#this has been a problem this postseason

[oensible]

“He is a player, a person, and a leader, and in particular, in the situation we are in, to have a guy with that makeup, the way he plays, his leadership ability, the type of guy he is, that’s invaluable to our soul,” coach David Quinn said.

“I mean, Wayne Gretzky got traded, but if Mikael Granlund is going to get traded it’s going to be for a hefty price.”

...

“Guys like him are few and far between in this league,” Quinn said.

“He’s always spending time with our young players, he’s got a great approach to the game, he is always on the right side of the play for the most part. He’s a really smart player, and it can’t always be the coach’s voice that’s heard. So it certainly makes your job as a coach a lot easier when you have players like that.”

...

“Size is great, but a lot of big guys don’t play with that competitiveness he has and the smarts that he has,” Quinn said. ���That’s never been his problem there. He’s always overcome his size because of his intelligence and his competitiveness.”

“If you want to talk about Mikael Granlund, you gotta pay up. I don’t want him going anywhere."

-2023 Aug 16

At last season's NHL trade deadline, a different Penguins regime paid handsomely for Granlund, dealing a 2023 second-round draft pick to the Nashville Predators for the veteran center who had three years at $5 million AAV left on his contract. Pittsburgh, in the playoff race at the time, was counting on Granlund to provide a significant two-way boost.

Instead, and not all on Granlund, of course, but the Pens fell out of the postseason, and their big-name deadline acquisition finished with just one goal and six points in 21 games.

That’s how the 32-year-old, worth a premium pick in March, suddenly became a cap dump over the summer. To extract Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round pick for reigning (but expensive) Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, the Sharks had to absorb Granlund, Jan Rutta and Mike Hoffman’s contracts.

...

“Granlund is always in the right place," Quinn said. "He's above the puck, 50-50 wise, he's below it when he needs to be below it. He's just such a smart player.”

On top of that, only five months into his Sharks career, Granlund was just named an alternate captain, a testament to his impact on a young room.

“We were killing a penalty," Quinn said in December. "Him and Zetterlund went out there together. Then the penalty kill ended. Zetterlund went and sat at one end of the bench and Granlund was at the other. Granny stood up and said ‘Zetterlund!’ Patted the bench to say come sit right here, we got stuff to talk about.

“He's got such a great way about him, right? A lot of guys want to talk to people, but they don't know how to deliver it. Granny's got a great way about him, how he understands people, how to handle people, and talk to people. He's got the right to do it because he plays the right way.”

Quinn sees Granlund as a future coach.

-2024 Mar 14

selection of two of my favorite articles about mikael granlund from last season

[3416]

hey emma! do u mind expanding on mitch’s utilisation this post season and how theyre not maximising him at what hes best at so he can contribute elsewhere where the team is lacking like you mentioned in your post? fairly new to hockey so im a bit behind :( thank you!!

i'm not an expert on this but lfksdj i can rant. jonas siegel dropped an article today about mitch's playoff impacts, so i'll drop some screenshots you can read here if you don't have an athletic sub.

and there is also this video from yesterday that essentially breaks down the way mitch adjusts his game to the playoffs vs the regular season and the way mitch adjusts to play more conservatively (which, despite the 'best playoff performer' narrative, still makes him better than most players on our team. by not a small amount lol)

but mitch has been put on the second line this postseason to essentially shut down the bruins biggest offensive threat in david pastrnak and they've done that extremely effectively. his line has taken a vast majority of their shifts starting in their own dzone, meaning they aren't immediately set up for success bc they have to win the puck back away from david & co and are tasked with making their way back down to their own ozone and trying to make an offensive impact that way .. which has allowed auston's line to already start their shifts set up in their ozone 80% of the time apparently. in that way, i don't think the first line's been very effective bc they're sitting at a net neutral rn despite scoring 'the most' goals for us.. meaning they're getting scored on as much as they're scoring, lol. (auston himself is actually at a +2 but bert and domi are getting caught out and prayed on so they're at 0 +/- wise lol)

leafs have a real problem creating offense in the post season, and instead of being able to load up and let mitch do the elite playmaking he can do by being a little LESS defensively responsible and more quick w his hands and thinking on his feet on the rush, they've been forced to play mitch in a more defensive position bc other forwards can't take that spot on the second line and effectively shut pasta/bruins down. essentially, mitch doesn't get room to do what he's best at (help draw attention and make room for the best shooters on this team and then pass to them) bc he has to worry abt making the smart and safe plays to keep the puck away from the bruins scary offensive threats and it's making him look like he's been neutralized... when REALLY.. he's being used in a position that is not favorable to the best offensive parts of his game but rather relied upon for his ability to be responsible. even if he WERE putting up points with auston, people would say they don't matter since they're not at Clutch moments so lol. this team is just built weirdly and domi and bertuzzi are liabilities defensively so they've been put with our most responsible forward on the top, but so far they're not making a huge difference. it is what it is, and willy coming back will certainly help with some off the rush offense probably, but willy is also a defensive liability but he's being played with holmberg and calle who are both way more solid in that way.... luckily the bruins 3rd line isn't as dangerous as the top 2 so maybe he and the swedes will be able to feast on them 🤞🤞🤞

we will see what game 4 holds tonight... i think this team could be so much better with some actual upgrades on d, but we will have to SEE what treliving does this summer. it is very annoying to watch magical mitch marner with real creative vision have to take on a more under appreciated role as a defensive bedrock of this team, but idk what i expected considering we were LITERALLY playing him as a defenseman this season, lol. i have way more fun watching him play globetrotter and put up points but he is basically an elite jack of all trades. siegel's article talks abt the key to that line's offense being him shooting more, so we'll see if that's something he personally incorporates, but a lot of the critique of him this year in the postseason has been so unfair in comparison to the position he's being put in.

[seasonallyspooky]

running my mouth (abt gks)

just need to put my thoughts down somewhere and Tumblr is the best place for it 🙏

prefacing by saying I'm not talking entirely out of my ass here. I am a goalkeeper (mainly soccer though I have played for hockey before) and am the FIRST person to defend goalie mistakes and mishaps. but oh my god,,,

Freddie baby I love you. you're amazing but brind'amour CANNOT be playing you this often. he's fallen apart in the crease several times despite him saying he's fine. AND having him play on brand spankin new equipment? personally I would've rather rucked five miles than done that in a playoff game.

and listen man...I've been the sole goalkeeper on a team before and have had to play every single game for the entire season + postseason. it sucks. it's impossible to stay completely on top of your game when you're constantly playing, even if you assure coach that you're fine. and the thing is that Freddie isn't the only tendie!! pk & martin are very much available AND have proven themselves to be good players.

another problem is the fact that if you gave a backup gk, you HAVE to give them regular play time too or else their skill falls off. PRACTICES ≠ GAMES. I understand that pk's practicing regularly but you cannot replicate game intensity — especially playoff intensity — in practice. it's just not possible. it literally is not possible and it's insane to me that pk hasn't seen any ice time in like 20 games or something? idr.

anyway rod brind'amour PLEASE put another tendie in. I genuinely do not care if it's pk or martin at this point (though I adore pk and he has proven himself more on this team than martin has). Freddie needs a break and unfortunately that's starting to show more and more. he's still playing incredible hockey but that isn't gonna last forever when he's playing every single playoff game. playoff games are HARD. they're high-stakes and high-intensity. no goalie can keep everything consistent in that.

anyways carolina hurricane goaltenders how I love you <3

[justinssportscorner]

Paul Tenorio at The Athletic:

Major League Soccer is considering overhauling its calendar, flipping to a fall-spring season with breaks in the summer and winter, multiple sources briefed on the league’s discussions tell The Athletic. MLS executives and owners have been weighing the changes to the calendar, which they believe will help maximize the league’s participation in the global transfer market, among other benefits. The hope is for the league to institute the changes as early as the summer of 2026 coming out of the World Cup.

MLS executive vice president of sporting product and competition Nelson Rodriguez told The Athletic it is still “too soon” to know if MLS will institute changes or what those changes could be. “We have been engaged, really, since January, and it’s been very extensive and exhaustive and deliberate,” Rodriguez said. “It’s still too early. We’re still asking questions. We’re still collecting and analyzing some data. We’re still formulating models. Some of those models are for formats themselves, some of those models are how to assess the information that we get.” A change would certainly impact MLS’ competition in the American sports calendar. The MLS Cup playoffs, which started this week, are up against the MLB playoffs, college football and the NFL, as well as the NBA, college basketball and NHL regular seasons. Under the new calendar, the playoffs would likely be played in April and May, with most of the competition coming from the Stanley Cup playoffs and the start of the MLB season.

[...]

Why make changes?

Altering the schedule could have multiple benefits from a competitive standpoint, from syncing up the league’s transfer windows with the European calendar to maximizing the visibility of the playoffs in the American sports calendar. The vast majority of global transfer business is done in the summer window. That currently falls in the middle of the MLS season, which creates conflicts for teams hoping to buy and sell players — a problem that has been felt more acutely as MLS teams have become more active in the international market. Teams that want to sell players in the summer, when they are at their highest value, must weigh losing some of their best players in the middle of the season with little time to replace them. The MLS and Leagues Cup schedule also means summer signings arrive with fewer than 10 games left in the regular season. Sporting directors looking to buy players during the summer window have also complained that the U.S. summer window closes too early to fully leverage the market. With the MLS window closing before most European windows are shut, teams often find that players want to wait to see all of their options and it causes MLS teams to lose out on potential signings. MLS clubs essentially cannot benefit from the dominos that fall later in the transfer window.

[...]

How would the schedule change?

With the changes, the MLS season would begin, like most European leagues, in early August. The first portion of the schedule would run through mid-December before taking a winter break, likely around five weeks long. The season would resume in early February and run through the spring, with MLS Cup in late May. A schedule change would flip the MLS playoffs and MLS Cup to a less crowded portion of the American sports schedule. A warm-weather MLS Cup, with less competition from other sports leagues, is certainly appealing to all. A fall-spring calendar would also mean that MLS, like the rest of the world, would pause the season during all FIFA international windows, which would be a welcome change for most teams and players.

“The playoffs are the most valuable piece of real estate in a league season, and playoffs that would be spring or summer suggests a different dynamic,” Rodriguez said. “It starts with (the fact that the) weather is closer to optimal for all 30 clubs, your stadium conflicts are a little bit less, competition with other North American sports is different and you’re more aligned with at least the European rhythm of football. So, those are factors. They also come with their own sets of tradeoffs.” The league is also weighing the possibility of organizing teams into divisions instead of conferences and playing part of the schedule as intra-conference and intra-divisional play only, with playoff spots on the line. The second half of the season would then help determine full-season playoff seeding and spots.

What are the drawbacks?

The league would no longer play from around June 1 through July 15 and it would replace those weeks of games with games from early November through mid-December. That might be welcomed by fans in cities like Dallas, Orlando, Miami, Houston and Austin, but it would be difficult for markets like Toronto, Chicago, Minnesota, Salt Lake City, Montreal and New England, which see the summer months as their most attractive and profitable weeks of the season.

[...] There are other hurdles to figure out, as well. The Leagues Cup is currently played for one month in the middle of the summer, interrupting the regular season. MLS is weighing different formats and timing for the Leagues Cup that would fit into this new calendar, including potentially playing the tournament in January and February with teams in pods in warmer-weather locales like California, Texas and Florida. The league would also have to determine how the U.S. Open Cup and Canadian Championship fits into the new calendar, though MLS pulled back its participation in the Open Cup this season. These issues could end up holding up the calendar switch. The league previously held discussions on a potential change in competition format in 2013 and 2014, but opted not to make a change. With the World Cup around the corner, however, discussions about the calendar now feel like they have real momentum �� though Rodriguez cautioned it was simply too soon to know.

The MLS could possibly change to the fall-spring calendar the majority of the world uses.

[besttodaynews]

49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy Exits Game Against Lions with Elbow Injury, Raising Concerns About His Future Availability

The San Francisco 49ers faced a challenging night in their matchup against the Detroit Lions, not just with the final score but also with the loss of starting quarterback Brock Purdy. The 49ers' rising star left the game after suffering an elbow injury that appeared to be related to nerve problems, leaving fans and analysts to wonder how serious the injury was and how it may affect the remainder of the season.

The Incident and Initial Concerns

Brock Purdy exited the game during the second half following a hit that visibly impacted his throwing arm. Reports indicate that he experienced nerve discomfort in the same elbow that he injured during last season’s NFC Championship Game. While the team has not provided a detailed update on the nature or extent of the injury, early signs suggest a possible recurrence of stress on the ulnar nerve, which plays a critical role in a quarterback's ability to grip and throw the ball.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted in the post-game press conference that Purdy will undergo further evaluation, including imaging tests, to determine the extent of the damage. Fans are anxiously waiting for updates, especially as the team is gearing up for pivotal games in the coming weeks.

A Vital Player for the 49ers' Success

Purdy's ascent from the 2022 NFL Draft's last pick, known as "Mr. Irrelevant," to the starting quarterback position of one of the league's most competitive teams has been nothing short of remarkable. His performance in the 2023-24 season has been a key factor in the 49ers’ strong playoff aspirations, with Purdy demonstrating exceptional composure, accuracy, and decision-making.

Losing Purdy, even temporarily, could disrupt the 49ers' rhythm and affect their ability to capitalize on their offensive strengths. His chemistry with star players such as Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle has been integral to the team’s success, and his absence would require a significant adjustment.

Backup Plan: Who Steps Up?

If Purdy is sidelined for an extended period, the 49ers will need to rely on their backup quarterback, Sam Darnold. Darnold, a former top draft pick, has shown flashes of talent in his career but has struggled with consistency. The coaching staff will need to adjust their game plan to accommodate Darnold’s skill set, potentially leaning more heavily on the running game and short-passing schemes.

Additionally, the 49ers' offensive line and defense will need to step up to alleviate pressure on the backup quarterback. With the NFC playoff picture tightening, every game is crucial, and losing Purdy could make the path to the postseason significantly more challenging.

Potential Implications for the Season

The timing of Purdy’s injury is particularly concerning, as the 49ers are entering a critical stretch of their schedule. The team is in a highly competitive NFC, where a single loss could impact their playoff seeding. If Purdy’s recovery requires several weeks or even surgery, it could significantly alter the 49ers’ outlook for the season.

The nerve-related aspect of Purdy’s injury also raises questions about his long-term health. Quarterbacks rely heavily on arm strength and precision, and any lingering nerve damage could affect his performance even after he returns to the field. The 49ers' medical team will likely take a cautious approach to ensure that Purdy is fully recovered before he resumes play.

Fan Reactions and Outlook

The news of Purdy’s injury has sparked an outpouring of concern from 49ers fans, many of whom took to social media to express their well-wishes for the quarterback. His story of perseverance and unexpected success has made him a beloved figure in the NFL, and fans are hoping that this setback will be temporary.

As the 49ers await the results of Purdy’s medical evaluation, the team and its fans will be holding their breath. For now, the focus will shift to ensuring that the backup plan is strong enough to maintain the team’s momentum.

Will the 49ers Weather the Storm?

The 49ers have faced adversity before and have a well-rounded roster capable of stepping up in challenging times. However, the loss of Brock Purdy, even for a short duration, will undoubtedly test their resilience. With no confirmed timeline for his return, the team must prepare for all scenarios, balancing the urgency of the current season with Purdy’s long-term health.

Stay tuned for more updates as the 49ers’ medical team conducts further evaluations and releases an official statement regarding Purdy’s injury.

For more breaking updates, visit Best Today News and stay informed!

[anthonybialy]

Buffalo Bills Create Division

Tyrod Taylor outscored Aaron Rodgers.  It was by infinity percent.  Buffalo Bills fans didn’t really mind.  Our crops didn’t grow until Taylor ended the drought.  And the continued local favorite got to utilize his skills while his present team was defeated in every way but officially, which made his proficient display harmless.  Not many other Jets helped, as the host dominated without even trying.  A meh effort led to the expected result.  The same will surely happen in a few weeks, right?

A runaway victory to secure conference salutatorian is naturally time for negativity.  Flaunting concerns about a ridiculous blowout helps the roster from cultivating arrogance.  Penalties stop the Bills in a way neither line stops foes.  They can’t get away with it forever.  The postseason is a video game that gets harder with every level, and the Jets are certainly not a boss.

The Bills are not going to be playing Jets-type teams in that single-elimination tournament.  Optimistic observers can note the visitors scored after the result was no longer in doubt.  By you can also point out by the same reasoning that this game was 12-0 at halftime.  Geno Smith’s first professional football employer was one bicycle lock on the home team’s doors from seizing the lead.

Like a singing show trying to hook in marks, the Jets went for a big name.  The music was similarly dissonant.  Repeating history happens to teams that don’t learn it.  New Jersey’s junior franchise shopped at the same outlet where they previously got a pre-owned signal caller.  Each franchise takes on its own identity, as seen by how Green Bay keeps quarterbacks for a generation before Gang Green then acquires them after the expiration date.

I hope the Jets never learn to develop a quarterback.  Of course, I’m a Bills fan.  Giving up on Sam Darnold as if he were the problem sure showed him.  I bet the Vikings are struggling to make the playoffs while his first team has a chance to be the conference’s top seed.  The Jets are Seymour Skinner wondering if he’s out of touch before concluding the problem lies with others, only more cartoonish.

The strategy of letting another franchise suffer through the challenges of developing a passer will surely pay off next time.  Don’t let them know, but other teams might move on from a fading veteran that a sucker thinks will keep thriving on name recognition.  The Jets buying stocks high before selling low is surely not the advice provided by the New York Sack Exchange.

The only thing worse than chasing veterans is this particular veteran.  Rodgers declining to run for an easy first down before scolding the receiver who didn’t catch the shin-level pass summarizes his play, which in turn summarizes his personality.  It’s aggravating to have long drives end within the goal line’s reach, especially for a quarterback whose brand is prickliness.  I felt the opposite.

The conspiratorial specialist was in rare form on frequent turnovers.  An interception could only get better if he got flagged for shoving the intercepter, so bless him for playing along.  And I’ve never seen someone who wanted a ball less than on an emblematic bumbling Jets fumble.  Bobby Hill tried harder at sports than Rodgers.

That’s no way to live for the moment.  The Jets are at least consistent.  A franchise committed to revelry tonight can’t afford groceries tomorrow.  Oh, and they’re not precisely having a blast ignoring consequences.

I still hate their guts and other parts.  The Jets sure are full of themselves for being the Jets.  The only thing worse than cockiness is when it’s unearned.  Sauce Gardner is as phony as Buffalo Wild Wings.  He’s the ersatz eatery’s perfect spokesman.  

The Jets miss the playoffs like they’re the Sabres.  We’ll never know how another first period went due to scheduling demons again planning overlap between the city’s football and hockey squads.  Unlike the usual outcome, Sunday’s opening might’ve been one worth watching.  I’m still relieved last year’s eclipse burst through overcast conditions, but the Sabres feel obscured by clouds.

Everyone helped with a nice Buffalo sports weekend to end the calendar year.  It wasn’t screwed up by the most likely candidate possible.  As for the club whose success I try not to take for granted, I attended Saturday’s Bandits game to enjoy the result of a team putting it all together.  Raising a piece of fabric with the previous season’s date on it commemorates every thrill experienced by players who make shots you’d think would win you bets.  Dick Clark aged faster than Matt Vinc.

Like the Bandits winning, it’s normal Buffalo behavior to kvetch about a blowout win which clinched the conference’s second spot.  But calming down is for those who never stop cheering.  It’s tough to make concerns heard over it.  A lack of serious challenges makes trying to prepare difficult if you’re looking for the downside of a division packed with deadbeats.  There’s at least one upcoming opportunity that won’t be won by imposing will on an AFC East miscreant.

The lucky Bills get an extra playoff game unlike those cursed Chiefs.  If you like football, you should want to play more of it, right?  It’s reminiscent of how true golf fans want to hit the ball as often as possible.  

Playing for nothing is nothing new.  But the reason is.  This year’s version has reached a place where the regular season finale is meaningless, and not in the EJ Manuel way.  Buffalo gets an audition game that technically counts.  It won’t affect them in an way other than their feelings.  I’ve got bad news for Bills fans wondering who to cheer for: there’s incentive to lose the finale with their playoff seeding locked and a chance to knock New England out of drafting first overall.  Go Patriots?

A game you can have on without monitoring closely for plot developments is like streaming a show you’ve seen a dozen times.  And it’s unlike football on Netflix, which makes not watching closely even better.  The semipermanent second-best conference team fulfilled its destiny again unless it’s interested in changing the outcome.

[svgoceandesigns1]

2024 Playoffs Mlb Postseason SVG - New York Yankees Reveal Logo SVG PNG, Cricut File

2024 Playoffs Mlb Postseason SVG, New York Yankees Reveal Logo SVG PNG EPS DXF PDF, Cricut File, Instant Download File, Cricut File Silhouette Art, Logo Design, Designs For Shirts. ♥ Welcome to SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Store! ♥ ► PLEASE NOTE: – Since this item is digital, no physical product will be sent to you. – Your files will be ready to download immediately after your purchase. Once payment has been completed, SVG Ocean Designs will send you an email letting you know your File is ready for Download. You may also check your Order/Purchase History on SVG Ocean Designs website and it should be available for download there as well. – Please make sure you have the right software required and knowledge to use this graphic before making your purchase. – Due to monitor differences and your printer settings, the actual colors of your printed product may vary slightly. – Due to the digital nature of this listing, there are “no refunds or exchanges”. – If you have a specific Design you would like made, just message me! I will be more than glad to create a Custom Oder for you. ► YOU RECEIVE: This listing includes a zip file with the following formats: – SVG File (check your software to confirm it is compatible with your machine): Includes wording in both white and black (SVG only). Other files are black wording. – PNG File: PNG High Resolution 300 dpi Clipart (transparent background – resize smaller and slightly larger without loss of quality). – DXF: high resolution, perfect for print and many more. – EPS: high resolution, perfect for print, Design and many more. ► USAGE: – Can be used with Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Studio, Adobe Illustrator, ...and any other software or machines that work with SVG/PNG files. Please make sDisney Father's Dayure your machine and software are compatible before purchasing. – You can edit, resize and change colors in any vector or cutting software like Inkscape, Adobe illustrator, Cricut design space, etc. SVG cut files are perfect for all your DIY projects or handmade businDisney Father's Dayess Product. You can use them for T-shirts, scrapbooks, wall vinyls, stickers, invitations cards, web and more!!! Perfect for T-shirts, iron-ons, mugs, printables, card making, scrapbooking, etc. ►TERMS OF USE: – NO refunds on digital products. Please contact me if you experience any problems with the purchase. – Watermark and wood background won’t be shown in the downloaded files. – Please DO NOT resell, distribute, share, copy, or reproduce my designs. – Customer service and satisfaction is our top priority. If you have any questions before placing orders, please contact with us via email "support@svgoceandesigns.com". – New products and latest trends =>> Click Here . Thank you so much for visiting our store! SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Read the full article

[myownsportsblog]

Zolo! We are the Boys who Lose

I've been a supporter (fan) of the Philadelphia Union MLS soccer team since their inception in 2010. I attended my first match in 2015 after responding to a flash sale on tickets. I really enjoyed it and I attended a second game that season as the Philadelphia 76ers had an event there for their season ticket holders, which I am one. I purchased a 5 plan in 2016 and 2017 before upgrading in 2018 and finally full season in 2019.

During this time, I've seen a lot of ups and downs with this club however I remained faithful. This is a team that doesn't spend money however they have a world class academy to help develop youth players. Sports Director Ernst Tanner and his predecessor Ernie Stewart have done a good job bringing in talent to compete and change the culture of the team. Seasons tend to end in a disappointing way however overall progress had been made. In 2020 they won the Supporters Shield and followed that up with making it to the final 4 of CONCACAF Champions League in their first trip in the tournament. In 2021 a badly depleted team held their own in the conference finals against eventual champ NYCFC. In 2022 they won the Eastern Conference and lost in penalty kicks to LAFC. Last season they went backwards in many ways and while they made the postseason, they caught a few breaks to get in. I don't see that happening this year and the problems with the club go back to last season. Defense, which previously had been a strength has become virtually non-existent. Despite having a roster that can compete with just about anybody in the league can't score. In addition, this team has a problem playing the entire game. Coach Curtin has become complacent, which is unfortunate, because I think he's a good coach. The sad truth and I hate to say it is that this team has no heart. I chose not to renew for this season for personal reasons however this team is becoming an embarrassment.

[news4usonline]

Murray’s dagger is a shot at Lakers’ heart   

The Los Angeles Lakers are in trouble. They know it. And everybody else knows it. The Lakers are halfway to going on summer vacation. By blowing a 20-point lead against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers may have blown their chances to win their first-round series against the defending NBA champions.  Game 2 was a game the Lakers needed to win. They should have won but got no dice. As a result, Denver’s 101-99 win kept their feet on the Lakers’ neck.  Jamal Murray, probably one of the most underrated players in the entire NBA, dropped one of the most iconic finishes in postseason history when dropped back nailed a jumper over the outstretched hand of Anthony Davis as the buzzer sounded at the end of the fourth quarter to give the Nuggets a commanding 2-0 series lead against Los Angeles.  Can't stop watching https://t.co/IWU0TxQa2Q pic.twitter.com/StNCfxHTYj— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 23, 2024 When you think of game-winning shots in postseason history, the Lakers have had their share of breaking other team’s hearts. How about that 3-point dagger that Robert Horry hit for the Lakers against the Sacramento Kings?  Remember that? If that wasn’t enough, you cannot forget about that Derek Fisher Hail Mary game-winning basket against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs,  The Lakers have often been on the winning side of game-winning shots. This time, the Nuggets hit the big one when it counted. How will the Lakers rebound from this devastating defeat? It was more than a tough loss for the purple and gold.  To come back from this defeat will take a Herculean effort by the Lakers collectively as a team. The loss by the Lakers is compounded by the fact that Los Angeles has lost 10 straight games to the Nuggets, including being swept in the West Conference Finals last year.  The epic collapse by the Lakers in Game 2 superseded the double-digit lead Los Angeles surrendered to Denver in a 114-103 defeat in Game 1. The Lakers outscored the Nuggets 31-20 in the second quarter to take control of the game.  By the time the third quarter rolled around, the Lakers increased their lead. The problem the Lakers ran into is that an NBA game is played in 48 minutes, not 36 (outside of overtime). Denver outscored Los Angeles 32-20 to finish the game with a flurry.  Outside of Murray’s incredible shot-winning basket, there were several factors that contributed to Denver getting a two-game jump over the Lakers.  For one, the Lakers turned the ball over 14 times. That’s never good. On a second note, Denver outscored the Lakers in the paint, holding a 54-38 advantage. Finally, how does any team stop Nikola Jokic? The Lakers have had no answer to slow down Jokic. In Game 2, Jokic was unstoppable, scoring 27 points, collecting 20 rebounds and handing out 10 assists.    He made this. pic.twitter.com/OTim2JoZRH— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 23, 2024 Making the defeat even harder to swallow is that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis played well. Davis, before Murray stuck that fadeaway jumper in his face at the buzzer, held his own against Jokic with 32 points and 11 rebounds. James answered with 26 points and 12 assists.  Game 3 and Game 4 are going to be interesting. Either the Lakers are going to fight their way back into the series or the Nuggets are going to break out the boom handles and sweep Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.  Right now, the Nuggets are like sharks in the water that smell blood. They’re coming. So now the Lakers have to go and protect their home court. Good luck with that. The Lakers don’t have an answer on how to stop Jokic. Murray has become indefensible, especially at crunch time.  The Lakers have to play desperate to have a chance to win the next two games. That might not be enough to keep Denver from finishing off this series quickly. Lead Photo Caption: Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) goes up for a shot against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) Read the full article

[monozono]

Official Texas Rangers 2023 Postseason Around the Horn Shirt

Sandoval, 40, and Leviss, 28, made headlines in March when girlfriend Ariana Madix discovered their months-long affair and ended her nine-year relationship with Sandoval. Though a source told PEOPLE at the Official Texas Rangers 2023 Postseason Around the Horn Shirt moreover I will buy this time that “they had been having problems for a while,” the TomTom owner’s infidelity “was the final straw” for Madix, 37. Sandoval and Leviss faced backlash, not just from fans but from many former and current Vanderpump Rules stars. The cast has also begun piecing together the clues about the secret fling’s timeline, which fans have seen play out on season 10 of popular Bravo series.

Click here to buy it: https://monozono.com/product/official-texas-rangers-2023-postseason-around-the-horn-shirt/ Visit Home page: https://monozono.com

[newsbbd]

Nick Chubb’s Knee Injury: A Turning Point in the Steelers’ Battle

Nick Chubb Injury may frequently change the course of a season in the fast-paced world of professional football, changing the fortunes of both clubs and players. A key turning point occurred when Cleveland Browns standout running back Nick Chubb had a knee injury that has repercussions for both his club and their opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this piece, we examine the specifics of Nick Chubb’s knee problem and how it affected the Steelers’ struggle to win the AFC North.

Introduction

Unexpected shifts and twists are nothing new to the NFL, and the 2023 season was no different. The future of two bitter rivals, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, rested in the balance among the intense struggle in the AFC North. The event that changed the direction of the season was Nick Chubb’s knee injury, which served as the impetus.

Nick Chubb: The Dynamic Running Back

In the NFL, Nick Chubb has been a formidable opponent. He was the backbone of the Cleveland Browns’ offense and was renowned for his incredible agility, quickness, and ability to break tackles. The Browns were a formidable club when Chubb was part of their lineup.

The Injury That Shook the Browns

Nick Chubb’s knee injury during a pivotal game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 was tragic. The Browns and their supporters were dealt a crushing blow when they saw their top player writhing in agony on the field.

Impact on the Cleveland Browns

The Browns struggled to establish a rhythm on offense without Chubb. They had a difficult time retaining their leadership in the AFC North.

Opportunity Knocks for the Steelers

They sensed an opportunity to grab leadership of the division now that their arch-enemy was weaker.

The AFC North Showdown

As they competed for dominance in the AFC North, the animosity between the Browns and the Steelers reached new heights. Each matchup  between the two clubs turned into a competitive clash with postseason implications.

Nick Chubb’s Road to Recovery

Nick Chubb set out on a dedicated mission to heal from his knee injury while on the sidelines. His perseverance and commitment served as an example to his teammates and supporters.

The Steelers’ Defense Steps Up

The Steelers‘ defense improved as they battled for the division crown, rising to the top of the league. Their success was greatly influenced by their capacity to stop opposition offenses.

The Rivalry Intensifies

The Browns and Steelers’ animosity reached a fever pitch as both teams gave everything they had to win.

For read more : click here

[numberdance]

Eeeep.

OU, please remember how to field.

[sethjarvy]

wake up babe new incredibly heart warming article about antti raanta droppped

article under the cut :)

NEW YORK — All around Antti Raanta was chaos and pressure and tension and screaming fans and thunderous music and flashing lights.

There was 3:44 left in the third period of a playoff game at Madison Square Garden, with his Carolina Hurricanes down a goal and on the verge of dropping to 0-4 on the road in this postseason. Raanta had just swallowed up an Artemi Panarin wrist shot to keep his guys within striking distance, and the last television timeout of the game allowed him a brief respite — a chance to take a breath, to push out the noise, to center himself, to brace himself.

Instead, Raanta looked up at the scoreboard, and the most peculiar thought hit him.

Hey! It’s Dancin’ Larry!

“You just get a little smile on your face,” Raanta said. “It was my first time playing against the Rangers in this building. So it was kind of funny, remembering all those TV timeout things. You just look around and you’re kind of like, ‘Hey, this is awesome.’”

Raanta was smiling as he said that, of course. Seems like he’s always smiling. That’s who Raanta is — the happy wanderer, the joyful journeyman. He’s the guy who spent his rookie season cracking up his teammates in Chicago with tales of his misadventures in the Finnish army, sending Patrick Sharp into hysterics as he described the time he got his entire squadron “killed” when he got lost on a training mission with a very real rocket-launcher strapped to his back. He’s the guy who had the Coyotes howling as he harped on the scorpion infestation that eventually drove him and his wife from his first home in Arizona. A big, boisterous personality with a big, boisterous voice, Raanta’s always been everyone’s favorite teammate.

But now, at 33 years old, he’s finally becoming something more.

Leaning against a wall outside the visitor’s dressing room at the Garden on Monday afternoon, Raanta was trying to put it all in perspective — the early brilliance and ugly breakup in Chicago, the fun but ultimately unfulfilling years as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in New York, the endless string of injuries in Arizona, the flirtation with retirement last spring, and now his unlikely ascendance to Conn Smythe candidate in the wake of Frederik Andersen’s lower-body injury suffered a month ago.

After all this time, after all these teams, after all those rehabs, after all the games he watched from the back of the bench or on a stool by the Zamboni entrance as a permanent backup, Raanta finally is having his moment. Through nine playoff games, he has posted a .939 save percentage, trailing only Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington. He has saved 8.91 goals above expected, trailing only Oettinger, Edmonton’s Mike Smith and the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin. He’s playing like he always knew he could, but never thought he’d get the chance.

In true Raanta fashion, he’s savoring every minute of it. And yes, that includes checking which celebrities are sitting rinkside at the Garden.

Hey, it’s David Harbour!

“You just have to enjoy it,” Raanta said. “This is what you dream of. You want to play these games and you kind of want to see that you can do the job.”

Raanta turned 33 two weeks ago. This birthday was a bit more festive than the last.

A year ago, hard as it is to envision, Raanta had lost his smile, and was losing his will to keep battling through the injuries that had derailed his career. He chuckles a bit now as he lists the various ailments that plagued his four seasons in Arizona, almost amused by how unlucky he was. But there was nothing funny about it at the time. He got rear-ended on the highway by an SUV going 40 or 50 mph and suffered whiplash. He had groin issues. Hip problems. Blew out his knee. He played just 12 games in 2018-19 in the first year of the biggest contract of his career. He played just 12 games again last season, the final year of that deal.

The last straw last season was a seemingly innocuous groin tweak that he thought was nothing. He went for an MRI and he was told he’d miss at least three weeks. “You’ll miss at least three weeks” had been the story of Raanta’s career, and he was just ready to be done with it all.

Hockey is fun. Perpetual rehab is not.

“I’m like, ‘This is not happening,’” he said. “That’s when I almost lost the passion for the hockey. When the season was over, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do it anymore.’”

But it gnawed at Raanta that he knew he could do the job, if his body would allow, if his coaches would allow. He was brilliant as Corey Crawford’s backup in Chicago, but Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville fell in love with Scott Darling’s size and Raanta had to watch as a frustrated Black Ace as Darling, not Raanta, came to the rescue in the first round of the 2015 playoffs against Nashville. He knew he’d never supplant Lundqvist in New York, but he soaked up all he could from one of the best goalies of all time and made the most of his limited playing time. Arizona was his chance to be a No. 1, but the injuries got in the way and he lost the job to Darcy Kuemper.

Yet every time Raanta got a chance, he ran with it. Since his rookie season of 2013-14, among goalies with at least 100 starts, only Ben Bishop (.921) and Juuse Saros (.920) have a higher save percentage than Raanta’s .919. Raanta is tied with Crawford, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tuukka Rask, and just ahead of Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Kuemper.

That’s lofty company. And that just bothered him all the more when he considered the incomplete nature of his career.

“I think that’s the worst part,” he said. “Obviously, when you get hurt, it’s always tough, and it doesn’t matter if your numbers are good or bad. But I think it’s a little bit more frustrating when you know that you can play at a high level.”

So when Raanta’s agent, Kevin Epp, called him up in mid-June and said there was interest, the goalie perked up a bit. When Epp told him Carolina was one of those teams, suddenly he was smiling again.

“That’s a really good team, and they’ve been in the playoffs and they’re so close to getting to the end,” Raanta said. “I was thinking, ‘man, if they really want me, that’s something I really want to do.’ After that, the switch just turns in your head and now I’m going to do whatever I can to get there and do my best.”

But once again, Raanta found himself as the backup, playing just 28 games to Andersen’s 52. This time, however, it was the other guy who got injured, as Andersen suffered a lower-body injury making a save against Colorado on April 16. Suddenly, Carolina’s Stanley Cup hopes rested on Raanta’s shoulders.

Eight days later, Raanta hurt himself again, leaving early in a 5-2 win against the Islanders. For once, though, the hockey gods were with him. It turned out to be nothing major. And he hasn’t relinquished the net since.

“He’s been great all year, actually,” Sebastian Aho said. “Freddie played a little bit more than him in the regular season, and maybe Freddie got more attention. But every time (Raanta) was in, he was great for us. We’ve been very fortunate to have very good goalies all year, and I’m not surprised the level he’s playing now. The team has a lot of confidence in him.”

The old saying is that goalies need to have a short-term memory. That’s not entirely accurate. They don’t need to forget goals, they need to withstand them, to survive them, to bounce back from them. That’s where Raanta’s relentlessly upbeat attitude comes into play. In Game 3, former teammate Chris Kreider beat Raanta from a sharp angle, top-shelf on the far side. It was an absolutely sick shot, perfectly placed and nearly impossible to expect. But Raanta was mad at himself, all the same. For about four seconds.

He got over it — hey, giving up a goal is nothing compared with losing your job, or blowing out your knee, or getting rear-ended on the highway — and stopped the last 15 shots he faced, keeping Carolina in it and only getting beaten because Shesterkin was a little bit better on this day.

“You would never know he’s in his first playoffs,” said teammate Seth Jarvis, who is in his own first playoffs. “He’s just super relaxed and calm and collected.”

Raanta has won the Stanley Cup before. We should probably point that out.

But he hasn’t won the Stanley Cup. Raanta was the primary regular-season backup goaltender for the eventual 2015 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. He had been relegated to third-string with Darling’s ascendance by the end of the season, and didn’t dress in the playoffs. It ended badly, with Raanta telling a Finnish newspaper that he was so bitter about his situation that he was openly rooting for the Blackhawks to get swept in the first round by Nashville so he could just go home. Raanta later said his words were misconstrued, and that he was just trying to be emotionally honest about how difficult it was to watch his team play without him, and that his frustrations lasted for maybe a day, and that he thoroughly enjoyed the whole postseason ride with his teammates, even as a Black Ace.

But the damage was done. The Blackhawks ended up leaving Raanta’s name off the Stanley Cup — unusual given he was the backup for most of the regular season — and petitioning instead to have Daniel Carcillo (who didn’t play in the playoffs) and Joakim Nordstrom (who got in just three games). The team said Raanta’s comments had nothing to do with it, but regardless, there were some hard feelings on both sides. Raanta was traded to the Rangers 12 days after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

Still, Raanta looks back at his time in Chicago with fondness, and with gratitude. He learned lessons from that team’s three-time champion core that he’s using in Carolina today.

“It was great,” he said. “You were able to see what it takes to get to the finish line, looking at (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane and those guys and what it takes. You get to see the confidence in that group. They already had won a couple times. And it was just like, it didn’t matter if we lost a game or whatever happened, it was just, ‘Let’s go to the next one.’ It was awesome to be a part of it. And it gave me a little more hunger, also. Because in your head, you want to win the Stanley Cup when you’re actually playing. That’s the motivation.”

There’s another bit of motivation looming. Andersen participated in Monday’s practice, and is getting closer to returning. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour won’t give a timetable for Andersen’s return, and won’t say what he’ll do in net once he does return.

But after finally getting to play a month of hockey as an undisputed No. 1 goaltender, is it time for Raanta to start looking over his shoulder again?

Raanta smiled at the question. Of course, he did.

“It’s about staying in the moment and not worrying about what’s happening outside, or even inside, the team,” he said. “You have pretty much one of the top goalies in the league sidelined right now. So you know whenever Freddie is healthy and feels good, you have to do the job and try to keep the net. You never know what happens the next day. So I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.”

And if there’s one thing Raanta’s better at than stopping pucks, it’s enjoying the moment. No matter how harrowing and pressure-packed it is.

“We’re in the playoffs, we’re in the second round, so the stakes are pretty high,” he said. “And before the game, you get little butterflies. If you don’t have that, if you just go out like it’s just one game and you just go play, I feel like you don’t get your best out of it. You have to get that good type of feeling before the game. For me, it’s not nervousness, but just a little goosebumps. You want that. That’s what gets you going. That means you’re enjoying it.

“And I’m enjoying it.”

[welllpthisishappening]

It all kind of happens in slow motion.

One second, Emma hears the crack of the bat and the requisite roar of the crowd, and the next her eyes have widened to a size most scientists would likely advise against. Because, standing at home plate, that same home plate multiple baseball players are sprinting toward, is her kid. More or less waiting to be run over. That is, of course, until Killian Jones.

———

Word Count: 4.1K Rating: Flufffy fluff fluff of the fluffiest variety AN: Writing has been something of a legitimate challenge for me in the last few weeks, but earlier this week @ohmightydevviepuu sent a link to this tweet, tagged me, and said what I basically took as an unspoken prompt. Like, you’re going to send me video of a bat boy getting scooped up at home by a player in the middle of the game and then think I won’t write about it? Not possible. Even with the aforementioned writing challenges. Nothing stands a chance against my love of baseball. Here’s hoping the Yankees turn it around in the second half. Neither Aaron Judge or I deserve the season we’ve had so far.

———

Biologically speaking, Emma Swan is perfectly aware that the current positioning of her heart is more or less impossible. 

Stuck somewhere between the back of her throat and the pit of her stomach, it makes her all too aware of the now-empty chasm in her chest, stretching out toward her arms and threatening the structural integrity of her lungs, neither of which appear all that intent on working properly. Oxygen is a luxury not currently afforded to her capillaries. Instead, nerves mix with anxiety and the telltale flush of adrenaline that probably also makes her look relatively crazy because her pupils are definitely dilated and she does not know nearly enough about science to be making any of these claims. 

Whatever, really. 

It feels like that ooze from that movie. FernGully, Emma thinks. With the fairies. She thinks they were fairies. She’s not entirely certain they were fairies. 

And the ooze was definitely oil, obviously. There was a message involved in that movie. Not one that she appreciated when she was seven and Tim Curry’s animated-oil voice sort of freaked her out. But, like, she gets it now. The environment, and everything. With or without fairies. With Robin Williams, though. 

She’s positive about that, at least. 

Robin Williams was definitely in that movie. 

Less positive about the ability of her heart to actually split itself in half, as it seems wont to do at the moment. So, as to make it easier when it inevitably soars out of her mouth and falls onto the scuffed-up clubhouse floor beneath her feet. Naturally, this will happen simultaneously. For maximum effect. 

Much like the fireworks currently exploding over the left-field bleachers. 

She’s not sure if fireworks do explode, actually. That seems dangerous. Likely to lead to injuries and sounds that don’t resemble the  oohs and ahhs a ballpark generally inspires. Explode probably isn’t the right word. Maybe something more like…detonate. 

No, that’s worse. Way worse. She’s got to learn more words. Find a thesaurus or a dictionary or—a fireworks expert would be ideal, honestly.

Someone who could give her a detailed description of the inner-workings of a Yankee Stadium pyrotechnics display on a Tuesday in July, enough words that Emma’s mind would still for a few moments, allowing her to catch her breath and reestablish a consistent heart rate, and both of those problems could also likely be solved by sitting down, but the chair to her left looks a little wobbly, and her legs appear to have minds of their own because science is rather quickly becoming a lie and—

“Is he alright?” She spins. Nearly falls over. Her knees are also awfully wobbly, that’s why. 

Despite all of that, and the overall circumference of her pupils, the voice doesn’t retreat. Doesn’t even flinch. Shows absolutely no signs of imminent stumbling. And that’s probably because the voice is a man, one who is in possession of world-class instinctual reactions, and his hair is still damp from his post-game shower and it absolutely makes her something of an atrocious mother to acknowledge that last thing as quickly as she does. 

His shirt sleeves are noticeably sticking to his biceps, so that helps too. 

Opening her mouth, Emma is going to say words that are both vaguely intelligent and passably accurate, absolving this Major League Baseball player of any of the guilt he so obviously feels. Which is just patently stupid, really. None of this was his fault. None of it was anyone’s fault, really. 

Except maybe the idiot who left his bat at that particular angle across home plate, but Emma’s an adrenaline expert these days and walk-offs are understandably exciting. First walk-offs more so. 

She’s happy for Scarlet, really. 

They won the game. 

Everything is fine. Great, even. She nearly jumps twenty-six feet in the air at the next boom of fireworks. 

The pinch between the Major League Baseball player’s eyebrows gets—

Pinchier. 

The little roll of skin draws Emma’s attention, effectively robbing her of the ability to respond like an almost-sane person, but she’s also still trying to rationalize why she can remember the words to several FernGully songs while also being unable to recall what flavor PopTart she had for breakfast earlier this week and she figures watching her kid nearly get run over by professional athletes approximately forty-two minutes before gives her a fairly reasonable excuse. 

For opening and closing her mouth no less than eight consecutive times. 

Like a goddamn fish. There were no fish in FernGully. Least not so far as she remembers. 

It’s entirely possible she squeaks on attempt number five. 

The Major League Baseball player’s eyebrows do not move. It’s equal parts frustrating and incredible to behold. 

“I should probably thank you, right?” Emma asks, not quite regretting the words immediately, but it’s awfully close. That gets her some movement. Of the eyebrow variety. One eyebrow, specifically. Arching up, it somehow still manages to pull her attention directly toward eyes that should be the star of their own marketing campaign. Not quite Yankee blue, but distractingly blue, and it takes everything in her not to huff as dramatically as she wants to. Once the athletic trainer is done with Henry, Emma is going to make him examine her lungs. Rationality rules the day. 

Major League Baseball player shakes his head. It’s dumb to call him that. She knows his name. Knows at least some of his history. Is still staring obnoxiously at his freakishly attractive face. 

Freakishly is kind of mean, too. As far as descriptions go. 

“Unnecessary,” he says, an undercurrent of worry still clear in the letters. Ducking his head, he takes a cautious step forward, almost as if he’s wary of what Emma will do, and she supposes that’s fair. What with the impressive vertical she’s in possession of these days. “Anyone would do that.” “I’m not sure they could, actually.”

At some point in this otherwise shitty experience of a night, Emma is vaguely confident something will go the way she wants it to. Aside from winning. She’s glad they won. Seriously. 

“No?” “No,” she echoes, and it’s not like she can feel him. A few feet of space separates them, so whatever heat appears to be wafting off the Major League Baseball player in front of her, with his damp hair, and stupid, stupid, stupid eyes is as impossible as any of the various impossibilities currently taking place within her person. 

And yet. 

He sticks his hand out. 

It’s disarmingly earnest. 

“Killian Jones,” he says, confidence replacing the nerves, and Emma begins to see why there are so many stories. And Twitter threads. Regarding his face and the potential for that face to date a variety of other attractive faces across at least four of the five boroughs. Somehow Emma doesn’t think Killian Jones, New York Yankees third baseman, is schlepping out to Staten Island for a date. 

Nor does she believe that Killian Jones, New York Yankees third baseman, has ever once let the word schlep pass through his conscious mind. 

She takes his hand. 

It is—

Surprisingly warm. And...not quite soft, that’d be impossible with the job he performs almost nightly. But the calluses on the pads of his fingers aren’t as rough as Emma expects, which also suggests she’s managed to ponder the overall texture of Killian Jones’s fingers in the last twelve point six seconds, and that’s not entirely true. What is true is that Ruby thinks Killian Jones is real good-looking and has determined that the phrase quite a catch is the pinnacle of humor, so, sure, Emma has possibly considered the possibility of paths crossing and intersecting, and her hand looks minuscule wrapped up in his. So, that’s something to think about later. 

Their arms move. Bob up and down as society dictates they should, and he’s smiling at her, and she’s trying not to look like a serial killer, straining to hear the voices behind the door, and it does not work. 

“Why do you think people are so consistently fascinated by fireworks?” If he’s surprised by her absolutely inane question, he doesn’t show it. That’s points. For what, Emma hasn’t totally decided yet, but it’s something, and it’s probably good, and they’re going to play that clip on loop for weeks. Longer, probably. 

Every goddamn day if the Yankees make the postseason. 

When the Yankees make the postseason. 

Her dad wouldn’t appreciate the buffer. Leaves room for loss, and that is not the Nolan way. Not when there are championships to win, and this was supposed to be the best possible time. Smack dab in the middle of the season, with the All-Star break looming, Henry would get to suit up as batboy for one game that didn’t mean much and wouldn’t draw too strong of a spotlight, no murmurs about nepotism by internet trolls who couldn’t possibly define the word with any sort of accuracy, but also like to shout about canceling and culture with an almost alarming sense of self-righteousness, so, of course, the whole thing was now blowing up in their face. 

Much like the goddamn fireworks. 

It wasn’t Will Scarlet’s fault. 

Wasn’t Henry’s fault, either. 

His job was to get the bats out of the field of play. Doing it while the field of play was still active was a mistake any kid could have made. Just so happens that it’s Emma’s kid, and the grandkid of the Yankees’ hitting coach, and that means something to the New York media and the New York fans, and if Killian Jones, New York Yankees third baseman with an arm that can make cross-field throws with ease, wasn’t also so quick-thinking and sure-footed, scooping Henry up as he crossed home plate and avoiding the ensuing swarm of players at home plate, all intent on celebrating Will Scarlet’s first-ever career walk-off, Emma can only imagine what would have happened. 

Trampled. Stepped on. Broken bones. Concussions. 

They’re checking Henry for a concussion now. He absolutely does not have a concussion. He was laughing while he was carried off the field. Like he hit the walk-off. 

Front office is absolutely petrified she’s going to sue them. 

The thought hadn’t even once crossed Emma’s mind. Plus, she’s sort of busy. Holding Killian Jones’s hand. His stupid, warm hand. 

“Bright colors,” he says, responding to a question Emma’s nearly forgotten about. Jumping is more challenging when his fingers tighten ever so slightly. “Flash, boom. Taps into baser instincts, I think.” “You think people’s base instinct is to enjoy explosions.” “Phrasing that as a statement makes me think you don’t agree with me.” “You didn’t want me to thank you,” Emma points out.

“Well, no,” he says, and the precise way his eyes drop does something specific to all of her instincts. Leaves her flush with a heat that reminds her of Fourth of July sparklers rather than any sort of massive explosion, and that’s not bad, per se, although it’s admittedly a little surprising. As is the slight uptick of precisely one side of his mouth. It takes her a moment to realize he’s smirking at her. And another for her subconscious to admit that it’s working as intended. Her shoulders drop half an inch. While Emma pulls her hand back to her side. “Thanking me suggests I did anything to warrant the thanks.” “Big words.” “For a dumb athlete, you mean.” “That wasn’t a question, either.” “No,” Killian repeats, “it wasn’t.” “I’d really like to thank you. I—Dad told him when to come out of the dugout, so he definitely knew the rules, but I think he was super worried about you tripping over the bat.”

The smirk becomes a full-blown smile. Which is no less than forty-seven thousand times more powerful. Equivalent to staring directly into a solar eclipse or gazing upon the dark side of the moon, and Emma should at least do some research before coming up with these internal examples. Basic Google searches would provide her with the necessary information. 

“That’s more or less what he told me, yeah.” Emma’s nose creases. “Talked your ear off after your daring rescue, huh?” “Keep complimenting me like this, and my ego won’t know what to do with it.”

She hopes she’s not blushing as much as it feels like she is. The state of Killian’s eyebrows and the precise curl of his lips make that seem unlikely. “Your reflexes are unparalleled.” “Something about big bucks and why I get paid them.” “Oh,” Emma laughs, unable to stop herself, and she doesn’t remember deciding to stop pacing, only that her knees appreciate it once she has, “you think you’re real funny, don’t you?” “I think I’m moderately funny, not the hero you’re suggesting I am—” “Oh, I never used the word hero.” “—And you never actually told me your name.”

“Because you don’t know who I am.” It’s not a question, either. Neither one of them mention that. 

“I do,” Killian concedes, “Henry was also fairly quick to mention exactly who he was and where his mother was sitting.” Emma’s nose is going to freeze in this position. “But I gave you my name, which makes it only fair that we’re all square and whatnot.” “Whatnot, huh?” “Yup.” He pops his lips on the letter. Which is also unfair. In, like, the grand scheme of the world. The black ooze that is not actually oil when used in this particular metaphor recedes. Leaves Emma with a chest cavity that is partially full of butterfly wings and the growing sense of anticipation that isn’t quite as nerve-wracking as it should be. Like she’s about to step into the batter’s box with two outs and runners in scoring position. She’s totally going to hit against the shift. Fluttering her fingers at her side, Emma doesn’t lift her hand. It doesn’t matter. 

Killian’s eyes drop. To the movement. And her. And part of her shies away from that because part of her has spent a lifetime tucked into a shadow that didn’t belong to her and doesn’t belong to Henry, but now there’s some joke about Peter Pan to be made because they live in an internet-age and Killian Jones has a very good face. So. Viral video, enter stage right. Starring Henry Swan, Killian Jones, and the inevitably uneven pitter-patter of Emma’s traitorous heart. 

“Emma Swan.” “I think you should sit down.”

“Why is that, exactly?” “I’m worried about your legs.”

Whatever noise she makes can’t quite be classified as a scoff. It hurts her throat too much. And it’s not a laugh, either. Even as the butterflies threaten to rise up in mutiny of Emma’s more rational feelings, and she gets the distinct impression that Killian is reading her mind. Trying very hard, at least. 

“Sounds like a line.” “Might be a line,” he admits, which draws another wholly inhuman sound out of Emma’s barely-functioning lungs. 

“Did he kick you on the lift?” Killian hums. “You’d kick too if you were just hauled off your feet, so I understand the reaction. What I’m more worried about is the inevitable bruise on my foot from the bat landing there.” “Ah shit, really?” “I’ve had worse.” “But not in 4K video that people will play on loop for the rest of the news cycle. If not longer.” Narrowing his eyes, Killian doesn’t immediately respond. Mind reading requires a modicum of focus, Emma assumes. Instead, he rests a hand on her shoulder, directing her toward the chair and ignoring the soft crack her left knee as it bends. “That’s what you’re worried about.” “Stop sounding so confident.” “I can only sound how I am, Swan.” “Oh, I’m not sure we’ve reached nickname status yet,” she mumbles, pushing down the soft rush of metaphorical insects doing their beset to soar out of her barely-parted lips. “But, yeah, I—I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was totally terrified in the moment.”

“Understandable. Grown men barrelling down the third-base line at your kid are a lot to take in.” She snorts. It’s not cute. Not dignified. Killian smirks. “Should you be concerned that the Scarlet was making such solid headway behind you? Are you exceedingly slow?” “I am league average.” “How fast can you get out of the box to first?” “I’ve never timed it.” “Liar, liar.” “Please don’t make a crack about my pants,” Killian says, “I won’t be able to cope.”

“Oh God, you think you’re charming, too.” “I’ve had no complaints.” “To your face, at least.”

Throwing his head back, the laugh that erupts out of him is not of volcano proportions. Of which there was also one in FernGully if Emma’s memory is to be trusted.  An arm circles his middle, stretching muscle and ensuring that Emma notices just how corded that same muscle is, the slight bend of his wrist leaving her off-kilter. When he meets her gaze, she swears his eyes are brighter. “Yeah, yeah, that’s true,” Killian concedes, “no one has flat out told me I was lacking charm to my face.” “This thanking you thing is going great.” “And I continue to not need thanks. Why are you worried about the video getting out there? Filmed in 4K like you suggest, at least we’ll all look great. Sharp pixels and whatnot.” “What do you know about pixels?” “You basically heard the extent just now.”

She’s getting better at laughing. The ooze has almost all but disappeared, Emma twirling a strand of hair around fingers that are intent on moving, and it’s an old habit. One Killian’s gaze catches on. Immediately. Quickly. Seriously, Emma needs a thesaurus. “Baseball’s always been my dad,” she says. “And that’s—well, we’ve lived this game, me and my mom, weekend series and West Coast swings, waiting up for him to get home because the flight got delayed, but Henry’s just a kid, getting thrown into this world because of his last name and who his family is? That sucks. Nothing was supposed to happen tonight.” “Nothing did happen.” “Because of you.” “I’d like to believe Scarlet, ridiculously fast as he might be, would not run over a small child,” Killian says. “And, uh, for the record and all that, I got a bad jump off first because I didn’t know if they were going to catch it in left. No one wants to get caught on the base paths.” “Yeah, that’d be embarrassing.”

He must hear the hitch in her voice because the next thing Emma realizes, her fingers are twisted back up in Killian’s, and she’s warm and falling and flying, and it’s good and weird, and the door swings open. 

They both jump.

So, that’s something. 

Rushing out quickly enough that he nearly trips over his own feet, Henry’s head leads the way and finds Emma’s stomach, a tangle of limbs, and overly-excited words, all of which rival the now-finished fireworks display in volume. 

It takes Henry about five and a half run-on sentences to notice Killian standing there. 

His eyes widen. His mouth drops. Killian grins. Emma tries very hard not to die. It only sort of works. 

She blames the faulty body parts she’s in possession of. 

“Killian,” Henry exclaims, clamoring back to his feet and nearly falling again in the process. Hands that belong to both Emma and Killian dart out, steadying Henry while their eyes meet over the top of his head. Killian winks. He tries. It’s more like a blink than anything. “Hi, hi! You did so good tonight! And we won, and I got to go on the field and—and, it was so,” Henry heaves a deep breath, “we were so good.”

Collective pronouns do something to Emma’s entire state of being. 

Flips it on an axis she hadn’t been aware previously existed until it almost feels as if this was the path they’d been directing themselves toward from the start. Her eyes flit toward Killian. Who is already watching her. 

“We did,” he nods, “maybe next time, though, you wait one extra second to grab Scarlet’s bat, ok?” Seeing her own nose scrunch reflected back on her kid is not the worst thing that’s ever happened to Emma. The vibrating phone in her back pocket, might be. 

It’s one-hundred percent, Ruby. 

“That’s what grandpa said too,” Henry grumbles, digging a toe of the cleats Emma’s mother bought him last week into the ground, “but I wanted to make sure you didn’t fall.”

Definitely dying, then. A systematic shut down of all necessary internal organs. It’s not as bad as Emma would have expected. 

Neither one of Killian’s knees crack when he bends. That seems heavy-handed. 

“And I don’t want you to fall either,” he says, “so we agree, right here, right now, not to let the other one fall, huh?” Emma holds her breath. Ignores the pinch in her lungs and the clearly unstable nature of both her mind and her heart, digging her nails into her palms. To ensure she isn’t tempted to haul Henry back toward her. Or push that one strand of hair away from Killian’s forehead. 

Henry nods. “Deal.”

They hook their pinkies together. 

It’s adorable and as endearingly charming as everything else Killian Jones, New York Yankees third baseman, has done since he walked into that hallway. Less so when her dad emerges from the office, the athletic trainer on his heels to not-so-quietly inform Killian that he can’t just blow off post-game like that, and the second wink is as bad as the first. 

She does her very best to memorize the movement. 

And the joy on Henry’s face the next morning when a box arrives on their doorstep, a genuine, game-worn Killian Jones jersey inside. She doesn’t notice the note at first, tucked between the cardboard and the tissue paper someone must have bought for him. He can’t have bought that tissue paper himself. He just—it’s unfathomable. 

Emma knows he bought the tissue paper himself. 

As clearly as she knows that those numbers in that particular order will lead to Killian Jones answering his phone and that her voice likely won’t shake when she replies to the question written in surprisingly loopy script. Which is why, Emma will argue, she does reply. In the affirmative. To several questions over the course of the remaining season, and they don’t star in any more viral videos, but there are a few pictures once they clinch the division. 

Drops of champagne cling to the tips of Emma’s eyelashes and the ends of Killian’s hair, hands on her waist that blaze a quick path up her back and around her middle, and she has to tilt her head up to get the right angles. Of lips. While they kiss in the middle of the clubhouse, the hat someone forced onto Emma’s head falling and it’s impossible to hear over the sound of celebratory fireworks, but she can somehow still hear Henry’s laugh ringing out from the general area near Scarlet’s locker, and his jersey collection is growing at an impressive rate. 

No one can withstand the overall cuteness of him. 

Emma included. Emma, especially. 

Sometimes she worries she’s so happy she’ll burst, unable to contain the sort of emotion her body is still acclimating itself to. But then she realizes just how dumb that is and happiness cannot possibly be quantified, and her head is buzzing enough from champagne that she nearly misses Killian when he says, “people love the bright spots, Swan.” It’s not the most romantic thing he’s told her. Doesn’t crack the top five, quite frankly. She swoons all the same. With her kid laughing and her team winning and that’s about all the sentiment she’s willing to acknowledge before her tongue is in Killian’s mouth. He groans. She grins. 

And he’d been right about the video. It wasn’t the embarrassment Emma worried it could be. Was mostly relegated to the corners of the internet set aside for formerly popular content as soon as the season ended, spoken about only in fond recollection as the other seasons went on and the wins kept coming and all three of them stand on a parade float with the World Series trophy a few dozen feet away, several Novembers after that first game. 

It’s a Thursday afternoon, then. 

And yet Emma never entirely forgets. What the video meant and what it did and she’s not remotely surprised when it finds its way back to the forefront of the sports zeitgeist on a Wednesday in July. Most mentions come with similar taglines and messages. Something about feeling our age and wanna feel old because that bot boy, David Nolan’s grandson, Killian Jones’s stepson, he’s getting drafted now. 

Got drafted, technically. 

Third round, video of the soon-to-be third baseman for the San Diego Padres makes the internet circuits and garners plenty of interest. It’s not the most exciting video, though. Henry just hugs his family. Who hug tightly back. 

What is more exciting is the box that arrives on Emma and Killian’s doorstep. With a note that eventually earns a frame next to the last one and a wholly official, game-worn jersey that has a noticeable streak of dirt across the left sleeve. From sliding head-first into home plate.  

[anthonybialy]

Buffalo Bills Heating When Needed Most

Conditions are always on the verge of changing.  Take how Northtowners worked on tans while the invisible line at Lake Erie may as well have been the border between the Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle.  And a club once banished to postseason Siberia now spreads warmth even when windshields are iced over.  The Buffalo Bills got hot at the right time without affecting the thermometer.

Many outcomes only seem altered when they end up conforming to patterns.  A forecast only seems to be the biggest factor.  The defense got gashed on San Francisco’s opening drive in what thankfully didn’t set the tone.  But this particular alignment allows that to happen routinely no matter the winter storm advisory.  A unit designed to bend but hold didn’t turn brittle like your plastic shovel or precious feelings.

For some, getting ready to freeze means exposing skin.  Matt Milano didn’t time his return so he could play in short sleeves while it snowed, but sometimes the universe works out like that.

Dealing with frigid surroundings is about possessing the right mentality.  James Cook is from Miami and played for Georgia yet looked comfortable stampeding through Hoth.  And Mack Hollins felt the end zone through his cleats in an effort to avoid frostbite even though donning footwear is not his predilection.

By contrast, San Francisco could’ve played like their season was over if they were in Fiji.  Their efforts at tackling indicated they wanted to be inside.  The goal-line fumble particularly showed fate wasn’t on their side.  But they played like they chose to doom themselves.  California dreamers couldn’t penetrate the snow fort.  Their season has shown they aren’t as proficient at plundering as their roster appears no matter the climate.

Conditions are equally lousy.  Defenders must cope with the same ghastly footing as receivers.  Everyone playing in a temperature more suited for fur storage shivers similarly.  The problem is that every amazing athlete is prevented from maximizing skills.  But half the teams worked through it.

Adjusting to blustery weather is the best way to not blame it.  Using a sixth offensive linemen was a concession to conditions that used a difficulty to their advantage like a service academy using the option.  And shotgun aficionado Josh Allen even holstered himself under center to facilitate handoffs.

The spy thought he could stop watching Josh learned the shark he was tasked with tracking can swim through snow.  As for spectators who gave up, I have surprising news for everyone who stopped watching after Amari Cooper’s catch thinking the play couldn’t get more amazing.  Rugby legend Allen will accept the pass from the scrum half, too.  The embodiment of relentlessness is such a singular talent that he’s doing things nobody else ever has before.

Even Allen can’t keep matching his unique accomplishments.  Heading downhill was bound to follow.  The slacker didn’t even get a touchdown pass on the next one he scored, which was quite the letdown.  And he only scored touchdowns in three measly ways.

Single ladies along with those in relationships who aren’t Hailee cheer for their dreamboat who broke their hearts.  The Niners lost the game like it was the race to have him propose to them.  I’m trying to think of a way to congratulate them on their engagement without admitting I know the lyrics to Starving.

Like the AFC East title, Buffalo’s erstwhile most eligible bachelor is off the market.  You can tell he made a fine choice by how his upcoming bride didn’t make him wear a ring while at work.  The city’s premier couple aren’t royalty: they’ve earned what they have.  They should pick a wedding date on a fall Sunday, as venues are cheaper.  

The Bills didn’t even have to deal with the imitator.  Brock Purdy’s technical return meant a return to the sidelines for Brandon Allen, who’s what you get when you order Josh on Temu.  He even wears the same number to confuse relatives shopping for Christmas presents who vaguely know you like football but haven’t retained details about which team and player.

The team’s social media stuck with the theme of snow as a virtue.  They also have to work with the way things are, whether it be cold air moving over a warm still body of water or someone else’s decision to again build a stadium in the same snowy band.  Calling an avalanche from above football weather is one way to justify the multibillionaire not springing for a lid.  You’re saying the new place is next door without a roof in the same remote lake effect area?  What next: the state forced taxpayers to fund Terry Pegula’s welfare checks?

A wise franchise might want their singular athlete to vie in ideal circumstances that double as a convention center.  You might even think they would do everything they could to please their best employee ever.  Mike Tirico mentioned Allen didn’t enjoy playing during bitterly frozen moments while the quarterback himself announced his aversion to snow angels during the postgame press conference as two big hints.  Allen won and performed the celebration despite natural aversions because he’s a team player on top of it all.

Change to changing environments.  The chilliest team probably won’t be able to rely on snow stopping the foe next game, what with the Rams having a dome.  Oh, and they play in Los Angeles, which my research indicates may not be renowned for blizzards.  A biosphere conducive to passing means Allen has the chance to catch even more touchdowns.

Don’t let seizing the division become anticlimactic even as it becomes routine.  Getting grouped with three delinquents dilutes the shock of clinching as December starts.  But Buffalo has still strung together remarkably consistent results.  That’s especially true this season considering only three of their wins have come against AFC East remedial teams.  A quarterback making some of the best plays ever isn’t going to be defeated by the 49ers or snowflakes.

[youcouldmakealife]

SOTW: Bryce/Jared, Elaine; celebratory mood

And now that we’ve all had a few hours to read the latest part of IJ(aoe), here’s the story of the week, for the prompt: Bryce and Jared just being cute and domestic

This takes place early in the latest part of IJ(aoe), and is summed up in three sentences there, Jared simply stating he gets to have a chill day with Bryce and Elaine.

From a ‘hurryuphurryupSTRATEGYSESSIONquickquickquick’ pace (the last part spans approximately two months) it didn’t make sense to have this as a full scene, so thanks to this prompt, Bryce and Jared can celebrate a first round win and get laid before Playoff Willy comes in to be all Playoff Willy.

Jared wakes up at ten-forty five — the latest he’s gotten up since the postseason started — to a kiss to the forehead, a cup of coffee handed to him, the immediate awareness that the Nucks did it, they’ve got at least another round to battle through. As ways to wake up go, it’s pretty fucking great.

“Didn’t want you to mess up your schedule,” Bryce says. “But if you want to go back to sleep—”

“Nah,” Jared yawns. “Thanks.”

Jared takes quick shower, goes to get more coffee, and finds Bryce and Elaine in a very messy, disorganized kitchen. It did not look like that when Jared got back from Oakland last night.

“We’re making you a celebration brunch!” Elaine says.

That is very sweet, but the problem with that is that neither Elaine nor Bryce is a very good cook; Bryce just doesn’t bother, so Jared’s the cook when they’re together, and when Jared’s gone Bryce does a mix of delivery and a meal service that follows his nutrition plan. In Vancouver it’s also been a mix of delivery and a meal service that follows Jared’s, when Jared isn’t cooking for him and Elaine.

Jared tries to think of a nice way to salvage breakfast without offending either of them. “Can I help?” he lands on.

“Oh but it’s for you,” Elaine protests, but Bryce just says, “Sure,” and Jared takes over egg and turkey bacon duty and sets them on toasting and buttering and cutting up fruit, Elaine deciding to give herself an extra duty, pouring them sparkling wine and orange juice.

“It’s not even noon,” Jared protests.

“You have the day off,” Elaine says. “Celebrate!”

There’s something about alcohol with breakfast that hits Jared very differently than alcohol with dinner. And even then he knows he’s a lightweight, but it’s very much magnified after two mimosas that went straight to his head. He feels very — tingly, and also Bryce, on his laptop at the end of the bed, is too far from him. Jared would preferably like Bryce on top of him. Or under him. Or beside him. Just closer.

Some of that leaves his mouth.

“You’re drunk,” Bryce says, sounding delighted about it.

“I’m tipsy,” Jared says. “C’mere.”

Bryce, obedient as always, lets Jared drag him on top of him.

There is maybe some slightly drunk — okay yes, Jared is drunk, whatever — and possibly a little giggly making out, which turns into slightly drunk and still giggly handsiness, and Jared hopes Elaine didn’t come upstairs at any point because the handsiness ends exactly where you’d expect, with some very pleasant sex and an equally pleasant nap.

Jared wakes up a little dry-mouthed, headache-y, a bottle of Gatorade already on his bedside table, like Bryce maybe did as well, or at least has more experience in this department. He chugs it, goes to find his husband, who’s sitting at the kitchen table with Elaine, scrolling through Skip the Dishes trying to figure out what to order for dinner, the Marcuses all done with that cooking business now.

Jared hooks his chin over Bryce’s shoulder, adds his two cents — he wants something substantial, he feels like skin and bones right now, the grind of the season working him down to his rookie weight. They get complete junk food and eat it in front of a movie Jared half watches — it’s one of Elaine’s favourites, and Jared and Elaine do not have the same taste in movies — and Jared would feel a little guilty about it if it didn’t taste so damn good. Whatever. He needs the calories.

“Hey,” Bryce says when Jared steals a few fries — he didn’t order any, and Bryce, who’s taking a few weeks off before he even considers summer training, gets to ignore his diet a bit — and then, completely undermining himself, tips the fries closer so they’re easier to steal. 

Jared does not deserve this man. 

He glances over at Elaine, wrapped up in her movie, tucks his cheek against Bryce’s shoulder, stealing a couple more fries before he settles in, comfortable, dozes through the rest of the movie — playoffs are exhausting — waking up, again, to a kiss on the forehead before Bryce nudges him up to bed.