#Duffy after before surgery

[riverstardis]

mobile:

this guy playing a fake pokemon go lol

jez and louise are manning the booze bus and he asks her out for breakfast but she says no

dylan calls robyn asking where they are but she doesn't know and she still thinks she can handle david herself

ethan and alicia making fun of cal's crush on sam JSJFJFJ "oh he is just soo dreamy" "we have like so much in common" "same taste in clothes, high opinions of ourselves" "tight buns" "...bit strange" "no i was running with the joke!"😭😭😭

it's only been like a few weeks since alicia and cal broke up and she's already teasing him like she's always been more like his sister in law sjsdjdjfg

cal looks annoyed and says he's working and alicia goes "at what?" and he says "i'm gonna be a surgeon" and alicia goes "hm? you fancy nicola sturgeon?" and ethan goes "no, no, he said: i'm gonna be a burden. well, you already are" JSJKDFJKFJKFG

alicia laughs but also looks confused/concerned lmao you can tell she's an only child. and i'm so glad ethan's getting the chance to be a proper annoying little brother shjsjhdjdf he usually has to be the sensible and mature one

cal's annoyed and walks off and alicia's like "is he serious?" and ethan goes "no it's this silly man crush he's got. you know he wanted to be a gladiator when he was younger" and then sam clears his throat and he's stood right behind them SDHJFJJSD

robyn tries to text dylan where they are when she sees a sign but david throws her phone out the window so they can "live in the moment"😬

david :(

oh that's pen khatri!

david's brother's grave :(

max, charlie, and duffy are trying to guess robyn's password for her phone location app thing and duffy goes "i just use password1234" and charlie says "which you're not supposed to tell anybody"

david's the one who found his brother after he'd overdosed :( going off the dates on the gravestone, he was only 20, so david was even younger

david tells robyn that he doesn't fear his highs, he fears going as low as his brother went😢😢 aand robyn's gone into labour

they're about to give up guessing the password and just call the police but duffy tries password1234 and it works shjdjdf

lmaoo sam sees cal watching his surgery videos in the staff room and he's like "y'know, i wasn't gonna bite but the new look, the videos? do i need to get a restraining order?" SJSDJJD i wonder if he would've even noticed if he hadn't overheard ethan and alicia earlier? cal says he wants to be a surgeon and sam says he doesn't need a designer shirt to do that and gives him proper advice and "follow me, young cal"

"i am not giving birth in a graveyard with a mentally unstable nurse!" i'm not sure you have much of a choice i'm afraid bestie

lmaooo sam took cal to connie's office to talk but connie gets back from the talent show while they're in there and she and sam start arguing and cal's sat there SO awkwardly in the middle sjsjfjg

sam's advice to cal is: "above all, you want to avoid an argument. speak your mind in front of an audience, if someone is taking liberties or undermining your authority, deal with it."

jason durr and amanda henderson are incredible

hang on just realised that ethan was at duffy's party but he was also on shift before and is still on shift after?? oh and jacob too actually. they must've been allowed a longer break or something?

and here's charlotte!

david's starting to crash :(

you know cal's got it bad cause he's still hanging round the hospital on a saturday night on his day off

here come ethan and alicia to make fun of him again sjsjdjf "dear sam..." "i think you are just so handsome" "ooo shall we have a shower together" "again, that's your brother, come on" "i'm not really getting the hang of this game"😭😭

cal ignores them and takes sam's advice and calls connie over "oh mrs beauchamp? it must be a pretty quiet shift for these conjoined doctors to be standing around all night" "and what are you doing?" "i am doing research work for mr strachan" and ethan and alicia turn to each other trying not to laugh again until connie tells them to follow her to the sluice SJDSJFJJKDF and now they're annoyed and it's cal's turn to make fun of them "oh no! here i am in trouble and all i was trying to do was impress alicia! wey aye pet, i am not impressed with owt ere like" and they both look at him with disbelief SJSDJDJFDJG I MISS THIS TRIO SO MUUUUCH😭😭😭 i mean the crucial thing ethan and alicia are missing here is they don't know that cal knows they already slept together

poor david :(

louise admitting that jez being bi is what's bothering her🥴 she says she doesn't understand but maybe he could explain over breakfast

aand they're kissing

oh yeah duffy and charlotte have the same birthday!

dylan apologises for not recognising the signs earlier and convinces david to seek help willingly rather than get sectioned

"i told the department of work and pensions i wasn't fit to come back to work. i was right, wasn't i?" :(

[twins2994]

Kansas City Royals-Minnesota Twins Series Preview

4.27.23- Zack Greinke RHP (0-3) 4.61 ERA Vs. Tyler Mahle RHP (1-2) 3.32 ERA

4.28.23-Jordan Lyles RHP (0-4) 4.88 ERA Vs. Pablo Lopez RHP (1-2) 3.00 ERA

4.29.23-Brad Keller RHP (2-2) 3.96 ERA Vs. Sonny Gray RHP (3-0) 0.62 ERA

4.30.23-Brady Singer RHP (1-2) 8.14 ERA Vs. Joe Ryan RHP (4-0) 3.24 ERA

The Royals At A Glance- Things haven’t gotten much better for the Royals after the Twins swept them to start the season. They are (6-19) overall and (2-4) on this current ten-game road trip. The offense is averaging a little over three runs per game. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino are leading the offense with four home runs each. Matt Duffy has been great in limited play with a .359 average. Jackie Bradley Jr. has struggled with just five hits in thirty-eight at-bats (.132) average. The Royals starting staff has a 4.75 ERA, which is twenty-first in the Majors. Brady Singer had a good first start and last start, but the three in the middle have been mediocre. The bullpen has been even worse with a 6.10 ERA, which is second-worst in MLB. Aroldis Chapman has allowed just two runs over 9 1/3 innings with a save and two holds. Amir Garrett and Josh Taylor have been good options from the left side as well. Scott Barlow 6.75 ERA and Carlos Hernandez 6.97 ERA haven’t been good. 

The Twins At A Glance- The Twins were on a three-game winning streak before the Yankees put up twelve runs in the series finale on Wednesday. The long homestand continues with four games against the lowly Royals. The Twins offense has came to life a bit with Jorge Polanco back. He is hitting .409 with six RBI in five games. Jose Miranda and Joey Gallo each hit two homers apiece in the Yankees series. Alex Kirilloff has hit three homers for the Saints and his rehab assignment is coming to an end soon. The team will need to make a decision on him and Trevor Larnach. The front office would like both of them to play everyday and there aren’t enough at-bats for both to stay on the Major League team currently. Kenta Maeda left Wednesday’s game with an elbow injury that isn’t related to his Tommy John surgery. He will miss some time and is getting an MRI on Thursday. Bailey Ober should take his spot in the rotation. The Twins starting staff has a 3.21 ERA, which fourth-best in the big leagues even after yesterday’s game. Sonny Gray has allowed just two runs over twenty-nine innings. Jorge Lopez has thrown 10 2/3 scoreless innings to start the year. The good arms in the bullpen got the day off on Wednesday with the blowout loss. 

What To Watch For- The Twins swept the Royals at Kauffman Stadium to start the season. The Twins went (8-2) against the Royals at Target Field in 2022. Zack Greinke is (5-14) with a 4.51 ERA in thirty-one games against the Twins. Tyler Mahle is (1-0) with a 2.25 ERA in three games against the Royals. Jordan Lyles is (0-1) with a 3.13 ERA in four games versus the Twins. Pablo Lopez has a 1.54 ERA in two starts against the Royals. Brad Keller is (3-6) with a 3.89 ERA in fourteen games against the Twins. Jorge Polanco has two career homers off Keller. Sonny Gray is (8-2) with a 1.54 ERA in eleven starts versus Kansas City. Brady Singer is (2-5) with a 4.85 ERA in nine starts against Minnesota. Max Kepler has two career homers off Singer. Joe Ryan is (5-0) with a 1.20 ERA in five starts against the Royals. The Twins should be able to clean up on the Royals this weekend. 

-Chris Kreibich-

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The palace lured Princess Diana into death trap 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Sienna Miller shooting Anatomy of a Scandal, former soap star Wanda De Jesus and longtime partner Jimmy Smits take a walk in Brentwood, Mama June Shannon gambles on plastic surgery 

Page 3: Billy Dee Williams may walk with a cane but he doesn’t let that stop him from taking the wheel in West Hollywood, Joey Fatone at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Ariel Winter lugs around a massive roll of bubble wrap in L.A. 

Page 4: Courageous Al Roker has battled health problems for years and now his new devastating prostate cancer diagnosis seals his rep as the unluckiest man on TV

* Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl are proof that love can be just as wonderful in your golden years and now pals predict their whirlwind romance will lead them to an elopement -- the former Dallas star was heartbroken after his wife of 43 years died of cancer in 2017 but Happy Days alum Linda brought joy back into his life -- the greying sweethearts plan to spend the holidays with both their families and then go house hunting for their own place

Page 5: Kanye West thinks he’s so smart and wonderful and creative he’s showering bucks on a project to make a posse of his own personal mini-mes and he sees his clones as his gift to the world claiming it’s his duty to keep himself on the planet at all costs long after he’s gone so death doesn’t have to be the end of Kanye -- Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian has given Kanye permission to double down on himself -- he’s also fascinated by cryogenics and no one would be surprised if he arranges to have himself stored in a chamber when he dies so he can be revived years later 

Page 6: Britney Spears is having another family feud because she wants her dad Jamie Spears suspended immediately from his role as co-conservator of her estate claiming he installed a new business manager to run her $60 million fortune without consulting his daughter in what she brands a blatant attempt to get full functional control of her assets and books and records in the face of Britney’s objections

* Ryan Seacrest is turning into a bloated recluse as career and personal problems have worried pals thinking about an intervention -- he’s so devastated by his breakup with Shayna Taylor and the end of cash cow Keeping Up with the Kardashians that he’s shutting himself away for days on end and ignoring calls from friends and co-workers and only responding to texts and he’s stuffing his face with junk food and sloppy takeout and pizzas and he’s come close to belching on camera a few times 

Page 7: Devastated widow Paulina Porizkova who her bitter husband Ric Ocasek cut out of his will even though she took care of him in his final days suffered a shocking collapse -- she had gone to Costa Rica with her sons for a change of scenery following the death of Ric who was divorcing her -- she says she had a total nervous breakdown in the airport and they had to put her in a wheelchair to take her back to the plane

* Abby Lee Miller is learning to walking again -- the former Dance Moms star had been using a wheelchair after undergoing chemo for Burkitt lymphoma and having life-saving spinal surgery but she’s now cancer-free and recently underwent an elective operation to help regain mobility -- even though Lifetime canned her plan spinoff Abby’s Virtual Dance Off over charges she’s racist she claims to have a scripted show and two reality series in the works 

Page 8: Mike Tyson says he once used a prosthetic penis loaded with his infant son’s pee to pass a drug test during his hard-hitting heyday in the ring and although he swears he never took performance-enhancing drugs he has been blunt about his history of toking weed and snorting cocaine 

* Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond reveals she has a foster son named Jamar -- Ree who has four children explains she couldn’t talk about Jamar until he turned 18 and state agency restrictions no longer applied 

Page 9: Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek went to his grave harboring a bitter grudge against talk star and game show rival Regis Philbin -- Alex and Regis began their feud in 2000 when Alex slammed Regis’ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as a game show for dummies and Regis was deeply hurt by the dig and shot back that face to face if Alex says anything about Millionaire he’d just look him in the eye and say is that your final answer, Alex? 

Page 10: Inside the modern Mafia -- blogs and blunders and killer cops

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Adam Brody shows off his bod in Malibu (picture), Lamar Odom was seemingly back on a marriage track to wed fitness instructor Sabrina Parr next year but Lamar’s engagement was abruptly called off amid ominous sparks of ongoing trouble for the athlete and Sabrina sad she’s no longer able to be by Lamar’s side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs, Mina Starsiak of Good Bones wants a postpartum tummy tuck pronto, things got bristlier than an old broom for Anne Hathaway groveling her way out of massive fan backlash for her appearance on The Witches remake for the insensitive way she portrayed a three-fingered witch with split hands, behind the scenes at The Tonight Show where Jimmy Fallon recently extended his lucrative contract to host the struggling late-night talk show past 2021 but his head writer Rebecca Drysdale lasted six months of butting heads with Jimmy and his cronies before getting dumped 

Page 13: Katie Holmes and boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. (picture), Sean Stewart in a leg cast in Beverly Hills (picture), Busy Philipps puts on lip gloss on the NYC set of Girls5Eva (picture)

Page 14: Dave Grohl got scared stiff recording an upcoming album in an eerie L.A. home reportedly rocking with paranormal activity and when he got nosy about the place’s past he apparently got answers from the landlord along with an NDA form meant to keep him from spilling secrets, RHOBH star Kyle Richards’ half-sister Kathy Hilton is joining the show; socialite Kathy cold-shouldered Kyle and her husband Mauricio Umansky when he left her husband Rick Hilton’s real estate company to launch a rival biz 

* Fashion Verdict -- Jana Kramer 7/10, Michelle Dockery 4/10, Gretta Monahan 3/10, Charlize Theron 2/10

Page 16: Ailing pop star Phil Collins is being so publicly humiliated by his two-timing ex-wife Orianne Cevey who dashed his dreams of a permanent reunion by secretly marrying another guy pals now fear for his life -- Phil is currently battling Orianne in court over his $38.6 million waterside Miami mansion which she and new husband Thomas Bates have now agreed to vacate but Orianne is demanding half of the home insisting Phil promised her a 50 percent share when they moved into it in 2016 -- Orianne also claims that Phil became a hopeless addict in 2017 hooked on booze and pain pills and after two years of drug hell he was incapable of having sex and he stopped showering and brushing his teeth and had become a hermit 

Page 17: Troubled Jonathan Rhys Meyers crashed his car in Malibu and failed a field sobriety test and was slapped with a misdemeanor DUI 

* Teresa Giudice has found new love with business man Louie Ruelas just two months after divorcing deported jailbird Joe Giudice -- the Real Housewives of New Jersey star who has four girls with Joe hooked up with the dad of two and digital marketing whiz and both are very happy 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About David Giuntoli 

* Sophia Loren says early in her career she told a director to buzz off when he suggested she surgically alter her nose -- she recalls telling the meddling moviemakers her nose is going to stay there forever and it has a lot of personality 

* Parkinson’s patient Michael J. Fox admits he may be forced to say goodbye to Hollywood because his short-term memory is shot and acting is getting tougher to do 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 21: Desperate to salvage his tarnished reputation and career Johnny Depp is hoping to hook up with another Hollywood outcast in former co-star Angelina Jolie -- Johnny and Angie first flirted while filming The Tourist in 2010 but at the time Johnny was with Vanessa Paradis and Angie was with Brad Pitt -- Johnny recently reached out to Angie to jumpstart their friendship and he’s been sending her poems written with her in mind and suggestions for book to read and music to listen to and they’ve exchanged a series of emails and texts and talk on the phone quite a bit so Johnny has hope to win her heart and they’re making plans to meet in L.A. very soon but the ball is in Angie’s court and she’s open to having a little fun but don’t count on anything getting too serious 

* Johnny Depp’s career has taken another hit as he’s been axed from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise after a British court determined he beat ex-wife Amber Heard at least a dozen times

Page 24: Cover Story -- Princess Diana was lured to her death by a twisted dirty tricks campaign orchestrated by the palace -- acting at the direction of Queen Elizabeth’s hard-case husband Prince Philip British intelligence officers mounted a clever operation to drive Prince Charles’ emotionally fragile wife to the breaking point and they knew she was frantic and suicidal and vulnerable and played on her worst fears -- Diana’s own brother Charles Spencer has also broken a 25-year silence to expose a plot against the People’s Princess and he reveals forged documents and a whisper campaign hinting at treacherous betrayals fueled her paranoia and desperation and despair and pushed her into a decision that ultimately cost her life 

Page 26: Health Report

Page 30: Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis vowed to keep wailing ‘til the end but the 85-year-old stroke victim now spends his days listening to his old hits and staring out the window and his health has taken a tragic turn for the worse since he was clobbered by the stroke last year -- he’s hunched over and seems confused and he’s forgetful and can’t remember some of the lyrics to his oldest hits; he tries to play the piano and just can’t because his hands are so stiff and don’t move the way he wants them to 

* Mel B claims she’ll go bankrupt if a judge doesn’t lower the $500,000 she’s been ordered to pay her ex-husband and if the sum isn’t modified she will in all likelihood have to file for bankruptcy -- Mel and ex Stephen Belafonte divorced three years ago and have been slugging it out in court ever since

Page 44: Straight Talk -- lifestyle queen bees Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow are at each other’s throats but their furious feud is hard to understand because they’re not really in the same business -- Martha is the ultimate homemaker peddling recipes and furnishings and decorating tips while Gwyneth’s New Age-style Goop website is a sleazy sex shop with items normally found in tacky joints along West Hollywood’s sleazy Santa Monica Boulevard 

Page 45: Sinead O’Connor is taking a break to enter a one-year trauma and addiction treatment program after losing a loved one and she admits she’s been addicted to weed for 34 years but became briefly addicted to another drug following her loss

* Sean Connery’s wealthy widow Micheline Roquebrune could end up behind bars and fined a whopping $28 million if convicted of stiffing the Spanish taxman -- the tax-cheat case spans back to 1999 when Sean sold their Marbella mansion on the glitzy Costa del Sol; Connery’s lawyer and the mayor of Marbella and six other elected officials were jailed over a tax-cheat scam involving the property but in 2014 Sean was told he wouldn’t be prosecuted but now Spanish bigwigs say the case has not gone away and want to indict his widow for tax fraud

[calzona-ga]

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about the season-finale episode of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. While it wasn’t the planned ending, tonight’s Season 16 finale of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, written by Mark Driscoll and Tameson Duffy and directed by Deborah Pratt, was fitting. Indeed, this season was cut short due to the halting of production in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can’t be the longest-running medical drama on television without overcoming some challenges, and Grey’s already has proved its ability to pivot when the unexpected happens. The production shutdown was is the second major curveball for the show this season after original cast member Justin Chambers’ abrupt exit. No word on whether the four unproduced episodes from Season 16 will roll over to the next season. But this episode, titled “Put on a Happy Face,” had enough to tide us over until Season 17.

Let’s start on a positive highlight. After Richard (James Pickens Jr.) experienced hallucinations as well as a very intense and very public breakdown, fans feared that they might be losing another veteran Grey/Sloane surgeon. Determined not to accept his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) worked around the clock to pinpoint the problem, with DeLuca coming through with a game-changing discovery: His dementia was a result of cobalt poisoning from a hip replacement surgery.

Not a hard fix. Dr. Link (Chris Carmack) was brought in to remove the cobalt, and it appears that Webber is on the road to recovery with his health. However, his marriage to Catherine is not out of the danger zone. Turns out the hallucinations had nothing to do with his marital discord. “Did you stand by me while I was being fired? You buy my hospital to humiliate me, or is that my mind playing tricks, too,” Webber contends before sternly kicking Catherine out of the room.

Meanwhile, DeLuca, who has been exhibiting erratic behavior and angry outbursts all season, isn’t able to bask in his incredible catch. Instead, has a breakdown of his own — signaling that it might be time to address his bipolar disorder-like symptoms, which are similar to his father’s.

DeLuca and Grey have become quite the medical duo this season but still couldn’t figure out how to make their romantic relationship work. It’s unclear where that will land next season as a new contender entered midseason — and he goes by the name of Dr. Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood). The two seem to have a connection, though it appears to be on a friendly level at this point (Hayes was a present sent to Meredith by “her person” Cristina Yang). Could this be the next Grey’s love triangle?

Elsewhere, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) finally had her baby! And she opted not to have an epidural because she’s an addict, and the epidural has fentanyl in it. While baby daddy Link wasn’t able to be present during the birth (he was performing the surgery on Webber), she had fellow “pregnancy club” sister Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) by her side. The two share a tender moment when Bailey hops on the bed to support Amelia as she is giving birth, calling back to the time when late George O’Malley (T. R. Knight) did the same for Bailey during her labor back in Season 2.

Alas, not everyone got a happy ending. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) were set to walk down the aisle, but Teddy needed her one last go-round with Tom Koracick (Greg Germann). Unbeknownst to her, she somehow recorded it and sent it to Owen, who had to endure the embarrassment of hearing it while in the OR surrounded by his colleagues. The wedding eventually is postponed, with Owen giving the excuse that he was pulled into surgery last-minute. In typical Grey’s fashion, there is never a wedding without drama.

Deadline spoke with Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff, who unpacked the final episode, hinted at what’s to come next season and revealed what storylines she wished they were able to air this season. She also weighed in on the fan reactions to Alex Karev’s controversial exit.

DEADLINE: The Season 16 ender wasn’t what was expected, but like you said in your tweet, it was very satisfying, and a fitting Grey’s ending. How do you plan on carrying over the storyline to next season, or is there a plan to carry over the storyline from the last four episodes to next season? KRISTA VERNOFF: I have not formulated that plan yet. In about four weeks, I’m going to get in a room with the writers, and we’re going to talk about all of it. I know that a lot us are having brainstorms since we have so much time at home. A lot of us are texting each other, and going, “Oh, what if we did this? What if we do that?” So I have a feeling that their stories are going to change some, from what we had planned, and that we’ll repurpose some of what we had written and use it in the early episodes of Season 17.

DEADLINE: The production shut down was the second major curveball for the show, after Justin Chambers’ exit. What were your thoughts on the reaction to his exit?VERNOFF: Well, you know, I haven’t been commenting on this much, but I just did an Instagram Live where I said that, so, I’ll say it to you too. I believe that there would’ve been at least as big an outcry if we had killed that character off-camera, and those were our choices. It was kill the character off-camera, or come up with some believable way that he gets his happily ever after, and some of the fans have posited, ‘well he could have just been off-screen in Seattle like April Kepner, but then you’ve got an actress on the show who doesn’t get to do any of the fun, sexy, playful thrill that we’re known for, then you penalize the actors who are staying on the show by limiting what you could do creatively with them. So I was really proud of that episode. I think Elisabeth Finch did an extraordinary job with a nearly impossible task.

That episode made me cry. It made me laugh. I felt really deeply. I felt satisfaction, and I will say that I have received a great many comments from fans who felt the same way, but the angry people are always the loudest ones.

I wasn’t surprised by the fan reaction, but I know it would’ve been equally angry if I had killed him — so it was like, these are your choices, and I felt really happy with what we chose.

DEADLINE: The fact that you didn’t kill the character off also leaves the door open that we might see them in the future. So is there any chance of [Justin Chambers] or Katherine Heigl, ever coming back? VERNOFF: When I left the show in Season 7, people asked me if there was any chance of me ever coming back, and I was smart enough to say, “Never say never.” Here I am, so who knows?

DEADLINE: Jo was able to accept Alex’s decision in a short amount of time and come to terms with everything. Did that have anything to do with her character’s stint in the psychiatric hospital, at the beginning of the season? VERNOFF: Yes. Jo had had such a dramatic, emotional, painful arc, the second half of Season 15. None of the writers, frankly, none of us wanted to see her go back down into a hole. One of the things about the way the character was written off is that she had a lot of time to wonder, and to fear the worst, and I have found in life that when you have a lot of time to wonder and fear the worst, then when you get an answer, even if it’s terrible news, it feels better than not knowing. And it helps you move on, more quickly.

DEADLINE: I want to just touch on Richard’s illness. Is it safe to say that he’s out of the danger zone? Also, did his illness contribute to anything that had to do with his relationship with Catherine? And what can we expect from that couple in the future?We’ll start with the illness — is he in the safe zone now that they’ve caught it early and treated it? VERNOFF: Yes, and I thought that that was one of the most amazing things about this diagnosis was that the cobalt poisoning thing is real and it really can cause all of those symptoms. It can cause dementia-like symptoms. It can cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms —  tremors, hallucinations — and the amazing thing about it is that once you diagnose it, and you get the leaky hip out of your body, you can recover, totally. That felt, just as the storyteller, an amazing thing because it let us give Jim Pickens this really rich, rich material, without us having to permanently disable his character. I think that that was an amazing ride for the fans, because the outcry of we’re showing symptoms that don’t feel like they have cures.

There’s not really a cure for Parkinson’s. There’s not a cure for Alzheimer’s. So I know everyone was in a panic, and so, we got to tell this really satisfying story, and we got to let people know that sometimes, there’s another diagnosis for those symptoms, which we found fascinating, as a group of writers who write medicine, that it’s so rare to see something this satisfying.

DEADLINE: Did the symptoms from the cobalt poisoning have anything to do with his attitude toward Catherine? What’s in store for them? Can we still hold out hope for that couple? VERNOFF: I think you can always hold out hope for any couple on Grey’s Anatomy. You never know where it’s going, and I think that the way we designed this was that the fracture, the real fracture in Catherine and Richard’s relationship predated the cobalt poisoning.

So the way we imagined it was that, with the depression, everyone thought it was related to his divorce, and it was actually a symptom of cobalt poisoning. And then the tremors were a symptom of cobalt poisoning, and then the hallucinations, so that when he forgave her, he forgave her in a hallucination. And when he was well, he remembered the actual events from his life, for which he has not yet forgiven her. The reason that I hold out most for that couple is that Catherine rediscovered her deep and profound love for Richard when she almost lost him. I think that that may enable her to apologize in the way that Richard will need to hear.

DEADLINE: Speaking of forgiveness, in true Grey’s fashion, there’s never a wedding without any drama, as we saw with Teddy and Owen. We’ve seen their relationship woes throughout the series, and this season felt like they were going to finally get it together and find each other and have their happy ending. Why haven’t they quite found that happy ending, and can Owen forgive Teddy? VERNOFF: I think that those are questions that we will have to explore in Season 17. I will say that of all the storylines that were left hanging, that is the one that I was the most disappointed about. Actually, there were two: I’m disappointed that I cannot give Teddy — we had an episode coming up where we were able to better articulate and better understand what’s prompting Teddy’s behavior, and we don’t get to air it. Who knows, maybe it’s going to change between now and when we’ll actually shoot it for Season 17, but I feel for Kim Raver. The amount of standing is high, and we’ve left her in a strange place. It’s compelling, and why? Your question is big. Why? Why would she sabotage — why, when she was finally getting her happy ending, did she sabotage it? I think it’s the super-rich area personally.

And then the other story that I was really disappointed that we couldn’t complete — and I will tell you that I haven’t told this to anyone else, but we did a story where there as a victim of human trafficking, like two episodes ago, and DeLuca we got recognized it but he was in such a mentally compromised, manic state that nobody listened to him and the girl left. We had an episode where she comes back, and I am really sad that we can’t air that episode this season because it felt important to offer that kind of hope to people who are living that experience. I may still complete that story next season.

DEADLINE: I want to touch on DeLuca, who has gone through this really rocky journey with Meredith this season. Although they haven’t really been able to figure out their personal relationship, they’ve proven to be a great medical team. What can you tease about this couple? Last season, we talked about Meredith being ready for love. What can we tease about this couple in the future? Is somebody else going to throw a wrench in everything? Somebody by the name of Hayes? VERNOFF: There is hope for Meredith and DeLuca, and I think that there is hope for Meredith and Hayes. I will be fascinated to see how that storytelling emerges in season 17 because this story played in a way that I didn’t picture. You know, you write a thing, and then the actors play it, and then it gets all put together, and then you know what the story is. You don’t know how it’s going to play when you write it. It’s been amazing for me to watch this story this season. I feel like Giacomo has been so compelling, and DeLuca has risen so much, and simultaneously, Hayes has been really compelling and feels very much like Meredith’s equal. At this point, I’, not even sure which couple I’m rooting for, and that’s always an exciting thing.

DEADLINE: Yeah. We love our love triangles on Grey’s. VERNOFF: Yeah. Yeah.

DEADLINE: One couple might have found their happy ending, it seems, is Amelia and Link. The birth of the baby was such a nice ending to a season full of ups and downs. Was that one thing you were excited about? To see Amelia who had her complications with her first pregnancy, and this one turned out fine. VERNOFF: Yeah. I love that story and I am so grateful that … we got to air it this season. It would’ve been really a bummer if we hadn’t made it there, this season. So, that was just luck and I’m grateful that it was in that episode. I love that scene where Bailey gets in the bed with Amelia, and we call back to when George got in the bed with Bailey and it’s just so beautiful. It was pitched by Meg Mooney, who’s been with the show for 15 years. It made me cry when she pitched it, and it makes me cry every time I watch it. I, like everyone else, at this point really am loving Link and Amelia, and I was so happy. That ending for them felt so hard won this season.

DEADLINE: Is the next season being envisioned as the final season since it’s the second of the two-year pickup, or are you guys having conversations about potentially more seasons? VERNOFF: You know, what I always say to this question, is my answer again today, and that is: I will not start planning the end of Grey’s Anatomy until Shonda [Rhimes] and Ellen and ABC all sit down together, tell me that this really the end this time. The truth is those conversations might be being had if we weren’t dealing with a global pandemic, but everyone’s gone home, and I suspect we’ll start talking about that in a month, or two.

DEADLINE: Speaking of this global pandemic, obviously Grey’s is known for taking things that are happening in the world, and incorporating it into the series. Are there any plans to reflect on this current pandemic on the show for next season? VERNOFF: I haven’t had a minute yet to sit with the writers and talk about it. So, we’re all at home, and we’re on hiatus, but in about four weeks, we’ll gather, and we’ll talk about it. I have a hard time imagining that we don’t have to acknowledge this massive thing that we’ve all gone through, in our fictional world, too, but I have no idea how. I don’t know what it’s going to look like.

DEADLINE: Station 19 — we still have more episodes coming with that series. Are we going to see any of the Grey’s characters in the final couple of episodes? VERNOFF: Yes. Happily, yes, you are. The Grey’s characters are all over the last two episodes of Station 19. So, that is a really nice treat for the fans, too. Many of our Grey’s characters are in Episodes 15 or 16 on Station 19.

[chuffyfan87]

Growing Pains. Part 22e

"He can. I just hope this doesn't set him back too much." Duffy sighed.

“It will mama but...” Emily paused, “I think he’s got anxiety.”

"I think you might be right. I just wish they'd hurry up with his assessment meeting." Duffy sighed.

“Hmm.” Emily sighed. She was good at observing people and picking up little signs that others wouldn’t necessarily notice.

"Then we could set the wheels in motion and get him the help he needs."

“Yeah.” Emily paused, “Should we go back inside?”

"If you're ready..?"

Emily nodded, “I told dad what they called me and did to me.”

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

“They call me a retarded dyke with shit for brains.” Emily laughed, “They’re just jealous I get more pussy than they do.”

"Emily!" Duffy gasped, unsure whether to be horrified or amused by her daughter's words.

Emily giggled softly. “They don’t bother me mama. I’m happy with who I am, that’s all that’s matters.”

"It is. You've come a long way in these last few months. I'm so proud of you."

“Love you mama.”

"I love you too Emily."

They went back inside the department to the office.

Charlie and Kate had joined the twins in the office whilst Duffy and Emily had been outside.

“Come on girls, I’d better take you home.” Kate said as Emily and Duffy made an appearance.

"Where are the boys?" Duffy asked, meaning Oliver and Paul.

“They’ve gone to their friends house for tea.” Kate explained, “Samuel and Joshua Rowland?”

"Ah right, their mum is a friend." Duffy smiled, relieved.

Kate nodded, “How’s Louis?”

"He's gone up to theatre." Charlie explained. "It could be quite some time before we hear anything more."

Kate nodded, a silence descending over the room.

Once Kate had left with the girls Duffy let out a sigh.

“You ok, babe?” Charlie asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You told Emily to lie to me." Duffy whispered.

Charlie sighed, “I didn’t. I told her not to tell you what she’d told me because I know it would destroy you.”

"I told you - history always repeats itself." She sighed.

“Em told you then?”

"Yes. Eventually. She also gave me the names of the boys who assaulted her brother."

“I want to pull them out of school.”

"So do I. This can't continue. But where do we send them?"

“I don’t know.”

"Do we look at other schools to send them to instead?"

“Yeah.”

"How was Louis when you left him?"

“Asleep. Stable for now.”

"Hopefully the operation will be a success."

“Hopefully.” Charlie sighed.

"Things were going so well." She sighed.

“I got his report through the other day.” Charlie said.

"Oh?"

“He managed to claw back his grades from F’s and U’s to B’s and C’s.”

"That's amazing!" She beamed.

“It really is, isn’t it?” He replied with a grin.

"Except now thanks to a bunch of mindless thugs he could be brain damaged for life." She sighed.

“He’s a fighter.”

"He is."

He kissed her cheek. “We’ll be ok.”

"Those boys must be held accountable."

“I agree.”

"Emily's reaction amazed me. I wish I'd had half her strength at her age."

“We’ve brought her up to be fiercely independent and happy in her skin.”

"I'm glad."

“All our children are strong and independent.”

She nodded, snuggling closer into his embrace.

“They get that from their mum.” He whispered.

"Emily said she bumped into one of our colleagues who instantly recognised her coz she's the spit of me apparently." Duffy chuckled lightly.

“It was Fletch.” Charlie laughed, “He’s not wrong.”

Duffy blushed. "Emily told him to wait til he meets Tilly."

“Now Tilly and Lottie have your looks too but Tilly is a proper spit of you. She has your sarcasm for starters.”

"I resent that insinuation!" Duffy replied, pretending to be offended.

“But she does.” He chuckled.

"I swear I wasn't that tackless..."

“I don’t think you were.” He agreed.

"I know I didn't always think before I spoke..."

“A bit like Tilly?”

Duffy harumphed as she realised she'd walked herself straight into that one!

He laughed and kissed her ear. “The girls inherited your beautiful looks! They’re going to be heartbreakers when they’re older.”

"According to Lottie, Tilly already is!"

“A heartbreaker?”

"She has a string of boys following her around but she just likes to torment them to see how far they'll go to impress her!"

Charlie began to laugh and then went silent. “She’s too young for boys to be noticing her.”

"Ooh, daddy bear is cross!" Duffy teased.

“Maybe just a bit.” He pouted.

"This side of you is so funny!"

“Why?”

"You pride yourself on how independent and smart the girls are and then get all grumpy when they get attention."

“Because I know what goes through young boys' minds. And they’re gorgeous girls.”

"Who know exactly how to handle themselves."

“That’s right, they do.”

"I spoke to Peter and sent a text to Jake. I'm not sure what time it is over there but he didn't answer when I called."

“He’ll ring back as soon as he can.”

"Yeh. I hate disturbing his trip but he'd want to know." She sighed.

“Yeah he would.” Charlie smiled sadly.

"He and Louis seem to have a special bond."

“They’re very close.”

"Jake once told me that they both understand what it's like to be different."

“Because they’re only half of us?”

She nodded.

Charlie smiled sadly.

"I thought things would get easier as time went on."

“They did.”

"When we're not lurching from one disaster to the next."

“It keeps us occupied, I suppose.”

"Hmm..."

“It’s ok babe.”

They sat waiting for another couple of hours before there was finally news from theatre.

“The surgery was a success but I must warn you, it could be a while before Louis wakes up.” The surgeon explained.

Both breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should go sit with him Charlie." Duffy suggested. "I'll head home and let the kids know what's going on."

He nodded and kissed her gently, “I’ll ring as soon as he wakes up.”

"OK. I love you."

“I love you too.”

Duffy gathered her things and headed home whilst Charlie made his way up to intensive care.

Charlie kissed Louis’ forehead and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

Surrounded by so many wires and machines Louis looked like a little boy once more, not an almost grown man.

Charlie stroked his son’s hand. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

The steady beeps of the machine were the only response.

“I won’t ever doubt you again, son. I promise.”

A nurse quietly entered to check Louis' obs. "Can I get you anything sir?" She asked softly.

“No thank you.”

After she left Charlie sighed, feeling so helpless. He hated that feeling.

The hours ticked by as he sat there watching his son.

“I know I haven’t always been the best father or told you this often but I love you.”

He'd find a way to make things right.

[indieviolet]

white lies, chapter thirteen

Lottie had gone with Duffy to the hospital because she wasn’t trusted to be alone in the house. She’d gone to sleep in the staff room, curled up in a ball still wearing her red dress with a spare blanket from the linen cupboard. Duffy was terrified, but she had to stay strong for Lottie’s sake. She stayed outside of Resus, unable to bring herself to go any further.

He couldn’t die. Not when she hadn’t had chance to tell him how she truly felt. How giving birth to Lottie meant she would always be connected to the only man she ever loved. She closed her eyes as she began to silently cry, before wiping the tears when she heard the doors of Resus swing open.

“Duffy?”

Duffy and Elle’s paths had crossed once or twice, mostly when Duffy had taken a few agency shifts on maternity. She smiled sadly, “how is he?”

Elle looked back at Charlie through the window of resus and smiled sadly. They’d worked on him for twenty minutes after his heart stopped but they’d managed to get him back. For now, he was stable.

“He’s stable but not out of the woods just yet. He’ll be going for surgery within the hour.”

Duffy nodded, taking in the new information that Elle had shared with her. Wiping her cheeks again, she was about to ask if she could see him when Elle told her:

“You can see him if you like.”

She nodded again, “Thanks I…” she cleared her throat, “I won’t stay for long.”

She took a deep breath, wiped her cheeks again with the back of her hands and stepped into the resus room. Walking towards the bay Charlie was in, she smiled sadly.

“Hi.”

He smiled as he reached for her hand and she placed her hand into his. He squeezed it and she smiled sadly. He was about to speak when she shook her head and told him not to speak. For once, Charlie listened to her and squeezed her hand again. She entwined her fingers through his and lent forward, planting a small kiss against his cheek. Usually she would’ve been too concerned about other people seeing, other people gossiping but for the time being, she wasn’t thinking straight. Her best friend had almost died tonight.

“Lottie?” He asked quietly, and Duffy moved to catch his eye. She placed her hand against his cheek and began to run her thumb along his cheekbone, “she’s in the staff room, she’s asleep but she’s okay.” She continued to stroke his cheek, “now rest. I promise to still be here when you wake up.”

Lottie meanwhile woke up just as Elle entered the staff room and about ten minutes after Charlie had gone to theatre for his operation. She sat up and screamed slightly, which in turn caused Elle to jump and drop the mug.

“Sorry,” she apologised as she moved the blanket away and got off the sofa, “I didn’t mean to startle you.” She moved to help Elle pick up the broken pieces of mug.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m…” She paused, she didn’t need to lie to Elle, whatever she said would remain confidential, wouldn’t it? “I’m okay.” She straightened herself up and threw the glass away into the bin.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, she was ok. This was nothing more than a blip and it wasn’t going to destroy her. She was strong, more than strong. She was unbreakable! She bit her lip as she pulled a mug from the cupboard, “Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, white, one sugar please.”

As a sort of sorry for startling her and breaking her mug, Lottie made Elle the coffee and made herself one. She fiddled with the mug somewhat nervously.

“How is Charlie?” She asked after she took a mouthful of coffee.

“He went to theatre about ten minutes ago.”

Lottie nodded staring into her mug. She hadn’t realised things were so serious for Charlie. She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling very exposed and underdressed. Part of her wanted to go home, the other half didn’t want too in case something happened to Charlie whilst she was gone.

“Elle, can I ask for your advice on something please?”

“Of course.”

[kansascityhappenings]

KC Royals head to spring with new look, fresh outlook on another year of growth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The biggest changes to the Kansas City Royals since the end of last season happened far away from the field.

Now, the new-look organization wants to see some change on the field.

After the Royals were sold by to Kansas City businessman John Sherman, and Mike Matheny was hired to replace retired manager Ned Yost, the club heads to spring training with a fresh new feel.

Jorge Soler #12 of the Kansas City Royals single in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on September 27, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

And that’s a good thing given the Royals eclipsed 100 losses for the second consecutive year as they undergo a massive rebuilding project.

“We like our team. It’s a fun team and a good group,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “There’s a lot to be excited about. The new ownership, as we’ve talked about, is very encouraging and exciting. We can’t wait. I’m heading down to spring training two weeks earlier than I ever have before.”

The Royals went through significant growing pains last season, but part of that was because so many young position players were getting hard-fought experience.

Among them were third baseman-turned-outfielder Hunter Dozier, slick-fielding second baseman Nicky Lopez and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, one of the best talents to come through in years.

What was missing was the pitching, and it still won’t be there most of this season.

But with a full rotation worth of young arms in the pipeline, some of whom could arrive by September, there is optimism even in that department.

“I heard it early on that these guys are hungry. They want to be pushed,” Matheny said. “I think they’re very grateful for how well Ned protected this group. But I think they’re ready for another expectation. Be careful what you wish for. Let’s put it out there. Let’s go. Let’s chase excellence.”

Pitchers and catchers report to Arizona on Feb. 12.

NEW LOOK

The biggest changes came at the top, where David Glass — who died in January after a long illness — passed along the franchise to Sherman.

The businessman was a partial owner of the Cleveland Indians and now, along with a group of local investors, the lifelong baseball fan has the opportunity run a big league team.

Mike Matheny

Matheny was the other big change.

His managerial career spiraled downhill with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent time on self-betterment during a year working as an adviser to the Royals, and one of his first orders of business was to meet with every player on the team before the season.

“Our young group of core players are excited about him being our manager,” Royals outfielder Bubba Starling said. “We can’t wait to see what he has to offer to us and we can’t wait to play behind him.”

ROOKIES TO WATCH

There are a handful of position players worth monitoring in the minors, but the arms will capture most of the attention. The quartet of Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic are the future of the Royals rotation.

“They’re all they’re made up to be. We’re ready for them, ready to see what they can do,” Royals outfielder Whit Merrifield said. “I hope they’re preparing to come to spring and fight for a job.”

THEY’RE SET

Just about every position is set heading into spring training.

Alex Gordon will join Merrifield and Dozier in the outfield with Starling providing depth. Jorge Soler will be back as an outfielder and designated hitter.

Maikel Franco takes over at third base with Mondesi, Lopez and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn finishing off the infield.

Salvador Perez will be back behind the plate after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.

Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 18, 2017 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

THEY’RE NOT

Four spots in the starting rotation are likely set with Brad Keller and Danny Duffy joining Jakob Junis and Mike Montgomery, but the fifth spot is up for grabs.

The Royals also need some bullpen arms to lock down jobs after the entire relief corps — except closer Ian Kennedy — struggling last season.

ON DECK

What fans can look forward to in spring training? How about sunshine and warmth after a cold, snowy winter in Kansas City.

The Royals fully realize that this is likely going to be another year of growth, and that makes taking a lot of lumps. So fans are best off enjoying the weather, the scenery and the games rather than fretting too much over wins and losses.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2020/02/06/kc-royals-head-to-spring-with-new-look-fresh-outlook-on-another-year-of-growth/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/02/06/kc-royals-head-to-spring-with-new-look-fresh-outlook-on-another-year-of-growth/

[shanestrees]

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[twins2994]

2019 American League Central Preview

Chicago White Sox (62-100) in 2018. 

Additions: Ivan Nova RHP, Manny Banuelos LHP, Kelvin Herrera RHP, Alex Colome RHP, James McCann C, Yonder Alonso 1B, Jon Jay OF, Ervin Santana RHP.

Subtractions: Omar Narvaez C (SEA), Kevan Smith C (LAA), Matt Davidson 1B/3B (TEX), Avisail Garcia OF (TB), Ryan LaMarre OF (ATL), Miguel Gonzalez RHP (FA), James Shields RHP (FA), and Danny Farquhar (NYY)

The Chicago White Sox keep rebuilding, but they are going to be somewhat improved this year. The White Sox lineup should be a good one with some well-known names like Jose Abreu, Yonder Alonso, and Tim Anderson. The Sox are waiting for Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez to emerge on the scene. Daniel Palka had a great 2018 and the Sox are hoping for it to continue. He has always had power and it shows up big time in that ballpark. Chicago has a young rotation with Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito, and Carlos Rodon. Ivan Nova is a nice addition to provide a veteran presence. Michael Kopech is out for the season with Tommy John Surgery, which hurts the team moving forward. The bullpen is much improved with Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, Nate Jones, and Jace Fry, If they can stay healthy then the Sox should be a decent team all year.

Cleveland Indians (91-71) in 2018. 

Additions: Jon Edwards RHP, Kevin Plawecki C, Brad Miller IF, Carlos Santana 1B/DH, Jake Bauers 1B/OF, Jordan Luplow OF,  Chih-Wei Hu RHP, 

Subtractions: Michael Brantley OF (HOU), Erik Gonzalez IF (PIT), Cody Allen RHP (LAA), Andrew Miller LHP (STL), Rajai Davis OF (FA), Melky Cabrera OF (PIT), Edwin Encarnacion 1B/DH (SEA), Yan Gomes C (WSH).

The Cleveland Indians lost some talent from their three-time defending American League teams. They lost some big names like Michael Brantley, Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Edwin Encarnacion, and Yan Gomes. The Tribe didn’t do much to replace those guys. They added Carlos Santana to replace Edwin Encarnacion. The bullpen didn’t get much for reinforcements. Tyler Olsen, Dan Otero, Adam Cimber, and Neil Ramirez will all have more high leverage roles to set-up Brad Hand. I think the bullpen will be the key to the Indians season. Cleveland also has injuries to Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, and possibly Jose Ramirez to start the year. They need a decent start to stave off the Twins in the division. 

Detroit Tigers (64-98) in 2018.

Additions: Matt Moore LHP, Tyson Ross RHP, Josh Harrison 2B, Gordon Beckham IF, Jordy Mercer SS, Dustin Peterson OF.

Subtractions: Jim Aducci 1B/OF (CHC), Jose Iglesias SS (CIN), Victor Martinez DH (Retired), Alex Wilson RHP (MIL), Francisco Liriano LHP (PIT).

Ron Gardenhire got the Tigers off to a decent start last year before injuries and sub-par play plagued the rest of the season. The Tigers lost 98 games and are still rebuilding in 2018. Detroit made some changes this offseason. They non-tendered Jose Iglesias and signed Jordy Mercer to replace him. Josh Harrison will take over second base for the Tigers as well. Victor Martinez retired after a great career, so the team still doesn’t have a normal designated hitter. Niko Goodrum emerged as a star player for the Tigers. He hit 16 homers last year and will play around the whole field this year again. Michael Fulmer appears to be out for the year with Tommy John surgery. Mathew Boyd will need to fill his shoes. Tyson Ross and Matt Moore were added as reclamation projects. The Tigers should win a few more games, but that’s because Ron Gardenhire knows how to motivate his young players. It’ll be another long summer in Detroit. 

Kansas City Royals (58-104) in 2018.

Additions: Martin Maldonado C, Lucas Duda 1B, Chris Owings IF, Billy Hamilton OF, Jake Diekman LHP, Brad Boxberger RHP, 

Subtractions: Alcides Escobar SS (CWS), Paulo Orlando OF (LAD), Rosell Herrera OF (MIA), Blaine Boyer RHP (FA), Brandon Maurer RHP (PIT)

The Kansas City Royals are in the middle of a massive rebuild after two World Series runs this decade. Alcides Escobar is gone and only a few players remain from those great Royals team. Salvador Perez needed Tommy John surgery and is out for the entire season. That made the Royals sign Martin Maldonado to replace him. Lucas Duda was signed after the Twins released him in spring training to provide some pop in this lineup. Alex Gordon is still on the team and Billy Hamilton is an interesting addition. You think of all the old speedsters for the Royals in the 80′s and now they have Billy Hamilton. Vince Coleman, Willie Wilson, and Lonnie Smith. Billy Hamilton should provide some entertainment for Royals fans. Kansas City doesn’t have much pitching this year. Scott Barlow is a solid emerging pitcher to go along with Danny Duffy, Brad Keller, and Jake Junis in the starting rotation. Brad Boxberger and Jake Diekman help solidify a bullpen with Wily Peralta and Kevin McCarthy. The Royals are in for another tough year in Kansas City. 

Minnesota Twins (78-84) in 2018. 

Additions: Blake Parker RHP, Martin Perez LHP, Ryne Harper RHP, CJ Cron 1B, Marwin Gonzalez IF, Nelson Cruz DH, Ronald Torreyes IF, 

Subtractions: Joe Mauer 1B (Retired), Chris Gimenez (Retired), Logan Forsythe 2B (TEX), Logan Morrison 1B (FA), Johnny Field OF (CHC), Matt Belisle RHP (FA), Alan Busenitz RHP (Japan), Oliver Drake RHP (TB), Ervin Santana RHP (CWS), Gregorio Petit IF (FA).

The Minnesota Twins are poised again to make a run at the Cleveland Indians in a putrid American League Central in 2019. They added big names like Nelson Cruz, CJ Cron, and Marwin Gonzalez to bolster their offense, who lost Joe Mauer and a few others in trade deadline deals in 2018. The offense should have no problem as Byron Buxton looks to get to superstar form after a terrible 2018 season. The lineup is not the question mark, but the pitching staff has some uncertainty heading into 2019. Can Jose Berrios continue to grow as the Twins ace? Can Kyle Gibson bounce back from an E-Coli illness this offseason? Michael Pineda and Martin Perez both looked sharp this spring and might be great additions to the rotation. The bullpen has a ton of good arms, but nothing too great. Blake Parker, Taylor Rogers, Trevor Hildenberger, Trevor May, and Addison Reed should form a well-rounded bullpen. Ryne Harper looked great as a potential long man. If the Twins contend then pitching will be better than we think. 

-Chris Kreibich-

[tabloidtoc]

Star, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Kelly Clarkson getting married again 

Page 1: As Britons marked Remembrance Day Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived at Los Angeles National Cemetery to pay their respects and lay flowers from the garden at their new $14.6 million spread in Montecito but the controversial couple almost immediately came under fire for yet another misstep -- their biggest gaffe was hiring celebrity fashion photographer Lee Morgan to snap their supposedly private visit -- the visit comes on the heels of a report that Harry requested and was refused that a wreath in his name be laid at London’s Cenotaph during a royal ceremony that day so while the visit to the cemetery in L.A. was meant to show respect it was also Harry’s way of telling his family that if they’re going to be petty and exclude him then he’ll do it his way 

Page 2: Contents, Miranda Lambert 

Page 4: Larsa Pippen spills the tea -- Larsa says Kanye West kept her from BFF Kim Kardashian 

Page 5: Julianne Hough came out as sexually fluid while married to Brooks Laich and now that the two have split Julianne is exploring lady love

* Speculation has been ongoing about who will take over hosting Jeopardy! after Alex Trebek passed away and one frontrunner is former champ Ken Jennings and other names in the mix include hockey announcer Alex Faust and Laura Coates of CNN

Page 6: The Bachelorette OG Trista Sutter recently revealed that producers of her televised 2003 wedding to Ryan Sutter planned to up the drama for better ratings -- admitting that a pal discovered a crew member’s notebook during the three-day festivities and showrunners had compiled dossiers on her guests in hopes of pitting them against each other

* Bodyguard Mark “Billy” Billingham has opened up about his 18 months protecting one of the most famous broods in Hollywood much to Angelina Jolie’s dismay -- he was hired by Angie and then-husband Brad Pitt to keep an eye on their six kids Maddox and Pax and Zahara and Shiloh and Knox and Vivienne and their biggest concern was the kidnapping of the kids and for Angie that fear bordered on obsession so her home is like a fortress -- she wants her kids to have a normal life but she’s also aware of the dangers out there 

* Star Spots the Stars -- Martha Stewart, Clare Crawley, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Alba, Bella Hadid, Viola Davis, Debbie Matenopoulos

Page 7: Jason Momoa shocked fans with his recent revelation that his breakout role in Game of Thrones gave him plenty of fame but no fortune -- after his character Khal Drogo was killed of in 2011 before the first season even aired he said he couldn’t get work and it’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt; we were starving -- now of course Jason who shares two kids with wife Lisa Bonet has more than made up for those lean times but he’s not one to throw cash around

* After a single day of work Johnny Depp was axed from the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts films and he got to keep his eight-figure salary -- he was let go following a nasty defamation trial against a U.K. tabloid that called him a wife-beater -- now Mads Mikkelsen is going to be Johnny’s replacement as Grindelwald -- for his part Johnny will take the money and run and he’s panicked that this will lead to a permanent blacklist and his name is now mud in movie circles 

Page 8: Star Shots -- overjoyed by Joe Biden’s victory Chrissy Teigen and John Legend took to the streets of West Hollywood to celebrate, Duchess Camilla paid her respects to veterans during the 92nd Field of Remembrance event at Westminster Abbey which is a duty formerly fulfilled by her stepson Prince Harry

Page 9: Steve Martin cruising through Central Park on a CitiBike wearing gloves and a protective face mask, Miya Cech and Ben Daon and Keith L. Williams and Kayden Grace Swan flanked creator Daniel Knauf at the premiere of The Astronauts 

Page 10: Renee Elise Goldsberry and Sara Bareilles and Paula Pell and Busy Philipps shared a laugh shooting Girls5Eva, Offset caught up with some young fans while handing out free food from the Slutty Vegan Food Truck on Election Day in Atlanta, Caitlyn Jenner fueling up for a car-camping expedition with daughter Kendall

Page 11: Queen Latifah showed off a fresh new ‘do on the set of The Equalizer reboot in NYC, weeks after undergoing heart surgery Arnold Schwarzenegger was already behind the wheel again in L.A. 

Page 12: Bachelor alum Hannah Ann Sluss running errands in L.A., Joey Fatone nearly stole the spotlight from actress Kate Katzman on the red carpet at the screening of her new film The Comeback Trail, Francesca Farago carried a pup while posing for photos for her swimsuit line 

Page 14: MTV EMAs -- Alicia Keys, David Guetta, DJ Khaled, Zara Larsson 

Page 16: Zooey Deutch having lunch with a friend in L.A., Tracy Morgan returned to his old stomping grounds to cut the ribbon at the $30 million Marcy Houses Community Center in Brooklyn, Olivia Culpo rushed to a meeting after a coffee run in L.A. 

Page 18: Normal or Not? Ariel Winter carrying an enormous roll of bubble wrap -- not normal, Joel Michaely jumped for joy at the screening of his new film The Comeback Trail in Ft. Lauderdale -- not normal, Wanda De Jesus and Jimmy Smits enjoyed a stroll around Brentwood -- normal 

Page 19: Gretta Monahan before filming a segment on The View -- normal, Bridget Moynahan and Steve Schirippa made a grisly discovery on the set of Blue Bloods -- not normal 

Page 20: Fashion -- stars stun in silver -- Angelina Jolie, Thandie Newton

Page 21: Becky G, Elsa Hosk 

Page 24: Phil Collins and Orianne Bates are slinging mud as their split gets even nastier

Page 25: Dallas alum Patrick Duffy and Happy Days actress Linda Purl are dating

* Ben Affleck plans to spend Christmas away from his three kids in Cuba with girlfriend Ana de Armas who hasn’t seen her family in months and is desperately homesick and Ben will do anything to make her happy -- the couple then plan to celebrate the new year touring South America -- Ben’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner is not happy about his plans because she’s at full capacity after tending their kids solo while Ben was filming The Last Duel in Ireland but Ben has made up his mind 

Page 26: Cover Story -- Kelly Clarkson’s rush to the altar -- the star is healing from heartache with a hot new romance but as she tells pals she’s ready to wed again some are worried she’s moving way too fast -- pals are wondering if her mystery man could be country singer Brett Eldredge but Kelly is keeping her new guy’s identity under wraps for now

Page 29: Inside Kelly Clarkson’s ugly lawsuit -- the star is fighting in court with her former father-in-law Narvel Blackstock 

Page 38: Entertainment 

Page 48: Parting Shot -- pregnant Hilary Duff on the set of Younger in New York City 

[chuffyfan87]

An Offer I Can't Refuse. Part 7a

Cowritten with @fairheads.

-x-

Charlie woke the next morning in a lot of pain, he was now awake from his sedation and the reality of what had happened was sinking in. He wondered if he had dreamt the visit from Duffy and Megan, he felt very alone.

Duffy had intended to be back to see him first thing but her mum had chosen that day to be awkward so she'd been left trying to find someone to watch Peter. She'd finally resorted to leaving him in the department with Megan. Not the ideal solution but it was the only option.

Charlie had been resigned himself to the fact that no one would be visiting.

Peter seemed to know that his mum was struggling so was especially clingy. She finally managed to settle him to sleep in his buggy in the office so she could head upstairs.

Arriving in Charlie's room she was surprised to see him propped up slightly, though he appeared to be asleep.

Charlie sensed someone come into the room but assumed it was a nurse checking his obs so didn't bother to open his eyes, simply going back to sleep instead.

Not wanting to disturb him she quietly moved over to the chair beside the bed and sat down. She ran her hand through her hair, it had already been quite a day and it was only 11.45am!

When Charlie came to, Duffy was resting her head on his bed. He moved his fingers through her red hair.

Duffy jumped at the contact. She hadn't meant to fall asleep!

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Charlie whispered, his voice sore from being tubed.

"You're awake?" She gasped.

“Hi,” He whispered, trying to reach for her, but grimacing in pain and twisting the wire of his cannula.

"Hey, take it steady! You had major surgery yesterday!" She scolded him gently.

“Hold my hand,” He said weakly.

She took hold of his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "Do you remember what happened?"

“I was trying to help Megan, I didn’t mean for this, I’m sorry.”

"Even you can't outrun a speeding bullet Charlie."

Charlie looked down, feeling a little embarrassed. He’d only been trying to help his friend but he knew it must have frightened her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you last night."

“Peter?” He guessed.

Duffy nodded. "He's downstairs. Mum's in a mood with me again. Told me that I've made my bed so I can damn well lie in it now." She sighed.

“You okay?” He rubbed his thumb over her hand.

"I'm fine. I don't really have the choice to be anything else."

“Hey, Duffy...” He could tell she was putting a front on.

"I'll cope. I'll have to." She shrugged.

“I’m here for you,” He whispered.

"You need to look after yourself first."

“Let me look after you too, please.”

"I'm not the one who's just been shot..."

“You know what I thought just after it happened?”

"Boy aren't I stupid for getting shot?" She smirked darkly.

Charlie frowned at her. “No, I thought of you and our baby... And I thought that maybe I wouldn’t get to see either of you again. It frightened me.”

"You frightened me too." She admitted.

“Because Duffy, life without you in it, would be no life at all.” He whispered and tried again to reach over to her.

She moved slightly closer. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that!"

“I just want to be close to you. When are you going to let me in Duf? I’m trying my best here!”

"So am I!" Duffy huffed.

Charlie sat in silence, watching her intently.

"Do you realise how unnerving it is when you stare like that?" She asked softly.

“Sorry” Charlie closed his eyes, exhaling softly. He was too tired for this.

Duffy sighed. This wasn't how she'd intended for this visit to go.

“You should go, be with Peter.”

"You're throwing me out?"

“Never Duffy, but I don’t think you want to be here at the moment.”

"Mind reader now are you?" She sulked.

“What’s up?” He asked kindly, changing tacts.

"I came here today to apologise but you are just infuriating." She grumbled, folding her arms across the top of her bump.

“Must be the drugs,” He joked, trying to lighten the mood. “What were you going to say before I was infuriating?”

"You've always been infuriating!" She teased.

“I have?” He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" She giggled.

“You could say I drive you wild!” He winked.

"Keep telling yourself that..!"

“I will,” He grinned. “What were you going to apologise for anyway?”

"Trust you not to miss that bit..!"

“Duffy...”

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that I've been so difficult recently."

“Difficult?”

"Pushing you away, not letting you help."

“Come here you...”

She shuffled as close as she could but the railing of his bed and her swollen belly made things a bit tricky.

“Argh this damn rail...” He tried to shuffle closer but grimaced.

"Its so you don't fall off..." Duffy pushed herself up to standing.

“At least if I fall out then I can reach you... You know you can push me away Duffy and shut me out as much as you like, but I’m not going anywhere. Even when I’m stuck in this bloody bed.”

"I'm not picking you up off the floor again." She shot back, not realising that she'd incriminated herself.

“You picked me up??” Hoping he’d heard her wrong.

"Not by myself..!" She stammered.

“You shouldn’t be lifting... And certainly not such a heavy lump as me!”

"Its ok, I was lifting your head." She smirked.

Charlie frowned at her.

Duffy sighed fidgeting slightly.

“Talk to me,” He placed his hand on hers.

"What do you want from me? From us?"

Charlie blew out a breath. “I think you know Duffy... I want to be with you, I want to support you, care for you, Peter and bump, I want you to trust me, I want to make you happy...” His voice trailed off.

She looked down at their hands. "I swore to myself that I wouldn't let myself fall in love again..." She whispered.

“Do you feel it though? Do you feel what I feel?”

"I don't want to get hurt again." Her eyes filled with tears.

“I know, I know it’s scary, but I’m not the same as the others, this doesn’t feel the same, it’s different, it’s special. I promise I won’t hurt you. Do you believe me?” He just about managed to reach her hip.

"I want to..."

“What’s stopping you?”

"Fear." She sighed.

“Don’t be scared, it’s me. Why don’t we take things slow?”

"Take things slow?" She echoed, her eyebrow raised as she rubbed her bump.

“Try to make a go of this properly, at your pace?” He moved his hand to her bump.

She chuckled as he was immediately rewarded by a kick.

“What do you say kid?” He looked up at Duffy.

"Which of us are you talking to?"

“Both of you, but mainly you...”

"When I told you about the sweepstake yesterday I didn't tell you the whole story..."

“Oh yeah...?”

"They're all trying to work out who the father of my baby is. You'll be pleased to know that you're ranking pretty high..."

Charlie grinned, “Good to hear it! I haven’t slept with anyone else in time we’ve been...” His voice tailed off.

She nodded. "Megan told me."

“I only want you Duffy. I’ll do anything to prove it to you...”

"Was this always your plan?"

“What? Getting shot? No, I don’t think I’d have chosen that!” He laughed.

"No." She rolled her eyes. "I meant was it always your plan to try and convince me to be your girlfriend?"

“It just happened, these feelings, I wouldn’t manipulate you...”

She smiled softly as she moved her hand to cover his.

“Think we can give it a go?”

"I can try..."

“That’s all I’m asking... Duffy? Give us a kiss?” He winked.

"You are incorrigible Charlie Fairhead!" She giggled.

“It’s only because I can’t move right now and I want to be close to you...” And he really meant it. She leant down and he kissed her tenderly, conveying everything he felt.

The romance of the moment was shattered by the sound of familar cries echoing down the corridor. A young nurse appeared at the door. "Nurse Roach is here with your baby. He's, um, very unsettled."

"I'm sorry..." Duffy told Charlie.

“It’s okay,” He smiled reassuringly.

When Duffy returned to the room several minutes later Peter was in her arms, his head laid on her shoulder and his thumb in his mouth. "He's not supposed to be in here but I pulled in a couple of favours." She smiled softly.

“It's good to see him! Hey little man, were you being noisy?”

Peter lifted his head slightly to look at Charlie before snuggling closer into Duffy. "Mama!" He asserted.

Charlie grinned, he loved seeing Duffy with Peter, she was a great mum.

"He's going through a bit of a possessive phase, I think he's realising things are going to change soon."

“He’s still going to be a very important little boy!”

"I'm not sure he'd completely sold on the idea of being a big brother." She chuckled.

Charlie laughed, “He’ll get used to it, he’ll make an excellent big brother.”

"I'm hoping that he'll quickly not be able to recall a time when it was just him."

“You will, won’t you clever boy?” Charlie smiled at the tot.

Duffy moved to try and sit down, Peter was now a year old and getting heavy to hold for long periods of time, especially when coupled with her advancing pregnancy. He quickly started to complain again at the awkward position his mother had to hold him in.

“Argh I wish I could take him for you, when can I get out of here?”

"It'll be a while yet." Duffy replied, attempting to move Peter to the other side. "Its not nice to kick Peter!" She gasped, rubbing her stomach.

Charlie looked concerned, “Are you okay? Do you want to put him on the bed with me?”

"I'm fine. No, he moves too quickly, we'd risk him toppling off the bed."

“I understand if you need to go, he probably needs to let off some steam and you, you probably need a rest, thanks to me...”

"He'll hopefully settle down in a few minutes. He gets into these moods and then he and the baby just kick the crap out of each other."

[madpicks]

New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/ranking-15-opening-day-matchups-around-baseball/

Ranking the 15 Opening Day matchups around baseball

Opening Day is when the aces come out from their ace caves. Which starting-pitcher matchup is the best?

The mythos of the Opening Day starter appeals to me. Oh, how it appeals to me. It’s everything there is to love about baseball: Arbitrary designations, arguments about those designations, talented baseball men, that Opening Day smell, and a chance to laugh at the less fortunate teams around baseball. When teams announce their Opening Day starters, I am so in.

With that in mind, it’s time to rank all of these Opening Day matchups. While baseball doesn’t have a true, pure opening day anymore, with some teams cordoned off for a special Sunday schedule, we still get 15 of these hand-picked duels, with every team in baseball saying, “This is the best we have, unless we’re dealing with injuries. Or maybe a general organizational malaise that will spread across generations.”

These are the 15 Opening Day starting-pitcher matchups, ranked:

15. Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Graveman (Angels at A’s)

This will mark Nolasco’s 28th year in Major League Baseball, yet this is his first Opening Day start. And, no, I’m not looking that up. Feels true, though.

Nolasco was excellent for the Angels for 11 starts after they acquired him, though his overall season was kind of a drag (4.42 ERA, 93 ERA+). He has the third-highest ERA of any starter with 50 starts or more since 2014, and the two pitchers with worse ERAs are a non-roster invitee (Kyle Kendrick) and someone who’s out of baseball (Tim Lincecum).

Graveman is a perfectly competent starter who’s in this spot because of injury (Sonny Gray) and because the A’s understandably don’t want to shove a second-year player like Sean Manaea in the Opening Day slot.

14. Jeremy Hellickson vs. Scott Feldman (Phillies at Reds)

I used to play baseball with a guy who played with a guy who became the Opening Day starter for the Reds. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to update my Twitter bio, because that sounds really important.

This isn’t No. 15 because Hellickson was kinda sorta okay last year — roughly what Nolasco did with the Angels, but more consistently spread out over the entire year. This still doesn’t have an Opening Day feel to it. And if this matchup happened on May 28, you know there would still be about 12 or 13 more interesting matchups.

13. Jon Gray vs. Junior Guerra (Rockies at Brewers)

Junior Guerra is one of baseball’s best stories. Dude pitched in Spain. Spain. Like, not even Italy or in a honkbal league. SPAIN.

Guerra made a name in Europe during the 2010 season, when he dominated the Spanish Division de Honor, pitching for CBS Sant Boi. He had an 11-1 record with an ERA of 0.89 in 17 games. He struck out 122 in 91 innings, while allowing just 47 hits.

Here come Sant Boi. This is a very good baseball story. That doesn’t mean I want to watch him pitch more than Stephen Strasburg, but don’t make fun.

Jon Gray is a big, strong, pitchery pitcher. That’s a compliment. He got his hair at the Noah Syndergaard Outlet Store, and he’s a solid breakout pick for 2017. This is a better matchup than you think.

12. Edinson Volquez vs. Stephen Strasburg (Marlins at Nationals)

Strasburg isn’t just fun to watch: He’s fun to speculate about and read too much into when he struggles. There might not be an ace-type in baseball that’s better for concern-trolling, which means you’re guaranteed a good time out, regardless of what he does. Also, he’s excellent at pitching and stuff, which counts for a lot. Even though this should be Max Scherzer’s spot, it’s not like we’re suffering too much, here.

Volquez is a known quantity, and even though his 2016 was lousy, he’s still probably fine. Good enough, at least, that he won’t drag Strasburg down too much in this ranking.

11. Marco Estrada vs. Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays at Orioles)

Another surprisingly compelling matchup, but mostly for baseball nerds. Gausman didn’t get enough credit for putting up a 3.61 ERA in Camden Yards in a homer-happy season (his 123 ERA+ tells a more complete story), he’s really here because Chris Tillman is out. That’s okay, though. I like watching Gausman just as much.

Estrada has never cracked 200 innings in a season, but he has had the lowest hits-allowed rate in the American League for two straight years. A strong infield defense helps with that, sure, but he’s still a quality pitcher, and he has been for years. Not bad for a guy the Nationals once waived to make room for Tyler Walker.

10. Danny Duffy vs. Ervin Santana (Royals at Twins)

I spent a lot of time making fun of the Ervin Santana signing. He has been a very consistent starter for many years, and I would like to apologize to him, the Twins organization, and my family because he’s kind of good.

Danny Duffy is better, of course, one of last year’s breakout stars. On a watchability scale, he’s in the second tier of baseball’s best, pushing his way into the top tier. Look at this guy:

9. Jhoulys Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw (Padres at Dodgers)

Of course, this is the most watchable pitcher in baseball — one of the greatest pure talents in baseball history — so it’s hard to rank him anywhere near the bottom. On the other hand, he’s facing Jhoulys Chacin, who is the reason I had to put (Team at Team) next to all the matchups. That’ll ding them in the ranking.

Chacin was really, really good in both 2011 and 2013, so it’s not quite fair to consider him a random journeyman. On the other hand, he wasn’t very effective with the Angels last year, to the point where the Angels were like, nah, we can do better.

That guy is an Opening Day starter. It takes more than Clayton Danged Kershaw to make up for that.

(Padres win, 8-2.)

8. Masahiro Tanaka vs. Chris Archer (Yankees at Rays, Sunday)

And now we have reached the tipping point, where all of the matchups become Unambiguously Good Pitching Matchups. Archer struggled with the home run ball and almost lost 20 games somehow, but you all know he’s still great.

Tanaka finished seventh in the Cy Young voting, making 31 starts and staying healthy all year. Not bad for a guy who was contemplating Tommy John surgery a couple years ago and had surgery to remove bone spurs before the start of last season.

This is the kind of matchup that could be No. 1 next year. Of course, both of them might be on the Dodgers, but that’s a minor concern.

7. Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel (Mariners at Astros)

Cy Young vs. Cy Young. Just, uh, ignore the 2016 season, which wasn’t too hot for either of them.

This is a great matchup, though, because both of their teams are desperately counting on them to be excellent again, so everyone will read way too much into their first outings. It’s almost like a Groundhog Day of first games, where if they see their shadows and pitch seven strong innings, both teams will have five months of summer. If they combine to give up 12 earned runs, the panic will be thick enough to spread on a slice of French bread.

There is nothing better than smooth, creamy panic on a slice of French bread. But these guys are probably going to have strong seasons, so you’ll have to look elsewhere.

6. Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello (Pirates at Red Sox)

My biases come into play here because I automatically thought, “Alright, Gerrit Cole!” That was followed by “Huh. Rick Porcello.” This is because I watch more National League games, I’m sure, but it’s also because I missed the entire Porcello story last year. Dude won the Cy Young. That seems good.

There are instant demerits, though, for being the necessary interleague Opening Day matchup. This is not a classic rivalry. Or a rivalry at all. Also, there are demerits for me wanting to watch Chris Sale instead, which isn’t odd.

Still, Cole vs. Porcello is an excellent, compelling matchup, and it’s the kind that would make you turn on a Pirates/Red Sox game in July. If this is your Opening Day pick, you’ve chosen wisely.

5. Julio Teheran vs. Noah Syndergaard (Braves at Mets)

Syndergaard pitched once vs. the Braves last year. ONCE. Clayton Kershaw made just 21 starts last year, and he still pitched five times against the Giants. So the Braves deserve this. They deserve to see Syndergaard three times in April. Not that I’m bitter.

Teheran is a fine talent, and if you want to move this up the power rankings, go right ahead. This isn’t a seven- or eight-way tie at the top, but that doesn’t mean there are any wrong answers, here.

4. Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke (Giants at Diamondbacks, Sunday)

Last year, this would have been the best matchup, and it wouldn’t have been close. It was a rough year for Greinke, though, and it didn’t get better this spring:

Greinke’s game-by-game velocity including four appearances in Spring Training this year. Not great. pic.twitter.com/BYb1uWijhG

— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) March 25, 2017

I still believe. But a 33-year-old pitcher with diminished velocity and his worst FIP in a decade is a pitcher that should scare you. This matchup is near the top because of name recognition and star power, but your mileage may vary.

Bumgarner, for his part, had what might have been the only good spring training he’s ever had. This makes me worried that he’ll struggle mightily in April, but that’s because I’m a strange, cynical man. He sure looks ready.

3. Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez (Cubs at Cardinals, Sunday)

Carlos Martinez might be the most underrated starter in baseball. His nickname is Tsunami, and he should just go by it at all times, like Rock Raines on the 1989 Topps.

Guys, I’m Rock now. Thanks for understanding.

If Martinez does that with “Tsunami,” he’s talked about in the same breath as Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, like he should be. As is, it takes some gentle prodding and a reminder that he’s an extraordinary pitcher to justify a ranking like this.

Say, how did he get the nickname, “Tsunami?”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs on my road to the Big Leagues, but for the sake of this blog let’s just say there was a WAVE of adversity.

I don’t get it.

2. Justin Verlander vs. Jose Quintana (Tigers at White Sox)

Last year’s Cy Young should-be vs. a walking trade rumor. I love this matchup so. The contrast in styles is fun, too, with Verlander the classic, strong right-handed ace, and Quintana the left-handed control monster (though not exactly a soft-tosser). It would be a lot cooler of a matchup if the White Sox were any good, but at least they are when Quintana pitches.

There are fewer than 10 “Of course we’re starting this guy” matchups on this list. This is the most obvious one, really. The cliff after these two is steep, but at least we’ll get the best of the best on Opening Day.

1. Corey Kluber vs. Yu Darvish (Indians at Rangers)

Never forget:

That is still one of the greatest baseball GIFs ever made, and it works so well because Yu Darvish is a wonder. He’s one of the most delightful pitchers to watch, and of course he’s starting Opening Day. He deserves it.

Corey Kluber is made out of gears and sprockets, a steampunk version of a mechanical pitcher, and his silent consistency doesn’t take away from his exhilarating stuff. He just goes out there and pitches better than the other guy.

UNLESS THE OTHER GUY IS YU DARVISH. Maybe. I mean, that’s the point. We’ll see.

Those are the best Opening Day duels, from Nolasco/Graveman to Kluber/Darvish. The most important part is that baseball is back, and we get to watch it. Here, have some Cy Young winners and assorted aces. This’ll help make up for the dumb winter, which is dumb every year.

[clobbo]

The Waiting Game - fic

I found an old fic I found that I thought you might all enjoy. Charlie being emotional 😰

Duffy felt herself jolt awake, her eyes opening suddenly as if she’d been shaken or disturbed. “You alright, Duffy?” Josh asked looking up from his intense chess game with Dylan. She nodded, “Yes, yes, I think so.” Looking around the staff room she could see that the majority of the ED team were sleeping, arms around one another, comforted in their peaceful bliss after the days traumatic events. It was hard to imagine that just a few hours ago their worlds were being shaken and torn apart, because now, other than the sound of Noel snoring, the ED never seemed so peaceful and at rest. It was kind of eerie. Standing up, she walked over to where Dylan and Josh were playing. “I didn’t know you played chess, Josh…” Duffy said. Josh went to speak, but Dylan piped up. “He doesn’t, well at least not very well.” Josh smiled. “I think I’m getting a good thrashing,” he said. “But I’m hopeful Dr Keogh here might teach me a few tricks.” “There are no tricks in chess,” Dylan began, making his move. “It’s all strategy and forward planning…That’s check,” he said gesturing to the board. Duffy smiled, “Not that I want to put you off your game…but have you seen Charlie?” Josh, continuing to stare intently at the chess game in front of him replied, “I think he went outside for some air.” Duffy left them to it, making her way to the staff room door. When she’d fallen asleep Charlie had been making himself a drink, unable to sit down and wait like the rest of them he’d been pacing the kitchen area for some time. She’d tried to convince him to sit with her and rest, but he wouldn’t have any of it. Before she’d known it she’d found herself sliding down the sofa and her eyes beginning to get heavy. ‘Just 5 minutes’ she’d thought. * * * Charlie sat quietly on a bench close to the fire exit he’d managed to find. Getting out of the department to get himself some air had been harder than he thought, and he didn’t really want to sit and look at the wreckage left behind from today. Since the moment he found out Connie and Grace had been in an accident he’d slipped into 'efficient, dependable Charlie-mode’. He almost laughed at the thought, just like when the ED had a major incident and they had all these protocols, it was like something in him switched as well. His emotions and feelings were squashed but resilience and drive and determination to get him and his staff through whatever was thrown at them. Today had been different though. When the helicopter had gone down there was a moment where he didn’t know how he was going to make it through. This wasn’t a normal shift, heck, he wasn’t even supposed to be on shift! He’d felt so overwhelmed with trying to organise and sort out the carnage around him, to keep everyone safe and supported. He couldn’t deny the moment he’d seen Duffy his heart had soared. Like the extra boost he needed to get himself back on track and back in charge of things. Even if on the outside it looked like he had it all in control, on the inside he had been terrified. Sighing deeply he leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. All those lives gone, and the air ambulance crew gone. He was no stranger to death, but this time it felt different. It was too much, it was too unfair. Grace’s life still hung in the balance, as they all played the waiting game for news. There might even be some now, but he’d had to get out of that room. Everyone always looked to him to be the strength, to hold the team together, but as everyone had settled down and the adrenalin from the day had started to wear off he could feel himself getting restless. He needed to be doing something, he couldn’t just sit and wait. First of all, he’d cleaned up the leftover food, then he’d washed up and cleaned all the mugs in the cupboard. He’d dispensed the teabags and coffee from their original containers into the rarely-used 'tea’ and 'coffee’ pots. He’d then cleaned down all the work surfaces. By the time he’d finished most of the team were asleep and Josh had convinced Dylan that a game of chess was the order of the day. If he had stopped, even for a moment, he knew his mind would have wandered to Connie and Grace. And if that happened he couldn’t guarantee that he could be the leader and strength that everyone in the department needed him to be. What if the news from Grace’s surgery wasn’t good? What was he going to do then? How could he possibly support his team through that? How would he face Connie? The hint of tears and emotion began to prick his eyes. 'Come on, Charlie,’ he thought. 'Pull yourself together.’ * * * After walking for some time Duffy’s eyes fell on the sight of Charlie leaning forward on a bench. His figure hunched, she could see his sadness as if it was a spirit hovering above him. She rarely saw him like this. Yes, there had been moments in the past, but Charlie usually lashed out to himself. Rarely had she ever seen him like this. Perhaps he didn’t want her to see him like this. “Charlie?” she whispered into the nights air, so quiet she wasn’t sure she’d even made a sound. Charlie shifted, wiping his face and looking up towards her. He managed a small smile. Duffy sat next to him, placing her arm around his shoulders. She sighed, looking up at the clear dark sky above them. It was just as peaceful out here as it was inside. She leant in to him, resting her head on his shoulder and holding his hands which were clasped together. “Are you alright?” she whispered into the air. Charlie nodded, unsure if he could speak any words without his emotions spilling out as well. Sensing his difficulty, Duffy spoke quietly. “You were amazing today, Charlie. You were everything they all needed and they’re all in there now because you’ve created something really special in that ED. You’ve created a family that sticks together, supports one another and faces everything that’s thrown at them with courage and compassion.” Charlie nodded slowly, summoning the courage to speak. “I’m so afraid,” he said quickly, words tumbling from his lips. Duffy sat up, catching his glance and gave his hands a squeeze, willing him to go on. “If the worst happens…if Grace doesn’t make it… I don’t know how I’m going to handle that. I don’t know if I can be what they need me to be.” A single tear fell, and Charlie wiped it away quickly. Duffy squeezed his hands once more, before pulling him into a hug. Her eyes stung with tears as she felt Charlie bury himself into her shoulder, his body shuddering slightly as he allowed the emotion to catch up with him. “It’s alright,” she soothed. “It’s OK.” She felt Charlie nod, and wipe his face before sitting up straight and detaching himself from her. She swallowed her tears quickly. He needed her right now. “It’s OK,” he repeated to convince himself. “It’s OK.” “Look at me,” she said in a more stern voice that she intended, taking him by the shoulders. “Aside from everything and everyone else, you and me have always been a team, right?” Charlie nodded. “Yes.” “So, whatever happens now, whatever that news is, we’ll face it, together – OK?” “OK,” Charlie whispered. “They need you, in there Charlie. And I know you, if the worst happens you’ll want to be there for them and lead them through it – and I love you for that. But when it all feels like too much, or it’s got on top of you, you come straight to me, you understand? Or Josh. We’ve got you, we’re behind you all the way – no matter what.” Charlie smiled gratefully and hugged her. “Thank you,” he whispered. “You do what you do best, support and lead that team. And we’ll support you, we’ve got your back. Now,” she said standing up holding out her hand. “Are you coming back in there with me?” Charlie stood up taking her hand, “Yes, yes I am.” “Come on then,” she said leading him back towards the ED.

[namelesspops]

92 Truths

rules: once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. at the end, choose 25 people to tag!

I was tagged by @gayanqel a while ago lmao sorry for doing this so late

LAST… [1] drink: coke [2] phone call: my coworker [3] text message: Pilar [4] song you listened to: Time - Pink Floyd [5] time you cried: this morning :/

HAVE YOU EVER… [6] dated someone twice: does getting back together after 2 weeks count? [7] been cheated on: idk. never, i think [8] kissed someone and regretted it: nah [9] lost someone special: ya [10] been depressed: um.. i like to think not but idk [11] gotten drunk and thrown up: nah

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: [12] turquoise [13] gray [14] yellow

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… [15] made new friends: yes [16] fallen out of love: mm hmm [17] laughed until you cried: yes [18] found out someone was talking about you: idk i dont think so [19] met someone who changed you: yes [20] found out who your true friends are: yep [21] kissed someone on your facebook list: .... yes

GENERAL… [22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: idk lmao most are just casual acquaintance [23] do you have any pets: two bitchy cats and I love them with all my heart [24] do you want to change your name: nobody called me with my real name lol [25] what did you do for your last birthday: .... okay this is pathetic but I cried for 5 hours then I spent the day dodging everyone’s texts [26] what time did you wake up: usually either at 5.30 am or 1 pm lmao  [27] what were you doing at midnight last night: sleepin [28] name something you cannot wait for: HS1 [29] when was the last time you saw your mother: on monday [30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: i wish i wasnt such a fuckup [31] what are you listening to right now: Only Over You - Fleetwood Mac [32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: nah [33] something that is getting on your nerves: uni [34] most visited website: probs tumblr and my workplace’s company website [35] elementary: i’d rather not say. some school in my hometown [36] high school: i’d rather not say. still in my hometown [37] college: oldest uni in my country [38] hair colour: naturally black but it’s reddish brown now [39] long or short hair: medium [40] do you have a crush on someone: harry fucken styles, man [41] what do you like about yourself? mmmm I’m a loyal friend and I don’t talk about my friends behind their back  [42] piercings: both ears [43]blood type: B [44] nickname: pops [45] relationship status: single [46] zodiac sign: sagittarius [47] pronouns: she/her [48] fav tv show: how I met your mother, doctor who, how to get away with murder [49] tattoos: nah [50] right or left handed: right

FIRST… [51] surgery: some ear surgery idk what [52] piercing: yeh right after I was born lol [53] best friend: F. I don’t see her much but when I do we always click right back [54] sport: baseball lol [55] vacation: never had one [56] pair of trainers: i have no idea

RIGHT NOW… [57] eating: nothing [58] drinking: tea [59] i’m about to: reply my texts [60] listening to: Warwick Avenue - Duffy. what happened to her? she’s a gem [61] waiting for: end of shift [62] want: to eat. starving, man [63] get married: nah [64] career: something in creative industry/media

WHICH IS BETTER…

[65] hugs or kisses: both [66] lips or eyes: eyes [67] shorter or taller: taller [68] older or younger: older [69] romantic or spontaneous: spontaneous [70] nice arms or nice stomach: mmmm what about nice smile and great hugs [71] sensitive or loud: a little bit of both? [72] hook up or relationship: hookup rn lol relationship probably down the line [73] troublemaker or hesitant: bit of both

HAVE YOU EVER… [74] kissed a stranger? nah [75] drank hard liquor? nah [76] lost glasses/contact lenses? yes omg i was 13 and my mum got so mad [77] turned someone down: yes [78] sex on first date? nope [79] broken someone’s heart? yes. not intentionally though. [80] had your own heart broken? yes [81] been arrested? no but a shopkeeper accused me of shoplifting when I was like 12. bitch. [82] cried when someone died? yes [83] fallen for a friend: mmm almost

DO YOU BELIEVE IN… [84] yourself? ... sadly no [85] miracles? i want to [86] love at first sight? no [87] santa claus? no [88] kiss on the first date? yes [89] angels? yes

OTHER… [90] current best friend’s name: A. the sweetest bean [91] eye colour: black? very dark brown [92] favourite movie: depends on my mood. but generally, before sunrise and before sunset <3

I’m tagging whoever wants to do this. love you

[anniekoh]

Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain without Turning into One by Karen Duffy (2019)

Backbone is a mix of hilarious and helpful. I barely remembered who she was (vj, actor) but quickly appreciated her wry and thoughtful commentary on being chronically ill.

Duffy on humor in the hospital and her advice to a mentee who had developed a brain tumor:

I had anticipated she was going to share bad news, and I came prepared. I had ordered a box of three hundred candy necklaces as a present for her. "Hand them out to everyone you see at the hospital,” I told her. “Doctors, nurses, technicians, other patients, little kids, the security guard ... whomever you see and whenever the feeling moves you. Everyone likes a present, and when you give something away, it takes away the focus off of your problems. You share a small bit of happiness with a stranger."

And her commentary on how she prepares for surgeries:

I average about an operation every other year, and before I go under the knife, I write messages on my body for my surgeon. Notes like "thanks for operating on me," "make sure you get the right side," and "are you single? If so, have I got a hot guy for you."

Platitude Bingo card.

Column one: You are in our thoughts; Why don’t you try yoga?; When life gives you lemons; If anyone can beat this, it’s you; It could be worse

Column two: Dr. Oz said...;Can I have some of your pills?; Try acupuncture; You don’t look sick; It’s just stress;

Column three: You are brave; Eat organic; FREE SPACE: Everything happens for a reason; The only disability is a bad attitude; Tough it out

Column four: How are you feeling?; Go with the flow; God gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors; We are praying for you; Kale!

Column five: It is what it is!; Chin up!; Look on the bright side; You need to get out; I don’t trust western medicine

Duffy includes an excerpt of a letter written by Roald Dahl to a mentor who had contracted cerebral malaria:

I just want to tell you this: I am an expert on being very ill and having to lie in bed. You are not. Even after you get up and get well after this, you still will be only an amateur at the game compared with us pros. Like any other business, or any unusual occupation, it's a hell of a tough one to learn. But you know I'm convinced that it has its compensations-for someone like me it does anyway.

I doubt I would have written a line, or would have had the ability to write a line, unless some minor tragedy had sort of twisted my mind out of the normal rut. You of course were already a philosopher before you became ill. But I predict that you will emerge a double philosopher, and a super philosopher after all this is over. I emerged a tiny-philosopher, a fractional philosopher from nothing, so it stands to reason that you will advance from straight philosopher to super philosopher.

[biofunmy]

A.L.D.S. Game 2: How the Yankees Beat the Twins

From 2016 to 2018, Didi Gregorius was a cornerstone for the Yankees. He played slick defense at his demanding shortstop position, improved his plate discipline and smashed at least 20 home runs each year, a crucial left-handed counterbalance in a Yankees’ lineup heavy on right-handers.

This season, though, was anything but smooth for Gregorius. He missed the first two months after having Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow last fall, for an injury he sustained during last year’s postseason. And when he returned in June, Gregorius couldn’t quite recapture his pre-operation form on either side of the ball. Still, Manager Aaron Boone stuck with Gregorius even as he slumped heading into the playoffs.

All of that felt like a distant memory on Saturday as tens of thousands of fans chanted “Di-di! Di-di!,” and he obliged their request for a curtain call by thrusting both arms in the air from the dugout steps. He had just sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy with a towering, third-inning grand slam, powering the Yankees to an 8-2 win and emphatically confirming that the Yankees’ bats may indeed be too much for the Minnesota Twins in this American League division series.

The best-of-five series will shift to Minneapolis on Monday, with the Yankees one win away from clinching a berth in the A.L. Championship Series. And if the Twins cannot neutralize even the Yankees’ struggling hitters, they have little hope of extending their postseason.

“That just shows you what this team can do,” Gregorius said. “We’re not just relying on one person.”

It was the Yankees’ 12th consecutive playoff victory against the Twins — the longest postseason streak by any team versus any opponent in major league history.

Seeking to contain the Yankees’ home run-blasting offense in their hitter-friendly stadium, the Twins turned to the ground-ball pitcher Randy Dobnak, who skyrocketed all the way to the major leagues from a low level of the minor leagues at the beginning of the season.

Dobnak’s story was captivating: He went undrafted, played in an independent league, was an Uber driver this spring to supplement his income as an underpaid minor leaguer, and skipped a few Twins games to get married in late September — a date he and his wife had chosen because it was after the minor league season.

The Yankees did not homer off Dobnak, but they wore him down with hard-hit singles and doubles. Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli hooked Dobnak after the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning and turned to Tyler Duffey, a reliable reliever during the regular season. But Duffey was no better against the Yankees’ buzz-saw of a lineup, which began to pile on the runs.

Left fielder Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly. Second baseman Gleyber Torres smacked a single to make it 3-0. And then Gary Sanchez was hit by a pitch, loading the bases again. When Gregorius hammered a 1-2 pitch down the right-field line, it was the fourth straight at-bat in which Duffey failed to put a Yankees batter away with two strikes.

In that third inning alone, every Yankee hitter aside from Gio Urshela either drove in or scored a run. The scoring outburst buoyed a strong performance from the Yankees’ pitching staff — led by starter Masahiro Tanaka, who allowed one run over five innings — against a powerful Twins offense. Tanaka, who lowered his playoff E.R.A. to 1.54, joined Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers in major league history to allow no more than two runs in each of his first six postseason starts.

“We were a little timid,” Twins first baseman C.J. Cron said, adding later, “We wanted to swing. We weren’t swinging with the same aggression that we have all year.”

But the star of the night was surely Gregorius, who was slumping like no other player entering October. From mid-August through the end of the regular season, he had a miserable .184 batting average across 30 games. It didn’t help that in August he dealt with finger and shoulder injuries, neither of which sent him to the injured list. Some metrics showed that Gregorius had regressed on defense. And given the versatility of D.J. LeMahieu and Torres, it seemed plausible that Gregorius might sit out against a left-handed pitcher this postseason.

“Just try to swing at strikes,” Gregorius said of what he had needed to improve. “That’s one thing for me right now, and be patient.”

Boone never stopped supporting Gregorius. The manager’s words before Saturday’s game proved to be prescient.

“I still maintain that the best is yet to come from Didi, and I know he’s going to have some big swings for us moving forward,” Boone said, adding that Gregorius was pressing at the plate and working behind the scenes to snap out of his funk. Boone continued, “Sometimes it just takes one at-bat, one swing to kind of turn it, and I believe that’s what’s in there for Didi still.”

That swing came, Gregorius said, on his second-inning single on Saturday, and more proof came an inning later. After he drove a high, fly ball to right field, Gregorius stood at home plate and admired his work before tossing his bat aside. He said he was happy that he had adjusted to Duffey’s high fastball as opposed to whiffing against it, as he had in the previous game. As he rounded the bases, Gregorius, stoic throughout his struggles, appeared to keep an expressionless face.

In the dugout, right fielder Aaron Judge urged on the cheering crowd by waving his arms. Dellin Betances, the injured star reliever on crutches who had predicted Gregorius’s grand slam to his teammates before the at-bat, smacked the top of the dugout roof in delight. Gregorius finally grinned as he high-fived and hugged his teammates, another Yankees’ victory all but assured with his breakout swing.

Here are the highlights of the Yankees’ win, as they happened:

8th Inning: It’s All But Over

The announced attendance for Game 2 was 49,277, and a good portion of them headed for the exits after the Twins went down in order in the top of the eighth, striking out two more times to raise their total to 12.

7th Inning: About That Slump…

The Yankees must be slumping — they haven’t scored in four innings.

Adam Ottavino entered the game for Tommy Kahnle and pitched around a double by the rookie Luis Arraez. Ottavino struck out Miguel Sano to raise the Twins’ strikeout totals to 10 through seven innings.

Didi Gregorius led off the bottom of the seventh for the Yankees and drew a walk. With a grand slam and a single already for Gregorius, it is an encouraging sign for the Yankees — like adding another diamond to a ring, so to speak. Gregorius finished the regular season with only one hit in his last 31 at-bats and was 14 for his last 85 over his final month of play for a .165 batting average (he then went 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 1 on Friday). The Yankees lineup is unrelenting, and because of his slump, teams might have seen Gregorius as the only hole in it — until now. With Sir Didi showing signs of emerging from the funk, the question is: How can anyone pitch through this lineup?

4th Inning: Twins Finally Muster a Run

Call it a rally, or perhaps as much of one as the Twins are going to get against Masahiro Tanaka. Minnesota scored a run on Mitch Garver’s R.B.I. single to cut the deficit to 8-1. The only hit Tanaka surrendered through the first three innings was Nelson Cruz’s broken-bat bouncer back to the box that Tanaka could not corral. The Twins did not hit a ball out of the infield until Jorge Polanco’s fly ball to left field leading off the fourth. Tanaka has thrown 73 pitches through four innings.

The Yankees actually did not score in the bottom of the fourth. This game is two hours old and they are not even halfway.

3rd Inning: Gregorius Blasts a Grand Slam

The rout is on. Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam to right off reliever Tyler Duffy, and it was such a no-doubter that right fielder Eddie Rosario never even pretended to go after it. The Yankees took a 7-0 lead and the celebrations were already underway.

The Yankees knocked Dobnak out of the game earlier in the inning when they loaded the bases with nobody out, and went on to score seven runs. Duffy replaced Dobnak, who allowed four runs in two-plus innings. Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly and Gleyber Torres singled to left before Gregorius’s slam.

Dobnak’s short outing was fairly predictable. A recent Uber driver against this lineup? Rather optimistic of the Twins. The last Twins rookie to start a game in the postseason was Brian Duensing at Yankee Stadium in 2009. Duensing gave up five runs in four and two-thirds innings and his father was hit by a car outside the stadium (he was O.K.).

Gregorius’s slam was the 12th by a Yankee in the postseason, and first since Robinson Cano’s off Al Alburquerque of the Detroit Tigers in 2011 (WFAN’s Mike Francesa knew him as Alberto).

1st Inning: Encarnacion Delivers an Early Advantage

Yankee Stadium is alive with this late afternoon start on a crisp autumn day, and the Yankees wasted little time getting on Twins starter Randy Dobnak, the rookie pitcher who drives an Uber in the off-season. Fans were chanting “U-ber” when Dobnak got in trouble in the first inning. He gave up a run after D.J. Lemahieu doubled and Edwin Encarnacion later laced a one-out, run-scoring single, but the 24-year-old right-hander got out of more trouble — and quieted the sarcastic chants — when he induced a double-play ball from Giancarlo Stanton.

Masahiro Tanaka also used a double play to escape problems in the top half of the inning. With one out, he hit Jorge Polanco with a pitch and then could not field Nelson Cruz’s broken-bat comebacker. But Tanaka got Eddie Rosario to bounce a changeup to Lemahieu at first base and Tanaka covered the bag and caught Didi Gregorius’s relay throw in time.

Sahred From Source link Sports

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