#Steve Balboni

[coolthingsguyslike]

[gummyartstradingcards]

[sunnixsunshine]

Larry takes over one of Iono’s streams because shes sick and he opens up a 30 year old pack of baseball cards that includes gum. The gum wasn’t bad, it doesn’t expire, but it didn’t really have its original flavor anymore and it was kind of hard to chew…

[itsjustsemantics]

Love, Javier - Chpt: 5

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader/OFC (no y/n, no physical description, established backstory, no clear age gap mentioned)

content/warnings: reminiscent!Javi, guilt about the past, reader/OFC has a boyfriend, aeroplane!javi, Steve and connie are having a baby! partially reminiscent conversation and a carefully constructed Bloody Mary ;)

Series masterlist

Chapter 5: The Airport (1993)

Javier ticked his jaw as he waited for his turn at the coffee shop somewhere around his terminal. Now that he thought about it, he had barely given his ticket more than a brief glance. His eyes ran over the block letters consciously. 

Between receiving news that he had been promoted to all the excessive bureaucracy that took place to solidify his position he had barely had five minutes to himself to sit down and let it all sink in.  

It reminded him of when they had shipped him off to DC. After the Judy Moncado debacle. One second he had Escobar being handed to him on a golden platter and the next he was on a plane to Washington, as far away from Escobar as possible, waiting for the bad media to blow over like some shameful celebrity. He loathed it-scratch that, he loathed himself. 

He looked down at the shiny marble flooring, scooting ahead one space. The man that looked back wasn’t Javier Peña, the confident asshole from the DEA, who’s only goal was to catch Escobar, no matter what. It was a man who had slogged his ass five years trying and a man who wasn’t even there to see it end. Why? Because he was just too damn hell bent on ending it all. 

He looked up and in response to the barista’s greeting, his face barely cooperating at the smile he commanded. He ran his hand along his cheek. 

“I’d like a tall coffee, black, no sugar.” He slid a couple bills on the counter and slid his wallet back into the pocket of his jeans. 

“You can pick it up from the next counter.” The barista handed him some change which he pocketed carelessly this time. “Thank you, have a pleasant day.” 

He grabbed his coffee, throwing another one of his half-hearted smiles at the woman whom he had brushed past.

Now here he was, impatiently waiting to get back to his post in Columbia. Javier needed to do things the proper way this time. No sidestepping the law, and doing bad things to catch the bad guys. This promotion was a second chance he thought he didn’t deserve. That along with the claps on the back he had gotten, congratulating him on Escobar’s downfall. He was anything but a hero.  

He had to take down Cali without any of that. Sure, for himself but he also felt like he owed it to everyone down there. There was a fire lit in his gut and a well-rested responsibility coursed through his veins; Acting as a constant reminder to what he had done. Although all of that would have to wait, and he would have to deal with his overwhelming drive to do the right thing for another couple of weeks. 

He sat at one of the small round tables and sipped his coffee slowly inspecting the roar of applause that erupted from the small television in the far corner. Steve Balboni had hit another home run. 

~ 

You wrapped your arms around Dusty’s neck one last time as he snuck in a final kiss. “I’ll miss you.” He mumbled into your lips and you smiled, pulling away. 

“I’ll miss you too.” You resisted the urge to swing on your heels like some gleeful toddler and took his hand in yours instead. 

“Come on, let’s get a coffee before you board.” He laced his fingers with yours and you made your way to a small starbucks. 

~0o0~ 

“Yes, two tall lattes, a single shot of espresso please and the sugars on the side.” You said, fishing out some dollars from your wallet. The barista asked for your name which you said, still fishing out some change from your wallet. He then ushered you to the next counter while you waited, moving on to the next person in line.

You glanced to your left, courtesy of a casual curiosity and you let out an incredulous exhale. 

It couldn’t be. You thought, blinking slowly. You peeked at the figure again, only confirming your suspicions. Neatly trimmed moustache, over a pair of shapely lips and a set of soft brown eyes. There was no mistaking it. Javier Peña. 

It was his Romanesque features and cool demeanour that gave him away. Prominent nose and a strong jaw, the latter neatly shaved. A dimple creased his cheek as he smiled at the barista and shoved his wallet back into the back pocket of his fitting jeans. You had spent eighteen hours with the man and the image of him had been deeply ingrained in your mind after spending so long in his presence. 

The server called out your name loudly and his eyes met yours at the sound. You gave him a small, tight smile. Which he only returned with an even smaller one. You swiped your lattes off the counter and watched him brush past you, reaching for his own order. 

Your mouth hung open as you followed him with your eyes, simultaneously making your way towards Dusty at a table. 

“Who was that?” He asked, raising himself from his seat to help you set the drinks down. Your eyes still bore a deep gaze at Javier, who sat on the opposite end, eyeing the baseball game. 

He was clad in a half sleeve linen button up, and fitted jeans; same as when you had seen him the first time. You saw that he had traded his deep beige jacket for a black leather one and of course, his yellow coolers, sitting snazzily on the bridge of his nose. You pursed your lips. 

“Thank god he couldn’t place me.” You said with a frown, plopping down next to Dusty. “I drove from Chicago to New York with him five years ago and it was the longest night of my life.”

“What happened,” Dusty enquired, picking up his latte. Your mind swished back five years ago, recollecting the events. You shook your head with a laugh.  

“God, it was like sitting next to some sort of Don Juan.” You saw Dusty’s face mould into a quizzical one, glancing at Javier. 

“He helped me get a date with some guy-” Your brain searched for a name and your eyebrows knit at the blank slate. “Oh god, I can’t remember his name.” You set down your latte turning to Dusty. “Don’t get involved with me Dustin, I’m not even close to thirty and I can't remember the name of the guy I was so smitten over, five years ago.” 

“So what happened?” Dusty, brushed your rant to the side. 

“When?” 

“When he helped you and then…?” 

“Oh,” You breathed, “The conversation went on into men and women being friends- and this I remember clear as day.” You furrowed your eyebrows. “He said that men and women could never really be friends. Do you think that’s true?” You looked up at Dustin over the rim of your cup. He thought for a couple seconds before shaking his head in disagreement. 

“No.”

“Do you have any woman friends?” 

“No.” He said again and you raised your eyebrows. “But I will get some if it's important to you.” He completed, leaning in for a quick peck. 

“Colin Anderson!” You exclaimed suddenly, pulling away from Dusty with a relieved breath. “That was his name, thank god.” You shook your head. 

A couple minutes later Dustin drowned the last of his latte and got up, looking at his watch. 

“I will miss you,” He held out his hand to you, helping you out of your seat. You ran your fingers over the front of your blouse. “I love you.” He pulled you into his arms. 

“You do?” You giggled, smile widening. 

“Yes,” He breathed, “Now cm’re.” He pulled you into a kiss. 

“I love you,” you said after pulling away.  

“Is that the time?” You gasped, after your eyes briefly swept over your watch catching the hands inching forwards. 

“You’d better be off then.” Dusty nodded in the direction of the long line of gates. 

“I’ll see you soon,” you called back to him, waving, his figure getting smaller and smaller as you made your way to your gate. 

~0o0~ 

You wiggled in your seat, reaching for a magazine behind the netted pocket of the chair in front of you. More as an excuse to peer through the crack between the seats than for actual reading purposes. You watched as your potential seat-mate jostled by the aisle. 

Your attention momentarily gravitated towards an elderly couple squabbling over their luggage in the pair of seats on the other side of the aisle. The elderly lady ignoring her husband’s rational pleas and fishing through her magenta purse, hissing irrational retorts. The man seated right next to them looked up towards the ceiling of the aircraft. You could tell that he knew he would have to put up with the constant bickering for the duration of the journey. 

A jean clad figure obstructed your view and you cleared your throat, directing your gaze away and straightening up in your seat. You heard the shuffling in the cabin above and the lid shutting close with a ‘smack’. You never seemed to get rid of your nerves.

You smoothened some non-existing wrinkles out of your clothes as the person took their seat next to you. A musky scent with notes of amber and cedar subjugated the scent of the cold aeroplane air as they hit the seats. 

You turned to acknowledge him and you nearly laughed out loud at the absurd coincidence. Here he was, yet again, sitting next to you after your uneventful run in earlier. 

His leather jacket squeaked as he adjusted in his seat and you couldn't help but stare at his indifference attitude. He turned to you and nodded a smile, you barely returned it, still somewhat embarrassed from before.  

You saw him steal another glance at you through the side of your eye as you took a long sip of water. 

~

Javier tortured himself throughout takeoff trying to place a name to your hauntingly familiar face. He occasionally glanced at you each time lasting longer than the last. Hoping that another look would be able to. He ran his fingers along his chin as you fished out a magazine and flipped it open uninterested. Your eyes aimlessly scanned the perfume and beauty section with the over priced self care products. 

“Anything you’d like to drink?” The air hostess smiled down at him and he broke his gaze. 

“Nothing for me, thanks.” He shook his head, but took the miniature water bottle that she handed him with a smile. 

“You, ma’am?” She turned to you. 

“Do you have any bloody mary mix?” The air hostess nodded and reached into her cart. 

“No, wait. Here’s what I want.” You sat up in your seat. Javier turned to face you, head on this time. “I want regular tomato juice filled up about three quarters then just a splash of bloody mary mix, just a splash-” 

And a piece of lime, but on the side. Javier completed mentally, condemning himself for not recognising you earlier. He smiled softly into his fist, waiting for the air hostess to complete making your drink. 

Your lips froze over the rim of your glass when he said your name. You finished your sip and turned to him. 

“Connie’s cousin, the University of Chicago right?” 

“Yes.” You smirked. “Took you long enough.” 

Your soft features had matured, somehow becoming far more attractive but your foibles had remained the same, for the most part at least; it had only been something short of an hour. 

“How’s Connie?” He asked, leaning back into his seat. “And the baby?” he added quickly. 

The last time Javier had seen Connie was a week before she had decided to move back to Miami with the baby, 1990? Javier pondered. He had barely kept in touch with Steve after Escobar’s death, let alone Mrs.Murphy. 

“Well Connie is expecting.” You hummed blissfully, your brows giving away your enthusiasm. “Only a couple months in though.”

“Oh,” Javier said, “I bet she’s ecstatic.” 

“Very,” You smiled, taking another sip of your carefully curated beverage. “Oh- And Olivia has started walking, she's about this tall now-” You raised your hand just below your hips proudly. 

Javier chuckled softly, recalling Steve complaining to him about his lack of clean t-shirts. It hadn’t even been 3 years since. Javier made a mental note to give him a call once he landed; see how family life was treating him. 

“So how’ve you been?” Javier leaned back into his seat, the corner of his eye on you. 

“Decent, you know, run of the mill.” You breathed some weight hanging onto your words. Then you slapped on a smile and turned to him

“Mmhmm, yeah” He hummed, tilting his head towards you. “That plan of yours…” Javier started, “Show producer or journalist?” 

Javier twisted open his water bottle as you rolled your eyes. 

“I knew you thought it was silly.” You let out an amused breath and he shrugged with a smirk. “Well, I’m actually a creative director for this morning show.” 

“In D.C?” Javier’s eyebrow shot up.

“Hmm? No, no. It was just a short seminar I had to attend.”  You sighed. “And I’m going to Austin for a short segment we planned.” 

“So New York then, like you planned?” Javier slotted the bottle in the netted pocket. 

“Well…well no, it's this local T.V station in Miami.” Your fingers laced in your lap and you slapped on a half-hearted smile. “Enough about me,” You drew in a long breath. “From what I've heard, you deserve some commendation; Escobar’s been on the news everywhere.” 

“Hmm, yeah.” Javier said. He had seen it on almost every broadcasting channel. Another pathetic reminder of the fact that he hadn’t been able to witness it real-time.  

An unsaid understanding passed between the two of you. The last 5 years hadn’t gone as either of you had planned. 

~0o0~

“You still don’t date? I don’t believe it.” You exclaimed, shaking your head. 

“I have-”  Javier corrected, hoping that it wouldn't turn into another lecture.

“It's just not for you.” You completed with him. He raised his eyebrows at you as he picked up your cup and tossed it into the large garbage bag making its way through the aisle. You nodded a small 'thanks'.

“You know, Dusty said he would never date after highschool.” You straightened out your neck knowingly. 

“Well ‘Dusty’s last name happens to be Dinkleman.” Javier joked and you rolled your eyes at his petty attempt at a jab

 “Besides, he’s your typical wall street guy.” He said, more seriously this time. 

When Javier turned to face you your eyebrows were creased together. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You frowned and Javier knew that look all too well. 

“They all live the same lives.” He rested his temple on two fingers. “Graduate from an ivy, get a job in some firm on wall street. Then they meet someone, have a safe lunch and then decide they like the woman enough to move on to dinner.” Javier used his other hand to gesticulate. “Maybe they go dancing - do the white man’s overbite-” 

“What on earth is that?” You looked at him curiously. Javier caught his bottom lip with his teeth and rocked his shoulders in small movements, up and down; his hands balled into loose fists. 

You laughed audibly. Mouth contoured into a grin; drinking up his sardonic story. 

“Dustin’s never done that.” You shook your head, almost embarrassed. 

“Take him dancing honey.” Javier said, leaning back into palm and you snorted again, picturing the scene.

 “Anyways,” Javier exhaled. “After that, they get married, move into a nice quiet place in the suburbs, have three kids and crank up the grill sundays.” Javier shrugged, completing. 

“You think he’s boring and predictable.” You said. 

“Do you?” 

 Your lips pressed together “No.” You said firmly, leaving Javier convinced otherwise. “It goes without saying.” You quickly babbled, noticing his gaze. 

“Then why does it matter what I think?” He said, clasping his hands in lap, giving you a quizzical look. 

“It doesn't.” You huffed. 

“Well then, that’s that.” He shrugged, manoeuvring away from the topic,not wanting to ruin the conversation. It had been the first one he had had in weeks that wasn’t heavy and stressful. 

“It’s serious then?” He folded his arms across his chest. The way he sat, straight against the seat broadened his shoulders further, stretching the linen fabric taut across his chest. 

“Well, it's only been a couple months since.” You smiled bashfully. “But it’s not like i know i’m gonna marry the guy y'know?”

“Right.” Javier nodded. 

“We’ve only known each other for 3 months after all.” You sighed. “Haven’t witnessed his ‘white man's' overbite’ yet.” You smiled up at Javier, your eyes rolling the tiniest bit.

Javier picked up your sarcastic tone and took another swig from his water. “I’m telling you, it's a deal breaker.” 

~0o0~

Javier found himself manoeuvring through the sea of people on the moving sidewalk trying to catch up with you. He muttered a few ‘excuse me’ s and ‘sorry’s before sliding up right behind you. 

“Hey,” He breathed. “You staying for a bit here then??” He watched you turn back towards him. 

“Yes.” You breathed, turning around once more. 

“Well, I'm in town for a while. Would you like to have dinner sometime maybe-”

You turned to him, eyebrows raising. 

“Just as friends.” He assured, holding his palms up in defence. 

“I thought you believed men and women couldn't be friends.” You shook your head. 

 “Well,” He started, “They can if they-” 

“Javier.” You stopped him, just as the both of you stepped off of the sidewalk near the sliding doors. You thrust your hand in front of him. “Javier, goodbye. It was very nice to see you.” 

He nodded once, before the two of you swapped small smiles. He found his eyes following you onto the street, the air blowing little wisps of your hair into your face. He let out a heavy sigh and adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag as he made his way to a pay phone.

His gaze flickered back to you, now ducking into a car, the backlights spilling onto the curb as you pulled your purse inside along with you. He tilted his head to the side as the phone began to ring and your car drove away. The line connected with a click and Javier’s eyes drifted to his shoes. 

“Hey Pops, it's me.”

~0o0~

A/N: Hello, hi. This turned into a tiny hiatus oof. Sorry about that. Anyways, I finally got down to finishing this chapter and here you are. I'm actually taking the weekend off in terms of the internet and gadgets (summer cottages and saunas await) so only expect another update after that <3

Don't forget to show some love and leave a note :))

Check out chapter 3 and 4 here:

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

And as usual, sending love, hugs and kisses :**

Ps- I'm torn between back leather and beige Javi :s What do we think?

-itsjustsemantics x

[chelsamander]

Johnny Thunders wedding day- Babette, Bruce Balboni, Julie Jordan, Johnny Thunders, Steve Shevlin. Queens, NYC, August 16, 1977. Photo by Bob Gruen

[double-croche1]

[CANNES 2023] NOTRE TOP

Le Festival de Cannes est désormais terminé. On a vu pas moins de 85 films (dont 19 sur les 21 de la Compétition), toutes catégories confondues ! Le classement de nos films préférés parmi ceux-ci, avec les dates annoncées de sortie en salles, ci-dessous :  1. ‘Eureka’ de Lisandro Alonso (CPR) 2. ‘Le Procès Goldman’ de Cédric Kahn (QC, 27/09) 3. ‘Anatomie d’une chute’ de Justine Triet (SOC, 23/08) 4. ‘Jeunesse (Le Printemps)’ de Wang Bing (SOC, 03/01/24) 5. ‘L'Enlèvement’ de Marco Bellocchio (SOC, 01/11) 6. ‘Les Feuilles mortes’ d’Aki Kaurismaki (SOC, 20/09) 7. ‘Fermer les yeux’ de Victor Erice (CPR, 16/08)  8. ‘May December’ de Todd Haynes (SOC) 9. ‘La Zone d’intérêt’ de Jonathan Glazer (SOC, 31/01/24) 10. ‘L'Eté dernier’ de Catherine Breillat (SOC, 13/09) 11. ‘The Sweet East’ de Sean Price Williams (QC) 12. ‘Los Delincuentes’ de Rodrigo Moreno (UCR, 27/03/24) 13. ‘La Grâce’ d’Ilya Povolotsky (QC) 14. ‘Only the River Flows’ de Shujun Wei (UCR) 15. ‘Les Herbes sèches’ de Nuri Bilge Ceylan (SOC, 12/07) 16. ‘Conann’ de Bertrand Mandico (QC, 28/11) 17. ‘La Chimère’ d’Alice Rohrwacher (SOC, 06/12) 18. ’La Fille de son père’ d’Erwan Le Duc (SM, 20/12) 19. ’Lost Country’ de Vladimir Perisič (SC, 11/10) 20. ‘Conte de feu’ de Weston Razooli (QC) 21. ‘Mars Express’ de Jérémie Périn (CPL, 22/11) 22. ‘Vers un avenir radieux’ de Nanni Moretti (SOC, 28/06) 23. ‘L’Autre Laurens’ de Claude Schmitz (QC, 04/10) 24. ‘Elémentaire’ de Peter Sohn (HC, 21/06) 25. ‘Banel & Adama’ de Ramata-Toulaye Sy (SOC, 30/08) 26. ‘Anselm, le bruit du temps’ de Wim Wenders (SS, 18/10) 27. ‘Le Règne animal’ de Thomas Cailley (UCR, 04/10) 28. ‘Simple comme Sylvain’ de Monia Chokri (UCR, 08/11) 29. ‘Ama Gloria’ de Marie Amachoukeli (SC, 30/08) 30. ‘Club Zéro’ de Jessica Hausner (SOC, 27/09) 31. ‘Linda veut du poulet !’ de Chiara Malta et Sébastien Laudenbach (ACID, 18/10) 32. ‘Si seulement je pouvais hiberner’ de Zoljargal Purevdash (UCR, 27/12) 33. ‘L’Amour et les forêts’ de Valérie Donzelli (CPR, en salles) 34. ‘La Mère de tous les mensonges’ d’Asmae El Moudir (UCR) 35. ‘Légua’ de Filipa Reis et João Miller Guerra 36. ‘The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed’ de Joanna Arnow (QC) 37. ‘Augure’ de Baloji (UCR, 22/11) 38. ‘Les Colons’ de Felipe Galvez (UCR, 20/12) 39. ‘Vincent doit mourir’ de Stéphan Castang (SC, 15/11) 40. ‘De nos jours...’ de Hong Sang-soo (QC, 19/07) 41. ‘Merle merle mûre’ d’Elene Naveriani (QC) 42. ‘Dans la toile’ de Kim Jee-woon (HC, 08/11) 43. ‘The Old Oak’ de Ken Loach (SOC, 25/10) 44. ‘Monster’ de Hirokazu Kore-eda (SOC, 27/12) 45. ’Sleep’ de Jason Yu (SC) 46. ‘Occupied City’ de Steve McQueen (SS) 47. ‘Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe’ de Martin Provost (CPR) 48 ‘Goodbye Julia’ de Mohamed Kordofani (UCR, 08/11) 49. ‘L’Arbre aux papillons d’or’ de Thien An Pham (QC, 13/09) 50. ‘Chambre 999’ de Lubna Playoust (CC) 51. ‘Le Livre des solutions’ de Michel Gondry (QC, 13/09) 52. ‘Les Meutes’ de Kamal Lazraq (UCR, 19/07) 53. ‘Le Ravissement’ d’Iris Kaltenbäck (SC, 11/10) 54. ‘Little Girl Blue’ de Mona Achache (SS, 01/11) 55. ‘Creatura’ d’Elena Martín Gimeno (QC) 56. ‘Perfect Days’ de Wim Wenders (SOC, 29/11) 57. ‘Lost in the Night’ d’Amat Escalante (CPR, 04/10) 58. ‘La Fleur de Buriti’ de João Salaviza et Renée Nader (UCR) 59. ‘Le Syndrome des amours passées’ d’Ann Sirot et Raphaël Balboni (SC, 25/10) 60. ‘Un hiver à Yanji’ d’Anthony Chen (UCR, 22/11) 61. ’Power Alley’ de Lillah Halla (SC, 22/11) 62. ‘Asteroid City’ de Wes Anderson (SOC, 21/06) 63. ‘Une nuit’ d’Alex Lutz (UCR, 05/07) 64. ‘Les Filles d'Olfa’ de Kaouther Ben Hania (SOC, 05/07) 65. ‘Indiana Jones et le cadran de la destinée’ de James Mangold (HC, 28/06) 66. ‘Chroniques de Téhéran’ d’Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami (UCR, 27/12) 67. ‘Acide’ de Just Philippot (SM, 20/09) 68. ‘Un prince’ de Pierre Creton (QC, 18/10) 69. ‘Déserts’ de Faouzi Bensaïdi (QC, 20/09) 70. ’Il pleut dans la maison’ de Paloma Sermon-Daï (SC) 71. ‘Rien à perdre’ de Delphine Deloget (UCR, 22/11) 72. ‘La Passion de Dodin Bouffant’ de Tran Anh Hung (SOC, 08/11) 73. ‘How to Have Sex’ de Molly Manning Walker (UCR, 15/11) 74. ‘Le Jeu de la reine’ de Karim Aïnouz (SOC, 28/02/24) 75. ‘A Song Sung Blue’ de Zihan Geng (QC, 06/12) 76. ‘Jeanne du Barry’ de Maïwenn (HC, en salles) 77. ‘Rosalie’ de Stéphanie di Giusto (UCR, 24/01/24) 78. ‘In Flames’ de Zarrar Kahn (QC) 79. ‘Hopeless’ de Kim Chang-hoon (UCR) 80. ’Tiger Stripes’ d’Amanda Nell Eu (SC, 13/03/24) 81. ‘The Idol’ (série, épisodes 1 et 2) de Sam Levinson (HC, 05/06) 82. ‘The New Boy’ de Warwick Thornton (UCR) 83. ‘Omar la Fraise’ d’Elias Belkeddar (SM, en salles) 84. ‘Hypnotic’ de Robert Rodriguez (SM, 23/08) 85. ‘Agra’ de Kanu Behl (QC) SOC : Sélection Officielle - Compétition UCR : Un Certain Regard CPR : Cannes Première CPL : Cinéma de la Plage HC : Hors Compétition QC : Quinzaine des Cinéastes SC : Semaine de la Critique SM : Séances de Minuit CC : Cannes Classics ACID : L’ACID Nos chroniques de ces films sont à retrouver dans les articles Daily #1 à #11 sur notre page dédiée.

A&B

[hatzfella]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Mid ‘80s Royals BP/Warm Up : Steve Balboni..

[baseballsisco]

Hapoy Thursday mi gente. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 367!!!

Is it me or have the Seattle Mariners been on the Immaculate Grid kinda often lately. The Silver Slugger/Mariners box wasn't hard but I knew that I had to pick the player that would score the least to avoid breaking my grid. I knew of four players that I could choose from: Griffey Jr, Ichiro, Edgar Martinez and A-Rod. Luckily A-Rod got me just 8%. I'm sure the other three had higher votes counts.

Its not often I get to use Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Ozzie Smith. Ozzie was definitely an ace in the hole here since he wasn't known for his offensive prowess.

I was also surprised that Kevin McReynolds score so low for the Royals/Mets box. I'm sure David Cone and Brett Saberhagen would had higher votes than McReynolds, but I think 2% is a bit low. Staying with the Royals, this is the first time I've used Steve "Bye-Bye" Balboni and Buddy Biancalana.

Well, that's all for now. On to the next round of Opening Days and grid number 368!!!

[collectorscorner]

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GAMES

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[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 313

Nov Solicits

Comic Reviews:

Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter 1 by Ed Brisson, Rosi Kampe, Andrew Dalhouse

Superman: Red and Blue 6 by Rex Ogle, Tom King, Darcie Little Badger, Matt Wagner, Sophie Campbell, Steve Pugh, Mike Norton, Paoloe Rivera, Brennan Wagner

Kang the Conqueror 1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern

Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual 1 by Jed MacKay, Saladin Ahmed, Luca Maresca Juan Ferreyra, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo

X-Men: The Trial of Magneto 1 by Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck, Edgar Delgado

Warhammer 40K: Sister of Battle 1 by Torunn Gronbekk, Edgar Salazar, Arif Prianto

Second Chances 1 by Ricky Mammone, Max Bertolini

Eat the Rich 1 by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak, Roman Titov

Black Hammer Visions 7 by Cecil Castellucci, Melissa Duffy, Bill Crabtree

Killer Queens 1 by David Booher, Claudia Balboni, Harry Saxon

Warcorns: Birthday Bash by Garrett Gunn, Kit Wallis

At Death's Door 1 by Phil Jones

JISEI 1 by Miguel Hernandez

99 Cent Theatre

2100 Samurai 1 by Nick Keith Gibson, Ami Agisi, Brian Quiroga, Michael Ensminger

Project Axis 1 by Nick Keith Gibson, Jason Johnson

Stellar Death 1 by Frank Nivicela

Vyper by Dan Butcher

Additional Reviews: Mitchells vs. the Machines, Queens Gambit, Escape Room, Devs, Another Bad Film, Reminiscence, What If Ep2,  Gibson's Alien 3

News: Omninews, Captain America 4, Black Canary movie, second He-Man animated series coming, Wool series with Tim Robbins and Rebecca Ferguson

Trailers: Night House, Nightbooks, Eternals

Comics Countdown:

Ascender 18 by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen, 

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 3 by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes

Nocterra 6 by Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel, Tomeu Morey

Tales From Harrow County: Fair Folk 2 by Cullen Bunn, Emily Schnall, Tyler Crook

Snow Angels Season Two 3 by Jeff Lemire, Jock

Time Before Time 4 by Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, Joe Palmer, Chris O'Halloran

Radiant Black 7 by Kyle Higgins, Marcello Costa, Melissa Flores, Eleonora Carlini, Mattia Iacono, Natalia Marques

Black Hammer Visions 7 by Cecil Castellucci, Melissa Duffy, Bill Crabtree

Bermuda 2 by John Layman, Nick Bradshaw

Killer Queens 1 by David Booher, Claudia Balboni, Harry Saxon

  Check out this episode!

[darrindevault]

Today I stood in centerfield of abandoned Greer Stadium and imagined former Nashville Sounds slugger Steve “Bye Bye” Balboni hitting a towering fly ball over my head. Balboni was a near mythical minor leaguer from my youth and one of the greatest Sounds players in team history. (Photo by Darrin Devault, Nov. 23, 2017)

[cleatgeeksdotcom]

Royally Yours: Season in Review

Royally Yours: Season in Review

The Royals had a disappointing season finishing with a record of 80-82. It was their first losing season in five years. This was likely the last season with the core starters. Despite their struggles there were some successes for the Royals.

  The Royals finished with a winning record in two of the American League divisions. They finished with a 17-15 record against the AL East and a 19-15 record…

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 17 June 2019

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #11 gives us a bit more insight into Shaw’s childhood and further fallout from the investigation, even as things seem to get nastier in the hell they’ve found themselves in. The fields of bones from Goran Sudžuka and Ive Svorcina are horrifying.

| Published by AfterShock

Age of X-Man: NextGen #5 is a bit of a gut punch for a final issue in this series. Some great art by Lucas Werneck and Jason Keith, though.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #49 concludes the “Mother Shark” two-parter as Arthur gets answers on who he is and how he died. This is a huge one. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Viktor Bogdanovic, Jonathan Glapion, Daniel Henriques, Ryan Winn, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles do an incredible job with this story. Beautiful and heartbreaking. 

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #4 has the remaining assassins possibly figure out the entire plan as they take down another crime boss in this penultimate issue. Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett have been delivering a highly entertaining series here with great art and a wicked sense of humour. Every book needs a Fuck Tarkington.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris #4 is the end to what has been a great mini from Leah Williams,  Germán García, Addison Duke, and Crank! Very interesting use of time travel for this story.

| Published by Dynamite

Batman #73 sees Tom King, Mikel Janín, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles reveal as to just how demented Thomas Wayne is in part four of “The Fall and the Fallen”. His motivation is understandable, but this is insane.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #11 reveals a lot of the remaining secrets that we’ve guessed about previously as to what exactly is going on with the entire Black Badge organization. Maybe. I’m still expecting more twists from Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell when the series ends next issue.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain America #11 sees Steve’s jailbreak from the Myrmidon in earnest, while Sharon and the Daughters of Liberty run the operation. Beautiful artwork from Adam Kubert and Matt Milla.

| Published by Marvel

Daredevil #7 reminds us that Matt Murdock carries more guilt than an entire Catholic archdiocese. There’s a very compelling depth and complexity that Chip Zdarsky is bringing to this story, moving us away from the typical superheroics.

| Published by Marvel

Elephantmen 2261: The Pentalion Job #2 enacts the heist of the pentalions in the second part of this story from Richard Starkings and Alex Medellin. Hip Flask raises some interesting questions as all of the Bond actors seem to meet their end.

| Published by Comicraft

Excellence #2 is another excellent issue. Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett are developing Spencer and his history, his family, and relation with the hierarchy of the Aegis in a very compelling way.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Fairlady #3 is the first issue that doesn’t really end “clean”. It’s still a single issue story, but the mystery remains and isn’t tidied up by the end. It’s another murder mystery, with an adventurer impersonating a Conan analogue. Like the previous issues, this is a great story from Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, Shari Chankhamma, and David Bowman.

| Published by Image

Faithless #3 continues to be very strange. Very, very strange. As Faith’s roommate is murdered by what seems like a wolf from her phone, her relationship with Poppy, and then she has sex with Poppy’s father. As I said, strange. I’m still not entirely sure what Brian Azzarello, Maria Llovet, and AndWorld Design are trying to do with this story.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Gideon Falls #14 begins playing with time along with the alternate realities as Burke lands in a reality “closer to the centre” and is given a purpose to find “the five”. Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, and Steve Wands are doing some amazing work here.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #6 concludes “The Final Gauntlet” from Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, David Curiel, and Cory Petit as the Guardians, all of the Guardians, take on Hela and the Black Order to try to prevent the resurrection of Thanos. It’s suitably epic.

| Published by Marvel

Hit-Girl: Season 2 #5 kicks off the “Hong Kong” arc from Daniel Way, Goran Parlov, Giada Marchisio, and Clem Robins. It may well be the arc with the most narration so far, but it doesn’t detract from the usual over-the-top violence and action in the start of this story of Mindy trying to take down the Liu Triad, with rather humorous results, it rather enhances it with some nice introspection.

| Published by Image

Justice League #26 is part one of “Apex Predator” from James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano. The Justice League are pitching to the stars in order to stem the tide of Perpetua’s plans and the impending Doom brought on by the “Year of the Villain”. But everyone’s wondering if it’s just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

| Published by DC Comics

Last Stop on the Red Line #2 is still very strange. Paul Maybury, Sam Lotfi, John Rauch, and Adam Pruett are crafting an intriguing murder mystery here as Torres and her new partner continue to try to solve the crimes on the subways, but it’s told through a very fluid, stylized way where we’re not sure what’s real and what’s just a character’s perception. It’s a very neat way to tell a story.

| Published by Dark Horse

Little Bird #4 is maybe the most heartbreaking issue yet in this masterpiece from Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar. There’s a lesson of survival, of children supplanting the parents, instilled here in the penultimate chapter as Little Bird and Gabriel have a bit of an understanding as siblings.

| Published by Image

Middlewest #8 attempts to pick up the pieces after Abel’s outburst and near destruction of the travelling circus. Also, more of the sheer monster that his father is. Gorgeous artwork from Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu.

| Published by Image

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 is a number of vignettes with Miles checking in with family and Bombshell before setting up the next arc. Wonderful use of guest artists with Ron Ackins & Dexter Vines, Alitha E. Martinez, and Vanesa Del Rey providing segments as well as regular artist Javier Garrón.

| Published by Marvel

Outpost Zero #10 explains all of the cats. It also gives a timeframe for the colony and a lot more questions as to why the old ship structure and tunnels were just completely abandoned by the colonists. Wonderful designs by Alexandre Tefenkgi.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #10 takes an interesting detour for a bit into “real life” as Pearl tries to hold down a “normal” job. Then we get back to the fallout of her chopping off Mr. Miike’s fingers. Absolutely stunning artwork from Michael Gaydos, with some very interesting layouts.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Psi-Lords #1 is another great debut for Valiant. Fred Van Lente, Renato Guedes, and Dave Sharpe update one of the few Valiant properties that haven’t been brought back yet, with a bunch of seemingly newly activated psiots awakening in some kind of “Aztec sex dungeon”. The story keeps you off-balance from the beginning, adding a nice bit of mystery to what’s going on. And the artwork from Guedes is excellent.

| Published by Valiant

Rat Queens #16 begins the run by the new creative team of Ryan Ferrier, Priscilla Petraites, and Marco Lesko in earnest, following on the special. The Queens are essentially tearing themselves apart at this stage and nothing seems to be able to go right.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

Rumble #13 tackles the next Scourge Knight and Timah learns an interesting fact about the bundle of joy growing inside her. Great art as always from David Rubín and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #6 is a single issue story from Meredith Finch, Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard, and Travis Lanham. It’s a captivating tale of revenge and Conan fighting through some insurmountable odds. Great art from Ross and Woodard.

| Published by Marvel

Usagi Yojimbo #1 begins a new era at IDW...in colour. Tom Luth joins Stan Sakai for the interiors in the first part of “Bunraku”. While it is a bit odd not to be black and white, this is still masterful storytelling, building on some traditional Japanese culture and providing an intriguing supernatural mystery. 

| Published by IDW

Warlord of Mars Attacks #1 begins another property crossover mini-series from Dynamite, this time mixing John Carter with the Mars Attacks aliens, from Jeff Parker, Dean Kotz, Omi Remalante, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Nice bits of humour.

| Published by Dynamite

Wolverine: Infinity Watch #5 concludes this mini from Gerry Duggan, Andy MacDonald, Jordie Bellaire, and Cory Petit. It’s been a very entertaining follow-up to Infinity Wars, but it’s also served as a kind of weird clean-up to continuity that Marvel otherwise seems to have abandoned.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: American Carnage #8, Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler #1, Battlestar Galactica Classic #5, Captain Marvel #7, Clue: Candlestick #2, Curse Words #22, Deadpool #14, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #9, Farmhand #9, Firefly #7, Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers #1, Goddess Mode #6, Hellboy and the BPRD: The Beast of Vargu, Invisible Kingdom #4, James Bond 007 #8, Lab Raider #1, Livewire #7, Lucifer #9, Lumberjanes #63, Marvels Annotated #4, Mary Shelly: Monster Hunter #3, Monstress #23, Planet of the Nerds #3, Port of Earth #11, Red Sonja & Vampirella meet Betty & Veronica #2, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch #3, Shuri #9, Star Wars #67, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #3, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #3, TMNT: Urban Legends #14, Teen Titans #31, Tony Stark: Iron Man #13, Trout: The Hollowest Knock #1, Uncanny X-Men #20, The Unstoppable Wasp #9, War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #5, War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of the Realms #3, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #3, The Warning #8, X-Men: Grand Design - X-Tinction #2

Recommended Collections: Archie 1941, Dead Man Logan - Volume 1: Sins of the Father, High Heaven - Volume 1, Hillbilly - Volume 4: Red Eyed Witchery from Beyond, Giant Days - Volume 10, Hit-Girl - Volume 4, Low Road West, Lucifer - Volume 1: Infernal Comedy, Marvel Action: Spider-Man - Book 1, Prince of Cats, Rainbow Brite, Shadow Roads - Volume 1, Spookhouse - Volume 2, TMNT - Macroseries, Thor - Volume 2: Road to War of the Realms, Uncanny X-Men - Volume 1: Cyclops and Wolverine, Vampirella/Dejah Thoris, Winter Soldier: Second Chances, X-O Manowar - Volume 7: Hero

[nancylou444]

My 10 favorite NY Yankees

Bernie Williams

Paul O’Neill

Dave Winfeld

Jesse Barfield

Rickey Henderson

Joel Skinner

Mariano Rivera

Willie Randolph

Ron Guidry

Steve Balboni

[kansas-city-royals]

Steve Balboni 1st Base

[oldtimefamilybaseball]

There is something very sad about August baseball. The Trade Deadline is over and the postseason race hasn’t yet begun. Plus, I have residual memories of back to school shopping, with a giant, horrifying ‘X’ over the start date that is soon coming. 

But let’s ignore that for now. I guess, instead, you can read stuff I wrote recently. Like:

The Taxonomy of Francisco Cervelli’s faces. The dude may be the most rubber-faced player in the Majors. But what does it all mean?!

Adrian Beltre may have just picked up his 3,000th hit, but a much bigger record is about to fall: Steve Balboni’s Royals record for homers in a season. I talked to some Royals fans about the glory of #BalboniWatch. 

Adam Jones recently robbed Joey Gallo of a home run. Usually, that’s the best part of a highlight. Not this time. This time, it was everything he did after the catch. 

The Astros are running away with the West. But while you’re probably thinking of Jose Altuve, or Carlos Correa or any number of stars on the team, it’s time to pay attention to that utility god Marwin Gonzalez. 

And finally, before we fully give in to August, let’s look back at the 10 best moments in July.