#I need to work on Castillo's and Anthony's next...

[grandmasickomode]

ok so I wanted to do something like @unmecha's oc pages for their ocs so here we go.

PAULINUS

TYPES: Poison and Dark predominantly but will keep any Mon that suits her fancy

CENTRAL STRATEGY: Depends on the upcoming fight but mostly focuses on disrupting existing strategies by any means.

ALLIGNMENT: Royale

Paulinus TECHNICALLY isnt a Pokemon Empire oc, shes from the Lobotomy corporation universe but im not gonna make a brand new oc for these games.

Paulinus is wrapped up with the royal family in ways she's willing to disclose... not that you can tell if she's lying. She will say shes an illegitimate heir one day, then say her family has worked with the royal family for generations.

The fact remains that Paulinus has internalized her role in the royal family's lives as the unofficial Official Black Ops unit and Evil (tm) Advisor to the crown. She's more than willing to step over the line if it means that the Royal family is put back where they belong. She personally will put the council's heads in pikes if she has to, and stand there and take the blame.

Ultimately, she isnt a total barbarian. Paulinus is a calm, supposedly unflappable young woman, who does her research. She doesnt like going in unprepared, and will always want at least SOME modicum of knowledge relating to what lies ahead before she takes a step forward.

While she seems charming and amicable, she also is not here to make friends. After all, friends are jettisoned once shit hits the fan, and she would prefer not to deal with the emotional fallout and ties. Unfortunately, life happens so the few people she marks as 'friends', she will personally move heaven and hell to make happy. Even if it conflicts with her morals, she rationalizes that its all part of the plan, that she can use this opportunity later. That they will owe her for this and that they will need to do things for her to repay their debt.

In Empire, the game gives you two childhood friends. Pauli likes neither of them and tolerates them for the sake of appearances. Well, with Alanah at least. Alanah is a good link to the Council's movements and rumblings, and North is... in Pauli's words, 'a simpering barking little Council pet who would lick their boots to feel some sort of satsifaction with his life." She DESPISES North and once he stops being useful, he's going to be stabbed in the back and burned to ashes.

And yet, she cannot help but have a fondness for Jeanne, @unmecha's oc.

Her non-Council, non-Royale mindset are 'adorable', and she would gladly assist her in her many endeavors... for favors, of course. She thinks that she's simply misguided, that her talents might do better on a more refined side. She also adores Jeanne to piss Taylor off, and doesnt hesitate to sneer and comment on everything taylor does. Never in a rude tone,just rude enough that the message gets across.

Pauli's battle strategies are what she calls 'run and gun', meaning she will generally opt for the typical strategies one uses in a pokemon game (stats up, baton pass, sweep, or hazards abd whirlwind strats). She also will use any strategy in order to handle whatever is in front of her, be they gym challenges or rivals. However, if she can get away with it, she prefers to deal with slow debilitating statuses, as well as changing pokemons type to remove stab, and expose them to adverse hazards.

Hwr naming schemes tend to be old timey names, usually inspired by greek or roman naming schemes. But she cannot help but get lazy naming her mons if she catches them at a late hour. Such examples include Euripedes (Poison/ice Boreaptor), Antigonus (Fire/Dragon Chemera) and Bart (Gulpin).

[rcbirth]

[ CHELLA MAN, TRANS & GENDERQUEER, HE/HIM ] shh ! FISCHEL “FISH” ABRAMS, the ( TWENTY-TWO ) year old THIRD year SOCIOLOGY & PUBLIC POLICY major from CHICAGO, IL is known as an EMERALD around here. HE was invited to join because HIS TED TALK ON THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION & RESTAURANT HE COFOUNDED HIT OVER 500MILL VIEWS, and now, they’re here to stay. HE reminds me of THE SMELL OF DINNER COOKING FROM THE NEXT ROOM OVER, SWIMMING ON A SUMMER NIGHT, RUNNER’S HIGH AT THE END OF A RACE. // @opalsmedia

howdy pals! my name is del ( she/they ), and i am jazzed to be here! i’ve been peaking at this rp since it showed up in the tags, so to say i’m excited about bringin my kiddo fish in is an understatement. a lil about me before i get into some basics and links for more info about fish... i’m twenty-three from the cst timezone. i work full-time, but my hours are funky, so you may see me at random hours of the day. big music fan, lover of public health things, over-using kermit the frog memes, & thriller shows and books ( anyone else almost lose it during the season finale of the undoing ??? )! warning: i rant a lot.... and am.... so long winded.... pls forgive me.

now for the fun part.... bby fish! i’m just going to give you basics to reference here, because the link ‘extended info’ has much more extensive head canons, wanted plots, stats, and his full bio.

born into a really well off & successful family ( dad = doctor & professor at UC’s med school, mom = big wig in dem establishment & advisor to ... oop! state senator obama ), fish had just about everything that he could ever need growing up. fish was super eager to please his parents and really ??? everyone. 

his grandma was and still is his favorite person to have ever walked this earth. probably has a tattoo for that woman but like ... she’s a peach 1/2 so rightfully so. 

two things about his grandma.... first! her maiden name was fischel, and when fish was growing up, she’d always call him her little fish. it just stuck, and that was that! he would forever be known fischel for business™ and fish for the pals. second! she was his biggest advocate and always believed in him. ( food tw ): she helped encourage his love and interest in cooking, food, food soc, etc. they were big julia child fans. a lot of grandma/fish time was literally just them goofing around in the kitchen and trying to recreate things they saw her make. also.... chicago just has a phenomenal food scene in general, and those two really soaked it in, trying out the various signature dishes of the various neighborhoods, and learning about the history behind them. ( tw end )

he loves anthony bourdain & samin nosrat. big fan.

( divorce tw ) parents got divorced and didn’t really say much other than that he would stay with his father in chicago and visit his mom on alternating holidays and summers. there wasn’t like The Discussion ( tw end )

while he was doing a lil medical internship and staying out with his mom ( cancer, death of a loved one tw ) he got the news that his grandmother’s cancer had gotten to the point where she had been put on life support. his father made the decision that it was in her best interest and fish’s to end her support. fish found out after she had already passed. he tried to claim that it was in his best interest since fish had always been too emotional and the family’s so there wouldn’t be this massive fight.... ( tw end ) cue beginning of resentment of the fam & realization that he’s got no one in his corner except himself

our table <3333 ( food tw ) okay so taking inspiration from his time touring chicago neighborhoods with his grandma & idolizing bourdain and nosrat, fish created what began as an after school club with some of his pals. the idea was to learn about food accessibility, urban farming, food sociology, & cooking from peers, but fish had Big Big plans & wanted it to turn into a bit of a safe haven for kids & young adults on the southside. ( tw end ) utilizing both support from partnerships with other chicago based non profits, school, and locals in the food scene, he helped start the building process for an actual brick and mortar place for our table. 

this got some buzz, and when a journalist came to interview fish and the other co founders they even received national attention... leading to what would be a ted talk appearance in the future, but back to entering strathmore...

fish hopes to utilize both sociology and public policy degrees to help him become a policy advocate and researcher. he hates how slow moving and formal things always were with his mom’s work. his goal is to utilize research about community based efforts and organizations ( like our table ) and science, to create substantial and sustainable policy for politicians that aren’t scared of being seen as “””too radical””.

his invitation into the society came months later after his ted talk reached over 500 million views. although, he’ll tell you it's because word got around to the members who heard about how good of a chef he is .... he loves it. he literally longs ... yearns some might say .... for community and is very committed and protective over his circlet. 

grief, guilt tw: poppy’s disappearance has him borderline unhinged a bit. she was one of the people he considered himself closer too, and it’s just an unearthing of some of the feelings he had right after his grandmother’s death of anger, confusion, guilt etc. he won’t openly express that or talk about it, but it definetely manifests itself physically. tw end

inspiration-wise, he is a mix of laurel castillo from how to get away with murder, pope heyward from outer banks, grizz from the society, dani clayton from bly manor, emily prentiss from criminal minds, and a bit of payton hobart from the politican. 

music inspiration: willow tree by tash sultana & jerome farah, ain’t it fun by paramore, barefoot in the park by james blake, bad bad news by leon bridges

his personality is that he’s a sociable guy for the most part, but he’s definetely an introvert really enjoying his time for himself. he’s very methodical despite how emotional he is and can be. very creative, protective, blunt .... this can run him into issues even if he just means it as a joke.... many times its not though, he’s pretty critical of others and esp himself, but also v loyal and thoughtful when it comes down to the pals.... will be dropping off some homemade soup and crackers if he knows you’re fighting a lil cold.

BIG THINGS: a lot of his character is based around the subtle, warm intimacy of small dinners with loved ones??? this is what he longs for more than anything and always has??? it’s not super overstated or in your face, but you know its there because you can feel it. in the past you saw him being more passive, kinda allowing himself to float in the background, but now he really is his own advocate and creates community wherever he can. he’s v intentional in his relationships and conversations, not wanting to have just surface level connections or chats. he is v much a Scorpio™.

see more. pinterest. plots. template credit.

[faedawayyy]

next generation list. if i've removed a character you loved or really liked, i'm sorry! i just feel like i need a restart.

BRETT JACKSON, only son of dallas. 

- intp  - musician  - heterosexual  - moved from the springs to gold coast to be closer to ally - starting his singing career slowly  - definitely still has financial struggles thanks to dallas fc: jack gilinsky  >> ALLY, his girlfriend. very much in love with her. he’s moved academy’s so that they can work on their relationship.  >> HALEY, ally’s sister. they’re good friends and brett feels responsible for her in a weird way.  >> AMY, loaned money to him after finding out that he was broke, especially after quitting his job at sloan’s. however, he has no idea how he’s going to pay her back, especially from half way across the world.  >> ROMAN, an old friend of his. he used to work at sloan’s and the two boys got closer but then brett moved away. they’re still really good friends and brett sees him as a little brother.

PETER CARMICHAEL, son and youngest child of mason and kendall 

- entj  - athlete - heterosexual  - liberty academy, mason secretly paid for him to get in  - long distance relationship with bianca  - still kind of an asshole  fc: neels visser >> BIANCA, his girlfriend. things have got tougher since they’re living on different continents and going to different universities. he still loves her but is starting to realise it isn’t as amazing and easy as he thought it was at gallagher.  >> LOTTIE, a frenemy. he always knew of lottie but didn’t have much to do with her until they ended up in liberty together. he made a move on her while drunk at a party and she flat out rejected him. it’s definitely awkward now. >> VICTORIA, his sister. he can’t stand her. >> ADDY, his friend. peter has always felt bad about the treatment addy used to get with their friendship group and towards the end of high school, he always made an active effort to make her feel looked after and included. >> AMELIA knew that peter cheated his way into liberty and was going to get him kicked out, but he beat her too it. desperate for her not to have something over him, he found out about how she cheated her way into diamond bridge and they now go back and forth with blackmail.

FLEUR CARMICHAEL, daughter of disney and brody 

- estj  - model and designer  - heterosexual  - burgundy academy, dixie sabotaged her rosewell acceptance  - her sister is her biggest rival but also best friend  - plans to transfer to LA or paris  fc: kendall jenner >> ROMAN is one of fleur’s best friends and she always had a crush on him. however, so does dixie and they’re VERY competitive for his attention.  >> MADDIE is her best friend and roman’s ex girlfriend. fleur always tried to keep her feelings secret because she didn’t want to get in between the two of them. >> DIXIE is her twin sister. the two of them are so competitive and have always fought like sister’s do. the older they’ve grown, the worse it’s got. they’re constantly trying to outdo one another but weirdly enough, they’re also really good friends.  >> LOUISA is one of her best friends but they have a very competitive friendship and get jealous of one another easily.

JUDAH CRUZ-MENDOZA, middle child of blake and christelle 

- infp  - actor and model  - bisexual  - st judes, he’s really proud of his parents/how they met  - signed a contract with disney channel  - he’s just came out as bisexual (male pref) to his family  fc: booboo stewart  >> AVERY is his ex-crush. judah was completely infatuated by avery and had his first experience with a guy with him. avery always kept it secret, though, which was fine. however, he now feels like he’s actively avoiding him and trying to distance himself which hurts.  >> WHITNEY is his sister and probably the sibling he’s the closest with. he would have come out to her first and trusts her with everything. he’s definitely missing being as close to her because they’re getting their own identities and lives but he loves her all the same. >> AURORA is his best friend. the children of hensley, christelle and soraya had no choice but to grow up close and aurora is like an honorary sister to him.  >> ELIJAH is a new love interest of his. elijah hasn’t come out yet and can be slightly homophobic while judah is freshly open about his sexuality and enjoying it, so even though there’re feelings there, it is definitely a bit messy.

THEA CRUZ-MENDOZA, oldest child of blake and christelle 

- esfp  - singer (vc: jhene aiko)  - heterosexual  - west ivys, she wanted to be close to family but not too close LOL - she’s like the mum when christelle’s not around. way too bossy with her siblings but is also kinda the blue print. she was a mischievous kid for sure. - a third year, she graduated from springs park a while ago  fc: christina nadin  >> CAM is a good friend of hers, that she definitely feels something for and he feels something for her too. neither of them have admitted it to themselves, let alone each other. 

ETHAN HARWOOD, son of nate and imogen 

- entj  - athlete - heterosexual  - liberty academy  - he’s a fuckboy and still a fuckboy. some people peak in high school - he did - but he’s still riding out that peak. he’s also fallen out with jay, his old best friend. - addy’s ex; they still sometimes speak  fc: xavier serrano  >> ADDY is his ex-girlfriend. their relationship was quite manipulative and not good for either of them. he knows he still has a little bit of power over her though and really doesn’t want to see her move on.  >> JAY is a frenemy. the two of them have started to drift and fight over the smallest of things. their friendship has quickly fallen apart and it’s clear they’re not the same as they were in high school. >> YOUI he’s lowkey been flirting with her for ages now and it’s only intensified since he and addy broke up, but it’s always been touchy since she’s addy’s old best friend.

KITTY-LEE HENSHAW, youngest daughter of natasha and anthony 

- isfp  - actress and model  - lesbian  - academia burgundy  - she’s making a transfer to be closer to victoria, who she’s infatuated with - she transitioned at an early age and her whole family has always been accepting, there’s no secrets around it.  - she has a tendency to get jealous  fc: hunter schafer >> VICTORIA is her best friend and crush. kitty has had feelings for victoria for as long as she can remember. they’ve always been best friend’s but it’s always gone deeper than that for kitty. deep down, she knows victoria doesn’t feel the same but she’s going to keep trying.  >> ADDY is a frenemy. kitty really doesn’t like addy and it’s purely because of the group she was in at gallagher. kitty has never clicked with the popular kids and would actively go out of her way to avoid them, so when victoria took a liking to addy at the end of high school, it threw her world upside-down a little and she’s definitely jealous. 

ROWAN WEST, son of hensley and evan 

- esfp  - director and athlete - heterosexual  - gold coast academy - he’s kind of like, reformed. he’s still not the softest but he’s definitely grown a lot since high school and the bad rep he got for himself post-ally.  - always in trouble. always. he has the worst of both parents in him LOL  fc: chase stokes  >> MADDIE is his new love interest. he’s really invested in getting to know her even though they live quite far apart. he does his best to keep his past with ally a secret from her.  >> DAPHNE is an old friend of his. they used to clash quite a lot but have grown to really like each other.  >> ALLY is his ex-girlfriend. the two of them have a complicated history and that’s exactly where rowan wants her to stay - in his history. he realises where he went wrong with her but is ready to move on. the only problem is they go to the same school and both study sports, it’s only a matter of time before he has to confront her.  >> HARLOW was a rebound ex-girlfriend. after ally, there was harlow. he feels bad for calling her a rebound but that’s exactly what she was. he just needed to feel *something* after the mess and poor harlow was the first in-line. >>WHITNEY AND AURORA are his childhood friends. 

NICOLAS CASTILLO-HUGES, only son of natalie and ezra 

- intj - writer (for screen)  - bisexual  - diamond bridge academy - very bright and intuitive. despite the difficulties ezra and natalie went through raising him, he loves them both and thinks very highly of them. he’s very focused on his dreams.  fc: rome flynn 

YASMINE HERNANDEZ, daughter of yulia 

- infp - singer/actress - bisexual  - liberty academy  - yulia became infamous for being a home-wrecker and sleeping with lots of influential men when she left st judes. she quickly gained a bad reputation and people disregarded her talent because she was a ‘gold digger’. yasmine is often treated the same by students her age. fc: selena gomez  >> LOTTIE is her best friend. they met on the first day of liberty and are roommates. yasmine definitely clings to lottie and is one of the only friends she trusts due to her anxiety.  >> NOAH has an unrequited crush on her. yasmine finds it hard to trust people and is nervous with any form of romantic attention. even though noah’s crush is innocent and she likes him as a friend, she’s not sure how she feels about him yet. 

CALLIE CASTILLO, oldest daughter of maria 

- estj  - model  - heterosexual  - st judes academy  - she’s getting used to not having her former clique around her and doesn’t really know what to do now that her popularity hasn’t translated over into university. she’s really struggling tbh  fc: sofia jamora   >> CARTER is her boyfriend. for a long time, she still had feelings for peter - his younger brother - but she’s trying so hard to push those aside and focus on them. he’s always been understanding of her, no matter how bitchy she gets.  >> BIANCA AND YOUI are her best friends. even though they’re all doing their own things, she considers those two her best friends and it’s been that way since the beginning of high school.  >> ADDY is a frenemy. callie used to relentlessly bully addy throughout high school and she still treats her like a bit of an outsider. she lowkey hates seeing addy thriving in LA while she’s still stuck in her hometown.  >> PETER C is her ex boyfriend. they’re messy as heck and she’s still not quite over the fact he ultimate chose aurora, her distant cousin. 

TAMMY CASTILLO, youngest daughter of maria 

- enfp  - singer (rosalia)  - bisexual (female pref)  - gold coast academy  - sick of living in calie’s shadow, she’s branched out to get an identity all of her own. she’s your typical party girl type.  fc: val mercado  >> ALLY is her best friend. they’ve got really close at gold coast and are practically inseparable.  >> they were in a long term relationship until he found out that he was a father. this really hurt her and she hasn’t forgiven him, despite still being in love with him. 

DELILAH CALLOWAY, daughter of eloise 

- istj  - actress  - bicurious  - wilow house academy - she’s the opposite of eloise. eloise let herself be pushed around by her sisters and forgotten about to an extent. delilah has made it clear that she’ll be the trailblazer for the ‘calloways’ in this generation and will happily walk all over her cousins if she has to.  fc: sommer ray  >> AALIYAH is her best friend. they both met at willow house and delilah took a shine to her confidence. the girls really got along well and they’ve also started to hook up. delilah is bicurious and unsure of her sexuality so relies a lot on aliyah to take the lead.  >> ADDY is her cousin. they never grew up in one anothers lives but delilah has always known of her aunts and cousins. the girls have reunited through the talent academy competition and are getting to know each other.

AIDEN NILSEN, son of kristofer - REVAMPED bc i feel like he only existed as haley’s on/off bf.

- infj - model  - bisexual  - st judes  - kristofer moved the family out to los angeles, so aiden is now based there. he still has an incredibly addictive personality. after haley moved out to gold coast, he kind of wiped his hands of her from the time being and has taken on a more artsy/friendly persona but that doesn’t mean he is.  fc: willy cartier 

>> HALEY is his on-again and off-again girlfriend. their relationship is toxic and when he found out she transferred to gold coast, he’s mainly just looking to rub her face in the fact he’s not with her anymore. 

CHESTER JACKSON, son of margo 

- esfp  - actor  - bisexual  - blossom bell  - he has the same chaotic energy that margo has, but he’s not as much of an asshole :’) he just loves the attention. he was diagnosed with ADHD quite late in life but at this point, he can’t even put it down to that. he went to gallagher and got kicked out in his third year so he probably hasn’t been around for a bit.  fc: dylan o’brien  >> DIXIE AND FLEUR are family friends. he’s been good friends with dixie for a while and is like a brother figure to her.

SABRINA HUGHES, daughter of ezra 

- infp  - singer/actress - bisexual  - burgundy academy  - she was never the cool girl in high school and has always struggled to find her place in social settings. she’s trying to grow her confidence and make an identity for herself but she does get jealous when friends and people close to her get more attention or something that she wanted. fc: halle bailey (i’ll write more when i cbb)

>> BRIELLE is her girlfriend. the two of them are trying to balance a healthy relationship and achieve their own personal dreams.

[thesportssoundoff]

Playoff Droughts And Who Can Break Theirs

Joey

Baseball season is approaching and in the interest of breaking up the monotony of what figures to be a LONG and painful spring training, I wanted to take a peek whimsically while looking backwards. There's no more enjoyable story than when a team that's been excluded from the postseason dance for quite some time gets their invite. Sometimes it's years of hard work and team building and other years its due to ownership just throwing money around and sometimes? It's just a fluke luck circumstance not to be repeated for quite some time. For the sake of doing something of a bit of a project, I decided to take a brief look at teams that have not made the playoffs in over five years. I chose five years arbitrarily I suppose because to me five years or more without a playoff run is a genuine drought whereas four or less just feels like a lull regardless of expectations. Yankees fans may consider three years without the playoffs to be a drought whereas that's if anything a lull or a break in tradition. Teams that have been out of it for five years or more are teams that are either mired in long term BAD baseball or embracing mediocrity at best and so five years just felt right. Also I wanted to do it since the invent of the two game wild card but then it would be literally just three teams and nobody wants that.

Of the eight teams who have missed the playoffs for five years straight or longer, who are most likely to break that streak and join the dance? Well...

1- Philadelphia Phillies Last Playoff Appearance: 2011

Last year's darling picks, the Phillies have been out of the playoffs since 2011. For fun facts, 2011 was also the first year of the Chromebook, snapchat and the release of Elder Scrolls: Skryim. If you read this space for MMA? 2011 was the year Jon Jones beat Shogun for the LHW title, the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix started and Alistair Overeem's UFC debut. It's been a while and to the credit of Philadelphia, they've tried a multitude of ways from riding out the final years of aging veterans to rehauling their farm system to spending and spending big. It's not for a lack of trying they haven't made it back to the playoffs! Last year they seemed armed to roll through a perceived weak NL East with big names and big money across the board. Of course little did we know the Nationals would be better without Bryce Harper and the Phillies wouldn't even crack the top two of the division. Out goes Gabe Kapler and in comes Joe Girardi who will be tasked with VETERAN MANAGING his way through this ultra talented and underachieving roster that has added the likes of Zach Wheeler, Didi Gregorious as well as Andrew McCutchen who was lost early into 2019 with a torn ACL. The Phillies boast an insane line up as if Didi and Cutch are healthy and productive then you've got a core of Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, Didi, McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The rotation is pretty damn spiffy (health permitting) with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta plus flostam as a fifth if need be. The Phillies are always going to be a team that has slumps magnified and streaks glorified (such is life with Bryce Harper) but I can't see them not cracking the playoffs in some form or fashion this year. If they don't make the playoffs, we may need to try and discuss if there's some kind of a curse out there on the Phanatic.

2- Cincinnati Reds Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Gotta admit I had no idea the Reds had a playoff cameo back in 2013. Guess that's just one of those years lost to time. Fun facts of 2013? Grand Theft Auto 5 came out that year, Yahoo purchased this hell site and the UFC brought women into the organization for the first time ever. The Reds spoke openly about wanting to spend a bit in the offseason and so they did, flexing some financial muscle with deals for Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to help out a lineup featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez. If the Reds are going to make a serious run of things, it'll likely be on the arms of a rejuvenated Sonny Gray, mercurial Trevor Bauer and the league's best kept secret to casual fans Luis Castillo. There's obviously going to be concerns about a team that hits a lot of dingers but strikes out a bunch and a somewhat unheralded bullpen but the Reds have power, they've gotten better and they've got a cadre of arms to flex at any time. Also? The NL Central figures to be up in the air as the Cubs seem to coast with the core they have until the rebuild comes around, the Cardinals and Brewers underwent massive changes and the Pirates figure to be flat out bad. There's never been a more clear path for the Reds to make some October noise.

3- Los Angeles Angels Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The year is 2014. In the real world,  Colorado legalizes the purchase of wacky tobacky, selfies became "a thing" in need of forever going away and the occulus rift creates a youtube grift genre. Sports wise? The MLB struggles through record rating woes, the Cowboys finally break through in the Jason Garrett tenure with a 12-4 record, the UFC is undergoing massive upheaval as stars retire or are suspended for PEDs, Bellator hosts its first PPV which in turn leads to the ousting of Bjorn Rebney for Scott Coker and LeBron James leaves Miami to go back where it all began in Cleveland. That's the last time the Angels saw a playoff game and it's been beaten to death at this point. "WHY DON'T THE ANGELS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS DURING MIKE TROUT'S PRIME?!" is tired and done to death but for those of you who feel the same way, 2020 marks the BEST chance for that to become a fad question (or perhaps just morph into "WHY CAN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL WIN THE WORLD SERIES ON HIS OWN?!") since the Angels are pretty damn loaded for bare. With the Astros about to endure a pretty weird season and the A's always lurking, the Angels will roll into the year with three bonafide superstars in Anthony Rendon, Shohei Otani and Mike Trout. The pieces around them aren't bad shakes either as Andrelton Simmons is a defensive whiz, David Fletcher is one of those solid under the radar types and the rotation isn't flashy but it should be competent with minor league depth to make moves if they see a big fish out there. The Angels would've been higher up had they gotten Ross Stripling and Joc Pedersen in a deal but since that fell off, I feel like 3rd behind the Reds and Phillies is a fine spot to put them in.

4- Chicago White Sox Last Playoff Appearance: 2008

2008 will probably best be known as the year of change headlined by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was the year Fidel Castro stepped down in Cuba. China got the olympics in Beijing and people were TOTALLY cool about that with nary any controversy whatsoever. Beyond that? 2008 was the year I got into MMA and that was a special time, dudes. It was also the year where the White Sox saw their last real sustained succeed with its last postseason appearance. The White Sox feel like they've been in a rebuild since pretty much the end of the Ozzie Guillen tenure and despite multiple managers, multiple attempts to figure it out, rebuilds aplenty and some damn good talent coming through the organization, it's been a rough go of it for the majority of 2010 to 2019. Put it this way, the LAST time the White Sox made the playoffs, Chris Sale was a 22 year old rookie and Paul Konerko was still an active player. They've got a chance to kick off this next decade as a bit of a sleeper team in the Central. This team can hit and one can assume that another year of development for phenom talents like Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jiminez can only help. Tim Anderson for better or worse has a style and swagger that generates attention but it is fair to remember that for at least one half a season, he was a phenomenal player worthy of the acclaim. The White Sox have tried hard to secure elite free agents (Manny Machado and Zack Wheeler) but it's been a bust so at this point it's going to be up to them to draft, develop and trade for it. It would not surprise me if the White Sox are good enough in June and July to make a big deal to try and push them over the hump and chase for the second wild card.

5- San Diego Padres Last Playoff Appearance: 2006

The Padres last made the playoffs in the year of the Nintendo Wii. Floyd Mayweather hadn't even come up with his Money Mayweather gimmick yet! Lost to baseball obscurity, the Padres had at the very least an interesting team out west. The likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably the worst defensive outfield in the history of the universe and freakishly good young arms like Chris Paddack and Joey Luchessi at least made them fun to watch. They weren't "good" but this is a team that was still struggling to balance expensive veterans with clout (Machado, Eric Hosmer, Will Meyers) with really good young talent trying to figure things out. The Padres figure to be better with a full season of Tatis Jr, more production from guys like Hosmer and Machado plus improvements in the outfield with Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham (hold your jokes, Nats fans) figure to give this team a chance. There's a pretty good bullpen (Emilio Pagan is a sneaky nice pick up) and plenty of talent in their 26 man roster. The NL West has so much legit top talent with the D-Backs and Dodgers figuring to be really good that it's hard to make an argument for the Padres to be a playoff contender but they figure to try and trying is truly half the battle.

6- Miami Marlins Last Playoff Appearance: 2003

It's kind of a bummer that we didn't get our decennial Marlins "The fuck?" World Series win but they made up for it by giving us Jeffrey Loria and David Samson fucking things up for most of the decade leading to Derek FUCKING Jeter opting to get into the management game much to the chagrin of most folks on all sides. The Marlins are in the midst of rebuilding....again. Don't expect them to compete but they've got some good talent to at least want to see play. Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jorge Alfaro and a bundle of veteran signings that will at the very least make the Marlins a fun trade partner in July will keep this team relevant. Wouldn't surprise me if the Marlins flirt with a 20 win swing from where they were last year.

7- Seattle Mariners Last Playoff Appearance: 2001

My god man. The Mariners were SO close in 2018, winning 89 games and finishing a few spots out of a Wild Card spot. As if they decided that this core couldn't do it, the Mariners went to work tearing their team apart and were rewarded with a pretty blegh squad that was once again picked apart at the deadline. To their credit they have some spiffy talent worth watching, namely the infield duo of JP Crawford and Shed Long. They’ve also got some fun young arms who might take the next step. Just don't expect them to win many games.

8- Detroit Tigers Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The Tigers are aways away from being contenders. They're not trying to be contenders. They're in the midst of what could best be described as a multiple year rebuild after riding out the end days of the core from the start of the 2010's. They will be bad but god bless 'em for embracing it.

[brothermarc7theatre]

“West Side Story” show #812

There is a timelessness to West Side Story, one that blends racial, gender, ageist, and societal issues into a cacophony of music, dance, and romance. With themes that stretch across the aforementioned groups, West Side Story, at its core, is a humanity story; one that we in 2020 can still relate to, and it’s most likely because we know the issues dealt with between the Jets and Sharks, the hoodlums and the PRs, will never be resolved. Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre is currently playing the iconic musical, and has entrusted Noel Anthony Escobar with its direction, Joy Sherratt with its choreography, and Nick Perez with its musical direction. It is my pleasure to report that this trio has brought the East Bay a West Side Story that is bone-chilling, pitch-perfect, and incredibly moving whether you’ve seen the play before or not, because no matter your background with this play, you will be deeply affected.

What makes this West Side Story approachable, not preachy, is Mr. Escobar’s light-handed approach in ensuring the audience has to lean forward and do some of the work Arthur Laurents’ book provided us. The direction, and for that matter the choreography, doesn’t hit the audience over the head with forced empathy and cheap tears. It’s an honest, well-breathed and paced production that gives the performers time to emote, deliver nuance, and tell the story from a place of musical legitimacy and humane honesty. Led by Sam Faustine’s gorgeous tenor as Tony and Alexis Vera’s vulnerably engaging Maria, the romance is instant but different from any production I have previously seen. It is shown in Mr. Faustine’s beautifully-sung opening soliloquy, “Something’s Coming,” that he’s an old soul in a Jets’ body, looking for the next thing to excite him and give him youthful vigor. It is then shown through the following dress shop scene that Maria is a true youth, filled with excitement and impatient anticipation for the dance to mature her into a desirable young woman. When the two meet at the dance, and follow with harmoniously intoxicating turns at “Tonight” and a fun-filled-yet-intimate, “One Hand, One Heart,” they meet where the other is, with Tony now being more earnest and youthful and Maria maturing and learning how to love deeply. Ms. Vera’s journey as Maria a heart wrenching one to behold, and her final scene in the street is the source for a bone-chilling ending.

Christian Castillo delivers a wonderful Riff, mastering the vocal-acting chops in “When You’re a Jet” and “Cool,” with gusto and gruff. However, it is among the universally strong Jet ensemble that Danila Burshteyn stands out as the angry, something-to-prove, Action. His leadership of “Gee, Office Krupke” is a culmination of an act-and-a-half’s worth of yelling, fighting, and being held back, a top-level energy choice that infiltrates throughout the Jets, showing them as ruffians who are ready to pounce. But after the vaudevillian skills are shown well in the number, their quiet disposition, post-Anita accosting, hits louder than any of their previous dialogue. Sofia Costantini leads a stellar Sharks female ensemble as the passionate Anita. Ms. Constantini is a proper role model to Ms. Vera’s Maria, and delivers enough attraction and love for Bernardo that her stakes in the outcome of the Rumble are just as high as anybody else’s. Her vocal turns in “America,” the “Tonight” quintet, and especially in her duet with Ms. Vera, “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love,” are perfectly in Ms. Constantini’s range and gives way for her arc as Anita to fill out well and effectively.

Brian Conway has exceptional moments as Bernardo, namely in the “Dance at the Gym” and in his scene work leading up to the Rumble. His dialect work is contextually pleasing and his energy is that of a stalwart Bernardo. Supporting the youth are some great performances by a sincere, loving Jon Blytt as Doc, and Jeff Seaberg doubling as Gladhand/Lt. Schrank. Ms. Sherratt’s choreography makes the stage explode with lifts, leaps, and turns. Her honoring of Robbins’ original staging is coupled with the succinct clarity of her own take on select numbers, especially the “Dance at the Gym,” “Cool,” and “Gee, Office Krupke.” Mr. Perez’s music direction leaves no note missed and no accent skipped the score is given its lush diligence and the vocals are top-notch.

With so much negativity and youthful participation in today’s news reports, social media posts, and viral videos, I urge you to take a break from the noise and go surround yourself in a story that comments while still delivering hope. Hope is what we need. “There’s a place for us, somewhere, a place for us,” as is sung in the “Somewhere Ballet,” a moment of highlighted perfection and hopeful sincerity in this production, that will stick with this reviewer for quite some time. Go see this show.

[randomthoughts]

FBB 2022: Scrapping for 1st

Over the past two weeks, my team has slipped out of first twice, once by 3 points. Rick is working hard to make his team (108 Stitches) very competitive.  My team, though, my team has become less competitive. Franmil Reyes was so bad, he got DFA’ed by the Guardians and is not in the NL. So, that’s $23 that pretty much got wasted. Corey Kluber had been pretty decent for most of the first half, but he has gotten worse in his last 8 starts.  I put a question on FBT’s Facebook page as to whether I should cut him and pick up a surging Jose Suarez, but the two responses said no. One said Kluber had 10 quality starts this season. The problem was that those starts were at the beginning of the season. So, I dropped Kluber, but someone else has picked up Suarez. Next, I need to trust my gut and make the move. So, I got stuck with Chris Archer...again. Lance Lynn was also on the bubble for my team, too. His ERA is over 5.00, but he has been better lately and is striking out a player per inning. So, I’m holding onto him for now. Anthony Rizzo has cooled off some, dealing with a back injury. Andres Gimenez has been on fire and is approaching 15/15 numbers. I’m glad I got him over Rosario (who is playing well, too, but Gimenez has more power). Steven Kwan, while giving little power, is stealing bases. I picked up Nicky Lopez and he picked up 6 SBs in two weeks. Go Nicky. My $41 Trevor Story has been on the IL for the past few weeks with a broken wrist. With Reyes gone, I need Story’s bat in my line-up, but my expectations are tempered. On the pitching side, Luis Castillo has been great since I got him via FAAB. Alek Manoah has been very good. Martin Perez is coming back to reality, but is still over achieving. Sonny Gray has been solid, but not quite spectacular. One disturbing note is that Shane McClanahan is showing signs of slipping. Over the last 3 weeks, his ERA is approaching 5.00 and his K’s are well below 1 per inning. I would imagine he is getting tired and the Rays may start cutting his appearances.  On the closer side, I picked up Jonathan Hernandez and he has gotten me 2 saves. Gregory Soto has been a little rocky lately, but he is getting saves. There’s a month and half of baseball to be played and I’m currently up by 7 games. I hope it holds.

[trippz2ill2ace8itout]

⭐🥀TRIGGER WARNING!!

Introducing Last Night At 3AM. I Lost Control. Yet Another Breakdown, I Had about 30 breakdowns. No pity sympathy or attention. && NO I WAS NOT ON DRUGS! I'm over 1 year sober. Alvaro took over (one of my demons/alters) && Dancing Fire (another one) possessed me to the point I almost got a cop call. I don't wanna be a burden &: I wanna save fix care support be there for everyone and everything. I'm sick of being alive. But I can't do anything stupid cuz of me getting concerved to a state institution (which is way different than a mental hospital) cuz I've been in 215 mental hospitals & got diagnosed Critically/Clinically Insane plus over 10+ mental hospitals. All I have is my mom. The breakdowns the vivid flashbacks the mental illnesses getting 10x worse. No treatment will take me cuz I've been to all of them to many times. I can't process anything. My mind imprisons me. I dissociate 89 to 99% of the day. I've been thru every single sorts of treatments/medication I've had trauma 24/7 from 2001-2018. I'm losing my mind. And everyday it's the same thing and people get tired of hearing it.I'm so done with dealing with this everyday. I don't need sympathy. I just don't know man. My mom&& lil brother doesn't want me home, I can't explain what's wrong or going on. I don't wanna be a burden. I'm sorry man. I wanted to self harm again but I didn't. Imagine all my mental illnesses multiplied by 10. Imagine EVERYDAY HAVING VIVID FLASHBACKS AND 22+ Mental Breakdowns a day. I.am sorry if I'm negative. I'm sorry. I just wanna save and fix the world. When people ask me "how are u" idk how much reply. I'm sick of my mind. I feel like darkness is controlling me. I pray A LOT. Alvaro literally possesses me and gets in my body. I have mostly every mental health diagnosis there is. And NO I'M NOT PROUD OF IT I'M NOT BRAGGING OR GLORIFYING It. I just wanna help everyone and everything. Along the my mental health, I have autism, narcolepsy anorexia Etc. My diagnosis list is so long and I don't wanna be known for that. I can't even leave my house. When ever I feel a lil bit better, here comes Alvaro. But again I don't wanna be a burden. It's my job to be there for everyone else NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I can't take this anymore. No pity sympathy or attention. I can't seek help cuz then they'll send me to a institution cuz I've been in to many mental hospitals. I'm doing the best I can. But I'm about to snap. I can't function. And I'm getting worse. I don't want attention I want to be OK. I've dealt with all this hell most of my life. It's hard to explain. On top of that. My physical state is getting worse. I'm finding more reasons to die than to live. I'm over 1 year sober. I'm a huge hypocrite when it comes out taking my own advice. I don't love myself. But i am over caring sensitive and I help obsessively. I repeat myself idk I'm just not OK. I'm losing contact with reality. I'm scared to keep going. But I got this.🥀⭐

🥀⭐Your Enough

Your Worth It.

Your Life Has Purpose

This To Shall Pass

Im here for all y'all in anyway I possibly can.

I'm sorry if I'm annoying. I'm sorry

Stay Strong && Keep Breathing ⭐🥀

🌙🌙🔥🔥🖤🖤🥀🥀HUGE TRIGGER WARNING🥀🥀🖤🖤🔥🔥🌙🌙

🥀🥀🔥🔥Hey my name is Izzy && I'm a recovering drug addict && alcoholic with over 1 year sober. This is the longest I've been sober being out of treatment. I've used mostly every drug there is. Being homeless 13 times. In 215 mental hospitals. In 3 foster homes (2 out of 3 were abusive) group homes, unlocked and locked treatment centers, rehabs shelters, crisis centers. Short and long term treatment centers. Which none will take me back cuz I've been there to many times. I've sold myself && got tortured abused raped drugged up for drugs and money to raise my unbio son, Anthony. I lost custody cuz of false accusations. I've had multiple near death experiences (some were suicide attempts && some were naturally done) my drug of choice was meth. I've had trauma 24/7 from 2001-2018, over 10+ mental illnesses. Some were caused from a few bad trips on PCP that I never came back from. I was sleeping anywhere I could rest my head, I had to be alert at all times. Tbh I havent been to a meeting in awhile. My sponsor is like family to me. I'm redoing all my steps. I'm on step 2. I've lost a shit ton of people to drugs and I was literally getting cop calls everyday. Drugs messed with my life. And having this much clean time is amazing. Most of my life I've gotten abused raped, literally tortured and drugged up. Sold. Prostituted, almost killed. But no pity sympathy or attention pls. Any clean time is good time. And I'm proud of all of you in recovery drug addiction is a special kinda hell. Drugs become your priority and your best friend. I got tortured on the daily by people coming in one by one torturing me from orders from Kimberly (my ex fiance who hung herself in front of me) it was one by one. I got so caught on in drugs that it was the only way I knew. I used to numb the pain. I'm so blessed I found God again. Now I have 22+ mental breakdowns a day every day. I found out it had a lot to do with my drug use.🔥🔥🥀🥀

🥀🖤Thank you for breathing even when u wanted to die. Drugs kill you. There's nothing about it to be proud of its serious. You Matter Yo Important Yo A Someone Yo Enough Yo Worth It Yo Have A Purpose, Yo Have A Story, A Message, A Voice, A Reason, Yo A Warrior, A Soldier, A Survivor, A Fighter. You Are U && NoOne Can Be You, But YOU. Your Life Matters YOU MATTER, Yo Life Has Value &% I'm Glad Your Alive. Thank U For Being Alive. People say that I help everyone and everything obsessively && I don't stop. It's very true. This is a shout out to my unbio son that I raised as my own, Anthony Castillo-Martinez, I met him at one of the many abusive foster homes. Where it was owned illegally by Andrea/Angela && Jimmy Miller. We got tortured daily. They were not licensed foster parents. I met Lil Toni there and I escaped with him to meet up with Kimberly. We lived in a run down hotel in LA. I became homeless again. Toni got me through so much and even tho I can't find him (he's been gone for years) your my lil baby. I will always love u. U are my world and one day I hope to see u again. I hope you have a good home now. Going to school. Just doing well in general. And I'm sorry for you witnessing what Kimberly was doing to me. I love u babes with all my heart. 🖤🥀

🖤🔥🥀I failed Cedar House twice. This was a rehab in San Bernardino, California. I lied my way out. And I regret it. Funny thing is I already read the entire NA Basic Text && The AA Big Book. I have multiple sobriety apps on my phone and I have an app that that has NA && AA Speakers on it. I'm reading the How && Why and I'm so proud of myself && I couldn't have got this far without my sponsor, Jaclyn. She understands me better than any sponsor I've had in recovery. Here's a list of my mental disorders, some were caused Or made worse by drugs and alcohol🥀🔥🖤

🌙🔥🔥Schizo-Affective, Bipolar

ADHD, OLD, ODD,

PTSD, Insomnia

Depression, Anorexia

Anxiety, Autism

Borderline Personality Disorder

Severe Brain Damage

Attachment Disorder

Dissociative Identity Fund..

Multiple Personality Disorder

Narcolepsy, Critically/Clinically Insane🔥🔥🌙

🖤🥀Listen I don't need your pity, sympathy or attention these were all diagnosed by over 5 psychiatrists, and diagnosed "Insane" by over 10 doctors. DO NOT SELF DIAGNOSE!!!! Anyways. I attempted suicide over 100 times. Self harmed in anyway possible. They say I'm the most high maintenance case in the system of California. And the next time I go to a mental hospital I'm getting sent to a state institution. I would do anything to get drugs. Jeremy && Izzie Baraz were my street partners. They both passed away. All I have left in blood family is my mom and brother. My mom. Says if I pick up drugs one more time I'm never aloud back in her house. My dad injected me with meth and heroin at age 9, he also tortured me daily. He passed away in 2011. I'm glad he's dead. But I take full responsibility for my drug and alcohol habits. And I hope I never go back. One Day At A Time.🥀🖤

🔥🥀This To Shall Pass, If Not Today There's Always Tomorrow

God, Grant Me The Serenity

To Accept The Things I Cannot Change

The Courage To Change The Things I Can. &&

The Wisdom To Know The Difference

Amen🥀🔥

🔥🔥Keep Coming Back It Works If You Work It🔥🔥

🔥🔥A Moment Of Silence, For The Addict Who Still

Suffers, In And Out Of These Rooms🔥🔥

🔥🔥Staying Clean, Im Never Going Back🔥🔥

🥀🖤I almost relapsed again on New Year's. I almost asked a stranger to buy me Vodka. But God told me to stop.

I'm Always Here 4 All Of You, No matter What.

I'd Do Anything To Keep Y'all Alive && Breathing. To Make U OK. to Save && Fix U && Take Your Pain Away. I Love Y'all. Keep Coming Back.🖤🥀

[everettv]

Remember Me

Day 4: Hunters SpUK Week 2017 @hetaliaotpchallenges     Antonio sighs and puts out his cigarette by stepping on it, then gets in the car. He glances over at his partner then back out the window. “What do you think? Is it really a case?” He asks, closing his eyes and leaning back. His partner hums noncommittally at him. Antonio opens his eyes and glances over at Gilbert. “Seriously, is it a case? Don’t make me call the Vargas brothers for their opinion, or Francis. Both of them are sick of you doing this.” He mutters. “I am too. We can’t work together if you won’t communicate.”     Gilbert sticks his tongue out. “I’m working on it Toni. There’s a lot of research that I have to do to make sure this is actually a case. I’m looking into the past cases and trying to see a pattern. But yes, I think it’s a case.” Antonio nods when he finally concedes. “It sounds like a ghost. There’s a lot of hauntings happening there, we should find out why that is. It’s the same ghost at all of the locations, but they’re scattered throughout the town.”     Antonio’s eyebrows crease. “How do you know it’s the same ghost at all of the locations?” Antonio asks in confusion. Gilbert shows him the pictures some people have caught and the articles.     “He’s described the same way at all of the locations. And he kills everyone the same way. A well placed blow to the temple then hung up from the rafters. It’s very strange.” He whispers, tilting his head to the side. Antonio nods and reads a few of the articles before sitting his seat up properly.     “Certainly seems like a case. Let’s go. If it’s not a case, we’ll just leave, alright?” He asks. Antonio has a bad feeling about the case, but he’s been wrong before and he could be wrong now. Gilbert doesn’t seem apprehensive at all, so he’s sure it will all be fine. He drives through the night, only stopping to get food and fill up for gas. When he gets to the city he parks at a hotel and gets them a room while Gilbert talks to a few locals to find out about the ghost.     Antonio smiles tiredly. “I’m gonna get some sleep. You wanna look into the ghost some more? Or you wanna rest as well?” He asks, grabbing his duffel bag from the backseat. Gilbert grabs his as well, following Antonio to the room.     “I’m probably gonna get some shut eye, then I’ll do some research. I’m waking you up in a few hours so we can talk to the officers, though.” Gilbert tells him. Antonio nods and flops onto one of the beds. He’s almost instantly asleep. Gilbert rolls his eyes and lays on his own bed, closing his eyes and lulling himself to sleep. Next thing he knows he’s being woken up by Antonio, who is already dressed in a sharp suit.     “Wake up. So much for getting me up.” Antonio snickers and goes through his pile of fake IDs. “Who do you want to be this time? I was thinking this time I could be Agent John Smith. And you’ll be… Agent Fox Mulder.” He smirks and tosses the badge to a sleepy Gilbert, hitting him in the head.     “Asshole.” He snaps, picking it up and looking at his badge. “Yeah, yeah. Let me shower first, Smith.” He says the name with as much sarcasm as he can muster then climbs out of bed and takes a fast shower. He runs his fingers through his hair then pulls it into a short ponytail. “We’re both getting kinda shaggy. Is it time for haircuts? They’re not going to think we’re agents if we’re this shaggy.” He dresses and tucks his badge in his jacket pocket.     Antonio shrugs. “I kinda like it.” He pushes his hair behind his ears. “That’s why I’ve sat out of a few haircuts. I like having long hair, it’s just the middle stage that bothers me. I want to have it down to here.” He touches his mid back. Gilbert shrugs and chuckles softly, making sure they have everything.     Antonio drives them down to the police station, getting out. Gilbert tells him to go to the last crime scene while he talks to the police. Antonio sighs softly and drives to the address that was given to him. He steps out of the car and looks at a large, victorian style house. The large gate around it would have intimidated many people,  but not Antonio. He actually appreciates the style, if he ever decides to have a normal life, he wants a victorian styled house.     Antonio pulls out a gun loaded with salt and an EMF detector before heading into the house. He walks through the house until his detector starts to squeal at him. His stomach fills with dread and he can’t place why. He looks up, stepping toward the little statue in the corner. He picks it up and looks at it, wondering why it looks so familiar to him. He doesn’t hear the absolute shrieking of the EMF nor the voice suddenly behind him. Next thing he knows he’s waking up in an unfamiliar room.     Antonio rubs the back of his head and sighs softly, getting up. He frowns, looking down at the old fashioned clothes he’s wearing. He doesn’t remember changing, so he assumes that whatever ambushed him changed him. He doesn’t see the statue anywhere. Antonio slowly walks around the room, trying to find his gun. He blinks again, wondering why his head is so fuzzy.     The door opens and a man walks in carrying the statue from before. Antonio’s breath is caught in his throat when he sees the handsome man. Arthur looks up at Antonio and tilts his head to the side. “I didn’t think you’d be awake yet. I’m sorry, love, we always meet like this. I just miss you.” He whispers. Antonio’s eyebrows come together.     “Do I know you?” He asks in confusion, stepping forward. “You’re the ghost. You’re the ghost of the manor. What… What are you talking about. Always meeting like this? You miss me?” Antonio doesn’t have any weapons, so his best bet is to placate the ghost until Gilbert can come and save him. Arthur looks into Antonio’s eyes then down at his statue, holding it protectively. Antonio’s eyes flick to the statue then back to Arthur. “Are you tied to the statue?” He asks softly. Arthur looks at him then nods, holding it against his chest.     “You should know me. But you don’t remember. Come with me.” Arthur walks down the hallway, stopping and looking back at Antonio. “I won’t hurt you. I didn’t hurt you before, you passed out and I moved you.” Arthur nods at him. “Come on, I need to show you who you really are.” He gently holds his elbow and leads Antonio into a large room. There’s portraits on the walls and albums of photographs. A stack of yellowing newspapers sits on the table in the middle of the room, and a few fresh ones are sitting beside it.     “What is this?” Antonio asks, eyes flicking over an old portrait. He recognizes himself in the portrait and gasps softly. Arthur looks up at it and turns to him.     “That’s you. It’s your first incarnation.” Arthur smiles a bit. “I got it painted for you when we first fell in love. It was in 1839. You were working in one of the factories and you were so dirty. But even so, I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. Your eyes, that’s what got me. Then it was your smile. You had dirt coating your entire body. I invited you to take a bath at my house and you agreed to come with me. You died of tuberculosis. I was heartbroken.” Arthur starts. Antonio glances at Arthur then back at the painting.     “I look like a bum.” Antonio responds, stepping closer. His hair is messy around his face, his face is covered in muck. “Was I in England?” He asks, turning to Arthur. He has no reason not to believe Arthur. The painting looks just like him. He turns to the next one. “Is this another reincarnation of me?” He asks softly, eyes roving over the gilded frame. His eyes flick over the acrylic.     Arthur laughs softly. “You were a bum.” He whispers. He follows him over to the next one. “This one was after I died and became a ghost. I was run over by a carriage. I still have the headline. I died a few years after you.” He glances at Antonio then back at the painting. “This was 1860. You just turned 19 when you ran into me. You were an author and had some kind of obsession with my life, I guess. You moved into my house even though for 14 years no one would even look at it, for fear of getting haunted. You moved into my house in hopes of writing a biography of me. Your art was subpar, but you drew me. It was cute. Here, hold this.” He hands his statue to Antonio. The Spaniard gasps, taking it gently. He looks at the statue. Antonio could destroy it, but he feels himself wanting to hear more.     “Here it is.” He pulls out a book and shows it to Antonio. “‘The Life of Arthur Kirkland’ by Anthony Del Castillo. Look, this is how you drew me.” He opens the book and lets Antonio look at the pictures, taking back the statue while he does it. “I let you talk to me. You had the best biography out there. But it didn’t do well. You died a poor, starved author. You couldn’t afford the house, let alone a house like mine.” He whispers, looking at him with saddened eyes. “I was collecting newspapers trying to find you again, but you didn’t resurface a third time for a while. I finally found news of you in America, so I grabbed my statue and shipped myself to the town you lived in. You were a guitarist that was becoming popular but you refused to move towns. It was 1920. I have pictures of you after that. I got many portraits of you made when I was alive, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”     “Anyway… Back in 1920 I came to America finally. You were under a different name, but your picture was unmistakably you. You were Augustus Martinez that year.” Arthur moves to the stacks of newspapers. “Guitarist extraordinaire. You were amazing, though you weren’t happy to see me. You didn’t believe me in that incarnation. The next time was the 1970s. You were a girl.” Arthur hides his smile behind his hand. “You were born in England again. It was harder to figure it out that time, but there’s no way I couldn’t recognize your eyes and smile. It’s why I feel in love in the first place.” He nods at Antonio and smiles. “Isabel Ruby Garcia. You were an exotic dancer. You lived in this tiny apartment. You once again wanted nothing to do with a ghost, but at least you listened that time. Then you promptly threatened me with hunters until I left. I don’t have records of that one other than a few ticket stubs from where you worked.”     Antonio stares at him, listening intently. He nods a bit and looks at the newer newspapers. “Did you know I was a hunter? Did you do all these things to bring me here?” He asks irritably, suddenly remembering where he is and what he’s talking to. Arthur looks at him, slightly stunned.     “No, I didn’t know you were a hunter until you stood in my room with EMF. That wasn’t very polite, by the way, roughhousing with my statue. I need it to be safe and you tried to kill me.” Arthur pouts slightly. “I grabbed these because I realized someone was pulling shit in the town I live in. I wanted to stop them before you assholes showed up. But then you were there and I couldn’t even control myself, I was trying to talk to you. You passed out, I wasn’t sure why. I put you in more comfortable clothes, well I thought they would be, then waited for you to wake up. And then you did. What is your name this time?” He asks.     “Antonio Carriedo-Fernandez.” He responds. “I’m a hunter. I came here to get a ghost. How do I know you are telling the truth about not killing everyone? This is the place the last death happened in. How should I know that you aren’t killing people to get my attention?” He growls softly, backing up. Arthur sighs softly and hands over his statue.     “I’m not killing anybody. There’s an angry human doing it, it’s not me. It’s not a ghost. It’s a human. People are blaming me because they know I’m a ghost. It’s not me.” He whispers, getting close to Antonio. Antonio clutches the statue tightly and looks over the stuff around him. He looks back at Arthur. “O...Okay… I believe you.”     Arthur glares slightly. “Good. Now…” His gaze softens. “Are you going to stay here with me? I can’t… I can’t let you go and get killed now…” He whispers. “Now I know where you are…” He looks up at the ceiling when he hears noise upstairs. Antonio sets the statue down and shakes his head.     “I have to protect the world. I can’t stay here with you.” Antonio mumbles, looking away. “You’ll just have to find me again in the next life. And this time, maybe I’ll be doing something where I can lose my time to a ghost. But this life… It’s not good for that. Maybe I’ll be an author again…” He heads up the stairs. Arthur watches him go and sighs softly. Antonio is almost out the door when he feels intense pain in his temple and hears the thud as he hits the floor before everything goes black.

[sundayera7-blog]

2019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 40

Heavy sigh. The Cubs lost last night. That hasn’t been happening very much the last month. Once again, when they did lose, the bullpen was under the microscope. To be fair, the Cubs had the lead late and then gave it up. No bullpen is going to be perfect, but two different Cubs relievers gave up homers in the same game and that’s going to draw attention. It wasn’t one pitcher that lead to the failure, it was multiple pitchers.

The Cubs bullpen isn’t great. But it has actually been pretty good. Brandon Kintzler, who allowed the first of the homers last night, has actually been very good. But he’s had a little bit of trouble with the long ball. For his career, 12.5% of his fly balls allowed have been homers. This year, that is all of the way up to 23.1%. Joe hasn’t really used Brandon in the highest leverage spots, so Kintzler appears to be being used about the way he would even if the Cubs had injured Pedro Strop and either injured Brandon Morrow or some other back end option. Despite the homer problems, Kintzler has a 2.29 ERA and a 4.07 FIP. There is no world in which he isn’t going to remain a part of this Cubs pen and he’s done well enough to justify the largely medium leverage spots that he’s been handed.

Carl Edwards Jr. allowed the other home run. Joe and the Cubs brass is giving Carl every opportunity to be the pitcher he can be. Carl was battling his control a bit last night from what I could see. Then he appeared to not want to give in and walk Eugenio Suarez and he ended up throwing a meatball that Suarez deposited somewhere around Jupiter. (Sadly, this was one of two at bats I saw in the whole game). Carl just hasn’t gotten it done this year. As a whole, the bullpen that was available to the Cubs just wasn’t adequate last night. Morrow has been out forever, so I don’t really consider that being down a man in the pen. However, Strop is out. Steve Cishek was down because of heavy recent usage. It appears that Brad Brach may have been the choice for the ninth inning of this one had there been a save opportunity.

You’ll spread your own frustration where you choose to. But I’ll make this point. Yes, the Cubs bullpen was inadequate last night due to pieces that weren’t available. And if this were October and that was the best the Cubs have to offer, I’d be pretty frustrated with the Cubs front office. Strop will return. Cishek would be available if this were a playoff game. Morrow may or may not make any impact once he actually returns to the field. But the Cubs are running a four month audition in the bullpen for who will actually be there when the Cubs do make it back to the playoffs. That’s when all of this will matter. Barring a striking turn of events, Carl Edwards Jr. wouldn’t be there if this were a playoff game. The Cubs front office (and every other good front office with adequate resources) adds relief pitchers every year at the trade deadline. This year will be no exception. With the way this team has played, very much like 2016, the Cubs will surely tap both their financial and their minor league resources to bring in at least one high end piece and possibly a mid level piece as well.

Also note this. The hitters available to the Cubs weren’t adequate. With Joe wanting Willson Contreras to get a full day off, there weren’t a good number of bats available either. Ben Zobrist remains on indefinite leave. Anthony Rizzo isn’t available. Daniel Descalso has been at least a little bit limited for almost two weeks. We saw this last year with the Cubs too. When they aren’t fully healthy, some of the players get exposed. For all of the offensive talent that the Cubs deploy, guys like Albert Almora Jr., Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Addison Russell, not to mention Zobrist and Descalso, are all better players when Joe has a full compliment of options and he can mix and match to try to optimize matchups.

So to make my point, I’m not angry that the bullpen was inadequate last night. I’m going to say that the whole team that was put on the field last night wasn’t adequate. They didn’t have enough weapons on either side of the ball. Yet, there they were leading 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning. They damn near won a fourth straight game with their worst starter, a lineup that was only a couple notches up from a split squad spring training game and a depleted bullpen. So you’ll pardon me while I’m not panicking in the streets. They lost a game. I suspect that’ll happen dozens more time this year. I’d certainly rather they were losing the ones when they were short handed than the ones where all hands were on deck and they just weren’t getting the job done.

With that, we turn our attention to yesterday’s game as we look at what WPA had to say about Heroes and Goats. As always the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added — here’s a good explanation of how WPA works) and are not in any way subjective. Many days WPA will not tell the story of what happened, but often it can give at least a glimpse to who rose to the occasion in a high leverage moment or who didn’t get the job done in that moment. Also note, for the purposes of Heroes and Goats, we ignore the results of pitchers while they are batting and hitters while they are pitching. With that, we get to the results.

Game 40, May 15: Cubs 5 at Reds 6 (25-15)

THREE HEROES:

Superhero: Addison Russell (.218). Addison had his first really good night at the plate since being back. He had two hits including a two-run homer. He scored twice. Addison still has a very tiny 15 plate appearances since coming back, but he has a wRC+ of 148 to date. Don’t be surprised if he starts seeing a bit more frequent playing time.

Hero: Yu Darvish (.118). Yu should have been the story of this game, but it got lost in the bullpen collapse. He threw 5⅓ innings and allowed five hits, two runs and struck out 11. Importantly, he didn’t walk anyone. Even with this performance, he’s got a BB/9 of 7.07 which would be higher even than the worst rate of his career (last year at 4.73).

Sidekick: Kyle Schwarber (.115). Kyle had a solo homer and also drew a walk in four plate appearances. Kyle gets a lot of ire for his slow start to the season. Over 138 plate appearances he has a wRC+ of 93.

THREE GOATS:

Billy Goat: Carl Edwards Jr. (-.259). One inning pitched, one hit, one run, one strike out. He also allowed an inherited to score.

Goat: Brad Brach (-.225). Brach threw the ninth and then started the 10th. He threw a perfect ninth, but then allowed two walks (one intentional) and two singles (one would have surely been more than a single had it not been a walk off) while only recording one out in the 10th.

Kid: Willson Contreras (-.138). He pinch hit in the top of the 10th with a runner on first and two outs and grounded out to the pitcher.

WPA Play of the Game: Carl Edwards Jr. was summoned to face Eugenio Suarez with a runner on first and no outs in the eighth inning. The Cubs were leading 5-3. He allowed a moon shot home run. (.366) Carl already has two of the five largest negative WPA events of the Cubs season which is now one-quarter complete.

*Cubs Play of the Game: Addison Russell’s two-run homer in the second inning off of Reds starter Sonny Gray. (.203)

Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3:

Up Next: The Cubs will try to keep their consecutive series won streak going, but they’ll need a win against the Reds top pitcher to do it. The Reds will look for a second consecutive series win.

Jose Quintana gets the start for the Cubs. Jose is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA in 46⅓ innings of work on the year. Last time out he was tagged with a loss against the Brewers. In that one he threw 6⅔ innings and allowed four hits, three walks and three runs. He struck out six. Q faced the Reds four times in 2018 and he was 2-2 and allowed eight runs in 22 innings. Just one year ago (5/19), he threw seven shutout innings allowing only one hit in Cincinnati. Current Reds have 147 plate appearances against Jose with a .757 OPS. Jose Iglesias has the most plate appearances at 27 (.630 OPS). One batter who has done well against Q is Joey Votto, who just loves Cubs pitching, (14 PA, 1.286 OPS). One batter who has struggled is Jose Peraza (14, .429).

The Reds send their young ace Luis Castillo to the hill. Luis is 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in 56⅓ innings. Last time out, he threw six shutout innings in San Francisco, allowing only two hits and five walks. He struck out 11. He hasn’t been charged with a loss since his second start of the year way back on April 3 against the Brewers. Despite his strong performances on the year, the Reds are only 5-4 when he starts. Last year, Luis faced the Cubs five times and was 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA in 43⅔ innings. The 26-year-old right-hander has taken a giant step forward in his development though in 2019.

Castillo has allowed only a .410 OPS in 108 plate appearances to right handed hitters. He’s allowed a .597 OPS in 112 plate appearances to left handed hitters. Hopefully, Anthony Rizzo can return to the lineup tonight. That said, Anthony has the most plate appearances against Castillo. In 16 PA, he has just a .466 OPS. One Cub who has hit Castillo well is Daniel Descalso (12, 1.517). Kyle Schwarber also has two home runs in just nine PA against the young Reds ace.

This looks like a tough one. Hopefully the Cubs can stay just hot enough to squeak one out.

Poll

Who was the Cubs Player of the Game?

16%

Addison Russell

(6 votes)

78%

Yu Darvish

(29 votes)

2%

Kyle Schwarber

(1 vote)

0%

Albert Almora Jr.

(0 votes)

2%

Other

(1 vote)

37 votes total Vote Now

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/5/16/18627653/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-40

[365footballorg-blog]

Los Angeles Football Club vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview

August 16, 20184:56PM EDT

LAFC vs. Colorado Rapids 2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 25 Banc of California Stadium — Los Angeles August 19 – 10 pm ET WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

After a big midweek win against Real Salt Lake, LAFC have a chance to climb level on points with first-place FC Dallas in the Western Conference with a win Sunday. But they face a Colorado Rapids side unbeaten in their last three following a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy on Tuesday.

This will be the first-ever meeting between LAFC and the Rapids. Both clubs have picked up 12 points since July 1, tied for the fourth most of any Western Conference team, per Opta. 

LAFC

All LAFC (11-7-6) needed to put an end to a five-match winless streak in league play was to call on Superman.

Christian Ramirez, who arrived back home in Southern California in a trade with Minnesota United on August 6, struck for a brace in his first start for his new club in a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake. Ramirez, who actually had an additional goal called back for offside, opened his account in the 13th minute and doubled LAFC’s lead on the half-hour mark in a comprehensive win.

“Tonight, before the game, I challenged for more concentration, more intensity, more helping each other on the field, more leadership, and all of those things,” Bob Bradley said. “At halftime, I said we needed a shutout, so rather than coming in and talking a lot about football, I want to say that the players responded really well to the challenges.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: M – Eduard Atuesta, D – Walker Zimmerman

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: GK – Quillan Roberts (right fibular fracture), M – Mark-Anthony Kaye (fractured ankle); QUESTIONABLE: F – Adama Diomande (left hamstring irritation)

Projected Starting XI (4-3-3, right to left) GK: Tyler Miller — Steven Beitashour, Danilo Silva, Laurent Ciman, Jordan Harvey — Benny Feilhaber, Andre Horta, Lee Nguyen — Carlos Vela, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi

Notes: LAFC now have four different players with multi-goal games in MLS play this season, tied for the most of any club. … LAFC’s 2-0 win on Wednesday snapped a five-game winless run of the club in which they allowed 2+ goals in four of the five matches. They have not won consecutive MLS games since June.

Colorado Rapids

Ten days after beating the LA Galaxy in Commerce City, the Colorado Rapids (6-12-6) rallied to earn a 2-2 draw in Carson Tuesday night.

Ashley Cole put the hosts in front in the 59th minute, but Edgar Castillo leveled in the 74th minute. After Sebastian Lletget put LA back in front four minutes later, Castillo set up Niki Jackson’s dramatic equalizer in the 82nd minute.

“Obviously incredibly pleased, I’m just incredibly proud of how the team have been working over the last five or six games,” Anthony Hudson said. “I think it was important when we came into this game tonight that, and I’ve said this for quite some time, we have to start backing ourselves and believing in what we’re doing, showing confidence and I think we did that tonight.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: F – Jack McBean, D – Danny Wilson, D – Kortne Ford

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: D – Axel Sjoberg (knee injury); QUESTIONABLE: F – Giles Barnes (ankle injury); PROBABLE: M – Kellyn Acosta (ankle injury), F – Shkelzen Gashi (Achilles injury), D – Edgar Castillo (hamstring injury), F – Jack McBean (hamstring injury), D – Danny Wilson (illness), M – Jack Price (groin injury), F – Yannick Boli (illness)

Projected Starting XI (4-3-1-2, right to left) GK: Tim Howard — Kortne Ford, Danny Wilson, Tommy Smith, Edgar Castillo — Kellyn Acosta, Jack Price, Johan Blomberg — Dillon Serna — Sam Nicholson, Jack McBean

Notes: Jack Price attempted 110 passes against the LA Galaxy on Tuesday, the most by any Colorado player in league play since 2010 (inc. playoffs). He completed 95.5% of his passes, the second-highest completion percentage for a Rapids player since 2010 (min. 70 pass attempts). … Colorado have scored two goals in three straight MLS matches (2W-1D), their longest multi-goal streak in MLS play since doing so in four straight in April 2016 (83 league games since).

All-Time Series

This is the first all-time meeting between Los Angeles Football Club and the Colorado Rapids.

Officials

Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant Referees: Eric Weisbrod, Jose Da Silva 4th Official: Daniel Radford VAR: Alex Chilowicz

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MLSsoccer.com News

Los Angeles Football Club vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview was originally published on 365 Football

[wavenetinfo]

The Baltimore Orioles kept insisting they would turn things around and break out of their slump. Maybe this is a start.

Welington Castillo hit his first career grand slam and drove in a personal-best five runs, and the Orioles snapped a six-game losing streak with a rain-delayed 10-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Castillo gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead with his drive against Miguel Gonzalez (4-8) in the fifth inning and helped prevent them from matching their longest slide of the season. Baltimore also evened its record at 32-32 after falling below .500 for the first time since Oct. 3, 2015.

“We needed a win, we got one today and hopefully we can keep it rolling,” Dylan Bundy said.

The Orioles have been struggling since a 22-10 start.

Things weren’t looking good for them early on, after Matt Davidson homered in his third straight game to help Chicago grab a 5-1 lead. But the Orioles turned this one around, pounding out 13 hits and overcoming two errors on the way to a lopsided victory.

Trey Mancini had a double and two singles. He scored three runs and drove in one.

Mark Trumbo added two hits and two runs, and a shaky Dylan Bundy (7-5) got the support he needed. The right-hander picked up the win after going 1-4 in his previous six starts. He gave up five runs and six hits in five innings.

Gonzalez got pounded for eight runs – matching his highest total since June 25, 2016 – and nine hits over five innings. The right-hander is 1-8 in his past nine starts.

“I’ve been there before and I’ve had success,” he said. “Right now I’m struggling. I just have to keep working between my starts and hopefully everything will turn around.”

The game was delayed 90 minutes at the start. And after getting outscored a combined 16-8 by the White Sox over the previous two games, the Orioles looked like they might get blown out again.

They jumped into it by scoring three in the fourth, with Hyun Soo Kim’s two-run single cutting it to 5-4. Castillo got caught in a rundown between second and third on the play for the third out, but did he ever make up for it in the fifth.

Gonzalez retired the first two batters before giving up singles to Trumbo and Mancini and walking Jonathan Schoop. That brought up Castillo, whose towering grand slam to the bushes beyond the center-field wall gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead.

“(Castillo) has had had a track record of that for awhile,” manager Buck Showalter said. “You always wonder how numbers are going to translate from league to league. He had to learn a lot of new hitters and new pitchers. … He’s been a quick study. Very easy to pull for, really good teammate.”

GOING DEEP

Chicago’s Alen Hanson hit his first career homer in the ninth, but the Orioles got the win they needed.

DAVIS TO DL

The Orioles placed slugging first baseman Chris Davis on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right oblique. Davis – batting .226 with 14 homers and 26 RBIs – exited Monday’s loss to Chicago. He had trouble sleeping Tuesday night and probably won’t start treatment for a few days, manager Buck Showalter said.

The Orioles selected infielder David Washington’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and transferred outfielder Anthony Santander from the 10-day to the 60-day DL because of a strained right forearm.

MINAYA SENT DOWN

The White Sox optioned Juan Minaya to Triple-A Charlotte after the game. He has an 8.10 ERA in seven relief appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: Manager Buck Showalter held OF Seth Smith out of the lineup for the second straight game because he’s “not 100 percent,” though he wouldn’t say what the issue was.

White Sox: James Shields is ready to return to the Chicago White Sox’s rotation. The 35-year-old right-hander is scheduled to start Sunday at Toronto after being sidelined the past two months because of a strained right back muscle.

UP NEXT

The Orioles and White Sox wrap up a four-game series, with RHP Chris Tillman (1-4, 8.01 ERA) starting for Baltimore and LHP David Holmberg (1-0, 2.74) pitching for Chicago.

———

More AP baseball coverage: http://ift.tt/2nfDW5O

15 June 2017 | 6:15 am

Source : ABC News

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); June 15, 2017 at 12:45PM

[faedawayyy]

next generation updated

i’m going to split next generation into “mains” and then “secondary”. my main muses for next generation are familiar to most and have a lot of connections. my secondary ones aren’t as familiar or are new but i want to try them out. there’ll obviously be more bc tumblr allows that whereas twitter is limiting! you may also see faceclaim updates.

brett jackson - MAIN

son of dallas and npc  goldcoast academy  dating ally  brief: him and dallas have a very dysfunctional relationship, since about 17, he’s been left to fend for himself.

peter carmichael - MAIN

son of kendall and mason  liberty academy  dating bianca...but it’s getting tense  brief: after mason and kendall took so long to conceive a child, him and his sister have been brought up to be able to do whatever they want...thanks to this, peter’s kind of a dick.

fleur carmichael - MAIN

daughter of disney and brody  academia burgundy  single/bisexual  brief: the twins are exactly like their parents in all of the worst ways. deceiving, spoilt, overly headstrong and opinionated. they both know their gorgeous and will manipulate the fuck out of situations as much as they possibly can. even if it includes hurting each other. 

judah cruz mendoza - MAIN

son of blake and christelle  st judes academy  single/gay  brief: judah always grew up feeling like he’d disappoint his family if he was true to who he really was. he’s now learnt that he spent 17 years stressing about nothing because he has the most awesome and supportive family behind him. he’s now just doing his best to live his life to the full and be his true self.

finn carmichael - SECONDARY FOR NOW

son of miles and npc wife  diamond bridge academy  single/heterosexual  brief: finn feels like being the child of miles means the rest of his family doesn’t take him seriously. he WILL be a main muse, i just need time to play with him but i’m drawing a lot of muse from young chuck bass.

ethan harwood - MAIN 

son of nate and npc  liberty academy  single/heterosexual�� brief: ethan is still cocky as shit. i don’t know what to tell you. he sleeps around and is very cocky, getting into liberty hasn’t helped that.

kitty lee henshaw - MAIN

daughter of anthony and natasha  academia burgundy  bisexual/single  brief: kitty moved to academia burgundy to be closer to victoria, her best friend who she’s desperately in love with. she’s counting on it working between them now that addy is out of the way.

tammy castillo - MAIN

daughter of maria and rory (?) gold coast academy  single/bisexual  brief: tammy is the younger sister of callie...big shoes to fill...so it’s a good thing she really doesn’t want to fill them. she’s desperate for her own identity and cannot stand her sister at all.

callie castillo - MAIN

daughter of maria and rory (?)  st judes academy  dating carter/heterosexual  brief: callie is doing her best to hold on to her high school popularity. she hates the feeling of her clique moving on and she’s now being forced to face the insecurities she used to run from.

nicolas hughes - SECONDARY 

son of ezra and natalie  academia burgundy  single/heterosexual  brief: despite his parents never being together, he grew up loved and supported by both and has a good connection with both sides of the family as well as their parents new partners/children. he has dreams of becoming a famous actor like both parents and is working his ass off to get there.

aiden nilsen - MAIN

son of kristofer and npc  st judes academy  dating haley/bisexual  brief: he’s very attached to specific people and can be very toxic. because haley has left and gone to gold coast, he’ll probably find somebody new to attach to.

rowan west - MAIN

son of hensley and evan (?)  gold coast academy  single  brief: he’s doing his best to do better after a messy relationship with ally. he’s got a lot of trust issues and is mainly focusing on his career, he genuinely wants a new start and to do better.

yasmin quinn - MAIN  TW: RAPE

daughter of brielle and npc  liberty academy  single/bi brief: yasmin was born out of assault. things went too far when brielle was working at the strip club and one member who was particularly fascinated with her ended up assualting her and she fell pregnant. brielle kept it a secret for as long as she could and decided to keep her daughter..but that brought a lot of trauma and disconnect in their relationship. yasmin has never had a solid connection with her mother and, most of the time, quinn spent her childhood living with one of brielle’s close friends (soraya) as brielle couldnt always cope with her.

sabrina richards - SECONDARY FOR NOW 

daughter of ansel and npc  west ivys  dating brielle/lesbian  brief: sabrina has always been the girl to fade in the background and she’s struggling to have the confidence to break out and be her own person. 

nadia calloway - SECONDARY FOR NOW 

daughter of eloise and npc  willow house  hooking up w jaz/bi  brief: nadia decided to go to willow house just to experience something new. everyone expected her to go to liberty or diamond bridge, but her family already has money and she’s guaranteed success, she decided to go to willow house to free up those spaces for other people.

[thesportssoundoff]

“Watch This Show, Dudes” The UFC 223 preview

Joey

April 1st, 2018

Fights: 13

Debuts: 1 (Mike Rodriguez)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Mairbek Taisumov OUT, Olivier Aubin Mercier IN vs Evan Dunham)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 16 (Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rose Namajunas, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Anthony Pettis, Michael Chiesa, Al Iaquinta, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Felice Herrig, Ray Borg, Brandon Moreno, Joe Lauzon, Evan Dunham, Alex Caceres, Artem Lobov, Bec Rawlings)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 5  (Bec Rawlings, Joe Lauzon, Chris Gruetzmacher, Alex Caceres, Artem Lobov)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC:  9 (Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Rose Namajunas, Calvin Kattar, Al Iaquinta, Paul Felder,Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Felice Herrig, Zabit Magomedsharipov)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 21-6

Tony Ferguson- 3-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov- 3-0 Renato Moicano- 3-0 Calvin Kattar- 2-0 Michael Chiesa- 2-1 Anthony Pettis- 2-4 Al Iaquinta- 1-0 Paul Felder- 5-1

Too High Up- Karolina Kowalkawiecz vs Felice Herrig

I get it I get it. The winner of this fight could in theory be the #1 contender given the dearth of options at 115 lbs. Karolina K has a rivalry with Joanna and a win over Rose Namajunas so she's a natural fit. Felice Herrig is not the world's most exciting fighter by any stretch of the imagination but she has a pretty sizable winning streak going and has a cult-ish following-ish out there. Here's the problem; this division doesn't produce many finishes if at all. It's a dry division when it comes to fight finishes as evidenced by its recent stretch of split decisions and so-so fights. This is the prelim headliner to get us into the PPV. You probably want a really exciting back and forth fight or a killer finish to get us into the PPV all hot and bothered. It's just not going to happen here chances are. I get putting it on the FS1 prelims but I'd prefer a different headliner.

Too Low- Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Kyle Bochniak

So let's talk about Zabit Magomedsharipov right quick. He's a really talented 145er. It would not be a stretch to suggest that Magomedsharipov right NOW is a top 10 featherweight just without the wins to prove it. He can wrestle, he's a funky flashy striker and when it's on the ground, he's just swamping dudes with ease. He hasn't been tested yet which is why Kyle Bochniak, the sort of dude who can live as a high level gatekeeper, is a great matchup for him. The problem? Magomedsharipov is not blessed with the sort of personality that sells and has no home market to go to where he's insanely marketable. Making matters worse is he's the ultimate low reward high risk for a fighter in an era where fighters are choosier than ever before. As such, he's buried on the prelims on Fight Pass. I know Magomedsharipov is a no sell type of fighter but you HAVE to at least try. Put him on FS1.

Stat Monitor for 2018: Debuting Fighters (Current number: 7-11):  Mike Rodriguez

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 7-3): Olivier Aubin Mercier

Second Fight (Current number: 9-10):

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 5-9):  Al Iaquinta

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 12-9): Khabib Nurmagomedov

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- What is a fair buyrate for this event? This is Khabib's first shot as a headliner in any capacity (although he did co-main the NYE card) so right off the jump, we're in uncharted waters. Tony Ferguson has headlined events in the past and his first PPV fight vs a guy with no real name value did in the low 200K range. Joanna Champion as a co-main event has been apart of some major shows but without the BIG main event, she's been a comfortable support for events that do in the 300K range. This isn't the big numbers of 2015 and 2016 either so what's a fair buy rate? I'm thinking low 300Ks would be a success for this show. This is an awesome card people SHOULD be excited for. If they're not excited for it then I just dunno what to say to y'all, man.

2- On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it that Conor faces the winner?

3- What can be said of this main event? I don't think it's unrealistic to refer to Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov as the most proven pure talent fight since Garbrandt vs Dillashaw back in November. It might even blow by that fight as well. There's seriously no title fight I've been as excited for as this one; Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson is the title fight that MMA fans have been waiting for for the most part since the end of 2016. Khabib vs T-Ferg features the best wrestler at 155 lbs vs the division's most compelling submission grappler. Two of the best cardio machines in the entire UFC clashing over five rounds, both with punishing styles in their own capacities. So much is made of Khabib's wrestling but the fact is that his striking on the feet is no joke either. Khabib can generate power in short distances and he's got this weird smothered forearm-y thing that he uses from time to time which does some damage (he kind of buzzed Thiago Tavares with one prior to the finish). On the other hand, Tony Ferguson is sort of the total package without the fight finishing one shit one kill power. He just overwhelms and overworks dudes with volume, intensity, a variety of attacks from a variety of different angles and a total "Not give a fuck" style of fighting. Get taken down? Whatevs. Get mounted? Whatevs. Get rocked? Whatevs. Ferguson is just one of those guys who has a tremendous belief in himself with the ability It's not entirely unrealistic to refer to this as a battle of stubborn (Khabib Nurmagomedov) vs creativity (Tony Ferguson). Khabib has a gameplan and he's going to try to implement it whereas Tony Ferguson seems like the sort of guy who ha sno idea what he plans on doing from one second to the next. He's the sort of dude who can make reads on the fly, adjust and adapt and find new ways to flummox a dude over the course of a twenty five minute fight. Making matters even more complicated is we have no idea if we've seen the best version of either guy yet.

4-  Can Ferguson get Khabib's neck ONE time and if so, is that all he'll need?

5- We know that Ferguson can get taken down. Kevin Lee, Danny Castillo, Yves Edwards all found ways to get Ferguson down even if just momentarily. He's very comfortable and adept in scrambles and I get the feeling even vs Khabib, he's not going to panic if he winds up on his back for a stretch of time. My question is----will Ferguson be willing to get taken down if it puts him in position to challenge with submissions? Against Danny Castillo, Ferguson was taken down quite a bit but always seemed to use that to chase a d'arce or a guillotine choke. If desperate, will Ferguson be willing to wrestle to try and find a submission attempt? Similarly what are Khabib's submission chops? He had opportunities I felt against Barboza to score a sub. I remember him having a shot or two against Darrell Horcher as well. Could he sub Ferguson?

6- It sounds like it was Joanna's idea to try to reclaim her title vs Rose Namajunas again. It's not the worst idea in the world but given her struggles with weight, why even risk it? You have to at least admire Joanna's heart and fighting spirit to give it another go at a weight class she's clearly uncomfortable with going forward.

7- I don't know if this is by design or what but I like the idea of using the 3rd fight on these cards to try and showcase a potential future star. It's somewhat slick; putting them in a PPV card in a high capacity spot where you can, in theory, showcase them to a new audience. It's an imperfect act that at least has some purpose behind it. Sean O'Malley at UFC 222 was a good use of the concept, same for Tai Tuivasa I suppose at 221. If the UFC website is to be believed then Dern is third on the PPV card for UFC 224 as well. Here you have Calvin Kattar, who has been ultra impressive through two UFC fights, getting the 3rd billing vs the fantastic Renato Moicano. It's a really good FW fight and with Ortega and Holloway mowing through every 145er on two legs; the winner of this fight could get a quick bump up. Moicano probably has had the most success of anybody vs Ortega so a rematch would be pretty juicy.

8- If you had to describe Anthony Pettis' legacy in one word, what would you use?

9- The UFC tends to be a pretty reactive organization when it comes to problems with fighters but some of the labor hawks they've had on their roster tend to not get much blowback. I wonder if that'll change with Al Iaquinta who by all accounts they really don't like. If he loses, it might get a touch awkward.

10- Mike Rodriguez has a lot of pressure on his shoulders after Magomed Anakaleav's failure in his UFC debut. 205 needs more guys getting their careers off on the right foot and Rodriguez can be another guy in that mix, fresh off of a 30 second DWTCS win. Trains with Joe Lauzon, has a 9-2 record and could be valuable as an East Coast attraction going forward.

11- Can somebody at 115 lbs please finish a fight? I'm not asking for too much here!

12- The failures of the likes of Elias Thoeodoru and Hakeem Dawodu turns the attention back to Olivier Aubin-Mercier as the young fighter by whom Canada turns its lonely eyes to. There's no doubt Olivier Aubin-Mercier can grapple as he's found plenty of success on the mat with four submission wins in his six UFC wins----but the problem is what happens when the grappling doesn't work. Mercier has showcased solid striking in the past but it's so infrequent and inconsistent that it's hard to really get a feel for how good he is. There's an element of panic to his game. Sometimes he doesn't respond well to pressure in his face and his first inclination is to grab at something and hope like hell the fight goes to the ground. Evan Dunham has only been submitted once in his UFC career, vs Donald Cerrone in a fight where he was pretty much dead on the feet at that point. This is a really good test for OAM.

Must Win

1- Tony Ferguson

I LOVE Tony Ferguson as a fighter and wish more people loved him. I even enjoy his stupid zany off the wall madness that he tends to produce outside of the cage. In a sport searching for guys who are "different", Ferguson is different and he's just so weird. On the other hand, it's obvious to me that the UFC doesn't see Ferguson the way I do----and perhaps the fans see him in the same spectrum the UFC does. Ferguson is not the chosen one at 155 lbs; that would be Khabib Nurmagomedov who may be the key to some Russian windfall. Ferguson is a bit like RDA; reliable and dependable but not "the guy" as the uFC attempts to find out who "the guy" at 155 lbs is. Ferguson needs to not be like every other Khabib opponent or risk the long road back that RDA had.

2- Michael Chiesa

So there's a little bit of an issue here with Michael Chiesa. Chiesa is clearly a good fighter and he's the kind of guy who can rack up win after win vs the mid levels of the division. Wins over Jim Miller, Beneil Dariush and Al Iaquinta (before he developed into the fighter he is today) suggest he can be one of the best fighters at 155 lbs. That said, every single time he gets a step up, he gets quickly checked back to base level. Losses to Masvidal, Joe Lauzon and Kevin Lee all put him back to trying to prove himself in a division where a backwards step can be a killer. THIS is the sort of fight that Chiesa has to win; it's a somewhat faded version of a guy who has become more of a struggling grappler over the past few years. This is a fight he pretty much has to win if he plans on really making a run at 155 lbs.

3- Karolina Kowalkiewicz

I really like Karolina K. I think it says a lot about you as a person if you DON'T like Karolina K. She's a fun fighter who has good action fights and has this great personality. The downside is that after wins over the likes of Rose Namajunas and Randa Markos, she lost two straight to the very good Claudia Gadelha and then champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She rebounded vs Jodie Esquibel but whether Esquibel is UFC quality remains to be seen at this point. Karolina gets Felice Herrig in what is on paper a UFC title contender fight.

Five Can't Miss Fights

1- Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

2- Zhabit Magomedsharipov vs Kyle Bochniak

3- Joanna Jedrzejcyk vs Rose Namajunas

4- Paul Felder vs Al Iaquinta

5- Ray Borg vs Brandon Moreno

[365footballorg-blog]

Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

July 2, 20184:05PM EDT

Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 19 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City July 4 – 9 pm ET WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

Two teams needing to quickly move up the Western Conference standings meet at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park where a Colorado Rapids team that won back-to-back games in three games without defeat, host Seattle Sounders FC, who have won just once in their last seven.

This is the second straight Fourth of July showdown between the Western foes, with the Sounders coming away with a 3-1 win last year. Clint Dempsey provided the fireworks with a pair of goals and an assist on Will Bruin’s 30th-minute goal.

Since joining MLS, Seattle are 6W-3L-1D in league matches at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. They were held scoreless just once – a 1-0 loss in May 2010, per Opta.

Colorado Rapids

Have the Rapids (4-9-3) turned the corner? They won their second straight game Sunday — and first away from home — by knocking off Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 1-0, at BC Place.

The lone goal came in the 43rd minute, an own goal by Marcel de Jong after a shot by Joe Mason that was saved by Brian Rowe, the ball caroming off de Jong and into his own net. Although the Whitecaps were unlucky not to equalize, the Rapids hung on for their second clean sheet of the season.

“From the position we were in, it’s just important that we pick up as many points as we can and I think we’re incredibly pleased with tonight,” Anthony Hudson said. “But because of this week that’s just about to start, the key for us now is total focus on recovery, professionalism and making sure we’re ready for Wednesday.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: D – Danny Wilson

International duty: None

Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: D – Marlon Hairston (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI (5-4-1, right to left) GK: Tim Howard — Bismark Boateng, Deklan Wynne, Axel Sjoberg, Tommy Smith, Edgar Castillo — Joe Mason, Jack Price, Danny Wilson, Sam Nicholson — Yannick Boli

Notes: The Rapids have won back-to-back games for the first time since June 2017, which is also the last time they won three league games in a row. … The Rapids have conceded 2+ goals in six straight MLS home matches (1W-4L-1D), tied for the longest such streak in team history.

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle (3-9-3) twice rallied from deficits before conceding with a little more than a quarter hour remaining in a 3-2 loss to the archrival Portland Timbers, who claimed three points at CenturyLink Field for the first time in MLS regular season play.

Nicolas Lodeiro assisted on equalizing goals by Victor Rodriguez and Chad Marshall, but defender Larrys Mabiala scored his second goal of the game in the 74th minute, leaping over Marshall to latch onto a Diego Valeri corner kick.

“The current state of affairs is not good,” Brian Schmetzer said. “We have to be realistic. It’s not good. We’ve really put ourselves in a hole. The work we do during the week to prepare for games, the effort I think the guys show, I think all of that is there. But at some point, we as coaches, need to take responsibility for what we do and players on the field need to take responsibility for what they do. We are not going to give up.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: M – Osvaldo Alonso, D – Nouhou Tolo, M – Cristian Roldan

International duty: M – Gustav Svensson

Injury Report: OUT: F – Jordan Morris (torn ACL), M – Handwalla Bwana (right midfoot sprain); QUESTIONABLE: D – Kelvin Leerdam (right hamstring strain), F – Felix Chenkam (right hamstring strain), M – Harry Shipp (right ankle sprain), GK – Stefan Frei (concussion), GK – Calle Brown (concussion)

Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left) GK: Bryan Meredith — Jordan McCrary, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Waylon Francis — Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan — Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez — Will Bruin

Notes: In 865 minutes with Lodeiro on the field this year the Sounders average 1.1 goals per 90 minutes, in almost 583 minutes without him that average drops to 0.3 goals per 90 minutes. … Seattle has not kept a clean sheet in their last eight league games (2W-5L-1D), their longest streak since going nine MLS games without a clean sheet in 2016.

All-Time Series

Overall: Colorado Rapids 5 wins, 24 goals … Seattle Sounders FC 15 wins, 40 goals … 2 draws

At Colorado: Rapids 3 wins, 15 goals … Sounders FC 6 wins, 18 goals … 1 draw

Last meeting at Colorado: Colorado Rapids 1, Seattle Sounders FC 3 (July 4, 2017)

Officials

Referee: Fotis Bazakos Assistant Referees: Peter Manikowski, Cory Richardson 4th Official: Robert Sibiga VAR: Alex Chilowicz

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Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview was originally published on 365 Football

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Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview

June 28, 20183:59PM EDT

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids 2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 18 BC Place — Vancouver July 1 – 7 pm ET WATCH: TSN 1/4, ESPN+

The winless streak is no more for the Colorado Rapids, who dramatically defeated Minnesota United, 3-2, for their first victory since April 14 — an agonizing stretch of nine winless games.

They head to BC Place to take on an angry Vancouver Whitecaps FC side that had a six-match unbeaten streak snapped Saturday night in a 4-0 drubbing by the Philadelphia Union.

Vancouver has gotten a result in seven of their last eight league meetings with the Rapids (4W-1L-3D), scoring multiple goals in all of but two of those games, per Opta.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

After back-to-back wins preceded by four straight draws, Vancouver (6-6-5) suffered their second most lopsided loss of the season, falling to the Union, 4-0. The Whitecaps finished the match with nine men after Jose Aja and Yordy Reyna received red cards inside the final 20 minutes.

The ‘Caps were outshot 25-2 and failed to put an attempt on frame on a night to forget in Chester.

“Football is a strange game,” Robinson said. “Two weeks ago, we were on Cloud Nine and people thought we were at a certain level, which I knew we weren’t and this week people are disappointed, the players are disappointed and we’re not at that level either. We’re somewhere in between. It’s important you refocus and get back to work.”

Suspended: D – Jose Aja, M – Yordy Reyna

Suspended after next caution: D – Jose Aja, D – Kendall Waston

International duty: D – Kendall Waston

Injury Report: OUT: GK – Stefan Marinovic (left knee sprain); PROBABLE: D – Marcel de Jong (left hamstring strain)

Projected Starting XI (4-4-2, right to left) GK: Brian Rowe — Jake Nerwinski, Aly Ghazal, Doneil Henry, Brek Shea — Cristian Techera, Jordon Mutch, Felipe, Alphonso Davies — Kei Kamara, Anthony Blondell

Notes: In his last four games, Alphonso Davies has five goals+assists, four of which came in a 5-2 win against Orlando. He had five goals+assists in his first 47 appearances. … The Whitecaps have suffered just one home loss this season (3W-3D) and are sixth in MLS in both goals per home game (2.0) and xG per home game (2.3).

Colorado Rapids

Trailing by a goal after 65 minutes, it looked like the Rapids (3-9-3) would suffer a similar fate as the last two months when they dropped eight games in a row. But Joe Mason leveled in the 74th minute and Miguel Ibarra was sent off for his part in a post-goal scrum. Tommy Smith then netted the dramatic winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time to lift Colorado to a 3-2 win over the Loons Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

First-year coach Anthony Hudson has lauded his team’s approach despite the doldrums and the Rapids were finally rewarded for their work. Now they’ll try to avenge a 2-1 defeat at Vancouver on June 1.

“We showed a huge amount of character to keep going and force the issue and force the result in the end,” Hudson said. “I think we’re showing some strong signs in these games, we’re taking leads and we’re coming back. We’re responding very well. The signs are good for us and I think we need to build on the character from what we showed on Saturday.”

Suspended: None

Suspended after next caution: D – Danny Wilson

International duty: None

Injury Report: OUT: D – Kortne Ford (left MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: Axel Sjoberg (concussion), D – Marlon Hairston (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI (3-5-2, right to left) GK: Tim Howard — Deklan Wynne, Danny Wilson, Tommy Smith — Marlon Hairston, Johan Blomberg, Jack Price, Sam Nicholson, Edgar Castillo — Dominique Badji, Jack McBean

Notes: Last weekend, Jack Price became just the seventh Rapids player since 2010 to create 6+ chances in a MLS match and the first to do so since Shkëlzen Gashi in 2015. … The Rapids snapped a nine-game winless run with their 3-2 win last weekend. They have scored as many goals in their last two games (1W-1D) as they had in their prior eight (8L).

All-Time Series

Overall: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7 wins, 26 goals … Colorado Rapids 9 wins, 28 goals … 4 draws

At Vancouver: Whitecaps FC 6 wins, 20 goals … Rapids 2 wins, 13 goals … 3 draws

Last meeting at Vancouver: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Colorado Rapids 1 (Sept. 23, 2017)

Officials

Referee: Nima Saghafi Assistant Referees: Eric Weisbrod, TJ Zablocki 4th Official: Daniel Radford VAR: Katja Koroleva

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Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids | 2018 MLS Match Preview was originally published on 365 Football

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Anthony Hudson finds reason for optimism despite defeat in CCL opener

[embedded content]

February 21, 20181:33PM EST

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It wasn’t the result the Colorado Rapids needed or wanted, but Tuesday night’s performance in a 2-0 home defeat to Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 series gave debutant coach Anthony Hudson reasons for optimism.

“What I do is, I come away from this feeling very positive about where we’re at today,” Hudson said. “The first three and a half weeks spent with a new team has been spent working on the foundation of the team and getting things organized. We’re just scratching the surface of where we’re at.”

Colorado debuted Hudson’s base 5-3-2 formation along with six new players in the starting XI: forward Jack McBean, midfielders Jack Price and Enzo Martinez and defenders Deklan Wynne, Tommy Smith and Edgar Castillo.

“I think you could see at times it was gelling, but we’ve still got work to do,” said Price, who signed from English Championship side Wolverhampton this offseason. “But it’s coming together. We’ve got close to 12 new players and six new starters. Like I said, it’ll come together.”

In his Rapids debut, Price did well to connect passes in the central midfield in addition to serving as the team’s primary taker of corner kicks.

Perhaps more impressive was Martinez. Signed earlier this week, he returns to MLS after being originally drafted by Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake in 2012. After a successful stint in the USL with Rapids affiliate Charlotte Independence, Martinez has impressed enough in the preseason to have earned starter’s minutes.

“Coach was in communication with me a lot and told me, ‘Do you want to be part of this?’ I said, without hesitation, ‘Yes, I would love to,’” he said.

On Tuesday night, the Uruguyan nearly produced a goal in the fourth minute, his shot sailing just over the bar.

“Obviously, the shot didn’t go in, so it’s as good as a shot that bounces off the crossbar or one that misses by 50 feet,” chuckled Martinez.

Defensively, Colorado looked organized in the first half, benefitting from Smith’s veteran presence, which he also offered as captain of the Hudson-led New Zealand National Team.

“It’s a credit to the players,” Hudson said. “They weren’t afraid of such a big team at this stage. I thought the organization of the team was very strong. The first half, as good as it was, I think we could’ve done a lot better.”

Unfortunately for Colorado, that solid first half start fell apart with two second half goals conceded. Hudson pondered whether to make substitutions and push for a possible win or draw, but instead opted to go “big picture” by giving his starters an opportunity to build fitness and go the full 90 minutes.

Despite being down 2-0 on aggregate, some optimism remains in the Rapids camp for next week’s return leg in Toronto.

“Obviously, we wanted to take something into the next game, whether that was a win or a goalless draw,” Smith said. “But you never say die in football. You never know what might happen next week.”

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Anthony Hudson finds reason for optimism despite defeat in CCL opener was originally published on 365 Football