the U.S., like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Marvin Bagley, Jaren Jackson, De'Aaron Fox. The U.S. will be fine; it's good for the game and the country.

I can't seem to understand the lack of recognition Lauri Markkanen is getting from the media outside of Chicago. I was having a look at his stat line this year and thinking that his improvement as a 2nd year 7-footer has been impressive and he is balling at the moment. For comparison, I compared his 2nd year to more 'hyped' young european bigs - Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis to highlight this

2nd year

Markkanen (35* gms) - MPG 32.3 / 18.5 pts / 8.8 rbs / FG% 43.7 / 3P% 38.3 / 1.3 ast / 0.7 blk (Season ongoing)

Porzingis (66 gms) - MPG 28.4 / 18.1 pts / 7.2 rbs / FG% 45.0 / 3P% 33.3 / 1.5 ast / 2.0 blk

Jokic (73 gms) - MPG 27.9 / 16.7 pts / 9.8 rbs / FG% 57.7 / 3P% 32.2 / 4.9 ast / 0.8 blk

In Porzingis's second season he was being touted as a revolutionary type player who would change the way the NBA was played. Maybe with New York being the centre of the universe for the media it swayed in his favor but still. Jokic wasn't the high pick the other two were but again, his passing ability and strong play had the media gushing at his 'point-centre' style and he quickly came into the calculation for most promising bigs in the league.

My point is Lauri's stat line is equal and if not better to those two in their second years and yet, we do not hear the plaudits that Jokic and Porzingis were getting at this point in their second year. When it comes to top young bigs in the league, I am startled he doesn't at least seem to be in the conversation.

Caleb Slade

Sam: Out of sight, out of mind. The combination of being on a team last year not much interested in winning and then being hurt half this season, and not being in New York while doing so leaves you out of the conversation. Last year he was awfully shy and didn't speak much to media. He's broken out of that this season, but is mostly humble and defers to others. He's a bit too much of a team player sometimes, in my view. I'd rather see him taking 10 "bad" shots than many others' good shots. He doesn't think that way. But people who know, know. That's why despite not playing until December and playing hurt that month, he still was selected a Rising Stars game starter. The coaches know, and when the Bulls improve, as they should substantially next season without another epidemic of injuries, it's not inconceivable Markkanen could be in the All-Star game conversation as Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton were this year. He's got a higher ceiling than both those players, but still a team not on TV much.

Do you think Rajon Rondo will ever be a head coach in the NBA? You could see what happened to the Pels when they let him go, and we all agree pretty much that his absence against Boston cost the Bulls that series two years ago.

Jim Hecimovich

Sam: The NBA is a lot about out of the box, and if I were looking for a coach I would take a chance on Rondo as player/coach. He's pretty much like that when he's on your team the way he works with the young players and always is searching out film and knows every opponent's plays. He's fit enough and smart enough, I think, to handle both in the model of the Hall of Fame's Lenny Wilkens, the last great player/coach. I know it's said now there's too much to do, but, really I'd take my chances. After all, doesn't everyone have about eight assistants hanging around?

Sam, what is a "protected" draft choice. And what is the significance issue and how is it utilized by management?

Mike Kibler

Sam: This continues my NBA 101 since we always take for granted everyone knows what we know because, well, if we know it how hard could it be? Perhaps that didn't come out right. A protected draft choice means it is transmitted to the other team unless it is at a certain position. It's a way for a team to "protect" itself in case they have a poorer season than they expect. So a team wants to make a trade and the other team wants the first round draft pick for the player. There always has to be some value in a trade. But the team receiving the player is afraid something could happen and their season goes bad. So they "protect" the draft pick through, for example, the first 14 picks. It means if it's in the top 14 they keep it. If it's 14 to 30, it goes to the other team. But the other team eventually has to receive something. So there are provisions written in for, say, "protection" through top 10 the following year, top eight after that and so on until the other team eventually gets something. The terms are part of the trade negotiation. Management uses it as something they can add to a trade of value if just, for example, one player for another isn't enough to get the deal done while having "protection" against a disastrous season and the other team then falling into the next Zion. Oh no!

I was listening to sports radio this morning as White Sox fans called in to complain about the team not signing Manny Machado. One caller blamed it on Reinsdorf being cheap. I'm not really writing about that topic. As evidence this caller said, "This is the same guy who when he signed Michael Jordan said, 'I'm going to regret this.'" The hosts, both longtime Chicago radio and newspaper personalities, didn't contradict him on the quote. It's not a quote or story I've heard before so I wonder if you can shed any light on it.

Cameron Watkins

Sam: It is longtime "evidence" that is specious, but why, you know, mess up your bias. This is what happened back then: Jordan, and to his credit with the occasional private compliant, had finished his eight-year $25 million contract. It was groundbreaking and shocking deal at the time, and, of course, outdated in a few years. Michael never demanded a renegotiation, saying he signed it, so he'd live up to it. Yes, how quaint. Obviously, Michael couldn't lower his ethics to be a college coach. But the White Sox did bring him into their minor league system, as he requested after his this-is-really-final 1993 retirement, and paid him his $4 million annual basketball salary even though he was a minor league baseball player.

SamOK, so he returns to the Bulls late in the 1994-95 season and plays for $4 million in the magical 95-96, 72-win season, and is that season about the 150th best paid in the league. He doesn't say much. Now it's time to pay. How much? The salary cap for 1995-96 was $23 million for the entire team. Patrick Ewing was the highest paid in the league at about $18 million. Only six players earned more than $6 million. Jordan asked for about $55 million over two years. The Bulls proposed year by year a deal that, in the end, would work better for Jordan. So they finally agreed on $30 million for one year. Remember, just four teams in the league had entire team salaries that exceeded $30 million. The Knicks were highest at $43 million with Ewing's 18 million. Pay one guy $30 million? Sure, it was Jordan and he brought more attention to the league than anyone. But pay him more than almost 90 percent of the teams? It's like you are buying a $100,000 auto. You say with a laugh to the salesperson you hope it doesn't break down on the way out of the showroom; you know, I hope I'm not making a mistake. Ha ha. So Reinsdorf offered a bit of a quip about the salary, which was with a laugh, "I hope I don't regret this."

SamLook, Jordan and his agent were smiling. There were cigars. No one in American sports ever even thought about a salary like that. The Bulls team salary immediately went to No. 1 in the league and 35 percent more than the second highest, a rare financial gap. Jordan alone was paid more than the entire payrolls of 20 different teams and well above for one player the total salary cap per team. Maybe you'd make a bit of a nervous joke, also, but the negotiation started above the per team total. No player in the league was even making half Jordan's salary. It even seems like a lot 22 years later when today it would still be in the top 10 of current NBA salaries in a period when the salary cap has gone up more than four fold. Which means in today's NBA it would be an annual salary of maybe $135 million. It doesn't strike me as being cheap. But that's just me.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/ask-sam-mailbag-022219

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS 'FUTURESHOCK TAPPED III' - TAPPED WITH A VENGEANCE

Hello and welcome everyone to this edition of Graps and Claps this time taking me on a short journey to the Piccadilly area of Manchester for Futureshock Wrestling’s Tapped III event at the Fairfield Social Club for what will be in the first in a line of special Wednesday night events which seems a regular thing now in the British Wrestling sphere with many a midweek show taking place up and down this land, with the now defunct Lucha Forever being the innovator of said ‘midweek graps’.

Getting into Manchester for 6pm, I swiftly made my way to The Piccadilly Tap to meet up with some of the Graps gang (Steve, Ben, Andrew and our Geoff) for a couple of pints before walking around the corner to the venue. Only two pints before the show which included in the Piccadilly Tap – a pint of Marble/Heart & Craft Macchiato Porter (5.1% £5.80) that smelt coffee like but only tasted a smidgen like it’s supposed flavour which was maybe cancelled out due to it being a cold keg drink.

It was then a walk across the road to the Store Street Craft Beer Bar which is adjoined to the Double Tree by Hilton, so it is basically a glorified hotel bar offering supposed ‘Craft’ beer from Brightside Brewery and JW Lees plus the usual Craft legends called Foster’s and Heineken – they will literally stick the word ‘Craft’ to bloody anything nowadays. Anyways the £4.60 pint of Brightside IPA passed as a solid 6.5/10, but I did feel sorry for Ben who bought a £6.50 pint of Goose Island IPA which is an example of hotel bar prices. Décor though in this place is welcoming but it is certainly one place where you would only visit to have 1 pint and nothing else if especially you are on your way to the Apollo as it is very sparse in good pubs on that route.

Drinks done, it was time to get to the venue – whilst on the way my mate Andrew was telling me about a recent Kaiser Chiefs gig he had been to that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be with lead singer Ricky Wilson having a reet bad night on the mic. Arriving into the Fairfield Social Club I would estimate the audience to be around the 150/200 marker with many people taking in the fantastic ale selection (around 16 on tap on this evening anything ranging from £3.50 - £6 a pint), plus the food selection from Vasos Kitchen offering fries with different Indian style toppings including a Keema Option for £7.50 and a Masala option for £4 that I frequented – very fragrant in smell and a taste that certainly packed a punch but was well worth the price to fill a corner in my tummy!

Taking our seats at the back near the commentator’s desk which wasn’t being used, as Rob Halden and Matthew Richards decided to do their commentary from the couches near the bar watching on monitors from G-Man video editing lair – probably the best option as our singing would have deafened their ears in the first match between Angst Strongman – Big Joe and one of our personal favourites Sugar Dunkerton who was making his debut in Futureshock in what was if I am right in thinking – his 1 year anniversary wrestling in the UK since his debut on a cold Leeds Afternoon.

Early on in this match there were many chants aimed at Joe’s stature and also the Sugar chant was in full force thanks to his adoring fan club (us lot) meaning that his debut instantly got off to a great start with this response. As we eventually got into the action, we had Joe showing off his strength as Squatted Sugar but in turn after 3 squats, Sugar had him locked in a sleeper which left Joe laying on the floor. This lead to Sugar trying to quieten the crowd so he could pin Joe whilst he was asleep, but a big shout from the Nordic Alarm Clock on the outside woke Joe up at the two count.

Once Joe was back awake, he laid a beatdown to Sugar but Sugar was only playing possum during this as he fired back with a Pimp Slap to Joe then a DDT for a 2 count. As the match reached its conclusion Joe used his strength to power up Sugar to hit a fireman’s lift then a Vader Bomb for a 2, but when he went to the other side of the ring to hit a splash, Sugar rolled to the other side of the ring and offered Joe to jump anyways which he duly did after much persuasion from Thomas Wolfe on the outside and Sugar inside the ring, sadly for Joe there wasn’t enough distance on the dive and no water in the pool as he went SPLAT! Sugar took advantage of this by rolling up Joe for the 3 count to get the popular victory to start proceedings. In terms of Comedy style wrestling these two were a match made in heaven with the charismatic Sugar and the ever improving Big Joe who has his character down pat – just all around entertainment that you can’t ask much more of!

Second match now with the Futureshock Women’s title on the line with a clash of goodies as the Champion, Lana Austin took on her protégé of sorts – Hollie who was looking to possibly get the shock victory and maybe a championship by the end of this match even in her early infancy as a wrestler. The early feeling out process ended up with Hollie getting the best of it, but once Lana got into her stride she did so with hard forearms to the face. Hollie though came firing back with a couple of knee shots to get near falls. As the match was going on though, out came two newcomers to Futureshock (but already two regulars in WrestlePro), that being Alexis Falcon and Taonga who came to keep a watching eye, but they would soon get involved by attacking Lana from behind as the referee wasn’t watching.

When they chucked Lana back in, they willed Hollie to pick up the scraps but her conflicting head got the better of her as she refused to pin Lana so instead Taonga and Alexis took offence to this and came in the ring to attack both Lana and Hollie to cause the No Contest – BOOOO!!! So it looks like we have a possible tag match for a future show with Hollie & Lana taking on Taonga and Alexis Falcon which is a good thing to see as it is a change from the monthly Queen Bees vs Lana & Partner match we have got often in Futureshock recently. Match wise with Lana and Hollie it was a decent follow up from the first match and hopefully we possibly get to see it again in the future.  

A special bonus match now as the sirens rang out in the Social Club with the appearance of the Futureshock Champion Crater, much to the disgust of some in the crowd (my friend Mike especially). His opponents for the evening were not 1, not 2, but 3 opponents with the appearance of Karl Stoxx, Tom Thelwell and PCW favourite Philip Michael who got a good reception from the crowd even though this was his debut in the promotion – probably due to his familiarity on the North West scene. Sadly, though for the three lads, it didn’t turn out great as Crater smashed his way through them in quick style, despite them getting in little offence like double dropkicks to try and knock the big fella down. Crater soon finished it by hitting a double choke slam to 2 of them and putting a foot on the other to bring an end to proceedings. After the match though we had an appearance from Crater’s nemesis Henry T. Grodd who came out to spear Crater to the chants of ‘Grodd! Grodd! Grood! to once again stake another claim to a title shot against Crater in the future. To be honest though I do feel at this stage that the crowd are certainly behind a Grodd victory against Crater more than a John McGregor one!

Half time Main Event now, with The Young Guns (Ethan Allen and Luke Jacobs) taking on the makeshift team of Sam Bailey and James Drake – this was due to Zack Gibson being unable to compete due to Injury. Gibson though did get on the mic before the match to explain why people were asking – Why are Gibson and Drake friends again in Futureshock after a 9-month feud? To their credit they explained it as more of a friendly tiff between great friends/colleagues – which I am glad they have explained it (They must have read my comments about the lack of explanation at the Stockport show). Just to report – no chants of ‘NXT’ on this occasion! They did promise the Guns though in the future that they would eventually get a match against the Grizzled Young Veterans with possibly some gold on the line – but we shall just see!

Anyways with Gibson’s chatting out of the way, we got down to business with the Young Guns on top early with Jacobs first working on Bailey, then dissecting Drake. Ethan Allen then tagged in but was soon beaten down by both Bailey who hit a big superplex to young Ethan and then Drake followed up on Ethan with a Back Breaker to the boos of the crowd. The continuous beat down carried on to Ethan, that was until he got the hot tag to Luke who came in like a house on fire flooring both Bailey and Drake. It was interesting to see during this that Ethan was selling excellently on the ring apron from the beating – just the little things like that shows that this lad could be headed to the top. With Ethan back to full health, himself and Luke hit a Big Back Cracker double team to get a 2 fall, also in the home stretch we had Drake & Bailey hit their version of the Vets finisher which I will name for the purpose of this occasion – ‘The Ticket to Bailey’s House’ for a 2 count.

With the Guns on top though, Luke was ready to finish off James Drake, but from behind Zack Gibson waffled poor Luke to leave him in prime position for Drake to hit the 450 to get the win in a fantastic tag match, but sadly for the Guns another one in the loss column – which I do hope for their sakes they can pick up some wins soon!

Back from the break, we returned with Adrenaline Title action with No Limit after CJ Banks and Joey Hayes (Champion) went to a 15-minute Time Limit draw in Stockport, which has led to this match where the winner of the match will then go on to face Chris Ridgeway in Prestwich on the 23rd February. The early bulk of this match was CJ showing his dominance beating down Joey, including winning the best of the exchanges on the outside as they fought near the bar. Back in the ring though, both Joey and CJ went hold for hold for a good 20 minutes, that eventually ended in both guys’ double pinning each other much to the annoyance of the crowd who wanted an outright winner – so for the Prestwich show we now have a Triple Threat match with CJ vs Joey Hayes vs Chris Ridgeway for the Adrenaline Title.

Couple of things to point out from this match, included a post-match beat up of Joey from CJ, plus my overriding opinion of this match the day after and also on the evening, was that this was a good wrestling match but it did suffer from crowd heat and not one to be a toss as I am not a wrestler, but this always seems to be CJ Banks downfall as a baddie – when he is on the offence especially as he was against Joey, he doesn’t attempt to jaw jack with the crowd to get them to boo him, he just goes straight into the next manoeuvre with no response. CJ is a good wrestler but he is as bland as anything. 

Second to last match as the time was coming up to 9:30pm and with our Geoff wondering if he should go home as he had work at 6am in the morning, but he decided against this. In this match we had two up and comers on the North West scene with JJ Webb taking on Callum Corrie, with the latter trying to making 2019 his own, like he did in the latter part of 2018 in GPW. Corrie had the bulk of the crowd noise for him with chants of ‘Sandy Beach’ and ‘Callum Corrie’ blaring in his ears and it was this support that got him over the finish line in this match as he hit poor JJ with a DDT to pick up the 3 count in a good under 10-minute scrap that kept the audience’s attention throughout the match.

After the match though, this loss got too much for JJ who attacked Callum and then locked in a Crab to make Corrie moan like buggery, so this feud is going to continue so happy days as these are two good young up and comers.

Main event time now with John McGregor trying to prove he has what it takes to dethrone Crater in March, by testing himself against former Futureshock Heavyweight Champion Ashton Smith who was looking himself to get back on track after a quiet couple of months in the promotion due to WWE commitments - plus as ever it was good to belt out a rendition of ‘All of the Lights’ once again as Ashton made his way down to the ringside area.

A bulk of this match was very much Ashton being the aggressor as he beat down the much smaller McGregor, but John over these last couple of months is showed those fighting qualities from underneath that helped him win the Legacy Tournament, especially his match vs Zack Gibson where he was excellent. With John fighting through, he looked like he was ready for the loss as Ashton hit a GTS then a ‘Roll of the Dice’ for an agonising 2 fall that had the crowd on the edge of their seats but John managed to somehow recover from this as he hit a Jumping DDT to Ashton to get the 3 count in around 15 minutes in a very good main event.

After the match though, Ashton got on to the mic to say to congratulate John on the win, but then the pleasantries stopped at that when he said bluntly to John that ‘You are not ready for Crater off that performance’! – Which instantly I think puts in the crowd’s head that the Gentleman is not good enough to beat Crater in March, but this writer though thinks differently and can see him pushing Crater all the way, but with the threat of Grodd I can see John ultimately failing – we shall see!!

Show done, it was time to leave but not before having a quick chat with Ashton, ring announcer Neil and also Sugar Dunkerton who as ever was a gentleman to chat to. Overall as a show it was a good 2 ½ hours of entertainment with the Young Guns vs Sam Bailey/James Drake, Dunkerton/Big Joe and the Main Event being matches you should check out on Futureshock’s On Demand service.

Next time we will be at Futureshock will be the 23rdFebruary in Prestwich for the visit of PAC who will be taking on Soner Durson. Next time you will be hearing from me will be for Breed Wrestling’s debut show in Sheffield on Sunday 10th February – so as ever go and give this a share, likes and retweets and spread the word. So until then – BYE !!!!

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Account of the last days of Elizabeth I by Robert Carey

After that all things were quieted, and the border in safety, towards the end of five years that I had been Warden there, having little to do I resolved upon a journey to court, to see my friends and renew my acquaintance there. I took my journey about the end of the year. When I came to court I found the Queen ill disposed, and she kept her inner lodging; yet she, hearing of my arrival, sent for me. I found her in one of her withdrawing chambers, sitting low upon her cushions. She called me to her, I kissed her hand, and told her it was my chiefest happiness to see her in safety and in health, which I wished  might long continue. She took me by the hand, and wrung it hard, and said, “No, Robin, I am not well,”and then discoursed with me of her indisposition, and that her heart had been sad and heavy for ten or twelve days, and in her discourse she fetched not so few as forty or fifty great sighs. I was grieved at the first to see her in this plight; for in all my lifetime before I never knew her fetch a sigh, but when the Queen of Scots was beheaded. (..)

I used the best words I could to persuade her from this melancholy humour; but I found by her it was too deep rooted in her heart, and hardly to be removed. This was upon a Saturday night, and she gave command that the great closet should be prepared for her to go to chapel the next morning. The next day, all things being in readiness, we long expected her coming. After eleven o’clock, one of the grooms came out and bade make ready for the private closet, she would not go to the great. There we stayed long for her coming, but at the last she had cushions laid for her in the privy chamber hard by the closet door, and there she heard service.

From that day forwards she grew worse and worse. She remained upon her cushions four days and nights at the least. All about her could not persuade her either to take any sustenance or go to bed. (..)

The Queen grew worse and worse, because she would be so, none about her being able to persuade her to go to bed. My Lord Admiral was sent for (who by reason of my sister’s death, that was his wife, had absented himself some fortnight from court); what by fair means, what by force, he got her to bed. There was no hope of her recovery, because she refused all remedies.

On Wednesday, the twenty-third of March, she grew speechless. That afternoon, by signs, she called for her Council, and by putting her hand to her head, when the King of Scots was named to succeed her, they all knew he was the man she desired should reign after her.

About six at night she made signs for the Archbishop and her Chaplains to come to her, at which time I went in with them, and sat upon my knees full of tears to see that heavy sight. Her Majesty lay upon her back, with one hand in the bed, and the other without. The Bishop kneeled down by her, and examined her first of her faith, and she so punctually answered all his several questions, by lifting up her eyes and holding up her hand, as it was a comfort to all the bedholders. Then the good man told her plainly what she was, and what she was to come to; and though she had been long a great Queen here upon earth, yet shortly she was to yield an account of her stewardship to the King of Kings. After this he began to pray, and all that were by did answer him. After he had continued long in prayer, till the old man’s knees were weary, he blessed her, and meant to rise and leave her. The Queen made a sign with her hand. My sister Scroope, knowing her meaning, told the Bishop the Queen desired he would pray still. He did so for a long half-hour after, and then thought to leave her. The second time she made sign to have him continue in prayer. He did so for half an hour more, with earnest cries to God for her soul’s health, which he uttered with that fervency of spirit as the Queen to all our sight much rejoiced thereat, and gave testimony to us all of her Christian and comfortable end. By this time it grew late, and every one departed, all but her women that attended her.

This that I heard with my ears, and did see with my eyes, I thought it my duty to set down, and to affirm it for a truth, upon the faith of a Christian, because I know there have been many false lies reported of the end and death of that good lady.

I went to my lodging, and left word with one in the Cofferer’s chamber to call me, if that night it was thought she would die, and gave the porter an angel to let me in at any time when I called. Between one and two of the clock on Thursday’s morning, he that I left in the Cofferer’s chamber brought me word the Queen was dead.

Memoirs of Robert Carey

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Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics lose Washington Wizards late

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Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics lose Washington Wizards late

BOSTON — Near the end of 58 exhausting minutes of basketball, while most of the players on the court tried to simply catch their breaths, the Morris twins stood shoulder to shoulder on the blocks during a free-throw attempt, chatting away like they typically do when they cross paths on the hardwood.

During a weekly radio appearance, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart is waiting to see how his thumb responds to initial treatment while gathering opinions on the injury.

Bradley Beal scored 34 points, including a three-point play with 1:25 left in the second overtime, and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 125-124 on Wednesday night.

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The topic du jour: Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris’ defensive miscue at the end of regulation that had helped the visiting Washington Wizards force overtime. A Boston team ravaged by injuries had fumbled away a 20-point lead, but found itself up three with five seconds to play in regulation. All the Celtics had to do was not allow a 3-pointer, but Morris absentmindedly charged at a driving Otto Porter Jr., who alertly fed Jodie Meeks in the corner for a wide-open, overtime-forcing trey.

Marcus Morris found a sympathetic ear in his brother, Markieff.

“When we were in Washington [in February], [Markieff] fouled Kyrie [Irving] at the end to send it into overtime,” said Marcus Morris, recalling how a pair of Markieff fouls beyond the 3-point arc allowed Boston to escape with an overtime triumph in D.C. “This time, I did a bonehead play and came in and they hit a 3 for overtime.

“So twins do dumb s—, I guess.”

Marcus Morris produced one of his finest games with the Celtics, scoring a season-high 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting while trying to carry a Boston team that was without Irving (knee), Al Horford (illness), Jaylen Brown (concussion), Marcus Smart (thumb), Daniel Theis (knee) and Gordon Hayward (ankle). Five of the 10 players available to Celtics coach Brad Stevens were rookies, including Guerschon Yabusele, who drew a spot start after being recalled from the G League for his first NBA action since early February.

The Celtics’ Marcus Morris, who allowed Washington to hit a late 3-pointer to force overtime, chats with his brother Markieff, who made a costly gaffe against Boston last month. Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Boston came charging out of the gates, building an early double-digit lead. But the young Celtics — and some of their vets too — made a series of uncharacteristic late-game mistakes that allowed Washington to escape with a 125-124 double-overtime triumph.

“Me being a veteran, I put that on me,” Marcus Morris said. “Committing to the ball, knowing they needed a 3, [Porter] made a great play [passing to Meeks], but that was my bad.”

Stevens stressed that Boston wouldn’t have had even a chance to win — both in regulation and the extra sessions — if not for Marcus Morris’ offensive contributions. But the coach also acknowledged the defensive miscue.

“Just one of those plays that I know Marcus would like to have back,” Stevens said. “At the end of the day, when we came out of the timeout, we wanted to be five guys around the 3-point line. You don’t want to give them just an easy-entry layup, but I think that we did a pretty good job initially, and then we should’ve just let Porter lay it in.

“But that happens. And Marcus Morris was one of the main reasons why we were there, and it happens. It happens.”

The Celtics had a chance to steal the win when rookie Jayson Tatum lost his defender with a spin move and got fouled driving at the basket for an and-1 layup with 3.1 seconds to play in the first overtime. But Tatum, an 83 percent free-throw shooter, missed from the stripe.

0:34

Otto Porter Jr. drives to the basket and looks like he is going to go for a layup, but kicks it out to Jodie Meeks, who knocks down a 3-pointer in the corner and send the game to overtime.

Tatum got a chance to atone at the end of the second overtime, but he settled for a 3-pointer with Boston down one and his good look kicked off the back iron, allowing the Wizards to escape.

“I wish I hit that free throw,” Tatum said. “Hopefully we wouldn’t have had to go to the second overtime. I wish I hit that last shot [in the second OT], but we play again on Friday, so I’m gonna focus on that game.”

Stevens again wouldn’t pin the loss on a single player.

“Missed shots don’t bother me at all. That’s just part of the game,” he said. “At the end of the day, you control what you can control. He made a great play taking it to the basket [in the first overtime]. I thought he did a lot of good things tonight. There’s no question Jayson Tatum at the free throw line is something we all want.”

Bradley Beal was phenomenal for the heavy-legged Wizards and finished with a game-high 34 points. He liked how Boston’s younger players stepped up on a national TV stage.

“Coach Stevens does a great job making sure those guys are ready to go,” Beal said. “We have to be better than that, as a team and as a unit. We need to be more mentally locked in and come out swinging.”

While the Celtics-Wizards rivalry doesn’t have quite the same pizazz as last year’s postseason when tempers routinely flared as part of a tantalizing seven-game series, Wednesday’s game was a reminder that these teams can be an entertaining pairing regardless of who is on the floor.

It’s always entertaining when the Morris twins get together.

“I know that’s what everyone wants to see anyway,” Marcus Morris said. “That’s fun, just being out there with my brother and be able to compete against him. Growing up together and being in a prime-time game is very fun and competitive. We both kind of have to play well.”

They’ll hope to avoid the miscues if they see each other again in the postseason.

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Your Thursday Morning Roundup

Remember when the Sixers took care of the Wizards Tuesday night at home and Joel Embiid had some fun with a young fan?

This time, the 17-point margin went in favor of the Wizards in D.C. A horrible performance saw Washington take the second part of the back-to-back 123-106.

Joel Embiid had another double-double with 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler had 23 points. Furkan Korkmaz and Ben Simmons registered in the mid-teens, but the bench (and Wilson Chandler’s five points) sucked. Landry Shamet scored five points, the highest for a guy coming off the bench.

As for Washington, Bradley Beal put up 34 and Otto Porter Jr. scored 23. They got more production from their bench as well.

A grueling stretch quickly approaches for the team. But that comes after a Friday night date with the Atlanta Hawks at home. That’ll start the second half of their season, and with a 27-14 record they’re on pace for 54 wins, two more than last year.

The Roundup:

The Eagles continue to prep for New Orleans on Sunday. We’ll start with the Saints, because Sean Payton did a pretty ballsy move.

Now to the team that people like, the Eagles. They released an estimated injury report:

Wednesday Injury Report (walkthrough, report is an estimation)

DNP- DE Bennett (foot), QB Wentz (back)

Limited- LB Alexander (hamstring), WR Jeffery (ribs), CB Jones (hamstring), T Peters (quadricep), WR Tate (knee), WR Wallace (ankle)

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 9, 2019

Speaking of Wentz, he still hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday.

After missing most of the season, Tim Jernigan hopes to be a big difference maker in the rematch with the Saints.

“Timmy meant an awful lot to us last year and he’s been missed most of the season,’’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “But getting him back – first, there’s the component of him as a player, and he’s a good player.

“The other thing is something you really can’t put your finger on. He means something to our spirit. He’s a guy that has a little bit of contagious energy. You just see him out on the field. He brings a confidence. He brings a toughness. He has made some big plays for us.’’

When Schwartz’s comments were relayed to Jernigan, he smiled and said: “That’s just who I am, man. I don’t try to be a mascot or nothing. I’m a three-technique [tackle]. I don’t gotta do all that [other stuff].

“I love football. I love the game. I’ve been through some things, so I cherish every second I’m on the football field. Every time I’m out there, I need to take advantage of it and be thankful.’’

Also, the Eagles signed more guys to reserve/future contracts.

The Phillies and White Sox are reportedly the final two teams for Manny Machado. We shall see.

If Machado somehow doesn’t work out, Mike Moustakas could be a backup option.

With the Flyers officially in last place in the NHL, could they make some trades and be sellers?

Fletcher has had contract talks with Simmonds’ agent, Eustace King, but the sides have not reached an agreement.

As the trade deadline gets closer, Simmonds’ name will heat up because he is a player who can help a contender – and might be their missing piece. From the Flyers’ standpoint, he is also the player most likely to be dealt when you factor in the contracts on the team.

After playing through a slew of injuries last year, Simmonds underwent hip and core-muscle surgery in the offseason, and it usually takes about nine months before a player is fully recovered. He is at that timeframe, and in recent games, you can see his stride and quickness improving.

In other words, he should be in great form for the stretch run and the playoffs.

The Flyers host Dallas tonight at 7 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

In college hoops, Temple upset previously undefeated #17 Houston 73-69. Quinton Rose put up a game-high 22 points.

VCU used a strong second half to defeat La Salle 69-63.

St. Bonaventure took care of St. Joe’s 73-47.

Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey is the front-runner to become Temple’s next head football coach.

The UFC is coming back to Philadelphia for the first time in eight years.

In other sports news, the Oakland A’s expect Kyler Murray to declare for the NFL Draft.

The Jets will hire Adam Gase as their next head coach and I’m still laughing about this.

The NFL and NFLPA released a statement saying they didn’t give six random drug tests to Eric Reid.

Marquette’s Markus Howard scored 53-points in a 106-104 overtime win against Creighton.

In the news, there’s a manhunt in South Philadelphia who fled after a police chase and crash.

A second mysterious fast radio wave was detected in space.

The post Your Thursday Morning Roundup appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Your Thursday Morning Roundup published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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On to the next round: Syracuse outlasts Arizona State

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On to the next round: Syracuse outlasts Arizona State

/March 15, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has made a concession for his thin roster — shorter practices and more sleep, especially for the Big Three.

Good formula so far.

The Orange, the last team selected for the NCAA Tournament, survived to play another day, holding off Arizona State 60-56 on Wednesday night in the First Four.

Syracuse guards Tyus Battle and Frank Howard are 1-2 in the nation in minutes played and freshman Oshae Brissett is sixth, all of them averaging at least 38 per game. Despite recovering from a case of strep, Howard never sat and neither did Battle as the trio, led by Brissett’s 23 points and 12 rebounds, combined to score 50 points.

“These two guys are amazing,” Boeheim said at the podium afterward, looking over at Howard and Battle. “They’re going up against tremendous defensive teams all year long. They get doubled in everything every time they come off a screen.

“It’s difficult to win when you’ve got three guys scoring. If they’re off a little bit, it puts all the pressure back on our defense.”

That defense rose to the occasion, holding Arizona State to a season low in scoring.

“It was a rock fight,” Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley said. “We didn’t make enough shots.”

EYES ON CATS:

The Arizona Wildcats will be in the spotlight when they open play against Buffalo, and coach Sean Miller and star freshman forward Deandre Ayton will be a focus as college basketball’s season of scandal nears a climax. Miller missed one game and three practices late last month after ESPN reported he discussed a $100,000 payment to Ayton. Miller repudiated the report in a statement two weeks ago and the players don’t seem fazed.

“I think off-the-court stuff, we don’t really worry about that,” guard Rawle Alkins said. “We focus on the court, on the task at hand, this week, and we just take everything game by game.”

Added Miller:

“Sometimes when adversity strikes it can really rally a group of people, can bring out a closeness that maybe you otherwise would not have felt. And I believe that about our team.”

KANSAS DEJA VU:

 A year ago Frank Mason III was the catalyst for the Kansas Jayhawks and consensus national player of the year. This year it’s been Devonte’ Graham’s turn at the helm, and the senior has responded by leading Kansas to its 14th straight Big 12 regular-season title, putting him in the hunt for national POY. He’s already received the league honor and this week was named a finalist for the Naismith Award.

“I don’t really know what to say right now, but it hasn’t really hit me yet,” Graham said. “But that’s an individual award. You know, I’m more of a team guy. So I focus on the team and trying to get past this first game.”

Graham’s value cannot be underestimated on a team that lost seven games and won the Big 12 Tournament without 7-footer Udoka Azubuike, who sat out with a knee injury but is expected back in the lineup.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND:

The bellwether of NCAA Tournament basketball in upstate New York is usually perennial power Syracuse, but the Orange have company this year with western New York schools St. Bonaventure and Buffalo, and they’re ready to make some noise of their own.

In fact, the Bonnies, seeded 11th in the East, already have. They beat UCLA in the First Four — their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1970 and the days of Bob Lanier — then quickly jetted to Dallas where they’ll play sixth-seeded Florida on Thursday night.

St. Bonaventure has set a school record for wins in a season with 26 and will be trying to win two games in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that banner year nearly a half-century ago when it beat Davidson, North Carolina State and Villanova before losing to Jacksonville, the defeat coming with an injured Lanier on the bench.

“This victory is for those guys. They didn’t get an opportunity to show their talent,” Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt said of that team led by Lanier. “Bonaventure is a unique, special place … and it has great basketball tradition.”

Buffalo won the Mid-American Conference title and opens play against fourth-seeded Arizona in the South Regional.

“Oh, man, it’s going to be special. Hopefully, I can get past the jitters,” Bulls guard Wes Clark said.

PICK TWO:

Congratulations Tom Izzo and Geno Auriemma. Former President Barack Obama has picked your teams to win it all in his NCAA Tournament brackets.

Obama has Michigan State winning the men’s title and — no surprises — UConn winning the women’s championship.

Obama has the Spartans beating Bucknell, Syracuse, Duke, and top-seeded Kansas to reach the Final Four along with defending national champion North Carolina, Villanova, and Virginia. Then he has Michigan State topping Villanova in the national semifinals and Virginia, the tournament’s top seed, for the national championship.

On the women’s side, Obama has the unbeaten Huskies, the overall No. 1 seed, defeating Saint Francis, Quinnipiac, Duke, and South Carolina to reach the Final Four along with Louisville, Notre Dame and Mississippi State. UConn beats longtime rival Notre Dame in the national semifinals and Mississippi State for the title.

The picks were posted Wednesday on the Obama Foundation’s website. Last year he picked the North Carolina men and UConn women to win, and at least the Tar Heels obliged. The Huskies had their 111-game winning streak snapped by Mississippi State in last year’s Final Four.

It’s unclear whether President Donald Trump will fill out a bracket . He declined an invitation last year from ESPN to do so on-air, as Obama did during his presidency.

GET SHORTY:

Demonstrae Jefferson is only 5-foot-7, but the Texas Southern guard sure plays big. He scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 64-46 rout of North Carolina Central in the First Four on Wednesday night. Jefferson and Miami freshman Chris Lykes, also 5-7, are the shortest players in the tournament.

For the 150-pound Jefferson, it was simply a good time to send a reminder to all the teams that passed him by.

“Yeah, when I do play those teams I kind of have an extra edge on my shoulder, like, you kind of missed out on the blessing,” he said.

FIRST TIME A CHARM?

No fewer than 15 teams in the tournament are being led by head coaches who have never coached in the Big Dance. Among them are Avery Johnson at Alabama, Loyola-Chicago’s Porter Moser, LaVall Jordan at Butler, Travis DeCuire at Montana, and 70-year-old Dan D’Antoni at Marshall . D’Antoni, who took over at his alma mater four years ago, is the older brother of Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni and played point guard for Marshall in the 1960s.

The list of coaches who won the title on their first try include: UConn’s Kevin Ollie (2014), Steve Fisher at Michigan (1989), George Ireland at Loyola-Chicago (1963), and Fred Taylor at Ohio State (1960) with the likes of Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Bob Knight on the roster.

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By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

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Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics lose Washington Wizards late

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Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics lose Washington Wizards late

BOSTON — Near the end of 58 exhausting minutes of basketball, while most of the players on the court tried to simply catch their breaths, the Morris twins stood shoulder to shoulder on the blocks during a free-throw attempt, chatting away like they typically do when they cross paths on the hardwood.

During a weekly radio appearance, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart is waiting to see how his thumb responds to initial treatment while gathering opinions on the injury.

Bradley Beal scored 34 points, including a three-point play with 1:25 left in the second overtime, and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 125-124 on Wednesday night.

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The topic du jour: Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris’ defensive miscue at the end of regulation that had helped the visiting Washington Wizards force overtime. A Boston team ravaged by injuries had fumbled away a 20-point lead, but found itself up three with five seconds to play in regulation. All the Celtics had to do was not allow a 3-pointer, but Morris absentmindedly charged at a driving Otto Porter Jr., who alertly fed Jodie Meeks in the corner for a wide-open, overtime-forcing trey.

Marcus Morris found a sympathetic ear in his brother, Markieff.

“When we were in Washington [in February], [Markieff] fouled Kyrie [Irving] at the end to send it into overtime,” said Marcus Morris, recalling how a pair of Markieff fouls beyond the 3-point arc allowed Boston to escape with an overtime triumph in D.C. “This time, I did a bonehead play and came in and they hit a 3 for overtime.

“So twins do dumb s—, I guess.”

Marcus Morris produced one of his finest games with the Celtics, scoring a season-high 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting while trying to carry a Boston team that was without Irving (knee), Al Horford (illness), Jaylen Brown (concussion), Marcus Smart (thumb), Daniel Theis (knee) and Gordon Hayward (ankle). Five of the 10 players available to Celtics coach Brad Stevens were rookies, including Guerschon Yabusele, who drew a spot start after being recalled from the G League for his first NBA action since early February.

The Celtics’ Marcus Morris, who allowed Washington to hit a late 3-pointer to force overtime, chats with his brother Markieff, who made a costly gaffe against Boston last month. Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Boston came charging out of the gates, building an early double-digit lead. But the young Celtics — and some of their vets too — made a series of uncharacteristic late-game mistakes that allowed Washington to escape with a 125-124 double-overtime triumph.

“Me being a veteran, I put that on me,” Marcus Morris said. “Committing to the ball, knowing they needed a 3, [Porter] made a great play [passing to Meeks], but that was my bad.”

Stevens stressed that Boston wouldn’t have had even a chance to win — both in regulation and the extra sessions — if not for Marcus Morris’ offensive contributions. But the coach also acknowledged the defensive miscue.

“Just one of those plays that I know Marcus would like to have back,” Stevens said. “At the end of the day, when we came out of the timeout, we wanted to be five guys around the 3-point line. You don’t want to give them just an easy-entry layup, but I think that we did a pretty good job initially, and then we should’ve just let Porter lay it in.

“But that happens. And Marcus Morris was one of the main reasons why we were there, and it happens. It happens.”

The Celtics had a chance to steal the win when rookie Jayson Tatum lost his defender with a spin move and got fouled driving at the basket for an and-1 layup with 3.1 seconds to play in the first overtime. But Tatum, an 83 percent free-throw shooter, missed from the stripe.

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Otto Porter Jr. drives to the basket and looks like he is going to go for a layup, but kicks it out to Jodie Meeks, who knocks down a 3-pointer in the corner and send the game to overtime.

Tatum got a chance to atone at the end of the second overtime, but he settled for a 3-pointer with Boston down one and his good look kicked off the back iron, allowing the Wizards to escape.

“I wish I hit that free throw,” Tatum said. “Hopefully we wouldn’t have had to go to the second overtime. I wish I hit that last shot [in the second OT], but we play again on Friday, so I’m gonna focus on that game.”

Stevens again wouldn’t pin the loss on a single player.

“Missed shots don’t bother me at all. That’s just part of the game,” he said. “At the end of the day, you control what you can control. He made a great play taking it to the basket [in the first overtime]. I thought he did a lot of good things tonight. There’s no question Jayson Tatum at the free throw line is something we all want.”

Bradley Beal was phenomenal for the heavy-legged Wizards and finished with a game-high 34 points. He liked how Boston’s younger players stepped up on a national TV stage.

“Coach Stevens does a great job making sure those guys are ready to go,” Beal said. “We have to be better than that, as a team and as a unit. We need to be more mentally locked in and come out swinging.”

While the Celtics-Wizards rivalry doesn’t have quite the same pizazz as last year’s postseason when tempers routinely flared as part of a tantalizing seven-game series, Wednesday’s game was a reminder that these teams can be an entertaining pairing regardless of who is on the floor.

It’s always entertaining when the Morris twins get together.

“I know that’s what everyone wants to see anyway,” Marcus Morris said. “That’s fun, just being out there with my brother and be able to compete against him. Growing up together and being in a prime-time game is very fun and competitive. We both kind of have to play well.”

They’ll hope to avoid the miscues if they see each other again in the postseason.

[buddyrabrahams]

Most disappointing teams of the NBA season so far

“With great power comes great responsibility,” a fictional arachnid man’s uncle once famously said. Personally, I would revise that adage to say, “With great expectations come great responsbility.” Many an NBA team has lived up to said expectations so far this season, and many others have flopped worse than Marcus Smart. Here’s looking at those who fall into the latter category.

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and ESPN*

Oklahoma City Thunder

Going back to actual team basketball after Russell Westbrook’s “I AM the Senate” season was always going to be difficult, especially with the arrival of glitzy but needy new running mates in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. But the Thunder have been such mayhem that Allstate won’t even touch them. The ball sticks like velcro, weak-side motion is eschewed in favor of a merry-go-round of isolation play, and fourth-quarter crunchtime is where the entire team goes to die.

Rest assured, there’s reason for optimism — Oklahoma City’s hyper-switching defensive scheme ranks third in the league with a smothering 99.2 points allowed per 100 possessions, and they are still a tremendous offensive rebounding team despite the loss of Enes Kanter. A blowout win over Golden State on national television Wednesday was nice too. But 8-10 is not good for a team that had such high expectations heading into the year, and the luxury of time unfortunately doesn’t exist in the abusive Western Conference.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have an MVP frontrunner megatron in Giannis Antetokounmpo and swung an earth-rumbling trade for Eric Bledsoe to give Antetokounmpo a confident and legitimate pick-and-roll/playmaking partner. So why are they hovering at just 9-8 on the year? True, a Jabari Parker-sized hole is proving tough to fill for the time being. But Milwaukee is operating at the third-slowest pace in the league — not exactly the best strategy when they also own its 23rd-ranked defense. Coach Jason Kidd can hardly figure out who he wants to trot out on the nightly beyond Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe, and Khris Middleton.

This is a team that can topple elites like San Antonio on one night and get their clock cleaned by cellar dwellers like Dallas the next, so until they start showing some consistency, those “Bucks in six” memes will live forever.

Utah Jazz

Dante Exum, Joe Johnson and, most importantly, Rudy Gobert are all down for the count, and that’s bad news on the doorstep for a thinned-out Jazz roster. Rodney Hood (a career 41.5 percent shooter from the field) leads the team in shot attempts, and Ricky Rubio (career 37.6 percent) isn’t far behind. That’s just not a winning formula, even if Joe Ingles is good and Donovan Mitchell has been a revelation in his rookie season. The sad part is it’s not Utah’s fault — Gordon Hayward left just when they were knocking on the door of contention. But it’s hard to sugarcoat going 8-11 against one of the NBA’s weakest schedules so far with a bottom-six offense and a quickly-tumbling defense sans Gobert. At least they can still fall back on their sense of humor.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have been cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey by injuries. Danilo Gallinari, ideally the team’s No. 2 option offensively, and Milos Teodosic, the best pure passer on their roster, are still in the midst of multi-week absences. Meanwhile, top defensive guard Patrick Beverley returned on Monday against the Knicks after missing the last five games only to promptly undergo right knee surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Three starters biting the dust will put a cramp on any team’s vibe, but that doesn’t absolve the Clippers entirely. Their defense (106.6 points allowed per game) often looks like a human rights violation, and they were outscored by a farcical 88 points during their just snapped nine-game losing streak. [cues up “Baby Come Back” on iTunes while cradling a picture of Chris Paul]

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs are currently riding a seven-game winning streak, but it has been a mere Band-Aid covering their bacterial infection of a regular season so far. Granted, “regular season” is the operative term here as Cleveland does this dance every year only to pancake the entire conference come the spring. But their issues are becoming progressively more concerning. The Cavs have by far the oldest roster in the entire league, and the few 20-something players that they do have (Isaiah Thomas, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose) are hurt. Their sewer-line defense has also been the NBA’s worst all year, and their overall sloppiness has resulted in the second-lousiest assist to turnover ratio in the East to this point. Now to be fair, screaming “LEBRON JAMES” in all caps is usually enough to stymie any argument of “Are the Cavs vulnerable?” But that still won’t make the image of them apathetically tripping over their own feet these next several months any less painful on the retinas.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have been talking like a 18-0 team when in reality they are a 10-8 team. John Wall and Bradley Beal are still nightmare fuel for opponents, Otto Porter is playing like he’s got the shoes from “Like Mike,” and Kelly Oubre’s emergence as a quality sixth man has been a cool story. But beyond that is where the uncertainty abounds.

What is a power forward? What is a bench? What is fashion? These are the basic questions the Wiz have been forcing us to consider with their largely unspectacular start to the season that has already featured Ls to Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, and the Lakers. On the bright side, only two more seasons or so until they can get out of Ian Mahinmi’s contract.

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Date published: Friday 6th October 2017 9:10 Jorge Sampaoli has admitted Argentina are in an uncomfortable position after a 0-0 draw against Peru left them dangerously close to failing to qualifying for the World Cup. .................................................................................................. [HOT] Ex-Hollyoaks star Jorgie Porter's anti-acne advert banned from kids' TV : ♫ https://youtu.be/QHUtNWP_3wA [] Trump Approves Broad Strategy on Iran, but No Decision Yet on Scrapping Nuclear Deal : ♫ https://youtu.be/Y6d74EEUx3M [HOT] Hugh Hefner's youngest son to take over Playboy business : ♫ https://youtu.be/WDcA78KipRo [HOT] Robert Pattinson hits new heist in dark tale of brotherly love : ♫ https://youtu.be/_ecQo16UQBs [HOT] Kim Kardashian Uses Vogue Mexico Cover Shoot to Help Mexico : ♫ https://youtu.be/Fsc2U2lCVJU .................................................................................................. SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/Gd5aaC FACEBOOK: https://goo.gl/ybp8jQ TWITTER: https://goo.gl/o24hEF ✖ Follow GOO Daily News channel(SUBSCRIBE) to look for that. GOO Daily News - New videos evreyday! MONDAY - SUNDAY. Thanks for watching! Background music video is allowed by FreeBackgroundMusic. Please visit their channel to view more: FreeBackgroundMusic: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdbJ_mnXo5tf-4hVNgJ5Wg Thank you! .................................................................................................. ...[continued]... play with the conviction with which we did it today we will be in the World Cup,' he said. 'Today Argentina was far superior to Peru, playing with a lot of authority. 'The situation is not comfortable. But the ranking still depends on us. We could not beat them on the scoreboard but they did in the game. We are very hopeful for everything that comes.' Sampaoli praised Messi for playing with 'great intensity', creating opportunities and putting balls 'in places that were impossible'. 'I am convinced that if we are as we were today, that Argentina is going to the World Cup,' he said. To add to Argentina's woes, Boca Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago suffered a serious injury, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and internal lateral ligament in his right knee. Sampaoli said losing the midfielder as a 'blow' as he was a 'very valuable player'. Now two places outside the qualification zone in sixth, Argentina must beat eighth place Ecuador on Wednesday and hope Peru draw or lose against fourth place Colombia in order to secure a playoff position against New Zealand.

[footballleague0]

Uchenna Nwosu of USC returns to practice; team optimistic he’ll face California

LOS ANGELES — The absences for No. 5 Southern California were offset by one big return on Wednesday.

Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu was back at practice, and coach Clay Helton was optimistic about the senior’s chances of playing against unbeaten California on Saturday. Nwosu could provide a big lift for the Trojans, especially considering outside linebacker Porter Gustin (toe/biceps), defensive end Rasheem Green (ankle) and slot cornerback Ajene Harris (knee) were held out again.

Nwosu, who sprained his knee during Saturday’s double-overtime win over Texas, has been the Trojans’ top defender this season. Nwosu has seven pass breakups, which ranks second in the Pac-12, and his ability to create havoc around the line of scrimmage prompted Helton to call him the most valuable player on that side of the ball. Facing the upstart Golden Bears without Nwosu would be a major challenge.

Trojans linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is second in the Pac-12 this season with seven pass breakups. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Gustin, who has a team-leading three sacks, seems unlikely to play in USC’s road opener, while the other two injured defenders are questionable.

Given the circumstances, Helton has stressed that every player on the roster needs to be ready to play. It seems as if his team is listening, with outside linebacker Connor Murphy among those putting in additional time after practice had concluded.

“Everybody is just trying to get extra work where they need it right now,” Murphy said. “Right now, I need it on the field, so that’s what I was out here doing.”

Murphy replaced Gustin in the second half against Texas, giving the sophomore some much-needed extended playing time after working as a backup and on special teams in his first season. Murphy now believes he is ready for his first start, if needed.

“I feel like a lot of the butterflies are out now,” Murphy said. “Obviously, that was like my first semi-full game since high school. I got to break off some rust in a couple places, but my confidence level going into the next game is definitely a lot higher.”

Murphy and his teammates are taking inspiration from Christian Rector, who has emerged as an important part of the defense. Rector has played multiple positions on the line and even outside linebacker. The redshirt sophomore stepped in for Green and forced a critical fumble in the second overtime against the Longhorns.

Rector was recruited by California coach Justin Wilcox when Wilcox was USC’s defensive coordinator. He spent his first year trying to bulk up for Wilcox’s 3-4 system and then gradually worked into a reserve role last season.

Rector knew he would make the most of his opportunity whenever he got on the field, and he wants those players potentially in line to see the field this week to do the same.

“I have full confidence in myself and my ability,” Rector said. “It’s a player development program, and kids that are five-star, four-star recruits do come in and wait ’cause there’s guys that are more prepared. I found myself in that situation. Just put my head down and worked every day.”

Game notes Running back Ronald Jones II (ankle), tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe (hip flexor) and wide receiver Steven Mitchell Jr. (groin) also missed at least part of practice.

The post Uchenna Nwosu of USC returns to practice; team optimistic he’ll face California appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

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