#can we get a lineup change next game though. please. for real.

[kitnita]

whatever, i've reached a state of zen about it all actually. i don't want to blow up the team -otter with my mind anymore. they're just trying to build on the near-reverse-sweep vibes of last year's playoffs and lull all of vegas into a false sense of security by sucking as much as humanly possible

[anagentinwriting]

Lifeline - Part 5

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 4500+

Warnings: Language, drinking, angst, fluff

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

After a week of taking call after call, it was nice to get together with the girls. It wasn’t going to be a late-night, but after last weeks rough call, you just wanted to get out of your head and blow off some steam with Nat and Carol at Happy’s Hydrant. 

The Hydrant was the place to be tonight. You couldn't remember it ever being this busy, but it was a Friday night. There were always women hoping to get with a man in uniform and men hoping to get lucky with a badass woman first responder. For some, it worked like a charm, but for others, while they had to work a little harder to get some action. 

You leaned against your pool cue, watching Nat lineup her stick to the corner pocket with Carol observing from the side, sipping on her beer. Nat took the shot but missed the pocket, forcing a smirk across your lips. Nat stood up straight, rolling her eyes at you.

“Can’t win them all,” you teased, eyeing the table to find your next shot. 

Billards was your bar game. When you were attending New York University, you worked at a bar and hustled to make a few extra bucks. Guys would often undermine you at first, but you weren’t afraid to show them what you could do.  

“Hey, sweet thing, you like playing pool,” a guy said behind you as you leaned over to take a shot. 

“It seems that way, doesn’t it,” you replied, rolling your eyes. He placed a hand on your lower back, making you tense up and let out a sharp breath. You stood up straight and turned around to face him. He was standing closer to you than you expected, and you could smell the overconsumption of alcohol on his breath.

“I’ll bring the balls if you bring your rack.” He bit his lip, his eyes drifting to your chest.

“You sure you have the balls to handle me because that line was fucking terrible.”

“Do you want to find out?”

“No.”

“Come on, girl.” He stepped even closer to you, making the back of your thighs hit the pool table. He placed his hands on your hips, and you froze in place. Your heart pounded, feeling every nerve in your body firing, telling you to run, but your mind filled with fear. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to get away from those thoughts, but deep down, you knew one wrong move or smartass remark would make things worse.

“Can you...Can you please get your hands off of me,” you gulped, letting out a shaky breath.

“What’s that sweetheart?”

“Get your hands off of her asshole. She’s not interested,” Nat's voice hit your ears, and you felt the weight in front of you disappear.

“Yeah, take a walk prick,” Carol shouted beside you. You opened your eyes to see the asshole retreating away, letting out a relieved breath. “How you holding up, girl?”

You shrugged. “I’ll be fine. Sorry, I kind of froze up there.”

“Don’t apologize, dude was an asshole. You’re still trying to find yourself and get your confidence back,” Carol replied, patting you on the shoulder. “You’ll find it, and when you do, we’ll be right there with you.” You nodded, crossing your arms across your chest. “If you’re interested, Val teaches a self-defense class, well it’s more of a boxing class at Jabari Tribe Training Center. We could even go with you,” Carol offered, earning a nod from Nat. 

“I’ll think about it.” You shrugged, staring at the floor.

“You know what, girls, this calls for shots,” Nat commented. “I’ll be back.” She disappeared to the bar, being greeted by a few guys offering to buy her the shots.

“Hey, YN.” You peeked up at Carol before your eyes drifted back to the floor. “Promise me you won’t let that asshole ruin your night.”

“I promise.”

“Good. And not all guys are like him; some are just drunk assholes who think just because they wear a uniform, every woman wants to sleep with them when really they aren’t interested,” She sighed, staring at you. “How about we start another game then?”

“Um...yeah, let’s do it.”

______

“YN, why can’t you let me win for once?” Carol whined, leaning against her pool cue.

“Practice more, and then maybe you'll have a chance,” you smirked, feeling better after a couple of shots and another beer later.

You lined up to sink the number 8 ball in the corner pocket when someone out of the corner of your eye caught your attention. You gulped, turning your head in their direction to find Fireman Rogers. “You’re sort of ruining my concentration with your staring.”

“Didn’t know I had that effect on you.”

You scoffed, taking the shot and missing the pocket. “That’s on you.” You didn’t miss the slight nod from him and the ever-growing grin appearing on Carol’s face, watching the two of you interact.

“Ouch!” He held a hand over his heart, smirking at you.

You watched Carol sink one of her three remaining stripes into the pocket but failed to get the other two in. You nodded to yourself, setting yourself up to get the number 8 ball in the same corner pocket. Shooting a quick glare towards Steve, he held up his hands, trying to hide his smile by taking a sip of his beer. You hit the white ball, sending it right towards the number 8 ball, sinking it into the corner pocket.

“Well...that’s game. Rogers, you’re up. Time for you to take on the champ.” Carol walked over to him, forcing the pool cue to his chest until he grabbed it, and she shot you a quick wink over her shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

“Smooth,” you whispered under your breath.

“What was that?” Steve questioned, leaning a little closer to you.

“Bring it, Rogers.”

_______

With one last hit, the number 8 ball sunk into the center pocket. “And with that, the champ remains the champ. Good game though, you weren’t...bad.”

“Not bad, huh? Maybe you caught me on an off day.”

“Will save the rematch for another day then.” You put the pool cue back on the wall and went to your usual table, taking a seat on one of the high stools. You take a sip of your beer, noticing Steve taking the chair across from you.

“How did you get so good at pool?”

“I worked at a bar in college and got really good at it. Even hustled a few people to get some extra cash.”

“Did they deserve it?” He asked with a chuckle. 

“Of course,” you smirked, taking a sip of your drink. Your eyes traveled around the bar, spotting your brother with a group of ladies. It still baffled you how he could finagle himself into any group, whether it was to make friends or take someone home. In this incident, it looked to be taking someone home. Thor wrapped his arm around one of the ladies and headed out the door.  “Well, I’m in no rush to get home now.”

“Why is that?”

“My brother just walked out the door with his latest conquest.” His eyes traveled to the door. “Now in the morning, I will have to make small talk with her, and poor Darryl is gonna have to hear them…” you shake your head, not finishing the sentence. “Good thing I got him noise-canceling headphones.”

“Good thing.”

“How are you liking the 107 so far?”

“It’s...” Steve started only to be interrupted by Sam.

“Okay, so Thor just left with the woman I was hitting on all night. Can’t your brother give another brother a chance,” Sam added, taking a swig of his beer. 

“That’s my brother for…”

“Steve, I heard you just got your ass handed to you in pool. Way to go, girl.” Bucky held up his hand, and you high-fived him. “Steve’s good. He always kicks my ass.”

“Well, that’s because you suck at it,” Sam added.

“Well, at least I can get a woman to go home with me.”

“That’s cold.”

“You can’t get every woman to go with you,” Nat added, taking the stool next to yours.

“Wanna bet.” Bucky licked his lips, earning a scoff from Nat. “Listen here, everyone. I am about to share Mr. Barnes Fling Tips 401. That’s right, this is senior college level, no freshman 101.” He takes a drink of his beer. “First: Get the lovely woman’s attention; catch her eye at the bar, smile at her, send her a drink, whatever you need to do to get her to notice you. Number two: once she notices you, disappear for a little while to see if she looks for you. Then, when she least expects it, go over to her and introduce yourself. Then, this is where the real flirting happens; smirk at her, put a hand on her thigh, bite your lip, any of the telltale signs you’re interested. Then finally, she will take your hand, and that’s when you take her home. We both have meaningless sex and then move on. We both get exactly what we wanted.”

“You’re terrible.” Nat rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Says the female version of me,” he smirked.

“You wish, because then maybe, just maybe, I would give you the time of day and sleep with you. But, you’re not worth it. I don’t think I could ever sink low enough to sleep with you.”

“Ouch, doll, ouch.” He held his hand over his heart, feigning hurt in his eyes.

“I would feel bad, but we both know you don’t have a heart when it comes to women.”

“One right after another. You’re on fire, Red.”

“I don’t have time for this. Come on, YN, let's go get another drink.” Nat grabbed your hand and pulled you to the bar with her.  

“Is it just me, or was that a whole lotta sexual tension right there?” Sam asked Steve as soon as Bucky stormed off.

“I would say so,” Steve nodded in agreement.

________

You classified yourself as a people watcher, and you always found it interesting to watch people interact with one another. You'd often see the people looking to hookup. A bachelorette party with an overly flirty bride to be who may or may not make a mistake tonight. Those people who came out to drink for fun; those that drink because they have a problem; the new parents that needed to get out of the house, or the couple still getting to know one another. You never met any of these people in your life, but you couldn’t help but create their life story. 

It was like the couple sitting close together in the booth to your right. They were falling for each, whether they planned it or not. It was easy to tell with the way they looked at each other. You felt that way once, too. The feeling that you and him were the only two in a crowded room. You thought it was love, but looking back, maybe it was something different. Something toxic, like a poisonous gas entering the air without you knowing, and sooner or later, you're gasping, trying to find the last bit of oxygen. But, it’s no use because you’re trapped, and every breath you take only makes you weaker and unable to move, and eventually, it ends up taking everything from you. 

“Hi, again.” Steve takes a seat on the stool next to you at the bar, pulling you out of your head. “Everyone keeps leaving me, and I didn’t want to look like that loser in the bar sitting by himself.”

“So you came over to join me? Who was sitting by herself looking like a loser?”

“Yeah, but now we can be losers together,” he chuckled, making you smirk. 

“Speak for yourself,” you chuckled, picking at the label on the beer bottle.“You and Bucky became fast friends.”

“Yeah, well, we have known each other since we were kids.”

“Wait, you grew up here?” You turned your heads towards him, narrowing your eyes at him.

“No in Brooklyn. Brooklyn, New York.”

“Get out--” you hit him on the arm “--I used to live in Brooklyn.” 

“Really? Small world,” he smiled, leaning in a little closer to you to hear you better over the music playing on the jukebox. “What made you move out here?” 

“Story for another time,” you pointed the tip of your beer bottle at him. 

He nodded, “So why a 9-1-1 dispatcher?”

“You’re full of questions, aren’t you, Steve?” 

He shrugged with a small chuckle. “A few.”

“Did you get dragged out tonight, too?” You asked, taking a sip of your beer.

“What makes you think that?”

“Think it was so our friends could get a little action.” Your eyes traveled around the bar to see Bucky leaving with a redhead, and Nat had her hand on a guy's bicep with a flirty expression on her face. You had no idea where Carol went, and Sam must’ve left after realizing his luck ran out. Poor guy.

“So it would seem,” he smirked, glancing around the room. 

You felt your phone vibrate, and you glanced down, seeing a message from Nat. 

Nat: Heading out! Hope you can find a way home ;)

YN: Yeah, it’s called an Uber

Nat: (rolling eyes emoji)

“And with that, my ride just left.” You locked your phone, sliding it back into your pocket.

“Yeah, my ride left about five minutes ago.” Steve sighed, staring at his beer bottle. “What do you say about getting out of here?” 

You glanced at him underneath your eyelashes. “I hope you know you're not getting in my pants.” 

“Oh, I know, I didn’t mean it like that, but maybe another time,” he winked, forcing you to crack a smile. 

“Smooth, Rogers. Smooth,” you commented. “And here I thought you were a goody-to-shoes.”

“Most people do, but I am far from it.”

“I am seeing that now,” you chuckled, swallowing the little bit left in your drink. He nodded, glancing around the bar. “Are you ready?”

“For what?” 

“To get out of here?”

“I didn’t mean…” His head snapped to you with raised eyebrows.

“I know, another time,” you teased, seeing the corner of his mouth turn up. “Are you coming because your half-full beer says otherwise?”

He looked at it, then back over at you. Something in his blue eyes shifted from playful to curious in a matter of seconds. “Let's blow this popsicle stand,” Steve smirked, downing the rest of his drink. 

“Easy there, don’t want to have to carry you out of here,” you commented as he reached behind him and slipped on his jacket. 

“Haha.”

You felt the chill in the air as soon as you walked out the front door of the bar. It felt like fall was just around the corner, and it only brought goosebumps to your skin.  

“How far is home?” Steve asked.

“About thirty blocks north, but you don’t have to walk with me. I just figured you didn’t want to look like a loser sitting at the bar by yourself.”

“Thanks, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t mind. I have nothing waiting for me at home, and this way, you have some company.”

“Or do you just not want me to get mugged or something?”

“Maybe that too,” he chuckled, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. “So you live with your brother? Why don’t you have your own place?” 

“I’ve been looking, and I did find one I love. The only problem is I don’t know what to say to Thor.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand.” He added. “It will probably be hard for him at first, but it’s always hard to start over,” Steve mumbled like he knew from his own experience. 

“Yeah, but you haven’t experienced softie Thor.”

“Softie Thor?”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but he still sleeps with his baby blanket. He calls it Mjolnir, and it has all kinds of different hammers and tools on it. He says he doesn’t have it anymore, but the last time I saw it, it was hiding under his pillow.”

“Really?” he smiled, shaking his head. “The big guy. Yay, tall--” he gestured with his hand “--blonde hair, god-like deep voice girls fall for, and he still sleeps with a blankety?” You nodded. “Yeah, I can say I have never seen that side of him.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

You rubbed your upper arms, hoping to keep the chill at bay but having little to no success. You always seemed to forget to grab a jacket before going out. “Why did you transfer to LA from Brooklyn?”

“Now, look who is full of questions?”

“Call me curious.” You shrugged, catching his eye before his return back to the ground.

“Fine, but then you have to answer one of my questions.” You nodded. “Okay, well, I transferred because I needed a new start after some bad stuff went down.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Trying to pull a fast one on me. I like it, but my turn.” You let out an annoyed sigh. “What did you do when you lived in Brooklyn?”

“Fair question." You nodded. "I was an ER nurse. It was both stressful and satisfying at the same time. On the one hand, I didn’t know what was going to come through the doors, but on the other hand, bringing someone back on the brink of dying gave me a rush. I can’t even explain the feeling; I loved my job.”

“Then, why leave?”

“I needed a fresh start.” You glanced over at him, and he nodded, biting his lip. “Looks like we left for the same reason.” 

“Maybe this is fate's way of telling us we both deserve a second chance.” 

“If you believe in that sort of thing,” You shivered, running your hands over your arms to get them to warm up. 

“Here.” Steve started pulling off his worn-out brown leather jacket and offering it to you.

“No, you keep it. I don’t want you to get cold.”

“Don’t worry about me? I’m like a body heater.”

“Fine, but if you get cold, you better tell me.” You slipped it on, feeling the warmth envelop you. His scent on his jacket made your insides twist. You pulled it tight around you, feeling your body warm up in an instant. 

“I will,” he smiled, putting his hands in his pants pockets, shrugging.

You walked in silence for a block or so when you stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the walking figure to appear. “What was it like growing up in Brooklyn with Bucky?”

He chuckled. “Well, it’s a funny story actually because it all started in grade school.” He glanced at you as if asking if he wanted to hear it. “I was drawing on the playground one day at recess. And at the time, I was a sickly little kid, and my mom told me I couldn’t play sports because I had a lot of health problems when I was younger before I became this.” He gestured to himself, making you roll your eyes. “Anyways, I was drawing, and these bullies came over and stood in my light and poured water over my notebook…”

“Those assholes.”

“Yeah, right,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. The crosswalk person appeared, and they started walking again. “I was never one to back down from a fight, so I stood up to him. He pushed me, and I fell, but I got back up and tried to push him, but ended up getting pushed down again, this time landing in a mud puddle. Then, Bucky came over, and straight-up punched this dude in the face. I think we were six at the time.”

“Oh my god, are you kidding?” Your mouth dropped over, and you covered it with your hand.

“Wish I was. Bucky told him to pick on someone his own size and sent him crying. After that, we became pretty good friends.”

“Do you still have the never run from a fight mentality?” You eyed him over and noticed him keeping a close eye on you.

“Yeah, I just don’t like bullies.” He shrugged as comfortable silence fell between the two of you once again. “You said you needed a fresh start. What were you running from?” You stared hard at the ground, biting your lip, not sure if you wanted to lay it all out for him. “Question for another time. How about a counter-question,” he hummed, thinking it over as you watched him mull over what to ask next. “How was it growing up with Thor?”

“Thor and I were never close growing up, which is crazy considering I live with him now. He was my older brother, he had his friends he always hung out with, and I was the younger sister. What older sibling wants to hang out with their younger sibling unless their parents ask them to? We got along, but I grew up being close with our adopted brother Loki. When Thor graduated from high school, he tried college but found it wasn’t for him, and then one day decided to move to LA and become a firefighter. After he moved, I didn’t talk to him much. Loki and I stayed in Brooklyn, I got my nursing degree, and he went into Broadway production. We were a scattered out set of siblings, living on two different coasts.”

“If you and Thor were never close, why move here and live with him?”

“I knew he would help me find myself again.” 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Thor was the brother that wasn’t afraid to make a fool of himself to get me to laugh or feel better. He could get things off my mind when I needed to, plus he’s easy to talk to. Loki’s more of the conservative brother that has a plan and can be a diva at times. I love them both, but I knew starting here would be the fresh start I needed.” You shrugged in his jacket. “I think you owe me at least three extra questions.” 

“Depends what you qualify as a question.”

“Oh, is that how it’s gonna be, wise guy.” You pushed him on the arm. “My turn to ask, let’s see, hmmm.” You tapped your chin with your finger. “How did you and my brother bond so fast?”

“I don’t know. It’s what you have to do in this job, trust your team. Besides, like you said, your brother is easy to get along with after you get past his ego.”

“He does have a big ego,” you nodded with a chuckle.

“What’s the hardest part about being a 911 dispatcher?”

“Really? Already asking a question. I think you still owe me a couple, but I’ll oblige.” You took in a deep breath and let it out, thinking it over. “When the caller hangs up, and you never know what the outcome is. Like, am I making a difference, am I helping? Being a nurse, I knew the outcome because I was there for everything, but here, all you can do is send help. I could look at the records and see what happened, but what if it’s not the outcome I hoped for.” You stared at the ground in front of you. “It’s almost like never finding out an ending to a movie or a book. I want to know what happened, but maybe it’s better left not knowing. After they hang up, sometimes you don’t get time to process it because there is another caller with another emergency.” 

“I get it. Sometimes what we do can be a horror movie. It can give us nightmares if you can’t save someone or can’t get there in time,” Steve’s voice drifted off. “You can play it over in your head to figure out what you could’ve done differently, but sometimes the ending you wanted to happen was never going to happen.” He stared wide-eyed at the ground before glancing your way. There was something different in his eyes, like a nightmare he never quite escaped. “And you’re right, it’s one call after another with little to no recovery time in between.”

“But, then you get those calls where everything goes right, and it makes everything you’re doing worth it.” You shot him a warm smile, earning a nod from him.

“Have to say I agree with that.”

Both of you remained silent for a couple of blocks. These careers were tough to talk about. Everyone called you heroes, but sometimes it was hard to feel like a hero.

“Why did you want to be a fireman?”

“Simple, I like helping people, but like any job, it takes a toll.” He shrugged, glancing at you. “When your adrenaline is pumping, and every nerve in your body is firing. There is pressure put on us, and we never know how things will turn out, but we have to assure those we are trying to save that they are going to be okay. It’s like in a moment's notice we have to drop everything because we are the only help that is coming, and we have to try and save them from what could be the worst moment in their life.”

“It’s almost like you rehearsed that. Did you...did you rehearse that?” You joked, forcing him to crack a smile.

“Shut up, so what if I did.” He nudged your side, making you laugh out loud. It was a real laugh, the kind you haven’t had in a long time. It wasn’t a simple chuckle or a forced giggle, but for the first time in a long time, it sounded happy. Maybe, this is what Bruce was talking about when he told you to talk to someone. Weirdly enough, you did feel lighter, like some of the weight was lifted off your shoulders with this one conversation. 

You came to a stop in front of a cozy little townhouse Thor and Darryl rented. It wasn’t huge. It was a two-bedroom home that an elderly couple raised their little girl, Hope, in. You only met Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne a few times, but they were a lovely couple that decided to rent out that home and retire next to the ocean. 

“This is me.” You waved your hand at the house and started pulling off Steve’s jacket when he stopped you. 

“Hold on to it for me.  I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

“Awful sure of yourself, what makes you think I want to see you again?”

“A guy can hope, can’t he. If it helps, my jacket looks a hell of a lot better on you.” 

“It’s helping,” you breathed a smirk, pulling the jacket around you. “Goodnight, Steve. Thanks for the talk and the walk home.”

“Glad I could help. Have a nice night, YN,” he waved, watching you walk up the steps and use your keys to unlock the door. You opened the door and turned around to find him waiting for you to safely get inside. 

“I want you to know, I am still holding you to answer one question,” you added, opening the door wider.

“Look forward to answering it,” he smiled as you walked in and shut the door behind you.

______

AN: Thanks for reading Part 5! This is probably a chapter you all have been waiting for...more Steve action! Haha! What did you think of the round of twenty questions?! We got a little bit more backstory on her, and a little more about Steve. He left to get a new start, too, any theories as to why?! I mean, I know, but I'm curious where your heads are at! Also, I don't know much about billiards/pool rules, it's basically what I have learned through watching people play it, so if it’s totally off my bad! Again, thanks for reading, reblogs, likes, and comments always welcome!

[scandeniall]

story of us

pairing: suna x reader

the story of ur relationship <3; alternatively (more) dating sunarin headcanons but this time is somewhat of an order and talks good and bad 2K+ worth lol

a/n: i had more planned but half of these have been sitting in my notes for months and its kinda fucking long already bc he lives rent free!!!

warnings: uh the usual aged up (in ur 20s time skip type beat), language, yeah

Meeting

Now when y’all met suna was not looking to love at all. That man was just living his life and so where you. The two of you pretty much meet through komori. You’re a friend and it’s his birthday so him and a few of his friends go out for drinks bc why not. Young hot pretty financially stable v-ball players. Nah no ones there for any type of hookups literally just there celebrating a great guy.

They rent out a section at a relatively nice bar tbh. Not the cheapest and you can actually hear conversation. But also not a super expensive one where the patrons are middle aged with jazz music and the occasional track to relive “youth.” Komori’s a sweetie and will come outside to get you when you text that you’re there. You’ve met washio and ofc sakusa Before so you greet them casually then you turn and there’s Suna and a few others you haven’t met.

That greeting isn’t anything special I promise. Just “hey I’m so and so” and vice versa. It’s one of those meetings where you just think “he’s cute” but it’s such a fleeting thought. Y’all don’t even really talk that first night tbh. At the next practice Suna mentions offhandedly that he didn’t know komori was dating someone and komori is like: huh? Yeah sorry. I love (Y/N) and all but were just friends. Suna just shrugs not really caring to be honest until Komori just asks what did he think of you.

“Don’t really remember much man. Seemed cool though” he didn’t think he’d really see you again. Yeah you were close enough to have been at Komori’s birthday but if that was his first time ever meeting you, he figured you weren’t from around there are present very much. Yeah he was wrong.

Suddenly you were on Komori’s snap story more often, or maybe he’d just been noticing more. Too bad he couldn’t even remember your name 💀. Then it turned into you occasionally popping up where he was. He’d been told your name at least 5 times already but wouldn’t remember it the next day. Whenever he’d see you again he’d get a strained look like: “what is this mf name again” just laugh and tell him again bby.

That changed at some random house party by another mutual friend you two apparently had? You two were the only people just around the fire pit trying to catch some warmth in the chilly night. He’s probably just on his phone head bobbing his head to the muffled music from inside. And you’re just like “remember my name yet?” All jokingly. This sparks the tiniest bit of interest in him and he lets out a low chuckle and just admits “not at all.” I also feel like this is the first time he really looks at you and he’s like 🤨, wait you’re actually kinda cute.

That night y’all just kinda talk and vibe. The conversation comes easy as you two jump back and forth from talking about the music playing to sneakers which he brings up to stuff that you like. He’s actually really easy to talk to. So easy that u can forget about him not remembering your name despite meeting several times. You mention that you’d hung around komori before while they were gaming and that he seemed pretty cool. That leads him to asking “how do you know him anyways?”

“I used to date Sakusa”

Mentally he’s just like— ‘yeah I’m not getting involved in this. Time to go.’ Until you just start laughing.

“I’m kidding. He’s not really my type. We met after being paired together for a project in school.”

The two of you spend quite a bit of time just talking that night until you are joined again by some friends and it’s deadass like y’all weren’t just talking for almost an hour straight.

Getting Together

The process of getting together is like a cat and mouse game. You two start getting closer than friends and then something happens and you’re not talking for weeks. Whether it be life just getting busy, and then someone ending up on some random tinder date or so be it. Definitely one of those things were somehow someway y’all end up just hanging on one of your couches watching a movie. At some point there’s definitely a hint of sexual tension but neither of y’all act on it (later on you find on his finsta that he used to post several “i wont you 😔” memes  Folks can’t tell if hes joking or not (hes not))

You probably gotta tell that man you like him so if that ain’t you I’m sorry. Y’all not dating 😹. It’s something casual, y’all going to pick up some snacks for a movie night and why this mf keep looking at you out the side of his eyes instead of the road. You def texting the groupchat asking if you should confess. They tell you to boss up and just do it baby.

You literally end up confessing in that parking lot. Like right when he shuts the car off and starts swinging his keys on his finger and you kinda just blurt “I like you. Like like you.” He just kinda nods before his eyes widen. “Wait are you fr?” Like no you’re joking tf. It gets a lil awkward so you just go to get out the car and he’s like “I like like you too.”

I definitely don’t think either of you ever officially asked the other out it’s just at some point the understanding that you two are a couple. Like when you’re hanging out just you two hes more touchy, and then y’all start kissing and holding hands at some point. Then when you’re with friends he almost exclusively sits next to you and your friends notice the whispers in one another’s ears at the loud bar that seem just a hint too intimate for ppl who are just friends. Then y’all start arriving and leaving places together and people just at some point get the message (it’s later confirmed by you tweeting some shit like: I hate Rin why is that mf my boyfriend)

As far as anniversaries y’all draw straws to pick a day in the ballpark of the time y’all both think you became official. That’s the day you stick with even if it’s not true.

Relationship Flaws

A fault in the relationship is sunas kinda poor communication when it comes to things that matter. How he feels. Arguments. Love sure as hell don’t come east with anyone but when your partner won’t let you in? Yeah that’s like hell. That’s something you struggle with. And then on your end, it’s the impatience with him not letting you in. You try to wrongfully rush it.

 There’s definitely been arguments that stem from him just being upset about something unrelated to the relationship then coming to you for comfort without actually telling you what’s wrong. He kinda just wants to lay with his head on his chest but at some point that’s not enough. Y’all are in a relationship and should be able to talk about your bad days too.

You’re not innocent in this issue either because sometimes it comes off too pushy. Yes it’s from a place of care but sometimes that silent comfort is necessary. The walls will break in due time and y’all both know that deep in the back of your minds But then there’s a part that’s like— yeah we can’t let this become the norm

“Rin, can you please talk to me”

He will have literally told you “whatever” and that he “can’t deal with this rn” several times as he just shrugs and is like yeah “I’m gonna just go home. I’ll text you later” with an awkward ass pat on your shoulder if it really ruined his mood. If he’s leaving before he gets super upset and uncomfortable just some half assed kiss in your cheek

Another thing is I feel like he could be passive aggressive and let’s be real other folks doing it causes you to do it to. Y’all probably drag eachother on your finstas where you can both see it lol

But when it comes to making up he cracks first and apologizes when he started it. Or as y’all get more comfy with communication. If it’s not anything major he’ll just hit you with a text like “I’m bored come hang”

More Relationship Things

I feel like he love/hates driving. Likes the ride not always driving though. So if you ever proposed a late night drive he’d be down (if you offer to drive). He does let y’all take his car though. He reclines the seat pretty far back. Alternates between just closing his eyes vibing w/ the music or kinda just looking at you (he the type of bf that makes u nervous no matter how long y’all been together)The way he looks at you makes you nervous cause that man is fine as hell and you can just feel his eyes on you.

He films you on Snapchat and sends the video to you like “you look hot”

If he’s not ‘resting his eyes’ he’s mumbling along to the music because he has the aux. if y’all music tastes are different he occasionally throws in something you really like bc he likes how you perk up at one of your fav songs

Moving on. Y’all dap eachother up after s3x because it’s “modern romance” (boy stfu). You two came up with a sex playlist together and it’s on both of your phones. Sometimes one of you will add a troll song that the other doesn’t know and put it in the lineup. (Stole my heart by 1D has definitely played before and you were practically in tears laughing at his reaction. That was one of those songs he was like ‘yeah alright i think we’re done).

At some point you two develop your own handshake and it’s cute. Whenever either of you have to travel without the other that’s always the last thing you do before you leave eachother. There’s vids of your friends daring y’all to do your elaborate ass handshake drunk and doesn’t matter what’s in your system, you both know it like the back of your hand.

I think he values quality time a lot so there’s so many nights where you’re both just chilling in his room just doing your own things. He could just be at his desk watching some game highlights and you’re just doing hw on his bed with your own earbuds in work all spread out and he’s content. He’s also attentive so if he calculates that you’ve been working too long he’ll just take ur earbud like “hey let’s go get something to eat.”

People definitely think he’s the lazy one in the relationship but it’s 100% not true. Like stated above, he’s very attentive and can pretty much gauge how you’re feeling in the blink of an eye. He knows when you need alone time but won’t go without reassuring you that he’s here whenever you’re ready. When you do just need him he’s there without a second thought. If you’re more touchy he’ll have your head in his lap his arm running up and down your as you tell him what’s wrong. He knows when to joke about a minor inconvenience and over the course of your relationship knows when to cut the jokes and be serious with you.

He’d never admit it but he knows your coffee order by heart (he keeps up his image my asking wtf do you get everytime. Just let him LOL). He the type to peek at what you plan on wearing and ‘accidentally’ color coordinate then pull some shit like “why are you copying me”

Y’all def shit talk together. See someone doing something completely out of pocket in public— straight to ur phones you go (pack it up shade room). To the public it just looks like you aren’t paying any attention to one another on your dates but y’all are. Just over the phone so u don’t piss off ur target 😌

Y’all are very comfy in your relationship that you just say stuff. Y’all don’t even think.

“Rin, what if i crashed us in this car rn 😹”

“Do it. Might be fun”

When you two finally move in together it’s almost like how your relationship starts. Slowly more and more spares of stuff for you end up at his. He does sorta make the move near the end of your lease and is just like “you’re here more than me anyways.” (hes nervous but swears he’s not. Bby you’re literally shaking). Him moving you in is like hell. This mf takes sooooo long to help with boxes. Picks up 1 then sits for like 15 minutes. You ask for help the first few times and he’s just like “I got you” while continuing to scroll his phone.

Sleepy Shoulder kisses in the mornings. Only form a greeting you get but it’s ok

this is like my 100th dating suna hc and im still going this is SICK. it was so hard to not drop old refs bc i still believe in them 100% yes i do!!!!

[ollyarchive]

Olly Alexander: ‘I want to make the community proud. I don’t know if I've always got it right’

By

David Levesley

As Ritchie Tozer in Russell T Davies’ devastating 1980s-set drama It's A Sin, Olly Alexander told a story from a tragically formative decade in gay history. As himself and as frontman of synthpop trio Years & Years, he contributes to a new narrative. But, as he reveals here, the insecurities and anxieties written into minority identities are not just a personal challenge: they can shape stories told by, for and about all his peers

It is the afternoon before It’s A Sin is broadcast to the nation and its star, 30-year-old musician and actor Olly Alexander, is buying a cat cushion. “It’s for a friend!” he says, mortified to be caught in the act of buying a plush feline.

Where once being the star of a primetime Channel 4 drama might mean greenrooms, watch parties and a celebratory afters, this is January 2021, so a flame-haired Alexander is sitting in his kitchen, drinking a smoothie the exact same lilac as his top.

“I’ve had a lot of restless energy,” he says, having binge-watched The Real Housewives Of New York City in between doing lots of squats and “watching homoerotic YouTube workout videos”. It’s not quite the normal build-up to a game-changing drama, but is there a better way to remember peacetime than watching a show filled with period pieces such as “friends drink indoors” or “strangers have guiltless sex at a house party”? It’s A Sin is both a masterpiece and a reminder that someday we will, once again, be able to be eaten out by hot men. “You’re so welcome,” Alexander says, laughing. “If I can bring anything to the British public, it’s a lesson in anal hygiene.”

Anal hygiene are two words we have probably never published together in GQ, but, more importantly, are probably not the subject of many – if any! – scenes in a piece of media not uploaded to OnlyFans. They are, however, the subject of a crucial scene in the first episode of It’s A Sin, in which Alexander’s character – an 18-year-old fledgling queer from the Isle Of Wight called Ritchie Tozer – gets rimmed by his campus crush, Ash Mukherjee (Nathaniel Curtis). No gay men watching came out of that scene not feeling seen and, like all the other sex scenes in It’s A Sin, it feels deeply realistic and fantastically homosexual.

“I can tell you I’ll never forget being practically butt-naked with my arse in the air in front of colleagues,” says Alexander, laughing. But by that point, he says, he had done so many sex scenes that it felt somewhat rote. “‘Ritchie’s got a dirty bum! Stick that arse in the air and look disappointed!’” What was interesting, he says, was the dynamic of trying to produce the most authentically gay experiences possible on camera.

‘WE UNDERSTOOD THESE CHARACTERS WITH A KIND OF SHORTHAND THAT GAY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND’

They were working with Ita O’Brien – a movement director and arguably the OG intimacy coordinator – but, for her sins, not a gay man. So while everyone would have an input in how a sex scene would be best shot, “There came a point when they would say, ‘Please tell us, because we’re not gay men.’” So then the writer, the performers, the director and O’Brien’s team would come to a consensus on how to make a threesome look like three men shagging, yet also make it look the best it could on camera and make sure “you never touch each other’s genitals, basically”.

Alexander says O’Brien’s input was a “lifesaver” for him on set. Although by the end he felt comfortable, he was at first intimidated by just how exposing this would be. “I had a bit of a hysterical breakdown. I was really worried I couldn’t do it. I just didn’t feel safe.” This was interesting to hear from Alexander, the proudly queer frontman of the band Years & Years, who “spent four years on the road performing and finding this character that I do feel sexy in”. It was then that O’Brien and the team asked him to bring whatever made him feel comfortable on stage into the room before the cameras rolled. “So I would sing before the takes, be a little bit of Olly on stage,” he says, laughing. “That was my way of tricking my brain and thinking it was a character. Which, of course, it was.”

Before he was Olly Alexander, consummate gamine artiste, Olly Alexander Thornton was a singled-out kid at a primary school in Gloucestershire (where his mother ran a music festival). He was, like many other gay kids growing up, bullied and harassed for being something “other”, which everyone is able to see long before you can define it yourself. “I remember being in primary school and I had long hair and people would call me a girl,” he says, and the wound still feels raw when he recounts it.

“I knew that was bad for boys. I didn’t like the things that other boys liked: I just wanted to play with the girls and watch Disney movies. Which obviously straight boys do as well,” he mentions, always making sure to provide caveats to include all facets of the human experience. Although the bullying began to subside by secondary school in Monmouthshire, he still stood out: he had big curly hair – “I was trying to hide my ears” – and would wear make-up or a choker sometimes on nonuniform days. “I think I was trying to figure out who I was,” he says. “Imagine getting to discover your own sexuality without any preconceived ideas! I mean, maybe that’s impossible. But it would be nice, right? Why should people bullying you be your first brush with your own sexuality?”

Like Ritchie Tozer, Alexander moved to London at 18 to pursue acting, but he also had designs on becoming a musician. “Because when you’re writing a song, you’re the director, the star, the producer, the writer. I wanted all of that! I needed that to be able to express myself,” he proclaims with faux hysteria. For years he found success as an actor in a diverse selection of roles: he appeared in Gaspar Noé’s Enter The Void, costarred with seemingly every other white British actor in The Riot Club and also in God Help The Girl, a musical film written by Belle And Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch. “Then Years & Years just got to a place where it was going to take over and needed my full time,” Alexander says. So his focus moved to the music.

‘IMAGINE DISCOVERING YOUR SEXUALITY WITHOUT ANY PRECONCEIVED IDEAS!’

It was on their third single, “Real” – released in 2014 – that Alexander first felt his art and his sexuality really intermingle. “It was the first time I put in a male pronoun – I say ‘Do it, boy’ – and it’s quite subtle, but it was a big deal for me at the time.” This was when Years & Years were trying to get signed to a major label, so doing something so consciously queer felt like a risk (the band went on to sign with Polydor later that year).

While pop music has long had an element of queerness about it – you need only look at the artists featured in It’s A Sin to see how gay 1980s pop was – Alexander has long been frank that sexuality and success are not always seen as natural bedfellows. At a Stonewall event in 2018 he recounted being told during his media training, “Maybe it’s better not to say anything about your sexuality at all.” In the same year, he told NME there had been progress, but that “I just know there are people who are hiding their sexuality, so it’s still not gone completely”.

Alexander doubled down on it with the music video – featuring his Bright Star costar Ben Whishaw – where he “purposefully made it gay. There’s a cruising element to the very beginning. It’s slightly ambiguous, though, because back then I wasn’t quite ready to launch into being the gay crusader I think I am now.” In 2015 the band won the BBC’s Sound Of 2015 poll, releasing their first album, Communion, the same year. It became 2015’s fastest-selling debut album from a UK-signed band.

‘I JUST WATCHED LIAM PAYNE TAKE HIS TOP OFF, BUT NOW I’M NOT ALLOWED TO?’

But despite the success, and the realisation that audiences were either supportive of – or simply unfazed by – the queerness of Years & Years’ music, there is always an anxiety for Alexander about just how accepting people are willing to be. “I’ll tell you for real,” says Alexander, “I go out on stage – even if it’s for our own audience – and I’m like, ‘What if some of them don’t like me? What if some of them have an issue with me today?’ I always feel like I’m going to try a bit harder next time, try to do a bit more.”

While the character of “Olly Alexander, Years & Years frontman” is one that bespangles its performer with confidence, being queer in the music industry isn’t always an easy thing to navigate. He remembers seeing a tweet from someone who said Alexander’s sexuality was a ruse to try to attract the pink pound – a term for the spending power of gay men – “And it had an impact on me, because I’ve consciously tried to [be openly gay] in a lot of circumstances where I wouldn’t normally. And then for someone...” He tries to think of how to put it and comes up short. “It can chip away at you.”

He wouldn’t change a thing about his success, he says, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when it isn’t hard to be out and proud while also getting your foot in the door. “When we’re playing a pop music festival, I’m looking at the other acts in the lineup and there aren’t that many gay people on them,” he says. “You see how quickly your show isn’t family friendly any more because I want to take my top off and I’m like, ‘Well, I just watched Jason Derulo and Liam Payne take their tops off and have all these women in underwear, but now I’m not allowed?’ What do you do with that?”

It’s A Sin marks a return to acting but, also, a chance to refresh Alexander’s musical batteries too. Following Years & Years’ second album – 2018’s Palo Santo – the third album was proving hard to pin down. “I’ve been trying to make this album for about 18 months at this point, stopping and starting, listening to all the songs and... it’s just not feeling relevant any more.” Alexander had always loved Russell T Davies’ work, so when he heard Davies was making a new TV show he “had to be in it. I would just jump at the chance to work with him. And that was before I read the script.” Years & Years had just finished touring Palo Santo and, to Alexander, it felt like the stars had aligned.

While the anxiety of performing queer sex scenes might have been particularly exposing for a gay man like Alexander, there were huge benefits for him being in a cast and crew that were predominantly LGBTQ+. “It was a revelation. I’ve never been on a set with so many queer people. I’ve never even worked with a gay director, so it was a completely new experience.” Plus, being asked to play part of a group of gay best friends, portrayed predominantly by gay actors, meant the chemistry came very quickly: “We understood these characters [with a] kind of shorthand that gay people understand.”

An inclusive, comfortable environment was beneficial for more than just sex scenes and simulating a decade of friendship. It’s A Sin also required its cast to grapple with the issue of HIV and aids, not just as a part of the furniture – as we do in the 21st century, with our knowledge of viral loads, sleeping with undetectable partners and new medications such as Prep – but really putting a forgotten part of British queer history under the lens, who it affected and how it changed the LGBTQ+ community irrevocably. “It’s an issue that is deeply surrounded by stigma and there’s a lot of trauma there and a lot of fear,” Alexander explains. “I know, personally, it was an area that I was scared to really engage with.”

He mentions that just before filming he made friends with an older gay couple at his gym and in talking about the show with them he was offered a rare opportunity to hear about personal experiences of the aids crisis. “It can be so difficult as a gay person to feel like you have intergenerational support,” says Alexander. “Elders are so important in our community. You can get so much from the people who have gone through so much before and fought that fight.”

For Alexander and the cast, It’s A Sin was a rare opportunity: a chance to be brought together with a whole group of men and women who were there at the time and who were willing to share their experiences with them. “I feel so lucky that I got to engage with that and keep learning. I was just scratching the surface and there are so many stories you can tell from this period. It’s impacted us all the way until now and it will in the future.”

Starring in It’s A Sin has also changed what Years & Years’ third album is going to sound like. After the initial writer’s block, Alexander says, he focused instead on the music of the show (Bronski Beat, Kelly Marie, the titular song by Pet Shop Boys) “and it really took my mind back to the club” – especially in the midst of a pandemic, when the queer nightlife venues that are the backbone of our community are so desperately missed.

“All the music I wanted to listen to in lockdown was high energy. It was dance floor. It was club music.” This was the music that had played such a huge role in his early life in London, had inspired the first Years & Years album and a genre that owes a great debt to the LGBTQ+ community. “I think at their heart, lots of these songs are about joy despite crushing pain. I just thought, ‘God, imagine hearing “I Feel Love” on the dance floor for the first time.’ What a transcendent experience that would be.”

‘ELDERS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITY. YOU CAN GET SO MUCH FROM THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUGHT THAT FIGHT’

And so Alexander went into the studio – as soon as it was safe to do so – and created a bunch of new songs. Is it easy to find collaborators behind the scenes who get it when he says, “I want it to feel like Britney meets Rihanna meets Hot Chip via New Order”?

“It can be a challenge to find someone that really understands,” admits Alexander. He recalled being sent round the songwriters and producers in Los Angeles that all artists are sent round at a certain point, “And some of those people are amazing – some amazing queer people as well – but predominantly... You know, they’re straight, so it can be quite challenging.”

Feeling safe with his collaborators hasn’t been an easy journey, but now he’s in a good place for it. He also pointed out that it’s not just queers who can understand his vision: his bandmates are straight, he points out – “I really believe in working with straight people! Some of my best friends are straight!” – and his frequent collaborator, the producer Mark Ralph, “is a real ally to us gays”, who was always willing to vibe along to Paris Hilton singles with him.

A new sound – a queerer sound – isn’t just a risk in a world where Alexander’s performances are held to double standards and the linchpins of queer culture can still be seen as synonymous with perversion. The impossible standards queer work is held to don’t just come from the straight world: gay men can be terrible recipients of work designed for them too.

Russell T Davies has dealt with it his entire career: “There’s the problem of lack of representation, but there’s the problem that when you are represented, it’s just not seen,” he explained when I spoke to him recently. “You just learn to cope. I worry about it. I probably worry about it more than I say here, but at the end of the day it’s never stopped me writing the next thing.” But he gets it because he, too, is a gay man who consumes art and he sees the same biases coming out when he watches other queer-centric work.

Yet he was amazed that artists younger than him are still dealing with the same crises: “It’s what comes with being a minority. It’s what comes of oppression and you kind of expect this to pass. But then you talk to young people like Olly, who’s a different generation from me, and you find them thinking the same things,” Davies said. “I was lucky to have my training during an age when you’d be lucky to get one review in the Times. Now you live in a world of reviewers.”

When I ask Alexander if he worries how gay men will respond to a gay artist’s work, it is no easier for him to respond than it was for Davies. “Oh, God, you’re making my heart race now,” he says, breathless. “I should be careful, because I don’t want to demonise anybody. But I tried to really unpack this myself and... I’ll just sort of say it.” It is clear that this is intense for him: his eyes are looking watery as he tries to phrase it delicately.

“I have this – I think irrational – anxiety about gay men tearing me down. And I tried to interrogate that within myself and I think it’s complicated, because a lot of it has to do with internalised phobias and shame, about how I see myself versus how other people see me.” He begins to cry. “What I do know is that I want them to not hate me. And I want to make the community proud. It’s been at the heart of pretty much every decision I’ve ever made. And I don’t know if I’ve always got it right.”

‘I HAVE THIS – I THINK IRRATIONAL – ANXIETY ABOUT GAY MEN TEARING ME DOWN’

It’s tough being an actor asked to shed light and humanity on a complex phase in British LGBTQ+ history; it’s just as tough to be a gay man trying to make pop music that speaks to the queer experience. But Alexander is doing both and, what’s more, he’s being unapologetically queer in the public eye. There aren’t many LGBTQ+ people in the position Alexander is in and it must be exhausting, I suggest, to be expected to speak for the needs and fears of an entire spectrum of sexual and gender identities. After all, he’s just one man who wants to be proud of who he is. “Sometimes, when I feel the most anxious, I have a voice in my head that goes, ‘Oh, Olly, why on earth did you put yourself in this position? You really are not the strong person people think you are.’” But, he says, he is learning he can’t speak for everyone, even if people expect it of him.

Instead, he’s focusing on being proud of what he’s done – the visibility, the audacity, the bravery – rather than the critique of his anxieties or Twitter trolls. “I’m always thinking about me as a teenager and how I’m creating the person I wanted to be in the world. I’m actually doing it! Holy fuck!”

[the-himawari]

A3! Anniversary Event Translation - On the Trajectory to Full Bloom. [Summer] (4/4)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Muku: Uwah… Everyone in the Spring troupe is cool…

Kumon: They were sparkling, and looked like real idols!

Tenma: …

Kumon: Tenma-san? Do you perhaps have a stomachache?

Tenma: No, it’s not like tha—.

Yuki: …Could it be you’re nervous?

Tenma: I’m not!

Misumi: Tenma, you’re fidgeting around~?

Kazunari: Ahaha.

Izumi: —Summer troupe, are you ready?

Kazunari: It’s here! Come on Tenten, do that!

Tenma: I understand! You guys, huddle up!

Misumi: Ye~s!

Muku: Yeah!

Kumon: As expected, group huddles fire us up, huh~!

Tenma: …Ahem. —You guys, make noise and make them laugh with all your hearts!

Summer troupe: Ohh!

Tenma: Alright… Let’s go, Summer troupe! To our fired up summer—!

Summer troupe: OH—!!

-pause-

Izumi: (The Sakura High baseball club that unfortunately lost to a powerhouse school in the third round of the regional tournament… Are having a rematch as a practise match.)

Inoue [Tenma]: “Those guys still haven’t come?”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “They were saying the trains are running late but…”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Geez, at such an important time…”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Ah, they finally came—”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “What’s this? What’s that? What’s everyone doing???”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Kii-chan, an interesting thing is rolling~!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “It really is!”

Santa [Muku]: “Wait, this is strange! There shouldn’t be this kind of location in a place like this. It must be an enemy trap.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Is what you say, but who’s the enemy?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Right now we’re still suspended from work, and we’re off duty~.”

Santa [Muku]: “T-That is so but if you’ve noticed, us being in a place like this is strange no matter how you think of it!”

Izumi: (What appeared in the schoolyard, Were ninjas who looked like Uehara, Enomoto, and Ono.)

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Uehara? And that’s Enomoto and Ono, right?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “What’s with their get-up?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Hurry up and change into your uniforms!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Huh!? Hyuga!?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Sae and the young master are here~.”

Santa [Muku]: “No, those people are…”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “HURRY UP! The practise match is starting!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Y-yes!?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “What’s a uniform~???”

-pause-

Izumi: (Kiichi, Yoshimaru and Santa, the three introduce themselves as ninjas of Iga.)

Akiyama [Kumon]: “N-ninjas…?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “Oi, what’s the meaning of this. This practise match isn’t a match we can win by joking around like that.”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “No but, Uehara and them really look like they don’t understand.”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Ha~. Whatever, even if it’s these ninjas, anything is fine. Appear in the practise match for now.”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Washimiya-san, seriously!?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “It can’t be helped, right? Cause right now there’s no other members.”

Inoue [Tenma]: “That’s a joke, right? There’s no way we can play together with these guys who don’t understand what's going on.” “Our opponent is the regional championship winning school, aren’t they?”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “What are we supposed to do for a practise match?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “For now, it’s fine if you catch the ball that comes flying.”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Heh~, doesn’t that seem interesting~.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

Santa [Muku]: “What are you accepting so quickly, you two!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “That’s right. Generally speaking, there’s no way you can do this so easil—.”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “IT’S FINE, JUST GO!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “—uuh.”

-pause-

Izumi: (So then being full of only anxiety, the practise match starts…)

Umpire: “Play ball!”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Keep your eye on the ball!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “What’s a ball?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Isn’t it that round sphere~?”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Yosshi, you’re amazin’—!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “Are those guys going to be ok…”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “I-in the meantime, I have to pitch a shutout.”

Inoue [Tenma]: “Our last hope is only you. So I’m counting on you, Akiyama.”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Ughh, somehow this sudden pressure… is making me get a stomachache.”

Batter: “—."

*hits*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Ah—!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “It came it came it came it came it came it came! Catching this is a good thing!?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “IT’S FINE, JUST CATCH IT!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Okay~!”

*jumps*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Woah, he jumped!?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “What was that height just now…”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Heh, he did it.”

Izumi: (Kiichi jumps up high and catches the ball effortlessly… Kazunari-kun’s body seems lighter than usual!)

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “I wanna do it too~! Next time over here, 'kay!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “It’s not that kind of game!”

Batter: “—!”

*hits*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Ah, it was hit again—!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Yosshi!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Leave it to me~!”

*jumps around*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “!?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “What was that!? He spun in the air!?”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Ninja…?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “For real…?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Isn’t it great? Maybe they’ll be useful.”

Izumi: (The Sakura High baseball club blocks the opponent’s batting lineup one after another through the duo’s skills and jumps that surpasses those of human beings.)

-pause-

*jumps around*

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Hiyah!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Hoi!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Yosshi, as expected!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “We did it, Kii-chan!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “What was that movement!?”

Izumi: (The ninja group showed a well coordinated play. So now is Sakura High’s attack—)

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Next, it’ll be good if you hit the ball using this stick.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Hmmm.”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Okay~.”

Santa [Muku]: “Or rather, why are we doing something like this…”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “YES, THERE IT GOES, THERE IT GOES!”

Santa [Muku]: “—.”

-pause-

Umpire: “Strike!”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “As expected, batting is no good after all, huh?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “Isn’t that obvious? Geez, these guys who don’t know baseball appearing in the practise game is too reckless.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Hmmm, it’s better if I hit that thing?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Good luck, Kii-chan!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Leave it to me, Yosshi!” “—Hiyah!”

*hits*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “—He hit it!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “What is that form…! It’s weird! Why the heck did he twirl around three times for no reason!”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “But he extended!”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “RUN!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Eh!? To where!?”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Over there! That place with the closest white mark!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “White mark? White mar—… Ah, it’s there!”

Washiyama [Yuki]: “Step there and stand by!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Acknowledged!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “This is nuts…”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Then, I’ll try my best too~.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Yosshi, good luck—!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Humhumhu—m!”

*hits*

Akiyama [Kumon]: “It’s a homerun!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? How does it get hit by him just spinning round and round like that!?”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Yosshi, you’re amazin’—!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “I’ll also run~!”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “Before that, the guy before, step on the white marks in order and make your way back!”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Me? Make my way back while stepping on the marks?”

Washimiya [Yuki]: “THE GUY AFTER TOO, HURRY UP!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “I don’t really understand this, but run, run~!”

Izumi: (Misumi-kun is in perfect form, and Muku-kun’s movements are good too!) The results of Kazunari-kun’s special training is coming out as well!)

-pause-

Izumi: (The ninja group explodes the batting lineup despite their absurd form, And piles up points by stealing bases with a speed that can’t be seen. And then—)

Umpire: “Game set!”

Inoue [Tenma]: “No way, we really won…”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “That’s a surprise, huh…”

Washiyama [Yuki]: “The ninjas are useful.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “What, it’s over already?”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “I wanted to play more~.”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “Right! It was fun!”

Santa [Muku]: “How are you two are so easygoing!” “What should we do, going astray in a place that we don’t even understand, And if we’re not able to return home to the village…”

Kiichi [Kazunari]: “It’s fine, we can play baseball forever!”

Yoshimaru [Misumi]: “Yeah, yeah~.”

Washiyama [Yuki]: “If you have no place to go, our baseball club will take you in so don’t worry.”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “Washiyama-san, seriously!?”

Washiyama [Yuki]: “With their physical capabilities, they can aim to go pro too. Koshien is no different.”

Inoue [Tenma]: “You really will use any means necessary, huh?”

-pause-

Izumi: (Akiyama, Inoue and Washiyama suddenly wake up on the bench. The practise match that should’ve been finished hasn’t started yet…)

Enomoto [Kazunari]: “Sorry, I’m late!”

Ono [Muku]: “Huh? You three were sleeping???”

Uehara [Misumi]: “The practise match is already starting though.”

Inoue [Tenma]: “Enomoto, Ono, Uehara…”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “They reverted back…?”

Inoue [Tenma]: “The practise match is also starting now?”

Akiyama [Kumon]: “So everything was a dream…?”

Enomoto [Kazunari]: “What’s wrong, you three? Half asleep?

Washiyama [Yuki]: “What about the ninjas?”

Enomoto [Kazunari]: “Huh????”

Uehara [Misumi]: “Ninjas?”

Washiyama [Yuki]: “...As a punishment for being late, do ninja training.”

Ono [Muku]: “Why!?”

Izumi: (The curtain falls in the middle of this mysterious, half dream-like atmosphere—)

-pause-

Izumi: (Their movements were pretty and their tsukkomi was well executed…! From here on is the revue part where they change costumes!)

-pause-

Tenma: Thank you for coming today for our important fan meeting. In appreciation, us Summer troupe will deliver a new challenge!

Audience member A: Ehh, dance!? Yuki-kun and Muku-kun breakdancing is super unexpected~!

Audience member B: But it was really cool!

Izumi: (Those two, their dancing was in perfect form.) (Yuki-kun was also saying something like “that’s not his character”, But it started looking cool and like it suited him!)

Kazunari: YO! Is it summer?

Audience: Woohoo!

Kazunari: Is it summer?

Audience: Woohoo!

Izumi: (With Kazunari-kun’s call and response, The venue was united! As expected of him.) (This is the climax of the dances they’ve done one at a time in this place that’s become livened up!)

Audience member A: Uwah, Misumi-kun’s movements are too impressive!

Audience member B: As expected of Tenma-kun!

Audience member C: Kumon-kun’s cute as he’s having fun~!

Izumi: (Summer troupe’s breakdancing is lively and powerful…! It’s sharper than in rehearsal!)

Kazunari: Everyone, thank you~!

Yuki: …Thank you.

Misumi: Thank you~!

Muku: Thank you very much!

Kumon: Thanks!

Tenma: Thank you. Summer troupe that’s fired up all year round, from here on as well—.

Summer troupe: Please watch over us!

---

previous |

[jeanvaljean24601]

Full-Frame Showdown: Canon R5, Panasonic S1H, and Sony a7 IIICanon, Panasonic, and Sony.

Japanese camera makers that have played a huge part in major advances in video production over the last 20 years. While they have lost some ground at the top end to innovators like RED, and to market leaders like ARRI, they are massively dominant in the budget range most of us can afford. And for the first time in a long, long time they have relatively comparable cameras in their lineup. The reason why it's the first time in a long time goes back to the beginning of the DSLR/mirrorless revolution. Each company really targeted different markets. Sony was ahead of the game in moving towards full-frame mirrorless back in 2014 with its Alpha line. At the same time, Canon was still pushing hard on DSLR cameras with an internal mirror system that could adapt to PL mount, and Panasonic was out with the very popular, but smaller sensor GH line of cameras. Not only was Sony out early with full-frame mirrorless, they then came out with the  a7S II which was a huge hit among filmmakers for its high resolution and great low light performance. For nearly a decade, the three giants were competing in different spaces. Panasonic was up against Olympus and Fujifilm for the MFT market, Canon was up against Nikon for the DSLR market, and Sony had full-frame all to itself. That almost changed two years ago with the release of the RF line from Canon, a series of full-frame mirrorless cameras built around a brand new lens mount. But the resolution wasn't exciting. It was a 4K crop, and it just didn't sing to filmmakers. In 2019, Panasonic generated a ton of buzz with the LUMIX DC-S1H, a very filmmaker-focused full-frame mirrorless offering that shot 6K video, could do RAW over HDMI, 4K up to 60fps, and created very pleasing images. Combined with the same color science and log format as the very popular VariCam line of cameras made this an especially appealing choice for filmmakers who frequently rented or even owned that larger cinema platform. If you were on a VariCam show, you could feel comfortable using the  S1H as a C camera or for crash setups. Now Canon is catching up with the EOS R5, which is targeted towards filmmakers with a completely new sensor that is able to shoot 8K internal RAW footage. Now all the big players have options that are broadly in competition with each other. The Canon  R5 does 8K RAW internally. You can shoot 6K on the  S1H, but to get RAW you need an external recorder. For Sony, the current "filmmaker" camera is the  a7 III, which tops out at 4K. In truth, though, we don't care about the resolution number as an end in itself. The key is not the resolution of the file that is created, but the actual measurable perceivable resolution of the final image. If when projected on a movie screen you can't see any resolution difference between the 6K and 8K, then does it really matter? Canon currently is ahead based on the 8K number, but we're going to wait for real-world side-by-side testing with the cameras to see what actually passes the most information along. 8K also requires lenses to actually resolve 8K, which might not even matter if you are shooting with a vintage cinema lens. If you are picking this camera and hoping to shoot with a set of old Super Speed primes or the even older and softer Cooke Speed Panchros, you may not see any difference in resolution at the camera level. Canon has Dual Pixel Autofocus II on the EOS R5 that uses "deep learning" to identifying subjects. Autofocus development is likely going to be one of the key battlegrounds between the cameras. This is vital since Sony has gotten a major lead going in autofocus with some truly impressive results. Autofocus that actually feels like a tool filmmakers might really appreciate makes the a7 III very appealing. Panasonic has a whole host of lenses custom-built for the S1H but hasn't pushed its autofocus hard. While this shouldn't be the main reason a filmmaker chooses a camera, it can be a lifesaver in an interview setup with a subject who keeps leaning forward and back, for instance. If autofocus is a key decider for you, you should focus your attention on who's really ahead of the pack: Canon and Sony. Panasonic S1H As a reminder, in the end, you can make most cameras look like anything. As Steve Yedlin points out, there is so much power in post-processing that a lot of what we talk about when we discuss camera color science is just "wine language." However, color science does matter somewhat on smaller jobs when you won't have much time in post. If you are shooting something where you won't be invited to post, or where it will be online the next day, or even later that night, you want pleasing color straight out of the camera. This category, to me, leans towards Panasonic and Canon. Sony has traditionally had the strangest color science choices, with greens looking a bit off and skin tones a bit shifted towards the orange as well. It's improved over the years, but footage from the FX9 still looks a bit too saturated in the greens for me, and the a7 III fits in that space as well. The first Sony camera to really look good in this area was VENICE. Compare that to Panasonic, who has done an amazing job rolling down the VariCam look into an affordable package. For that alone, Panasonic wins the color competition. While Canon looks quite nice out of the gate, its look is the "look of YouTube," and while it's pleasing, it's very associated with vlogging and the DIY space. Based on footage seen so far, the S1H is the winner here to me. It was also the first  Netflix approved mirrorless camera, despite Sony having had 4K cameras available for several years prior. Panasonic felt like a real contender with its 4K 60fps, but the Canon R5 stomps it with a 4K 120fps shooting mode. If you are doing sports, action, or even a certain kind of narrative filmmaking, that 120fps is going to be killer. Sony is carrying the rear here with only 30fps in 4K mode from the a7 III. But that will most likely change with the up-coming a7S III. Canon uses the proprietary RF mount. Sony uses the proprietary E mount. Panasonic uses the open format L mount, part of the L-mount alliance with Leica and Sigma. While that isn't the biggest industry group, I tend to prefer open formats to closed formats, and that has some appeal. However, the E mount has a more robust lens offering at the moment than either RF or L. If you need to shoot today, and you need a lot of lens choices, E mount is the way to go. But then again, most lenses can be adapted. h96 max x3The only reasonable conclusion I can make is that it's a good time to be a filmmaker looking for a camera around $4,000. There are three very strong choices that are going to give you amazing images no matter what. If you already shoot a lot of VariCam, the S1H is the obvious choice. But the R5 deserves a lot of attention and testing for its new autofocus, IBIS, and 8K RAW, which is a real game-changer at this price point. Sony isn't out of the game by any means with its arsenal of lens choices and famous low light quality. It will come down to what your personal expectations and preferences are in a camera. h96 max tv boxSo which one makes the most sense for you?

[lvlzdiary]

[INTERVIEW] Lovelyz Hints at an Amazing Winter Night with Their Singapore Lovelinus

After successfully concluding the Seoul leg of their concert, Lovelyz revealed last month that they will be coming to Singapore really soon for a one-night-only show!

Titled “Lovelyz 3 of Winter World”, the girls will be taking Singapore fans on a spellbinding winter wonderland adventure while singing many of their hits such as “Candy Jelly Love”, “Ah-Choo”, “Lost N Found”, and more. Performing in Singapore for the first time ever, all the local Lovelinus are definitely in for a treat next weekend!

Debuted in November 2014, Lovelyz’s lineup consists of 8 members: Baby Soul, Jiae, Jisoo, Mijoo, Kei, Jin, Sujeong and Yein. As Woollim’s first ever girl group, they are more than just your typical idol troop. As the epitome of loveliness, Lovelyz will be charming the Singapore crowd with their powerful vocals and cute performances all night long.

Get your lightsticks ready and fan chants memorized, because not only are they working hard to prepare for the show, they have also hinted some exclusive performances (find out more below)!

Happening on 17March 2019 (Saturday), 6 pm at ZEPP@BIGBOX, the concert is closer than ever and with less than 10 days till their arrival in Singapore, we have a little something to get you guys a bit more pumped up.

In view of their upcoming concert, we’ve score an exclusive email interview with Lovelyz and here is what the group has to say to all their Singapore Lovelinus’ out there:

1) What are your thoughts about visiting Singapore for the first time?

Baby Soul: I have been looking forward to it and I am curious to see how it’s like! Jiae: This is my first time visiting Singapore as a Lovelyz member and I want to present a wonderful performance. I am really excited! Jisoo: I am very excited. I heard that Singapore is a very beautiful place so I am looking forward. Mijoo: I am looking forward to it and I am excited just thinking of the people waiting for us there. Kei: As this is my first time, I am even more excited and I want to quickly meet the Lovelinus in Singapore. Jin: Singapore is a country that I really wish to visit so I am so happy to be given a chance to travel there. More than anything else, I am thankful to have the chance to meet the Lovelinus in Singapore. Sujeong: Because all of my friends have been telling me how amazing Singapore is, I can’t wait. Yein: I am so so excited just thinking about meeting our fans in Singapore! And I am really happy because Singapore is a beautiful country that I have always been planning to visit when I have time.

2) Lovelyz has been consistent when it comes to music concept and style. Is there any concept the group would like to explore for the next comeback?

Kei: I want to try challenge an energetic song with a slight ‘Girl Crush’ concept. Jisoo: I really want to try ‘Girl Crush’ concept. Mijoo: Me too! ‘Girl Crush’~ Jin: I want to try promoting ballad songs like our BTOB seniors! Lovelyz’s ballad songs are nice..! Sujeong: I want to try having a title song that has a daydream-like atmosphere. Baby Soul: I want to try a ‘Girl Crush’ or a chic, dreamlike and mysterious concept. Jiae: I want to try wearing a uniform and having a ‘Girl Crush’ concept~ Yein: I really (!) wanna try a ‘Girl Crush’ concept~!

3) If you could form a sub-unit in the group with any member(s), who would you pick and why?

Jin: I would pick the members in the ‘Morning Star 새벽별’ unit (Baby Soul, Kei, Jin). We are the only members in Lovelyz that are not using our real name hehe. We presented a ballad song before but if there’s another chance… ^^ I would like to do it again. Baby Soul: I would pick Sujeong. The genre we would like to try is similar yet our vocal colors differ so I think it will be unique and fun. I think we can release a good song. Yein: I would pick Mijoo and Sujeong! We are the tallest in the team and our charms are quite different so I think if we were to perform together, we could make an amazing stage. Jiae: I would pick Baby Soul. I want to do a song with her rapping in it! Hehe. Jisoo: I want to be in a Hip-hop duo with Baby Soul! Before debuting, Baby Soul practiced rap alone for a long time so if I’m with Baby Soul, I think it will be fun and it will help a lot. Mijoo: I was in a sub-unit with Sujeong and Yein before but I want to try that again. Kei: I love the Sujeong-Kei combination. Sujeong: I would pick Yein and Mijoo. We have released a unit song in our album before but I hope there will be another chance for us to have proper activities as a sub-unit.

4) What do your fans mean to you? Describe Lovelinus in three words and elaborate on why you chose these three words.

Sujeong: Energy, love and warmth. I need to have Lovelinus to have strength while performing, because they always watch us warmly with their love! Jisoo: Food! Clothing! Shelter! These are the basic things humans need, and Lovelinus is what Lovelyz need. Baby Soul: Love, strength, and encouragement. Because of Lovelinus’ overflowing love and presence, we are able to gain strength, courage and continue forward. Mijoo: Light, Star, Love! Lovelinus are lovable people that are always shining brightly like a star. Yein: The reason I exist, a present and a blessing. Jiae: Power, energy and energizer. They all have the same meaning but because of our fans, it doesn’t matter if there are just 1, 10 or a few, even when I am exhausted, I can feel all my tiredness disappear. Kei: The sky. I can see it whenever I look up and just like the sky, I also want to be a comforting existence for our fans. Jin: Halfway mark. After meeting Lovelinus and learning of their love, I feel as though all the thoughts I had till now are slowly changing hehe.

5) What is one variety show that Lovelyz would like to go on and why?

Yein: “Radio Star”. I think it will be fun if we go there and disclose each other’s secrets! Haha. Jin: I want to film a Lovelyz reality show once more! Mijoo: We have not been on “Running Man” as a whole before but I think it will be fun. Kei: “New Journey to the West” is a program I have been watching well recently so I would love to appear there! Baby Soul: “Running Man” will probably be funny. I think it goes well with us – Running, games and all. Jiae: I want to film a Lovelyz reality show! It’s been a long time since we filmed that and I think there are many fans who have been curious about our daily lives recently. Jisoo: Our own reality show. Because I want to show fans our most natural, comfortable selves. Sujeong: “The Return of Superman” is a program I watch every week and I really want to appear there so I can meet the kids in real life ㅠ

6) If you could film a reality show involving your fans, what would you like to do or how would you spend the day together?

Mijoo: Just having fun together without having a single thought. Baby Soul: Just like the reality TV show “Three Meals a Day”, I want to go to a village and catch fish, farm vegetables and cook with fans. Jiae: A day we will never forget! A day that we will not stop smiling! Yein: I want to have some traditional experiences together! Play some Korean traditional games, etc.! Haha. Jisoo: I want to volunteer. I want to make things people would need and cook.. And leave a lot of memories. I think I will feel proud and good. Sujeong: Recently I have become interested in cooking so I want to cook for our fans. Kei: I want to go for an MT~ We can grill some meat and play some games, I want to spend a fun day. Jin: I want to organize a sports meet!

7) Lots of thoughts were put into the outfit concept for “Destiny”, such as the matching of lunar phases. What is one other thing that Lovelyz has put a lot of thoughts in?

Jisoo: Actually, compared to ‘Destiny’ and since ‘Lost N Found’, our stylist asked us the style of clothing we wanted to try and then they personally designed it. The shape and length of a skirt was all done according to what the members wanted. Jiae: We put a lot of thought in our live performance at that time~! Because it’s been a long time since coming back from our last album, we wanted to show our improved selves. Mijoo: We put in much effort musically. Jin: During ‘That Day’, I lost too much weight that I did not look good on screen. So since then, I have been eating a lot and putting in more effort to gain some weight. Yein: The stage outfits were really pretty and the Earth rotation dance was quite cool so we worked really hard to express it well. Baby Soul: We emphasized a lot on a song’s lyrics and expression. Kei: Our live performances! We put a lot of thought into our performances because we always want to show great stages. Sujeong: The decorations on our wrist and the details in the fabric.

8) Are there anything that the members have taken interest in recently?

Jiae: Personally, I fell for passionfruit ade. Jisoo: Eating! Not recently but always~ Mijoo: Writing lyrics. Sujeong: I have taken an interested in slime. Kei: Clothes. Since spring is coming, I have been trapped by those pretty spring outfits. Jin: Meat?!!!! Kekeke Baby Soul: Reading, watching films, composing and exercising. Yein: Watching dramas.

9) What can Lovelinus look forward to at your upcoming concert in Singapore?  Will there be any surprise element being prepared for the fans?

Baby Soul: We plan to perform new stages we have never shown before so please look forward to them! Jiae: As this is our first time to meet Singapore Lovelinus, we are currently working really hard to prepare even better stages! Please look forward to it! Jisoo: We are going to show new stages, different from those previously shown in our Seoul concert so please! Come and see us! Mijoo: Secret~ Kei: We have many stages that cannot be seen on music broadcasts and can only be seen at our concerts~ So please keep a lookout for it and we want to create an unforgettable memory with our Singapore Lovelinus! Jin: That~~ You just have to see it for yourself at the concert~!!! Sujeong: We are going to perform songs that are not included in our Korea concert! Look forward to it! Yein: We may perform songs that are not included in our Korea concert!! And we are working hard on preparing for it!!! So please look forward!!! Haha.

[junker-town]

Why the NBA Internet is fighting about ‘screen assists’

Let’s talk about screen assists.

Let’s talk about ‘screen assists’.

Tuesday night was a standout performance for Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. He scored 22 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and locked down the paint as he often does. Utah picked up a 118-107 victory over the Nets, its 15th in the last 16 games.

The next morning, Jazz radio broadcaster David Locke tweeted this.

Triple Double for Rudy Gobert last night 22 points 18 rebounds 10 sceen assists (that created 23 pts) 4 assists 2 blocked shots 1 steal 21 contested shots pic.twitter.com/n7B5sasocw

— David Locke (@Lockedonsports) January 15, 2020

The reaction was, ahem, divisive. Jazz fans seemed to like it. Non-Jazz fans ... well, check all of these quote tweets for a brief sample. The overarching theme is that “screen assists” aren’t a real stat, and Locke’s attempts to make it so are mind-boggling, misleading, pathetic, and/or some combination of all three.

As with all social media pile-ons, each party is bringing their own baggage to the discussion. Those affiliated with the Jazz believe they aren’t getting enough respect for their success, and Gobert is their poster child. His defensive intimidation and unselfish offensive disposition is vital to the Jazz’s success. Yet when it comes time to recognize his individual contributions, he’s often passed over for peers whose skills are easier to spot.

This bothers Gobert most of all. When coaches left him off the All-Star team last year, he broke down during a media session and delivered a sour gripe for the ages.

Rudy Gobert: “For all the kids watching, you’re basically telling them that defense doesn’t matter, that winning doesn’t matter.”

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 1, 2019

Gobert’s Won’t someone please think of the children! pleas didn’t exactly endear him to the NBA’s Joe Q. Public outside of Utah. If winning was all he cared about, the argument goes, why was he so upset about missing out on an individual honor? In theory, Gobert had a point. In practice, speaking up about it further reinforced the Jazz’s reputation as a team and fanbase that constantly complains about not being respected by the national media and audience. Nobody likes complainers, so here we are.

Fast forward to this year. Gobert is doing his thing again, the Jazz are surging again, and he’s not even in the top 10 in the latest round of All-Star fan voting. His All-Star fate will be up to the same coaches that ignored him last year, and he may even miss out in favor of his own teammate. There was going to be another firestorm about Gobert’s value sooner or later. Locke’s screen assist tweet was simply the gasoline.

Now, toss that context aside. Let’s talk about the overarching idea Locke presented. Let’s talk about “screen assists.”

Is this actually a real thing?

It is! NBA.com tracks screen assists on its advanced stats page and offers this definition:

The number of times an offensive player or team sets a screen for a teammate that directly leads to a made field goal by that teammate

You can find it on the site’s “Hustle” section, alongside metrics such as “most deflections,” “charges drawn,” “loose balls recovered,” and many others. As with all stats on the site, you can view them as a flat number (total screen assists), a per-game ratio, or a per-minute ratio (one minute, 36 minutes, 40 minutes, or 48 minutes). You can also see how many points on average a players’ screen assists yield.

Gobert leads the league in all four categories by a wide margin, with Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis second in totals and per game. (Sabonis actually ranks third on a per-minute basis, behind Gobert and ... Tony Bradley, Gobert’s backup in Utah. We’ll circle back to this).

Can you show me a screen assist in the wild?

Sure. NBA.com doesn’t provide a video database of every screen assist like it does for other more traditional stats, but I feel safe declaring that this was logged as one.

So Gobert is getting credit for standing still while Bojan Bogdanovic did all the work? Why is this worth tracking?

Because there’s much more to setting a good screen than that, especially in today’s pick-and-roll heavy NBA. Doug Eberhardt put it best in this 2014 SB Nation article:

In reality, the nature of setting screens has changed along with the style of NBA offenses. The full-body, bone-crushing pick that frees up a jump shooter isn’t always as important as forcing the screener’s defender to make a decision that will make the other players on the defensive string also make a decision. Who helps? Who helps the helper? Do I come off that corner shooter to deal with the ball handler or roll man? It always comes back to making the defense make a decision.

Having said that, what makes a good basic screen? Most notably, the ability to establish a strong athletic position with your legs a little bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Ideally, you should be sitting down in an athletic posture with your knees bent and body stationary, allowing your teammate to set his man up and cut tightly off of your top shoulder. Your hands can either be covering your nether regions or in on your chest. The old-school, full-body screen.

When most fans think of good screens, they imagine the screener stopping the defender dead in his tracks as the ball handler comes off of the screen with speed into a beautiful drive or mid-range pull-up jumper.

But that’s the thing: you don’t always want to stop the on-ball defender. Sometimes, you want to force the defender to actually get over the screen and trigger the rest of the defense to react to your action. Rather than a lower-value medium-range jumper, you want to end up with a strong roll to the rim, a free throw, a pop for a jumper or a drive-and-kick pass for an uncontested three.

One only needs to watch the cat-and-mouse game Gobert and Joe Ingles play with defenders to understand that not all picks are the same. Ingles is not the quickest, but he uses Gobert’s skill at shifting the angle of his screen to free himself for open jumpers and drives to the basket. Those sequences can look basic, like this.

But they can also look like the defender is playing Twister, like this.

It’s no accident that Ingles’ production has exploded since moving back into Utah’s starting lineup. He’s simply not the same player running pick-and-roll with another big man. The instinct to find some way to statistically value Gobert’s screening flexibility is smart, and I applaud the effort.

So it’s a good stat, then?

Well, not really.

One obvious problem is that the player still has to make a play off the screen for the screener to get credit. This creates plenty of situations where the screen itself may be ineffective, but the ball-handler scores anyway. Should Gobert really get credit for the difficult contested three Donovan Mitchell nailed in Kyrie Irving’s face? One could argue Gobert’s efforts actually hindered Mitchell rather than aiding him.

And which of the two screeners should get credit for the “screen assists” on this Mitchell three? Didn’t Royce O’Neal’s initial screen do most of the work?

Citing screen assists as a ranking of the league’s best screen setters is also terribly misleading because it suggests the only purpose of a screen is to enable the ball-handler to score himself. The reality is that screens are set for many different purposes, ranging from distractions to creating drive-and-kick opportunities to set up a third (or fourth, or fifth) player to score. As Eberhardt noted, a good screen does its job when it helps the team score, not necessarily the individual player.

A screen like this wouldn’t be tallied as a “screen assist,” even though it triggered O’Neal’s kickout pass for Bogdanovic’s three. If the goal is to determine the league’s best screeners, how can you whitewash Gobert’s key role in the play?

There’s also a third problem: screen assists don’t do much on their own to tell you about screen-setting aptitude and efficiency. Friend of the program Dave DuFour was kidding with this tweet, but he’s actually onto something.

What if Gobert is just a screen chucker? Stat padding screen setting, just gunning for screen assists. I need some context

— Dave DuFour (@DaveDuFourNBA) January 15, 2020

Recall that Tony Bradley, Utah’s backup center, was second in the league in most screen assists per 36 minutes behind Gobert. The reason why is simple: Utah’s offense is built around its centers setting a gajillion ball screens to get its drivers downhill. That means they both have ample opportunity to tally screen assists that other bigs simply don’t get, which is reflected in their high screen assist totals. The stat that is supposed to reflect the league’s best screeners instead ends up reflecting the ones who get the most chances.

In a sense, then, both Jazz centers are “screen assists stat-padding,” as weird as it may sound when describing an action as unselfish as a screen.

But can’t you say the same thing about actual assists?

Absolutely! Now we’re onto something!

This is the point Locke is hinting at when he suggested Gobert had a “triple double” with screen assists against the Nets. Screen assists may be fraught with peril, but so are actual assists. Why is one a fundamental stat used for triple doubles and the other relegated to an obscure section of the NBA’s advanced stats page?

I’m more than sympathetic to this argument. Let’s copy and paste each counterargument against screen assists from above, except with some small word changes:

One obvious problem is that the player still has to make a play off the screen for the passer to get credit. This creates plenty of situations where the pass itself may be ineffective, but the receiver scores anyway.

Sounds about right:

Citing screen assists as a ranking of the league’s best passers is also terribly misleading because it suggests the only purpose of a pass is to enable the man receiving it to score himself. The reality is that passes are made for many different purposes, ranging from distractions to creating drive-and-kick opportunities to set up a third (or fourth, or fifth) player to score. As Eberhardt noted, a good pass does its job when it helps the team score, not necessarily the individual player.

Yup.

There’s also a third problem: screen assists don’t do much on their own to tell you about passing aptitude or efficiency. ... Recall that T.J. McConnell, Indiana’s backup point guard, is third in the league in most screen assists per 36 minutes behind LeBron James and Ricky Rubio. The reason why is simple: Indiana’s offense is built around its point guards dribbling a lot and making a gajillion passes to get its other players downhill. That means McConnell has ample opportunity to tally screen assists that other less ball-dominant backup point guards simply don’t get, which is reflected in his high screen assist totals. The stat that is supposed to reflect the league’s best passers instead ends up reflecting the ones who get the most chances. In a sense, then, McConnell is stat-padding, as weird as it may sound when describing an action as unselfish as a pass.

A few logical leaps — I don’t think McConnell is stat padding, for example — but that also sounds about right. So why are “screen assists” mocked as a stat, but actual “assists” aren’t? It’s a fair question.

Great. So shouldn’t we then make screen assists mainstream?

That’s one way to put it, but I’d argue the opposite. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Whataboutism is a scrooge, even on a topic as nitty-gritty as this.

If assists are as flawed as screen assists, the answer isn’t to elevate screen assists to that level. Just as one needs to dig deeper than the assist leaderboard to determine the league’s best passers, so too do we need to think more critically about the league’s best screen-setters.

And this can happen without taking away from the initial purpose of the stat: to help us value screen-setting as a skill. Rajon Rondo has been known to pad his assist totals, but we’d all agree that Rajon Rondo was still a great passer. The same can be true of Gobert and his screen-setting, and that’s fine.

Besides, there are plenty of other ways to illustrate Gobert’s value as a player. Let’s use those instead. For example:

How to impact winning without tallying a box-score stat, starring Rudy Gobert pic.twitter.com/0bduVjU8ML

— Mike Prada. I have spoken (@MikePradaSBN) January 15, 2020

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW32

FREE HIT DOUBLE GAMEWEEK INSANITY LET’S DO IT LET’S FUCK

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week.

WALSH’S FREE HIT 11

GK:

Ederson (ful, CAR)

Landed on Ederson. Feel like City are the best shout for double clean of any DGWer this GW and as such I want the least likely of their lot to miss a game. Nothing more nothing less.

DEF:

Rüdiger & Luiz (car, BHA)

Double Chelsea CBs Roodiger and Luiz are in. Slightly concerned that he fucks one off for Bodtker one time but as it is I can't afford Dave so going to just stick with these guys. Fixtures are prime and cleans look reasonable.

Lindelöf & Smalling (WAT, wol)

Double United defense CBs Lindelof and Michael are also in. They've been wobbly and a bit meh lately from a defensive standpoint but the fixtures are good and if they keep one I'll be well pleased. Not expecting the moon, but for their price, they seem fine.

van Aanholt (HUD, tot)

Last guy is Paddy Patty PvA the Dutchman. Stats nowhere near Schluppinho but just a gut feel. PVA usually starts flying late on in the season and I'm just going with my balls on this one.

MID:

Sterling (ful, CAR) & Hazard (car, BHA)

Haz and Raz among the most obvious shouts in my FH team perhaps. Not much to say about either...just a couple of good guys with a couple of great fixtures.

Alli & Son (liv, CPL)

More rogue is the double potato men Alli and Suonny in there. As you can see, not much has changed (read: actual nothing) since the pod and I'm still feeling okay with this rogue diff in my team. Livp are obviously a bad fixture but the Palace game in the home opener with no mom Sakho reads goals to me. Still not feeling much else as an alternative so we'll see how they do for me.

FWD:

Agüero (ful, CAR)

Just Kun the most beautiful man in the world. Kun is love Kun is life.

CAP:

Agüero (ful, CAR)

Kun in. Let's fuck.

ALON’S FREE HIT 11

I just spent about 30 minutes doing a team and taking some punts and I don’t know so here’s where I ended up. Let’s roll some dice and hit some hauls.

GK:

Ryan (SOU, che)

Was on Kepa all week and then Ederson and I eventually sacrificed the GK position for Ryan. It’s obviously the lowest scoring position in FPL and I’ve still got my City defensive cover and double Chelsea defense so I feel ok with those. Going Ryan enabled other spending elsewhere to drop players that I don’t like (Manchester United defenders and Batshuayi) but were still in my team and then beef up some other positions so fuck it I’m just going with it. Praying for a clean home Southampton and lots of save points over the two.

DEF:

Rüdiger & Azpilicueta (car, BHA)

I spunked the extra cash for Azpil over Luiz trying to secure a guaranteed 180′ for the GW but we’ll see if it was worth it or not in the end. I like Azp getting chances at assists with Higz in there too so maybe that’ll come off. Rude boy is great and early season he was winning every single header known to man in the box so maybe he can find that form again and do that again and ding us a goal wouldn’t that be sweet???

Laporte (ful, CAR)

My aforementioned City defensive cover comes in the way shape and form of Aymeric Laporte. He started vs. Swans in the cup and played 90′ as per usual and then he was off for the international break... I just think he’s very obviously first choice CB for city and after Fernandinho and Ederson he’s the next name on the team sheet. He’s also got a bit of an attacking threat as far as CBs go so maybe he’ll get me a bink and we’re flying.

Trippier (liv, CPL)

My next punt after Ryan is with Trippz... The truth is I just don’t feel good about Manchester United keeping clean sheets and I don’t want to rely on it / hope for it. I had Lindy and I had Smalling but I think that United’s two fixtures are pretty difficult and I think that their defenders are bad and Matic is bad so it felt nice to get rid. Opening myself up to getting destroyed by a United clean or two but here we are......... Everything on the internet is saying that Aurier tweaked his hammy on international duty plus KWP is a defensive sieve so gimme a fit Trippz to start both and we know his attacking qualities are extremely high. I’m hoping for one clean because the other fixture is away Liverpool and I’m hoping for an assist or a FK dong or something. I like the odds of Spurs keeping a clean home Palace over the odds of United’s clean chances in their two. Alas. Here we go.

Tomkins (HUD, tot)

Another enabler in Tomk for me... I like having one Palace guy because the home Huddy match is so delicious and Tomkins is also very dangerous on set plays. He’s the cheapest defender on the team and for me the only 100% nailed on one. If AWB were fit he’d be nailed too, Schlupp and PvA though could rest one of the two that would be very unsurprising so I’m mainly just going with safety here.

MID:

Sterling (ful, CAR)

Raz is a true love of mine and his spot was never in consideration of dropping.

Babel (MCI, wat)

My other very rogue punt is right here in Babel. Fuck it. I shouted him on the pod I’m gonna just back him and yolo. The other mid-to-cheap mids are made up of guys who are not nailed on Wolves/Watford or guys who suck like Townsend or pen merchants like Mili and I just felt reasonable with Babel. By the eye-test he’s been legitimately terrific in every match he’s started since arriving at Fulham and while the first fixture is terrible - home City - the next match away to Watford in a match where Watford will be heavily rotated and on the beach I like Babel’s chances of getting in there. He has five returns in nine starts and you can’t get much better then that from a punty enabler so here we go. Babel in. Spray painted skull cap in. Go on.

FWD:

Kane (liv, CPL)

So I’m big dick swinging in my front line with 33.8 mil spent up there so I need some big hauls... I couldn’t really get behind any of the Spurs mids because of form/fitness/rotation concerns and Kane has none of those concerns. He’s in his first bit of real form since last winter - shooting a ton, great underlying numbers, eye-test looking lethal - and I just can’t get around that fact. Sure the first fixture is terrible away to Liverpool but Kane has scored there many times and as a Liverpool supporter I’m definitely more scared of Kane or a pen then any of the mids. Then there’s home Palace which for Kane is a banker and I find it hard to imagine that he will not be putting up one of those classic Kane 8+ shots types of games where he can easily hatty and then I’m flying. Kane in a double. I can’t get around it. He has never left my tinkers all week.

Agüero (ful, CAR)

Easiest pick ever just like Raz. The fixtures, the team, the player, the form, the goals, etc etc etc... Kun in.

Higuaín (car, BHA)

And Higz was a late tinker. I was again left in a position where I just didn’t really like any of the attackers to spend money on. I mentioned the Spurs midfielders above, I didn’t feel good with Haz, I didn’t feel good with pen merchant Paul, and I went for a City defender over Dilva/Bilva and so I ended up with Higz... Giroud is tired after international duty and Higz looked SO fucking good in those two matches where he scored - home Huddy and away Fulham - that I think playing teams of basically that caliber again should leave a lot of room for his movement and first time shots and everything. I see some goals from Higz and hopefully he can get all the Chelsea attacking points over Haz :))))... I can dream at least...

CAP:

Agüero (ful, CAR)

Easy pick. Never flirted with anyone else. Go on Kun.

[islesblogger]

Playoff Prep

The Islanders have 15 regular season games remaining before the playoffs. The Metro, and the Eastern conference are too tight to really narrow down an opponent at this point. So let’s look at how the team might best improve themselves for the road ahead.

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The Power Play

This has been the achilles heel of the team all year. They are currently operating at 15.63%. That’s more than 4% below the NHL average. There is too much talent on this team to have such an anemic power play.

Power Play Problems

Nick Leddy might be the worst power play point in the league. He seems to be on the first power play unit solely for zone entries. I’m not really sure why you need your top two centers and a speedy one dimensional defenseman on your first power play unit for zone entries. The Islanders have two other defensmen who can handle zone entries. Either Ryan Pulock or Devon Toews should be able to handle that responsibility. Plus, they both have much better shots, and distribute the puck with much less hesitation.

Creativity is seriously lacking. The Islanders have one of the more dynamic puck moving and playmaking centers in Mat Barzal. Once possession has been established in the offensive zone his ability to orbit the zone is neutralized. Nothing is gained by circling the perimeter. Passing the puck accomplishes the same thing much faster. There needs to be more movement north and south between the three middle options. This would create more and clearer passing lanes through the “Royal Road“. It also offers more options to more skilled passers. This is another reason for removing Leddy from the first unit. They could have three primary shooting targets (Pulock, Nelson and Lee) with two distribution hubs (Toews and Barzal) if they’d just give up their tired love affair with Nick Leddy.

The second unit could use a boost. If you remove Toews and Pulock from the second power play unit it will need some “umph”. They will probably still employ the 1-3-1 style as they have in the past. The two units could have very similar features, regardless of players’ position.

Barzal and Filppula would be my two low distribution points. Pulock and Eberle would share the RH shot on the LW spots for each unit. Lee and Ladd would be the net front guys, with Nelson and DalColle on the RW. The high D would be Toews on the first unit, and… Thomas Hickey on the second.

If this strategy was deployed each piece would be interchangeable between the units. That could serve as a positive in a long series should injuries arise, or just to reward a hot hand. Sometimes just putting a different body out there confuses a defender who may rely on tendencies.

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The Roster

Tweaks

The season can really be broken down into three slices for a playoff team. The first twenty games or so a coach will try to find the best 23 to ride for the meat of the season. The next forty he lets those players do their best to show they deserve their playing time. The last 20 he either has to ride those 23, or use whatever he’s learned in those 60 games to put together his best nightly lineup for the playoff push. I think that’s where we are now.

Michael Dal Colle has earned some trust, and may offer some offensive upside over Matt Martin. Physical play does not diminish at crunch time, but the ability to find time and space is more sorely needed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Martin be a healthy scratch in more than 5 of the last 15.

Tom Kuhnhackl over Cal Clutterbuck. There is no denying that Cal is a big part of the success of the “best fourth line in hovkey”. There’s also no denying that he is a step slower the past few years, and it is hurting what could be one of the more productive middle six lines in the league. Any roster change has to be done in respect to special teams. With that in mind we have seen Cizikas paired with Kuhnhackl a little more often as Clutterbuck has been scratched. I think this is a way for Trotz to give himself more roster flexibility going forward.

They have to create a real offensively threatening first line. All year we have seen Mat Barzal switch linemates. There have been the “Killer B’s” (Beauvillier and Bailey) and last year’s highly successful (Beauvillier and Eberle) and currently (Beauvillier and Dal Colle). He’s even played with Ladd and Komarov some. All the while Nelson has been pulling the heavy weight as the number one center.

It’s time to try a true number one line. One that can play solid 200 foot hockey, with a puck mover and distributor, and three forwards who can shoot the puck. There has been a reluctance to deploy Lee, Nelson and Barzal on one line because the Islanders have been short a showcase center since that other guy left. Just like Leddy is not a first power play quarterback, Mat Barzal is not a top line center in the NHL just yet. But he could be the right wing for the most dynamic line going into the 2018-19 playoff season. It’s about time we see if that can build some chemistry.

 LWCRWL127Lee29Nelson13BarzalL218Beauvillier12Bailey07Eberle L316Ladd53Cizikas14KuhnhacklL428DalColle51Filppula47Komarov FR15Clutterbuck 17Martin32Johnston LDRDD103Pelech06PulockD204Hickey55BoychukD325Toews24MayfieldDR02Leddy21Sbisa##SeidenbergGOAL01Greiss40Lehner

The Pros

Roster flexibility is always a good thing. The two big surprises are obviously swapping Bailey and Barzal positionally, and making Leddy and Hickey interchangeable.

Let’s face it, Bailey takes the important draws, and plays the defensive role when with Barzal anyway. A RW can be rather effective as the puck mover and distributor. If you don’t believe that, please stop asking for the Islanders to promote Josh Ho-Sang. He’s never going to be a center.

I doubt we’ll see a full time move from Leddy to Hickey. More subtly I think the change will be moving Hickey in for Pelech. The roles should change on special teams. Hickey can handle Pelech’s PK minutes, and add to the second PP unit. Hopefully the addition of Toews and Pulock to the first unit will make folks forget about Leddy. Leddy adds little to the PK, so if you then move Pelech back in, you improve all three phases of the game.

The long term gain there is that you might be able to get a late first rounder for Leddy in June. The Islanders now have Toews, Pelech, Hickey, Aho, Wotherspoon and Vande Sompel to play the left side. That $5.5M might come in handy if they are going to sign all of their UFAs and shop for somebody like Duchene in July.

The Cons

Mat Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle, Adam Pelech and Devon Toews have zero NHL playoff experience and Ryan Pulock was mostly a healthy scratch in 2015-16. There will be some learning to do. But what better time to give these kids some experience. This is a season that nobody expected anybody to be adding to their playoff resumes.

Upsetting the apple cart. This roster, flawed as it may be, has been good enough to earn first place in the Metro division. Though I understand that, every “playoff” team in the east is playing better in the second half. The Islanders have hit a bit of a lull over the past few weeks. One way out of the lull is by getting back on the horse and playing through it. Another way is to get on a fresh horse. The benefit of the fresh horse is that it will give you a good look into what you have for next year. It may also surprise your opponents. It’s a gamble.

What’s In Store

The Islanders have 15 games left. Only four of them are against teams that are out of playoff hopes. Six if you include the Flyers who are hanging by the thinnest of threads. Let’s say there are nine games left that will test their ability to compete against playoff competition.

Their main focus will be to win the Metro Division. That accomplishment comes with home team advantage in the first two rounds. Something they haven’t enjoyed in two decades. To accomplish this they will either need to win out, or they will need some help. They only have one gaim remaining with their closest rivals, the Washington Capitals. That is the last game of the season, and could very likely be the first game of the playoffs.

They do have some matchups with possible first round opponents:

(03/11/19) (03/26/19) Columbus. After shoving all their chips into the center of the table the Blue Jackets have been somewhat disappointing. If they lose the second game of thier back to back to Pittsburgh they would really need Montreal to help them out if they want back into the race.

(03/14/19) (03/21/19) Montreal. These two games might mean more to Columbus and Montreal respectively than they do the Islanders. But they will both be stern playoff tests as they are both battling for their playoff lives.

(04/01/19) Toronto. If Toronto has fallen to the Wild Card spot by this time, this game will be way more important to them, than to the Islanders. They should be preparing for a tough first round with the Bruins.

(04/06/19) Washington. There are a few ways this could happen. The idea that either Pittsburgh or Carolina would pass both teams to win the Metro is highly unlikely (but I’m knocking on my wooden desk, just in case), but it is possible.

Our most likely first round opponent is the team currently in that position. The Carolina Hurricanes. They would earn that honor by being the top wild card team. If Washington wins the Metro, they could also finish third and be our first round opponent. Pittsburgh could also do either. We have no games remaining with either team.

What To Look Forward To

Hopefully over the next 15 games Barry Trotz and his staff will explore some of these ideas. They may not all work. Maybe none of them will. Some of them may even cause damage to the team’s confidence. But they will keep me from screaming at the TV… especially when I see Nick Leddy continually fumble the puck on the point during an important power play.

Playoff Prep was originally published on islesblogger.com

[thenoobist]

E3 2017 - EA Press Conference

New Post has been published on http://noobist.com/gaming/e3-2017-ea-press-conference/

E3 2017 - EA Press Conference

E3 2017

Ah, E3 2017. Gaming’s version of Christmas. Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) is an annual conference where all walks of life from the video games come together to discuss what’s coming up in the industry this year. Everyone attends: from software developers to retailers and everyone in between. A lot of hype happens around this conference as the big names in industry showcase what they have to offer for 2017.

Madden 18 Longshot

This year’s E3 lineup starts out strong with a gripping introduction to the campaign mode of Madden 18 Longshot. If you’ve been following any of my work for long, you’ll know I’m not into sports games. They just don’t do it for me. However, I have to say, that the story mode of going through the drama of what it would be life to be an American Football Star had me engrossed. House of Cards engrossed. Hook. Line. And Sinker. Well done, Madden, well done. You can check out the trailer yourself and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Star Wars Battlefront 2

Moving onto Star Wars Battlefront 2, you have to give credit where credit is due. CEO, Andrew Wilson admits from the get-go that they had a lot to learn from Star Wars Battlefront.

Two years ago we launched Star Wars Battlefront and we got a lot of feedback. A lot of it positive and a bunch of it constructive. That’s a uphamism for not as positive.

You know what? I respect that. I appreciate the fact that he can admit that there were a lot of frustrated fans and players from the rather hollow experience that Star Wars Battlefront was. Time will tell as to whether or not they have indeed learned their lessons from the first Battlefront and what will change in this iteration of the franchise.

While microtransactions are still a thing, there is a lot to be said for the studio electing to not have any paid DLC with Battlefront 2. They’re aware the goodwill they built up vanished when they charged what they did for what was essentially four maps. Let them try and earn it back I’d say. They’re aware the game will sell, but they will be under more pressure now to not take the mickey with it.

Battlefield 1

It’s always reassuring to know that Battlefield 1 will not be left out of the E3 love this year. As Andrew Gulotta, Producer of Battlefield 1 talks through the success of the franchise so far. Though, it did give way to some of the most awkward montages of games live streaming/YouTube experiences of playing BattleField 1 that I’ve ever seen.

It illustrates the power and where the influence for games are going these days (to the players and influencers). It hit home to me at that moment two equally powerful things. 1): They’re paying attention to the movement of gaming and where the hubs are. This is good. 2): They’re taking streamers and YouTubers content to present at E3. Yikes.

The reason why I say Yikes is because it makes me very self-conscious about how young the industry is, and yes, these moments are crucial to a gamers life. I don’t know why, but it showcased this way felt invasive in a way I can’t describe. Communities are built around these things, and generally, it’s not for the benefit of the publication of these communities.

Not that I feel that showing these communities to a wider audience isn’t useful or beneficial – but my fear is for the larger audiences of these conferences that it may just perpetuate the stereotypes of what we face already as gamers. I think that’s what I’m the most uncomfortable with. That and the lack of diversity in that clip. Those who were talking about the engagement in their communities were predominantly white men. I only saw one female, and I know a lot of women who play Battlefield, so this made me feel uneasy.

In the name of Tsar is the latest expansion coming to Battlefield one and it will contain eight new maps all based around the Russian Army around World War 1. There will also be a new competitive battlefield experience, based on the feedback that they’ve received from fans. Patrick Söderlund talks through what to expect in this update.

Later this year we are going to give you a new competitive Battelfield experience. We’ve heard you. You want a smaller, tighter experience focused on teamplay.

We can look forward to hearing more about it at Gamescom later on this year.

FIFA 18

FIFA is FIFA is FIFA. I know next to nothing about it, except that Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (no not that one) is on the cover of it and contributed his data to the game to help it be more realistic. For those in the eSports world of FIFA,  you’ll be pleased to know that EA is heavily investing in the scene and that more championships and leagues will be coming to your monitors soon.

Need for Speed: Payback

A bit of Burnout mixed in with some Horizon style open world with the regular additions of the Need for Speed franchise. So, what’s not to like? We’ll find out more about it soon in due time.

A Way Out

A Way Out is probably EA’s most exciting new title for this year’s E3. From the Studio that did Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This Prison breakout game is one that should interest the wider community, giving some Last of Us/Uncharted vibes. Lots to be excited about given how stellar Brothers was. I’d be cautiously optimistic about what comes next for this studio!

There is a lot to digest from this E3 2017 presentation from EA. It shows a different side of the company, one that is painfully aware of itself and the market. Yet, hasn’t really hit the nail on the head in terms of tone and approach. That being said, there is a lot to be looking forward to in the next year with an impressive lineup of old and new titles.

[speciousesgr]

E3 2017 – EA Press Conference [Noobist.com]

Original Article to be found at Noobist.com

E3 2017

Ah, E3 2017. Gaming’s version of Christmas. Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) is an annual conference where all walks of life from the video games come together to discuss what’s coming up in the industry this year. Everyone attends: from software developers to retailers and everyone in between. A lot of hype happens around this conference as the big names in industry showcase what they have to offer for 2017.

Madden 18 Longshot

This year’s E3 lineup starts out strong with a gripping introduction to the campaign mode of Madden 18 Longshot. If you’ve been following any of my work for long, you’ll know I’m not into sports games. They just don’t do it for me. However, I have to say, that the story mode of going through the drama of what it would be life to be an American Football Star had me engrossed. House of Cards engrossed. Hook. Line. And Sinker. Well done, Madden, well done. You can check out the trailer yourself and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Star Wars Battlefront 2

Moving onto Star Wars Battlefront 2, you have to give credit where credit is due. CEO, Andrew Wilson admits from the get-go that they had a lot to learn from Star Wars Battlefront.

Two years ago we launched Star Wars Battlefront and we got a lot of feedback. A lot of it positive and a bunch of it constructive. That’s a uphamism for not as positive.

You know what? I respect that. I appreciate the fact that he can admit that there were a lot of frustrated fans and players from the rather hollow experience that Star Wars Battlefront was. Time will tell as to whether or not they have indeed learned their lessons from the first Battlefront and what will change in this iteration of the franchise.

While microtransactions are still a thing, there is a lot to be said for the studio electing to not have any paid DLC with Battlefront 2. They’re aware the goodwill they built up vanished when they charged what they did for what was essentially four maps. Let them try and earn it back I’d say. They’re aware the game will sell, but they will be under more pressure now to not take the mickey with it.

Battlefield 1

It’s always reassuring to know that Battlefield 1 will not be left out of the E3 love this year. As Andrew Gulotta, Producer of Battlefield 1 talks through the success of the franchise so far. Though, it did give way to some of the most awkward montages of games live streaming/YouTube experiences of playing BattleField 1 that I’ve ever seen.

It illustrates the power and where the influence for games are going these days (to the players and influencers). It hit home to me at that moment two equally powerful things. 1): They’re paying attention to the movement of gaming and where the hubs are. This is good. 2): They’re taking streamers and YouTubers content to present at E3. Yikes.

The reason why I say Yikes is because it makes me very self-conscious about how young the industry is, and yes, these moments are crucial to a gamers life. I don’t know why, but it showcased this way felt invasive in a way I can’t describe. Communities are built around these things, and generally, it’s not for the benefit of the publication of these communities.

Not that I feel that showing these communities to a wider audience isn’t useful or beneficial – but my fear is for the larger audiences of these conferences that it may just perpetuate the stereotypes of what we face already as gamers. I think that’s what I’m the most uncomfortable with. That and the lack of diversity in that clip. Those who were talking about the engagement in their communities were predominantly white men. I only saw one female, and I know a lot of women who play Battlefield, so this made me feel uneasy.

In the name of Tsar is the latest expansion coming to Battlefield one and it will contain eight new maps all based around the Russian Army around World War 1. There will also be a new competitive battlefield experience, based on the feedback that they’ve received from fans. Patrick Söderlund talks through what to expect in this update.

Later this year we are going to give you a new competitive Battelfield experience. We’ve heard you. You want a smaller, tighter experience focused on teamplay.

We can look forward to hearing more about it at Gamescom later on this year.

FIFA 18

FIFA is FIFA is FIFA. I know next to nothing about it, except that Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (no not that one) is on the cover of it and contributed his data to the game to help it be more realistic. For those in the eSports world of FIFA,  you’ll be pleased to know that EA is heavily investing in the scene and that more championships and leagues will be coming to your monitors soon.

Need for Speed: Payback

A bit of Burnout mixed in with some Horizon style open world with the regular additions of the Need for Speed franchise. So, what’s not to like? We’ll find out more about it soon in due time.

A Way Out

A Way Out is probably EA’s most exciting new title for this year’s E3. From the Studio that did Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This Prison breakout game is one that should interest the wider community, giving some Last of Us/Uncharted vibes. Lots to be excited about given how stellar Brothers was. I’d be cautiously optimistic about what comes next for this studio!

There is a lot to digest from this E3 2017 presentation from EA. It shows a different side of the company, one that is painfully aware of itself and the market. Yet, hasn’t really hit the nail on the head regarding tone and approach. That being said, there is a lot to be looking forward to in the next year with an impressive lineup of old and new titles.

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U.S. Storms Past Sweden, Posting Third Straight World Cup Shutout

LE HAVRE, France — How nice it must feel to go through 10 days at a major tournament without experiencing a single moment of anxiety.

What a luxury it is to be able to treat the group stage of a World Cup as a week-and-a-half long warm-up exercise.

That has been the reality for the United States women’s soccer team, which pummeled its first two opponents in this round, Thailand and Chile, by a combined score of 16-0. The Americans’ final group game Thursday against Sweden, some thought, would be the moment when the tournament really began for the United States.

But then it really didn’t. Sweden didn’t seem up for a challenge. It didn’t need to be. Both teams already had qualified for the knockout stage. And so the United States cruised to a 2-0 win in the Stade Océane and left wondering when the first real speed bump might come.

“When you come out of the group stage, a lot of what we talk about it mentality and being healthy,” Coach Jill Ellis said about her players, “and I think they’re in a really good place.”

For the Americans and their fans, this has been a blissful month, free from despair and tension. For the first time, the United States did not allow a single goal during the group stage. It also set a new World Cup record for group stage goals, with 18.

But for neutral observers, so far, the United States perhaps has been almost too good to be interesting. Potential narratives, bits of drama, have been tossed their way — about the team, around Thursday’s game — but none seemed to stick.

Would Ellis order her players to back off in the game to avoid a potential meeting with France in the quarterfinals? She has been asked that question almost every time she was made available to speak with reporters from the moment she stepped on French soil.

Or another one: Did the American women have demons to exorcise? Sweden, after all, had eliminated the United States from the 2016 Olympics in the quarterfinal round, the earliest exit ever for the American women at a major tournament.

But the plot lines fell flat, in part because the Swedes did not play along. Coach Peter Gerhardsson made seven changes to his starting lineup and gave four players their World Cup debuts. Afterward, he implied that he was resting players to prepare for the round of 16.

“We know that we have another match on Monday, a knockout match, and that’s the match that’s the most important one,” Gerhardsson said. “When we looked at the plan for the match and how to go about it, we didn’t think in advance that it was important to end up first or second in the group.”

After the game, a French journalist asked Ellis if she would have preferred having played a tough game during the group stage.

“I think you’re not giving enough credit to the opponent we played today,” she said.

But the truth was that the Americans dominated. They had 58 percent of possession and repeatedly snatched the ball off the feet of the Swedes. And whatever suspense there could have been was snapped like a twig before all the fans had found their seats.

In the third minute, Megan Rapinoe skipped a corner kick from the left side toward the near post, where Sam Mewis came toward the ball before letting it run through her legs. Lindsey Horan was making a zigzagging run through the penalty area, and by the time the ball bounced into a small opening in front of the goal, Horan had shed her defender and was free to tap it in.

The Americans’ second goal came in the 50th minute, when Sweden’s defense failed to clear a cross from the left side, letting the ball fall to the feet of Tobin Heath, who measured out a tiny opening of space and drilled a shot through it. The ball deflected off defender Jonna Andersson’s left foot, launched into the air like a skier off a ramp, and looped into the net. The goal, initially credited to Heath, was later changed to an own goal.

The next team that will try its best to make the United States sweat will be Spain. The teams will meet Monday in Reims for a round-of-16 match that Rapinoe said would present an unusual sort of challenge.

“Spain plays a different style than a lot of women’s teams play,” Rapinoe said, “They’re obviously very good in possession, with more of that tiki-taka style. If you don’t play against that a lot, it’s difficult.”

For a moment on Thursday, it felt as if injuries might provide some intrigue. Midfielder Julie Ertz sat out the match as she nursed a hip contusion. And Alex Morgan, the team’s starting center forward, was pulled off the field at halftime after taking an awkward spill around the 30th minute that left her limping.

But both players were all smiles after the game. Ertz said the decision to keep her out was just a precaution. Morgan declined to stop to speak to reporters, but she called out, “I’m O.K., thank you,” as she hustled into the locker room.

There was no reason to worry, after all.

At the final whistle, the players hugged. The fans stood and waved their flags. But from an emotional standpoint, it all felt a bit tame.

There had been no real tension. So of course there was no real release.

Andrew Das tracked the game live. Read on for a recap of how the United States defeated Sweden.

90’

Lloyd misses a chance to seal it!

That would have been the cherry on top: Lloyd slipping behind the Swedish defense for a free shot at Lindahl, but she hits it straight at the goalkeeper, who parries.

The chance is cleared but with the seven minutes of added time we just got, it’s surely not the last one we’ll see.

81’

What’s next for the U.S. and Sweden if this score holds?

A win or a tie gives the United States first place in Group F and a date with Spain in Reims on Monday (noon Eastern) in the round of 16. That will please the tourism office in Reims, which Andrew Keh noted today already has enjoyed a United States fan invasion once in this World Cup. The news may be less good for Spain, for obvious reasons.

The game looming beyond that is the one that everyone is talking about, however. It’s the one that everyone has talked about since the draw in December, actually: United States vs. France, the host nation, in the quarterfinals. It’s a game worthy of a final, and someone will be very unhappy to lose it. But a draw’s a draw.

As the group runner-up in this scenario, Sweden would get the second-place finisher in Group E, likely Canada or the Netherlands. It’s not an easy matchup by any means, but it’s probably a more favorable than running into France.

(Reminder: Sweden can flip that entire script with a win tonight, in which case it will play Spain — and then maybe France. A tie won’t do it, because of the Americans’ vastly superior goal difference in the group stage.)

73’

Brief delay for a head injury; Bjorn is down.

Sweden with a well-worked switch ends up with a cross, which O’Hara clears. But only after clanging heads with Bjorn in the center. She’s down, but soon rises and walks off.

Sadly, her treatment there appears to be the old, “You O.K.?” concussion test we all know well, and she sprints back on.

63’

Christen Press coming on for Rose Lavelle.

Press, so good against Chile, replaces Lavelle, who was surprisingly sturdy and effective running the attack tonight.

Seger goes off for Sweden at the same time; that’s both captains now gone from this game.

Press, by the way, immediately took up a position ahead of Rapinoe, Lloyd and Heath. She might get that first goal she’s been seeking. Though it’s hard not to think that the United States doesn’t regret adding a second through all of its pressure.

A single mistake and the good feelings will fade.

60’

Naeher quietly stares down another test.

The game has been moving away from her, but it’s worth noting that Alyssa Naeher has faced a couple of tough spots — three or four — and has handled each one. That’s good news for Ellis headed into the knockouts, since Naeher didn’t have much to do in the United States’ first two games.

51’

That’s gone down as an own goal, actually.

Andersson, who deflected it, is credited with an own goal, but make no mistake: that’s only a goal because of Heath.

50’

GOALLL! Heath doubles the U.S. leads with a rocket!

That came out of nowhere. An attack crumbles but the clearance was cycled to Rapinoe on the left. She drove a cross to Lloyd, who appeared offside, and it was cleared on to Heath at the back post.

She froze Andersson there, then with one quick motion pushed the ball right and roofed it — with the help of a deflection — over Lindahl.

(There’s a delay for video review, surely to check Lloyd’s contribution to the play, but the goal stands.)

46’

Well that’s interesting: Lloyd on, Morgan off.

Unclear if Morgan picked up an injury — she did get kicked one — but Lloyd takes her place to start the second half. Kind of a nice card to play if you’re Jill Ellis: Lloyd is a former world player of the year, and she has three goals in this tournament through two games.

No subs for Sweden.

Halftime

United States 1, Sweden 0

Sweden forced Naeher into a diving punch with a cross in added time, but it feels like 1-0 isn’t an accurate reflection of how well the United States controlled that half. They set the pace. They had the best chances, the best crosses. When they lost the ball, they just took it right back.

About the only thing that didn’t go better was the score. Sweden will be pleased to get a chance to regroup, and the get 15 minutes away from that ball-hawking pressure. But there will probably be more. And remember: Jill Ellis has fresh legs (Christen Press, Carli Lloyd< Mallory Pugh) straining to get into this one.

38’

Sweden has six substitutes warming up. Changes coming at halftime?

Jakobsson and Asllani just had a nice exchange to get around the corner on the right wing, but Sweden — despite a couple of shots — has not been able to get out from under the unrelenting U.S. pressure.

Is Coach Peter Gerhardsson thinking about a switch at halftime? Who knows? But Jakobsson just stripped Dunn and rocketed a shot over the crossbar, so maybe Sweden’s players sense they better get something going.

25’

Ball after ball scorched into the center.

The purpose that has made the United States the standout team of the group stage is on full display. Every ball is hit with intent, with power, with pace. Heath. Lavelle. Rapinoe. Mewis. All of them. They just look … dangerous. But the other thing about that kind of willful mentality — which has not been on display as completely even among the best teams here in France — is that players off the ball expect it.

Every ball is dangerous because there’s always someone running near post, or back post, or down the center channel, to meet it if it arrives.

20’

Can the U.S. maintain this pace?

Yes, they’re winning every ball. Yes, they controlling it from sideline to sideline. But 90 minutes is a long time, and as the pace slows a bit here midway through the half, one can sense the Americans know going pedal to the pedal might have it own risks.

As if on cue, Sweden presses through Asllani, who fires a shot at Naeher from the right. She smothers that one just like the earlier one.

13’

Hey look: Sweden is playing too!

Stina Blackstenius, the until-now-lonely center forward, takes Sweden’s first shot. But it’s from nearly 30 yards and, while hit with power, Naeher sees it all the way and smothers it.

Oddly, that might have been her first tough save of the tournament.

7’

No letup. The United States is all over Sweden.

Dunn fires a shot from the edge of the area after Ertz and Lavelle both win the ball in midfield as Sweden somehow, some way tries to get control of the game. Ellis clearly sent her team out breathing fire, and it’s showing.

The U.S. also is racing forward whenever it can and stretching Sweden to its limit by switching the ball. They’re trying to pull open the middle for Morgan. Might just be a matter of time.

3’

GOAL!!!! Wow. A stunning start and a goal for Horan.

The U.S. won its first corner off some early pressure, and it looked as if Rapinoe had wasted it with a bouncing ball to the near post. But Sam Mewis reached for it and no one touched it until Lindsey Horan stabbed it in from 2 yards.

Atrocious defending for the Swedes — several players and Lindahl just let the ball careen through the goal mouth — and a great start for the U.S. The goal was almost a carbon copy of Horan’s first of the tournament, against Thailand.

1’

U.S. on the front foot early

Lavelle and Morgan took the opening kickoff and just started dribbling upfield. That’s quite the message: here we come. We dare you to stop us.

Even when the U.S. lost the ball, their pressure was apparent. They want it.

The starting lineups: Back to the regulars (except one)

Jill Ellis used Sunday’s game against Chile to make sure that every field player she brought to France could go home and say, “I got to play.” But Sweden, and the knockout games that will come next, require her A team. So that’s what she has run out there, with one exception:

Julie Ertz is out with a hip problem that U.S. Soccer says isn’t serious — “We had to chain her to the bench to keep her out of this,” one official said — but it is serious enough that it’s causing her to miss an important World Cup game.

So our official analysis is: ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Her role will be filled by Sam Mewis, who scored twice in the American’s opening game. Expect her to be the more defensively focused member of the U.S. midfield, allowing Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle to maraud. (UPDATE: Horan has dropped at times to allow Mewis and Lavelle to push forward.)

The lineups:

United States lineup: Alyssa Naeher; Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Kelley O’Hara; Samantha Mewis, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle; Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan (captain), Tobin Heath.

Sweden lineup: Hedvig Lindahl; Nathalie Bjorn, Amanda Ilestedt, Linda Sembrant, Jonna Andersson; Julia Zigiotti, Caroline Seger (captain), Kosovare Asllani; Sofia Jakobsson, Stina Blackstenius, Olivia Schough.

Our referee tonight is Russian: Anastasia Pustovoytova.

Sahred From Source link Sports

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NBA 2016-17 predictions: our writers forecast the playoffs and award winners

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NBA 2016-17 predictions: our writers forecast the playoffs and award winners

Will anyone stop the Warriors? Who will be named Most Valuable Player? Guardian writers give their takes on whats coming up this season

Im most looking forward to watching …

How teams deal with the Warriors. Or how the Warriors deal with themselves. Ill go with both. Seeing teams try to defend a lineup that has Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be fascinating. As will seeing how the Warriors keep everyone happy in an offense that features Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. DG

Last year injuries kept the Utah Jazz from making the playoffs but by January they should be completely healthy. Utah might not be the most exciting team but they are deep, good defensively and well coached. LC

How the Golden State Warriors are going to integrate Kevin Durant into their already historic offense. If anyone answers this differently theyre lying. HF

The most significant move of the NBA off-season is about to become the biggest story of the regular season. Just how might free agent signing Kevin Durant change the dynamic at Golden State? If he gels as quickly as pre-season suggests, the Warriors could push for 70 wins again. If not, theres the potential for the drama of disharmony. CS

Im least looking forward to watching …

The inevitable demise of Russell Westbrook. The (lone remaining) Thunder star plays with an edge and tenacity like no other athlete in sports and this season hell be more motivated than ever. But without Durant around anymore to help, the Thunder dont have a real shot no matter how well or angry Westbrook plays. And thats pretty depressing. DG

While most people will be excited to see how Golden State will fit all their stars into one lineup, there are enough players without big egos to make this work seamlessly. Perfection might actually make the Warriors more boring than people expect. LC

The New York Knicks, on and off the court. Its almost depressing to realize that Kristaps Porzingis is tied to this horrifically dysfunctional franchise. HF

The Houston Rockets. The NBAs most uninspiring team undermined my efforts to stay awake for last seasons midweek west coast games. Beyond the strange fascination with James Hardens beard, Ive no idea why theyre on TV so much. CS

The biggest surprise will be …

The Timberwolves grabbing a playoff spot in the West. A team featuring Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine (reportedly now armed with an NBA-quality jumper) nabbing a playoff spot in the West with 40-45 wins may not shock avid NBA watchers. But the Timberwolves have missed the postseason 12 years in a row. Basketball being played in Minnesota in late April would be news. DG

The Minnesota Timberwolves showed signs of growth last year with the growth of Karl-Anthony Townes and Andrew Wiggins. Now they have added the promising Kris Dunn to a backcourt with Zach LaVine. By seasons end they should be playing excellent defense. LC

The Eastern Conference will be more competitive and more entertaining than the Western Conference (Warriors excluded obviously). HF

Will this be the year the Clippers finally put it all together? Nope. Rather, itll finally sink that in Griffin, Jordan and Paul wont bring a Championship to LA. The Clips will lose in the first round of the play-offs and Paul will take a giant deal elsewhere next July. CS

The biggest disappointment will be

Will the Nets fail again this year? Yes, they probably will. Photograph: Noah K Murray/USA Today Sports

The Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are expected to be awful and will likely have the worst record in the NBA. So where does the disappointment come in, you ask? Its because the franchise and their fans will get almost nothing out of suffering through this season. Thanks to the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett trade with the Celtics in 2013, Boston has the right to swap their first-round pick with Brooklyns in the 2017 draft. So the Nets are going to lose most of their games AND lose out on the opportunity to bring in a franchise savior. Lets hope that 2014 trip to the Eastern Conference semis was worth it. DG

New Orleans tumbled last year, but really should be a better team than their record showed. They have the talent to be a playoff team just as they were two seasons ago but it seems like the mix still isnt there in a deep Western Conference. LC

The Chicago Bulls are going to drop off despite the addition-by-subtraction of losing Derrick Rose and bringing in a motivated Dwyane Wade. The pieces wont fit. HF

Having offloaded injury-prone Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls snubbed a refresh and a chance to hand the reins to Jimmy Butler. Instead it signed Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, who have beef going back to the Celtics-Heat wars and will both want the limelight. On the Chicago sports scale, the Bulls will be far more Bears than Cubs. CS

LeBron James is

Durable. James has now played 1,186 NBA games in his career between the regular season and playoffs. Thats already 77 more than Michael Jordan logged in his career (not including his two forgettable seasons in a Wizards jersey). Theres a lot of mileage on LeBrons legs, but other than a slight reduction in minutes from his early twenties, there are no signs of slowing down. We are all witnesses to a man who has only aged along his hairline. DG

Not going to be able to pull the Cavs over the Warriors this time. LC

Already, at the very least, the second greatest basketball player who has ever lived. And hes not close to finished. HF

The man. Regardless of who performs miracles during regular season play, can we please refrain from proclaiming Curry or Westbrook or Durant has usurped him as the games best player? They wont have. Games 5-7 of the Finals where it James played-out the longest con in the history of sports – put that debate to bed until the post-season. CS

Steph Curry is

Now a full-on villain. If Kevin Durant is a bad guy for joining Golden State, Curry looks even worse for needing another superstar to get back on top. A fresh-faced NBA superstar everyone was rooting for two years ago today is today the face of a team many want to see crash and burn. Every behind-the-back pass Curry chucks out of bounds this season will be a moment of viral glee. DG

A player too unselfish for his own good. His need to please others sometimes destroys his focus. LC

The most embattled reigning MVP for two years running in NBA history, or at least among those whove won a ring. HF

A man with something to prove once again. Although an ill-timed knee injury may be mitigating, the undisputed league MVP had a Finals series to forget. LeBron made him look like a pretender again, now well see what Currys really made of. CS

One change to improve the NBA …

This will never happen because it would be a significant change to the entire sport of basketball but, hey, if the floor is mine: get rid of the free throw and penalize players who commit a foul by removing them from the floor for 30 seconds, hockey-style. This ends the awful free throw-fests that mar the end of so many basketball games and we also get some fun 5-on-4 action. I await your call, Adam Silver. DG

Revive the draft lottery reform that owners rejected two years ago that would havegiven all seven of the worst teams a better shot at the No1 pick thus reducing the incentive to tank. LC

Theres no reason that the NBA season should be 82 games long other than money. Unfortunately, thats more than reason enough for owners to continue with it. HF

Two free throws plus the ball if deliberate Hack-A fouls are committed more than three times a game on poor FT shooters like DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard. Theres no channel-turner in basketball like a Hackathon. CS

One bold prediction …

Joel Embiid will win rookie of the year. Picking a 7ft 0in center who can do this and this might not seem incredibly bold, but injuries have kept Embiid from playing in a single NBA game since he was drafted No3 overall in 2014. Predicting he stays healthy and plays well and that something good happens for the Sixers is as bold as bold can be. DG

Luke Waltons Lakers will have surpassed his entire 2015-16 loss total (four) by the time they face the Warriors for the first time (in their sixth game). LC

LeBron James will have a tough time leading the Cavaliers to another title. Photograph: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Im going to keep predicting that the Minnesota Timberwolves to end the season over .500 every single season until it actually happens. HF

Miamis resigned center Hassan Whiteside will win Defensive Player of the Year. The $98 million man, who finished third in voting last season becomes the focal point of a Heat team minus superstars. If pre-season is anything to go by, he looks ready for the responsibility. Hes also a triple double machine in the making and, as he likes to say; aint nobody doin it with blocks either. CS

Which rookie will impress the most?

When Ben Simmons returns from injury – hopefully by mid-season – hell quickly add footage to his passing highlight reel. (And many of those passes will go to Embiid, my bold Rookie of the Year pick. Hey, great choice!) DG

Kris Dunn, the Timberwolves point guard from Providence, looked fantastic in the Summer League and might be the most polished rookie in the league. LC

If Joel Embiid, who finally will be making his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers, counts as a rookie, then it will be him. The 76ers will still be awful, though. HF

With Ben Simmons out until January, this is more open. Bostons Jaylen Brown drafted third out of Berkeley will have plenty of opportunities to shine in a big market team thats primed to contend. While the short forward might struggle for ROTY-worthy minutes/numbers behind Jae Crowder, he could be the most impressive. CS

Wholl win the MVP award?

Russell Westbrooks consolation prize in losing Kevin Durant might just be the MVP. If he can keep the Thunder above .500 and reach the playoffs, hell win the award and he surely wont thank Kevin Durant or Kevin Durants mother. DG

While I would be tempted to pick Russell Westbrook who could run free to as many points as he wants in the Thunders offense, the smart pick here is LeBron James. LC

Russell Westbrook. If he remains healthy, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is going to have a monster year now that he doesnt have to share his the ball with Durant. HF

Steph Curry will split the limelight with Kevin Durant, while LeBron James saves his absolute best for the postseason and hasnt won the award since 2013. Russell Westbrooks numbers will explode without Durant and theres a legit chance he can smash last years tally of 18 triple doubles. CS

Atlantic winner

Toronto Raptors. DG

Boston Celtics. LC

Boston Celtics. HF

Im going with the Cs. CS

Central winner

Cleveland Cavaliers. DG

Cleveland. LC

Cleveland Cavaliers. HF

The Cavs will take this. CS

Southeast winner

Atlanta Hawks. DG

Atlanta Hawks. LC

Orlando Magic. HF

Close. Atlanta is the favourite, but Charlotte or Washington could easily take this one. CS

Northwest winner

Portland Trail Blazers. DG

Utah Jazz. LC

Oklahoma City. HF

Utah and Portland look strong, but OKC will win it. CS

Pacific winner

Golden State Warriors. DG

Golden State Warriors. LC

Cant see anyone but Golden State. HF

Although last years regular season dominance could be beyond the Warriors, theyll win this division by at least 10 games. CS

Southwest winner

San Antonio Spurs. DG

San Antonio. LC

San Antonio. HF

Business as usual for the Spurs. CS

Eastern Conference Finals prediction

Cleveland over Indiana. DG

Cleveland over Boston. LC

Cleveland Cavaliers over literally any opponent they could face. Lets say the Boston Celtics. HF

A comfortable series for the Cavs, wholl win in five. CS

Western Conference Finals prediction

Golden State over LA Clippers. DG

Golden State over Utah. LC

Go for the Golden State Warriors over the San Antonio Spurs. HF

Warriors in seven in an all-time classic. CS

NBA championship winner

Everyone knows the classic scene in Gullivers Travels where the resting giant is overrun by tiny Lilliputians and secured to the ground by strings. Thats kind of how I see this NBA season. LeBron is the giant of the sport and no other player is close to matching him, but in adding Kevin Durant the Warriors now have enough to take down even the biggest star in all the game. Now I should probably note that Gulliver broke out of those strings in the story and that LeBron never rests. But Ill still give the Warriors 3-1 odds. DG

Last spring Golden State appeared certain to win their second-straight NBA title against Cleveland. But Draymond Green was suspended for a game, Steph Curry lost his focus and the Warriors were outplayed by the Cavs and LeBron James. They signed Kevin Durant to make sure that doesnt happen again. The same two teams are destined to meet once more but this time Golden State will have too many elite players to slump again. Expect a more locked-in Curry, a motivated Durant and enough contributions from Green and Klay Thompson to go the distance next June. LC

The Golden State Warriors, taking out the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yes, I know, this would be the third straight Warriors-Cavaliers finals, but its hard to imagine this season going any other way barring injuries that are too depressing to contemplate. The funniest possible result would be for the Cavaliers to take a 3-1 series lead this time around, only to lose to the Warriors. Call them the meme busters. HF

The Dubs will have learned a lot from last summers humbling loss to Cleveland and its all the motivation theyll need to put it right. Should the NBA Finals be a three-peat, Im picking Golden State to take a 2-1 lead over the Cavs in Finals match-ups. Warriors in six. CS

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

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Ramblings: Canes Clinch, Pietrangelo, Pearson, Byfuglien, Friday Picks, and more… (Apr 5)

The interactive playoff draft list is ready for download now! Don’t wait until five minutes before your draft or deadline to purchase it. If you haven’t already preordered it, get yours today! If you have already purchased it, jump right in. It’s available in the Downloads section on the Dobber website (login required for the site, not the forum).

Once you purchase the draft list, please take a moment to get familiar with it before your draft. Read the Instructions tab before you begin using it. The Excel spreadsheet file is interactive (macro-enabled) and not just a “list.” The point total projections depend on which teams you set to advance, or you could go with Dobber’s picks if you’re really not sure. I’m not trying to make it sound super complicated or anything, but it’s better to be prepared. Hey, we just want you to win your league!

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Thursday was all about teams trying to clinch playoff spots and teams trying to jockey for position. This doesn’t matter to fantasy teams that happen to still be active (like me in my roto league), but it certainly matters to those who are preparing for playoff pools. Even though almost all of the playoff teams are set, hopefully you don’t have to commit to choosing players right now.

When you’re the Carolina Hurricanes, clinching a playoff spot is a momentous occasion.  

The last time the #Canes clinched a playoff berth was April 4th, 2009

Ten years ago to the day, WE'RE BACK

Read More » https://t.co/hmxKvfXOSB pic.twitter.com/V49Bk3w4gG

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 5, 2019

Yes, the “bunch of jerks” punched their 2019 playoff ticket with a 3-1 win over New Jersey. Even though the Canes won’t be providing any victory celebrations after any home playoff wins, I have a feeling that they’ll be a popular underdog to pull for.  

Petr Mrazek stopped 36 of 37 shots to earn the victory. Mrazek has had quite a run recently, posting an 11-2-0 record with a 1.68 GAA and a .944 SV% since mid-February. Both he and Curtis McElhinney will be UFAs at the end of the season. Since the Canes are a top-10 team in goaltending, I would have to believe they would bring back at least one of these goalies next season and maybe even both. If you need to pick a Canes’ goalie for your playoff pool, it’s probably Mrazek, although he and McElhinney have basically been splitting starts for the past few weeks.

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The Hurricanes’ victory combined with the Montreal Canadiens’ loss to Washington means that the Habs’ playoff hopes take a significant hit. The Canadiens have the same number of points as the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Jackets have a game in hand. The Jackets’ last two games are against relatively beatable opponents in the Rangers and Senators, but nothing is guaranteed of course.   

The Habs had their chances (Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen each took six shots), but Braden Holtby was up to the task in stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Capitals’ 2-1 win. Holtby has been getting it done for fantasy owners at the tail end of the season, reeling off five consecutive wins. Check out his splits this season (from his Frozen Pool profile):

Qtr         GP          W            L              OTL        GAA       SV%       QUAL    QUAL%

1              13           5              5              2              3.24        0.900     4              30.8

2              16           11           5              0              2.61        0.918     10           62.5

3              15           5              6              2              3.35        0.903     7              46.7

4              15           11           3              1              2.20        0.921     10           66.7

The defending Stanley Cup champions have now clinched the Metropolitan Division and should be considered the favorite to represent the division in the Eastern Conference Final.

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Whatever the opposite of a revenge game is this is it pic.twitter.com/WQNQox405t

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) April 5, 2019

All I can say is thank heaven I dropped Brian Elliott yesterday because I was about to run out of goaltending starts and still had plenty of forward starts. That was Elliott’s night, all in a span of less than seven minutes. Hopefully you didn’t fall victim though.

Alex Steen inflicted the most damage for the Blues in their 7-4 win over the Flyers, scoring two goals and adding an assist with a plus-3. You can’t be blamed if you completely ignored Steen, as he had been held without a point in his previous five games.  

Alex Pietrangelo recorded three assists for the Blues. The father of triplets has now reached the 40-point mark for the third consecutive season and fifth time in six seasons. Obviously this is a dip from last season, which Dobber (who is a father himself) warned you about before the season. Pietrangelo’s second-half production (27 points in in 42 games, 0.64 Pts/GP) has been noticeably better than his first-half production (13 points in 28 games, 0.46 Pts/GP), which may be related to the Blues’ remarkable second-half surge. Or maybe it’s because he’s adjusted to life as a busy dad.

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The Canucks might have nothing left to play for, but don’t tell Tanner Pearson. The recently acquired left winger scored another goal and added an assist, which gives him four goals in his past five games and eight goals in 18 games as a Canuck. The Canucks are dying for top-6 forwards that can play alongside their big three of Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat. Pearson might be proving that he can at least be that guy beside second-line center Horvat.

Just to get you excited for next season, Quinn Hughes assisted on both Canucks’ goals, giving him three points in four games as a Canuck. Between Cam Robinson and me, there’s a disproportionate amount of Canucks’ highlights on here. With that in mind, here’s one more of one of Hughes’ assists.  

Quinn Hughes — the real deal in Vancouver.

What a pass. pic.twitter.com/4kiesNKDQu

— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2019

We’ll have all summer to debate whether he will start next season on the Canucks’ PP1. The Canucks use Alex Edler a ton, so I wouldn’t quite pencil Hughes in yet. But it’ll be a matter of time.

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Jaroslav Halak stopped all 26 shots he faced in the Bruins’ 3-0 win over Minnesota. That’s five shutouts this season for Halak, which is not bad for a backup goalie. Halak’s ratios (2.34 GAA, .922 SV%) are among the top 10 among goalies who played at least 30 games. Halak is signed for another season in Boston, which might be something to think about when valuing Tuukka Rask next season. Rask has won 27 games and played in just 45 games this season, which are his lowest totals in six seasons.

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The Colorado Avalanche were another team that clinched a playoff spot on Thursday, thanks to a 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg. Philipp Grubauer stopped 34 of 36 shots he faced in the win, which gives him a 7-0-2 record over his last nine starts. He has posted a 1.63 GAA and a .953 SV% over that span, which should cement him as the Avs’ starting goalie to start the playoffs and into next season.

The Avs clinched a playoff spot in spite of missing Mikko Rantanen, who has missed the past seven games with an upper-body injury. Alex Kerfoot has been subbing for Rantanen on the Avs’ top line. Although Kerfoot was held without a point on Thursday, Kerfoot had been taking advantage of the situation with eight points in his last six games.

Dustin Byfuglien might have been angrier than you were that he didn’t receive much power-play time on Thursday.  

Dustin Byfuglien just slammed his stick in anger on the #NHLJets bench, breaking it, after not getting a second of power play time. Jacob Trouba stayed out for the entire 2-minute man-advantage. That's…not good. On several levels. #wfp

— Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) April 5, 2019

So once all was said and done, Jacob Trouba logged over five minutes of power-play time, while Byfuglien logged just 36 seconds. It’s not as if Big Buff was stapled to the bench in this one, as he took on over 25 minutes of overall icetime. Trouba is an RFA this offseason and rumors have constantly been swirling that the Jets will trade him. However, Trouba potentially sticking around and the presence of Josh Morrissey could result in a changing of the guard for Winnipeg’s PP1. By the way Big Buff has just two points in his last nine games, and that’s even with an assist on Thursday.

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Not that there should have been much doubt, but the Pittsburgh Penguins also clinched their playoff spot on Thursday. Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby each recorded three points with each taking five shots on goal. Kessel has now reached 80 points for the second consecutive season, while Crosby has a chance to reach 100 points for the first time in five seasons if he can record two points on Saturday against the Rangers.

If you’re trying to plan playoff matchups in the Eastern Conference, this might help:  

Looks like Penguins vs Islanders in first round as long as Pens get home point vs Rangers Saturday. And of course Maple Leafs vs Bruins. Hurricanes will get Capitals or Lightning. I’m gonna say Tampa. Columbus vs Caps.

— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) April 5, 2019

  With Nikita Kucherov's 40th goal of the season, the Lightning are the first team to boast three 40-goal scorers (also Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point) since the 1995-96 Penguins. 

Almost forgot to mention: Jake Gardiner returned to the Leafs' lineup on Thursday, although he was held without a point in just under 17 minutes of icetime. 

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Leon Draisaitl scored twice on Thursday, which gives him 49 goals on the season. These were his first goals in four games. The Battle of Alberta on Saturday night might be a mean-nothing game in the standings, but it will at least be worth watching to see if Draisaitl can become the second player to reach 50 goals, following Alex Ovechkin. The only other player with a snowball’s chance in hell at reaching 50 is John Tavares, who would need to record a hat trick on Saturday to reach that mark.

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Chances are that you’ll have more than enough options for Saturday, even with players potentially sitting out to get some extra rest before the playoffs. So Friday is the day to load up on players who will play on a light schedule (just three games). I mentioned both of the Strome brothers on Twitter, since the Rangers and Blackhawks are among the teams that play.

Some more players to consider (if you can still add them for Friday):

Oliver Bjorkstrand – Eight goals in his last eight games, also 30 shots in his last six games

Anton Khudobin – Confirmed starter on Friday (see Goalie Post for more goalie starts). Won three of his past four games, with the other game a shootout loss. Posted a 1.94 GAA and .943 SV% over that span.

Kevin Shattenkirk – No points in his last six games, but still receiving first-unit power-play time

Tony DeAngelo – If Shattenkirk isn’t available, or you could pick him over Shattenkirk outright

Alexandar Georgiev – Also a confirmed starter for Friday. He seems to alternate between good and bad starts, but the pressure is completely off as he and the Rangers get to play spoiler against the Blue Jackets.

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For more fantasy hockey information, or to reach out to me directly, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-canes-clinch-pietrangelo-pearson-byfuglien-friday-picks-and-more-apr-5/

[placetobenation]

Hello and WELCOME BACK to Major League Baseball coverage here at Place to Be Nation! Yes, after taking 2018 “off” to essentially turn myself into Fat Mac, it’s time to get back into the swing of things (hehe) and start writing about The Greatest Game once again.

Apologies for the lateness of this season preview, but a new job in the big city will sap time like nobody’s business. Regardless of that, with the 2019 season already underway, let’s a a peek at what this year has in store, shall we?*

*I hope to publish monthly Power Rankings again, as well as occasional separate, special pieces throughout the year, as time/work/etc. permits.

We’ll begin with the American League East, the home of the 2018 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox and work our way through the Junior Circuit before previewing the National League, then close out with a handful of award picks.

Superstar Aaron Judge is the unquestioned leader of the New York Yankees.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST PREVIEW

Best Team: It’s a two-team race here, as it has been nearly every year of the past 20. Sure, Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa Bay have their fun runs, but the AL East is nearly always a sustained race to the top spot for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

With that in mind, my best team for the East is the Yankees. A healthy year from Aaron Judge, a more comfortable Giancarlo Stanton, the emergence of Gleyber Torres, and the can’t-get-any-worseness of Gary Sanchez make this a deep, dangerous lineup. Add in the other young bats filling out the starting nine and the Yanks top out Boston here.

Looking at the starting rotations, it’s probably better to lean toward Beantown, but I’ll just leave it here that the Chris Sale extension is going to look awful within two years. A gust of strong wind should knock him down pretty soon. As for the bullpens, it’s the Yankees in a walk, even with early injury concerns for Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.

Worst Team: Baltimore. After a dismal 55-win year in 2018, they could be EVEN WORSE this year. Not Cleveland Spiders bad, but they could give the 2003 Tigers a good challenge.

ONE QUESTION

Can Mookie repeat (or come close to) his 2018 MVP form? Will the rest of his team follow suit?

New York Yankees: Can all of their bats and starting arms stay healthy? So much of the team’s success is tied up in health, the least predictable skill of them all.

Boston Red Sox: Can the bullpen succeed without a firm closer? Dave Dombrowski builds lineups and rotations well. He burns farm systems to the ground and rarely gets burned on trades, but the man has never put together a good bullpen. Will it hurt the champs in their quest to become the first team to win back-to-back rings since the 1998-2000 Yankees?

Tampa Bay Rays: How much will the “opener” strategy help the team this year? Relief pitching is the toughest asset to manage on a roster, as performance can vary wildly from year-to-year. As the Rays attempt to change modern bullpen usage, will they be able to get the same results that helped them to a surprising 90-win campaign last year?

Toronto Blue Jays: Can the youngsters (namely, Vlad Guerrero, Jr. and Bo Bichette) help the team this year? Will the youth infusion north of the border keep the team at a “reloading” stage, or will the team need to go full-blown rebuild?

Baltimore Orioles: Can this team win 60 games? And, because it has to be asked, how awful will Chris Davis be before the team just eats his contract and cuts him?

Bold Prediction: The Yankees’ 2018 record of 267 home runs does not even last a year, as this year’s edition of the Bronx Bombers club more than 270 bombs to shatter the mark.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Yankees, 2) Red Sox (Wild Card), 3) Rays, 4) Jays, 5) Orioles

The Indians should steamroll their division, but can they get any further? Corey Kluber hopes so…

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL PREVIEW

Best Team: Cleveland, essentially by default. Although if injuries to megastars Francisco Lindor Jose Ramirez persist and/or become a theme, a retooled, healthy Twins squad could take the division.

Worst Team: Kansas City. I mean, Detroit will also be awful, but there are at least a few quality pieces there at the moment (Miguel Cabrera, Nicholas Castellanos, Matthew Boyd, Jordan Zimmerman, former Pirates Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison). Granted, several of those guys will get traded if they have strong first-halves, but we’re judging based on what’s currently on these rosters, not what will be.

Byron Buxton is an amazing center field presence, but he just can’t seem to put things together at the plate … or get out of the trainer’s room.

ONE QUESTION

Cleveland Indians: Can they get ANY decent production out of that lineup beyond a healthy Lindor/Ramirez combo? The starters are strong, but it’s looking more and more like the Indians’ window is rapidly slamming shut on them. And cheap-ass owners don’t care.

Detroit Tigers: The rebuild is off to a rough start, so the big question here is really a two-parter: Can the current big-leaguers produce enough to get traded and bring more talent into the system; and can the extant farm prospects produce enough to boost Motown’s future outlook?

Minnesota Twins: Can Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano get and stay healthy? These two are game-changing talents. We’ve seen enough potential to know that for both. But they just cannot put things together. With erstwhile franchise Joe Mauer headed off to the Land of Chocolate (aka retirement), Minnesota fans need new faces to root for and provide hope.

Chicago White Sox: The team tried to GO BIG with PR-bluster over both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but in the end, it was all for naught. But the team did lock up potential stud and possible Rookie of the Year Eloy Jimenez, so I can’t be too harsh on them. Of all the true rebuilds in the AL, the Pale Hose are furthest along and best positioned to be a sleeper team this year. So, the big question here is: How good will Eloy be, and will it be enough to elevate the Sox’ rebuild to the next level?

Kansas City Royals: This team sucks. It barely resembles the 2014-2015 “Glory Years” teams that Dayton Moore so proudly, so carefully, so delicately put together. Screw this. Moore got lucky for about 1-½ seasons because of three good relievers, a couple decent bats getting hot, and the awesomeness that is Lorenzo Cain. The big question for KC is not if the Royals can do anything this year; the big question is whether or not I decide to visit for more Gates’ & Arthur Bryant’s BBQ.

Bold Prediction: Minnesota wins the division title because Lindor and Ramirez get hurt too much.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Cleveland Indians*, 2) Minnesota Twins, 3) Chicago White Sox, 4) Detroit Tigers, 5) Kansas City Royals

*Remember a “bold prediction” means if it comes true, I’m a genius. However, I really have a hard time getting behind this one, so I’m still picking the Tribe to win. Mostly because you cannot predict health, and that’s the impetus behind Minnesota winning anything.

Alex Bregman turned into a star last year and is a huge part of the Astros’ success.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST PREVIEW

Best Team: Houston Astros. Verlander. Cole. Bregman. Altuve. Springer. This team is loaded.

Worst Team: Texas Rangers. Not only do they have an absolutely awful starting rotation, but they have also deprived everyone of Adrian Beltre!

ONE QUESTION

Even Mike Trout wants to know … what big questions face his team?

Houston Astros: Can wunderkind Carlos Correa please get back on the field? The Astros, and baseball in general, are better with players like him.

Seattle Mariners: The “relaunch” got underway with trades of James Paxton and Robinson Cano. So, it’s gonna be a little longer on that first-ever Seattle Mariners World Series appearance. But, really, the question here is what to do with King Felix?

Texas Rangers: Hunter. Pence. Made. This. Team. The Rangers are going to be bad; the question is simply this: How bad?

Oakland Athletics: Can Billy Beane continue his regular season voodoo? The A’s look pretty solid on paper, and should challenge for a wild card berth, but will that @#$% ever work in the playoffs?

Los Angeles Angels: Speaking of things that never work in the playoffs … Seriously, though, the real questions here are: Do the Halos have enough pitching without two-way wonder Shohei Ohtani? Do they have enough offense without Ohtani and Justin Upton? Will Mike Trout ever win any rings? Will Albert Pujols just take the hint already? Has Brad Ausmus learned from his many (many) mistakes and become a better manager?

Bold Prediction: Freshly-extended, new dad Verlander wins another Cy Young, after coming whisper-close in 2016 and 2018. If that’s not bold enough for you, go eat a ghost pepper. Or, go with the prediction that Texas finishes with a worse record than either KC or Detroit.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Houston Astros, 2) Oakland A’s (WC), 3) Los Angeles Angels, 4) Seattle Mariners, 5) Texas Rangers

Bryce took forever to decide to stay forever with the Phils. How will Harper’s first season with the Phillies turn out?

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST PREVIEW

Best Team: Toughest call yet. Outside of Miami, and of the four teams in the East could win a playoff spot. Washington still looks pretty fine. Philadelphia addressed (most) of their defensive concerns and added a star (plucked from Washington no less), and New York added a lot of offense to supplement some good pitching. Atlanta has a lot of talent, and adding Josh Donaldson was a good get, but that pitching is /meh/. Hmm…I’ll go with Philly here, but it’s close and should make for a fun, four-way run for the division title all year.

Worst Team: The Marlins. Fuck. You. Derek. Jeter. You run a team like you field grounders. No, worse than that, which I wouldn’t think possible. Yet here we are.

Max Scherzer turns 34 this year, but shows no signs of backsliding off his Hall-of-Fame trajectory.

ONE QUESTION

Washington Nationals: Rather than the inevitable “Life without Bryce” commentary, will the Nationals have enough pitching? Max Scherzer is fantastic, but he’s 34. Stephen Strasburg seems to get hurt each year, and has never really lived up to the hype. As for the rest of DC rotation and bullpen … Is it enough? Also, whose seat is hotter: Dave Martinez or Gabe Kapler?

Atlanta Braves: Will Atlanta regret not (as of this writing) adding starter Dallas Keuchel to their staff? With all of the early injuries (all arm- or shoulder-related, too. Yikes) to their rotation, he just makes so much sense for a team whose window is just opening.

Philadelphia Phillies: Can Gabe Kapler get out of his own way and let the talent produce? Also, will the revamped defense be good enough to support the pitching staff?

New York Mets: Will deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, and Matz collectively get 115 starts? If they do, it could be good times in Queens. If not, well, then agent-turned-GM Brodie (HAHA! How 80’s Villain can you get?) VanWagonenonenonen gets a big ol’ slice of humble pie. Also, screw the Wilpons. They suck.

Miami Marlins: Laughable. Shambolic. A disgrace. I cannot even call this team, and the way it has been run, a disgrace to its fans, because anyone with an ounce of love for good baseball would abandon this team and tell dickface commissioner Rob Manfred* to relocate the franchise to Montreal, Portland, or ANYWHERE else. The big question is how many minor league teams will outdraw them this year?

*Worst Commissioner Ever?

Bold Prediction: Bryce Harper hits 50 home runs with the Phillies.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Philadelphia Phillies, 2) Washington Nationals (WC), 3) Atlanta Braves, 4) New York Mets, 5) Miami Marlins

Paul Edward Goldschmidt has the face of an accountant named “Paul Edward Goldschmidt”. Good thing he went into baseball instead.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL PREVIEW

Best Team: St. Louis. The Cards adding Paul Goldschmidt is just such a perfect fit for the Redbirds. They also have a better offense overall than the Cubbies; better pitching than the Brewers, and better talent pool than either the Pirates or Reds. It’ll be a fascinating division to watch all year — every team has potential and fun players — but the Cards are just /that much/ better than everyone else.

Worst Team: Probably Pittsburgh. The Reds still have pitching issues, and their defense is nothing to write home about, but the Pirates have zero stars and until ownership decides to spend money (that’s funny), the Pirates will never get over the hump to be elite. They may be exciting to watch and interesting on an individual level, but the Bucs are just not contenders in the way the rest of this division could be.

Can 2018 MVP Christian Yelich continue his breakout? Can he help the Brew Crew reach the playoffs again?

ONE QUESTION

Milwaukee Brewers: Can the Brewers get enough out of that rotation (Jhoulys Chacin, Freedy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Zach Davies all sound like made up suspect/lawyer names on “Law & Order: SVU”) to repeat 2018?

St. Louis Cardinals: Now that catcher-of-the-future Carson Kelly is off to Arizona in the Goldy trade, can Yadier Molina keep giving the finger to Father Time?

Pittsburgh Pirates: How good can Jameson Taillon be? He has all the makings of an ace-caliber, Cy Young contender.

Chicago Cubs: Despite this still being a really, really good, 90-win team, it still feels like a disappointment, right? The 2016 season was so perfect, so flawless, and these poor bastards are stuck trying to follow it up. This is a very good team, and all the parts are there for a deep October run, but will it all come together again in just the right way?

Cincinnati Reds: I know the whole world wants Mike Trout to get in the playoffs, be on a national stage, and win a World Series. I get that, but dammit, Joey Votto deserves some love too! So from this day forward, I’ll be rooting for a Cincinnati/Anaheim World Series so we can all be happy. While the Reds took a few steps in the right direction this year, the big question is did they do enough? (I’m going to say no, so they should sign both Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel and really throw their chips in!)

Bold Prediction: Taillon is a top-three Cy Young finalist AND (bonus!) Kris Bryant gets really close to a second MVP. But, only one of those guys plays in the postseason. Guess who?

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) St. Louis Cardinals, 2) Chicago Cubs (WC), 3) Milwaukee Brewers, 4) Cincinnati Reds, 5) Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cody Bellinger embodies the youth and versatility of the Dodgers.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST PREVIEW

Best Team: The Los Angeles Dodgers are still loaded as they look for a third consecutive NL pennant. The biggest difference between this team and the 2017 and 2018 editions is that the division title has a much clearer path, as only the Rockies pose a legit threat to LA’s supremacy in the division.

Worst Team: Probably the Giants, with the oldest average age (30.63) in the bigs. The crew that brought three early-decade titles to the Bay has been beaten by Father Time. It would be good if new head honcho Farhan Zaidi initiated a summertime fire sale ahead of MLB’s (new) lone trade deadline of July 31.

Fresh off a massive extension, star Nolan Arenado hopes to help usher in the most successful Rockies era over the next few years.

ONE QUESTION

Colorado Rockies: With its best-ever rotation, the Rockies’ biggest query is the health and production of outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who dropped off considerably from 2017 to 2018. To truly contend, the Rox need more of the 2017 version, and less of last year’s. The question is, which one will show up?

San Diego Padres: While Manny Machado was a splashy move, no man is an island, and no one player makes a contender. So, what does San Diego’s celebrated farm system bring to the table this year?

Los Angeles Dodgers: Can ace Clayton Kershaw get healthy? If he can, he’s the best lefty on the planet and a HUGE edge for the six-time division-winning Dodgers. If he can’t, it could be curtains for LA’s streak and postseason dreams.

San Francisco Giants: As said before, this team is older and not very good. So, who gets traded and when?

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Goldschmidt trade was more than saying goodbye to a franchise favorite. It was the close of Arizona’s window. There’s not much winning baseball to be had with this group, and no real impact prospects coming. So, as with SanFran, who gets moved, and when?

Bold Prediction: Colorado pitcher Kyle Freeland winds up a Top-5 Cy Young finalist.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Los Angeles Dodgers, 2) Colorado Rockies, 3) San Diego Padres, 4) Arizona Diamondbacks, 5) San Francisco Giants

POSTSEASON, AWARDS, AND 2018 ACCOUNTABILITY:

2019 AL Postseason: Yankees, Indians, Astros, Red Sox, Athletics; Astros win ALCS.

2019 NL Postseason: Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs; Cardinals win NLCS

2019 World Series: Astros top Cardinals in six games.

2019 AL Rookie of the Year: Eloy Jimenez, Chicago White Sox

2019 NL Rookie of the Year: Peter Alonso, New York Mets

2019 AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

2019 NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

2019 AL MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

2019 Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

My 2018 Picks, A Look Back (or, Really? That was Stupid…)

AL Postseason:

My 2018 Picks: Yankees, Indians, Astros, Red Sox, Twins

What Really Happened: Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Yankees, Athletics

Commentary: The East was a coin toss, the Central and West were cakewalks. Only missing on the second Wild Card was not too shabby.

NL Postseason:

My 2018 Picks: Nationals, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies

What Really Happened: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Cubs, Rockies

Commentary: A much more competitive National League made my picks look poorly. Most of my missed picks underachieved, while the actual playoff teams all had breakout stars push them to the forefront.

World Series: Yankees over Cubs. Oops. I guess the 1932 rematch will have to wait…

AL Manager of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Aaron Boone, Yankees

What Really Happened: Bob Melvin, Athletics

Commentary: No one gives “underdog” awards to the Yankees or Red Sox. I forgot this key tenet of baseball law. Melvin was excellent at the helm of Oakland and deserved this.

NL Manager of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Gabe Kapler, Phillies

What Really Happened: Brian Snitker, Atlanta

Commentary: I bought into Philly’s talent on paper over actual experience in a role that kinda demands it. Kapler made me look ridiculous with the Phils’ performance.

AL Rookie of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Michael Kopech, White Sox

What Really Happened: Shohei Ohtani, Angels

Commentary: Had I gone with my gut, I would have picked Ohtani. But I didn’t, so I picked Kopech. He got hurt and won nothing.

NL Rookie of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves

What Really Happened: Acuna won it; I felt smart.

Commentary: No one really saw Washington’s Juan Soto coming, but he gave it a great run, coming in second in the voting. Those two horses should be great fun to watch over the next couple decades.

AL Cy Young:

My 2018 Pick: Justin Verlander, Astros

What Really Happened: Blake Snell came seemingly out of nowhere to win 20 games with a 1.89 ERA.

Commentary: Those are the only two meaningful categories Snell bested JV in, although this result is nowhere near as awful as when 20-game winner Rick Porcello stole the Cy from his former Tigers’ mate.

NL Cy Young:

My 2018 Pick: Max Scherzer, Nationals

What Really Happened: Jacob deGrom, Mets

Commentary: Mad Max finished a distant second because deGrom had an insane season for the ages. I cannot feel too sorry about picking No. 2, since Scherzer’s 2018 would win most of the time.

AL MVP:

My 2018 Pick: Francisco Lindor, Indians

What Really Happened: Mookie Betts, Red Sox

Commentary: Lindor had a fantastic year and finished sixth in the voting, so I do not feel too bad about this one. Essentially, Betts had a HUGE slash line advantage over Lindor (.346/.438/.640 to .277/.352/.519) while playing for a better team in a bigger market in a closer division race. But Lindor was still a strong pick; I don’t feel too bad about this choice.

NL MVP:

My 2018 Pick: Bryce Harper

What Really Happened: Christian Yelich, free from the toxic hell of the Marlins, carried Milwaukee to the postseason and waltzed easily to his first MVP award.

Commentary: Bought into the “contract year” boom concept and a weak field. But, yeah…Yelich really earned this one.