#season three had some big hitters

[stuckybangs]

Thank you to all the participants in this year's reverse bang! We're thrilled to present the incredible 34 collaborations in this round! From the artists, to authors, to betas, pinch hitters and cheerleaders, we thank you all for being a part of this year's bang!

Under the cut you'll find all the collaborations from this year. Enjoy!

Touch Me and You'll Never Be Alone [not rated, wip] art by @metalbvcky written by @hanitrash

Bucky is barely managing to get by on his own, but is proud of the small, safe life he's created for himself. He's even content to thirst in secret over the insanely hot older man that recently moved to the area. But when a popped tire and an early season winter storm combine to throw their paths together, Bucky's carefully constructed life is about to get flipped upside down.

hold my body (hold my breath) [Teen, 2/2, 16k] art by @alwaysabrighterdarkness written by @teenytabris

“You were born in a storm. On a rocking boat, too. Maybe that’s where all this started,” his ma had said, kissing his head and rocking him in her arms. “Demanded to come into the world in an in-between place. Couldn’t wait to get to America,” she joked. Steve didn’t know what that meant, but he did know that even imagining a boat out there, getting tossed by waves, made him feel ill enough that even looking at the rain made him retch weakly. His ma tutted, and pressed a hand to his forehead. -- Steve has always had an all-consuming fear of water, and nearly drowning twice only made it worse. One day, after just turning on a tap sends him spiraling, he has to consider what his breaking point is.

Runaway [Teen, 8/8, 20k] art by @alwaysabrighterdarkness written by @mandyyvibes

Steve still felt a little guilty that Bucky was willing to do all that for him. Did he really deserve his unconditional loyalty? He could’ve picked anyone at school to be best friends with, but he picked him, and Steve would never know how he got so lucky. The thought of running away was comforting, anyway, even if maybe they couldn’t actually leave for a while. Days, weeks, months. — In which Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes grow up together under circumstances that no child should have to face, and Bucky paints Steve daydreams of a better life together, if only they could run far enough.

Finding You With Open Arms [Gen, 1/1, 8.5k] art by @taybay14 written by LuxuryVelvetStudebaker

Coming home means the big things are the little things

Some legends are told [Explicit, 2/2, 26k] art by @rufferto9 and @chaosmanor (additional art) written by @chaosmanor

Twenty-eight billion kilometers. Four thousand years. That's how far Bucky has gone to get away from HYDRA, and that's how far Steve will have to go to bring him home.

The art of shadowboxing [Explicit, wip] art by @burnin-brighter written by @dharmasharks

In 1918, Bucky is forced to flee New York with his family. In 1923, he returns as a prize fighter, determined to send money to his sisters and stay far away from the gang violence that destroyed their home. And then Steve Rogers shows up. These days, Bucky’s childhood pal isn’t facing down neighborhood bullies. He’s taking on every factory owner in the Garment District—and every gangster they hire to intimidate union members. By joining the fray as Steve’s bodyguard, Bucky can finally stand up to the mobsters who took so much from him. And if that means spending a whole lot of time by Steve’s side…well, that’s just an added bonus.

In the Mood to Let You Know [Mature, wip] art by @burnin-brighter written by @voylitscope

Bucky's never liked keeping secrets from Steve, but there are a few things he hasn't told his best friend over the years. These days? There are three. The two new ones he begins keeping in the summer of 1925, and that one massive secret he's been holding onto since 1918. (Or: During the height of the 1918 flu outbreak in New York, a seveneteen-year-old Steve spends a month indoors. Steve and Bucky write letters to pass the time and keep in communication. By the time Steve is out and about again, they've said a few things they'll never say out loud.At least not until 1925, when Bucky can't seem to stop running into Steve in unexpected places. )

Desert Fires [Explicit, 1/1, 9.6k] art by @zanthems written by @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy

Bucky doesn’t plan to end up high and naked in the desert with stars shining in the heavens and his eyes with his dick deep inside a dainty, beautiful man with sparkling sapphire eyes and chapped, bitten lips that drive all coherent thoughts from his mind. He didn’t intend for any of it to happen, but that’s where he’s found himself, nonetheless.

Coffee, Sugar, and Pine [Mature, wip] art by @taybay14 written by @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy

There’s nothing Bucky loves more than his cat Alpine and an excellent cup of coffee. After three tours in the army, he’s probably earned a few breaks and an IV of caffeine. When he steps into a café in Brooklyn where a spunky redhead mans the cash register and a sassy blonde with sparkling blue eyes concocts delicious hot beverages, Bucky realizes he’s found his perfect drink and perhaps his ideal mate. Now, he can’t stop thinking about how to guarantee that he’ll have both for the rest of his life.

Let's Do It [Teen, wip] art by @skullfragments written by @trinitydaydabbles

Even before Steve drags him up before the crack of dawn to go running, Bucky is already plotting his revenge. If only Steve didn't know him so well, maybe the day wouldn't devolve into a game of one-upmanship.

Human Lens [Teen, wip] art by @taybay14 written by @chaossmagic

Torn from his old life and dumped unceremoniously in the 21st century, and then having to face an alien attack just months after coming out of the ice, Steve Rogers is struggling to come to terms with everything he's lost and isn't sure the title of Captain America is one he feels 100% comfortable with anymore. Alone, deeply lonely and desperate for anything to help him feel like his old self again, he stumbles across the work of fellow veteran and photographer Bucky Barnes, who specialises in helping wounded soldiers reclaim their bodily autonomy and sense of self after injury in combat. When he asks Bucky to take his own photograph, he finds the connection he's been looking for the entire time. And, as it just so happens, Bucky finds exactly the same thing.

Taking Pictures [Gen, wip] art by @taybay14 written by @leavinghopeao3

Reporter Steve Rogers and photojournalist Bucky Barnes stumble across a conspiracy at the heart of the United States government. Will they be able to stop it before it's too late? And will this fight bring them closer together?

lost to time [Mature, wip] art by @rufferto9 written by @burnin-brighter

As Steve returns the last Infinity Stone, he realizes there is nothing for him to return to in 2024. His friends, the ones who are still here, have families they want to be with or people they need to help. Steve has no one. Bucky died in 1944, Natasha died on Vormir, Tony perished in the fight with Thanos. What is he supposed to do? There are many options in front of him, though before he can make up his mind, a ghost from his past appears. Could it really be his Bucky?

A Game for Two [Mature, 1/1, 9.9k] art by einahpets written by @dontcallmebree

Steve will never forget the itch under his skin, the need to peel the world back until it finally felt right. He knows he would have gotten it then, would’ve finally latched his teeth around this amorphous, unnamable thing that had been haunting him if it weren’t for the Winter Soldier. If it weren’t for Bucky. And ain’t that a trip and a half—if not for Bucky. Story of his fucking life. The hands of fate are familiar, loving, and too cruel by half.

Til the End of the Line [Teen, 7/7, 14.7k] art by @taybay14 written by @xoxobuckybarnes

Back home after their first tour, the Avengers are getting ready to record their second album - they just have to write it first. Lead singer, Bucky Barnes, struggles to write a song that's not about his childhood best friend, the drummer of the band, Steve Rogers. The problem is, Steve has no idea how Bucky feels about him. When another childhood friend starts leaning on Steve, Bucky must decide if it's time to let his crush go, or to finally be brave and let Steve know how he feels.

Plan Bee [Gen, 1/1, 15k] art by britbrit99 written by @hkandiu

Steve is still getting used to the 21st century and begins to frequent farmers markets, where he becomes a regular customer of Shield Apiary, a small business selling all things honey. As he enters that sweet chapter of his life, Tony decides to take on a new project - finding someone for Steve! Steve lies to the team that he's already dating someone but before he can come clean, Tony reaches the wrong conclusion that Steve is dating one of the owners of Shield. Except, Steve's never met Bucky, much less gone on a date. Becca somehow talks the men into pretending to date to help Steve, and the month isn't what anyone expected...

The Beekeeper & The Gardener [Gen, 10/10, 13k] art by britbrit99 written by E_Greer

Every morning, Bucky likes to greet the dawn and watch morning runner guy. Every morning, Steve likes to sip his coffee and watch plant guy. One morning, runner guy and plant guy meet.

Let Us Partake in Summer’s Bounty [Teen, 1/1, 11.8k] art by britbrit99 written by @theflailing

Spring was one of Steve’s favourite seasons; it was a time of renewal and intention, a time to plant the seeds of things that will yet bear fruit, both literal and metaphorical. It was a time when the chilly grip of winter gave way to the lush green of new growth; it was when the world took its first deep breath and stretched its limbs after the long, somber solitude that preceded it. Although Steve was born in the height of summer, his mother always said that he did not belong there. “I did a reading, the day you were born,” she would tell him often, a soft and loving sparkle in her eyes. “Your heart belongs to the springtime; it is an omen that marks your soul.” -8- Steve is never one to turn down a request for help, and as he prepares to accept this call for aid, he reflects on his life, the friends he has made, and the community he serves.

I'll Use You (As A Focal Point) [Teen, wip] art by @taybay14 written by @lynlee494

The Soldier’s understanding of the world begins to unravel after he completes a mission and finds a helpless, shivering, and soaking wet kitten. Unable to leave, knowing the frail thing will die in the elements, the Soldier makes a choice... The Soldier can not risk contact, capture, and the inevitable return to Hydra and captivity would bring. He may remember Steve Rogers, but he also remembers Captain America. Similarly enhanced, the Captain would have the advantage, the Soldier’s movement would be limited with the kitten’s safety to consider.A surveillance approach is the safest angle to take. There had been notebooks at the museum exhibit, so there may be more memories to be dredged up if Steve Rogers still keeps journals, keepsakes, things that may stir up more memories - more pieces to fill in the expanse between Bucky and the Soldier.He’ll seek out Steve Rogers, who seems to feature in nearly every memory with Bucky, but he’ll be cautious. Can hopefully glean from the exposure more about the time before Bucky – before he – was presumed dead in a war. From before Steve’s Bucky became Hydra’s, time stuttering by till the Soldier was born.

5 Times Bucky Tricked Steve Into Washing His Hair +1 Time He Didn’t Have To Ask [Explicit, 8/8, 34.8k] art by @taybay14 written by @norelationtoatticus

During the worst of his recovery, Steve used to wash Bucky’s hair for him. Now, Bucky is a semi-stable hundred year old man who can bathe all by himself… but he misses Steve washing his hair for him. Asking for it? Out of the question. Lies, subterfuge, and expertly crafted machinations to manipulate Steve’s big, soapy hands right where he wants them? Much more Bucky’s style.

Piece By Piece [not rated, 10/10, 34.7k] art by @skullfragments written by @taybay14

Steve and Bucky are discovered on the bank of the Potomac & brought to Stark Tower. From the beginning, everyone has one thing on their mind: Help Bucky. It’s going to be hard, but they're ready to give it everything they’ve got - and they’re the Avengers, so they’ve got quite a lot. *** “Hey, Buck,” Steve says, his voice soft. Bucky lays on his side, pressing a cheek to the soft carpeting, wishing he hadn’t ruined all his blankets. He hates feeling cold and it’s a little cold in his room. “You don’t have to talk or come out or anything, but… I’m going to lay here, okay? All night. I’m going to stay right here so you don’t forget that it’s different now. So you don't forget that you’re safe. You’re not alone.” Bucky doesn’t know what to say to that. Even if he did know, his tongue is doing that heavy-sticky thing again. Instead, he slides his flesh fingers under the crack in the door, barely able to fit the tips, and waits. A moment passes. Then Steve’s fingers are pressing right back. And maybe Steve is right. Maybe things are different, maybe he is safe, maybe he’s not alone. Maybe - just maybe - he’ll be able to get himself back after all, piece by piece.

Now That I've Met You [Teen, 3/3, 11k] art by @louikazooie written by @megs-bee

First day back from vacation, not even inside the building yet and Bucky’s boss calls, telling him to head straight up to the executive suite. “The short version is that we’ve found ourselves with a VIP who needs a personal assistant immediately,” Pepper sighs. “The longer version is that we discovered the previous assistant was selling information on said VIP’s schedule and other high-security details which resulted in, among other issues, an attempted…let’s call it assault.” Pepper hands over the StarkPad open to what Bucky recognizes as a personnel file. Commander S. G. Rogers. If he’d been drinking his coffee at that moment, he’d have choked.

The Rest Are Stories To Tell [Teen, wip] art by @taybay14 written by @endlesstwanted

After he broke free from HYDRA with Steve and his new friends’ help, Bucky is working on reconnecting with himself living in the Avengers Tower with his cat Alpine. Soon, a dream brings back memories of his time as the Winter Soldier and one specific location in which he supervised experiments like the ones he went through. The team works together to figure out what’s real and puts the pieces together to prepare against a potential hidden thread by HYDRA before they run out of time —or the experiments run out of time. What would happen if, on top of this, Bucky discovered a secret related to Steve and me that would tie them together more than they have ever been?

out of the darkness, out into the light [Mature, wip] art by bergamotene written by @burnin-brighter

There were very few things Bucky disliked in life, although chaperoning his sister at every ball of the season was one of them. It was boring, long, and overall unpleasant. Or it used to be, until the day Bucky laid eyes on the most beautiful man he had ever seen at such an event. The man wasn’t familiar, Bucky would have remembered seeing him before. And after the first night, Bucky saw him everywhere. While he slept, while he daydreamed, while he walked around town. There was no escaping this stranger. And perhaps Bucky did not want to. What was the worst that could happen if Bucky were to let himself give in to his thoughts, to his urges?

Penumbra [not rated, 1/1, 12.7k] art by bergamotene written by @bonky-bornes

There was nothing more dangerous than having a soulmate. That’s what James had been taught his entire life. Being bound to another, life for life, got one killed just as surely as treason. Anyone with the mark of a binding was executed. Kings and peasants alike, it didn’t matter. There was nothing more dangerous than secondary loyalty to your Kingdom. James mastered the art of knives and silence, he learned to move like a shadow, unseen and inescapable. Bondeds were a disease, and he was a cure. He’d rather have his hands stained red than see his people suffer. Bondeds killed to protect one life. James killed to protect them all. - The Northern and Southern Kingdoms have been at war over Bonded Pairs for years. When a temporary armistice is proposed, and James is invited to the Southern Kingdom, it's one last chance to find a way towards peace.

No Better Version of Me [Teen, 3/3, 26.8k] art by @koreanrage written by @film-in-my-soul

Like Steve’s got a shooting star fused to his pulse (and hell, it just might be), he makes a wish. Thanos is stopped from making the snap. But just because Steve managed to save everyone else, it doesn't mean he can save himself.

no years of silence in the shadow of regret [Gen, 1/1, 9.7k] art by @koreanrage written by @hipsterdiva

“I’m fine,” Steve says again without looking at him. “You don’t have to stay.” It takes a while, and for a second, Steve thinks that perhaps Bucky will get up, pack his bag and his cat and leave. For a second, Steve hopes that’s what’s gonna happen. Then Bucky speaks. “I know,” he says. And stays. Or, Steve has baggage, communication is difficult, and (baby) steps are taken.

A Safe Place To Land [Explicit, wip] art by @kahey2804 written by @gloromeien

Bucky Barnes had it all—grease under his fingernails, dog fur behind the cushions of his couch, a cozy place to call his own. The house, the truck, the dogs, the works. A ride-or-die, close-knit community. A patch of land he could wander. A mountain view to inspire him. After six tours of duty and nine months in captivity, Bucky knew how bad things could get, so he didn't dare ask for anything else. Especially not someone to hold. Until a tall, blond super-soldier crash-landed into his quiet life and threatened to make all his dreams come true. For now.

Soul Mates and Circumstances [Explicit, wip] art by @kahey2804 written by @sunriserose1023

It’s a classic story. Boy meets boy, they share an instant connection. They have a night of pure heaven, and then life steps in. That’s the story for Bucky and Steve. They had one great night, then radio silence. Until they manage to cross paths again, but they seem destined to ghost each other. Maybe it’s just not meant to be. But what if it is?

All Along - It Was You [Explicit, 8/8, 34.k] art by @burnin-brighter written by @taybay14

It all started with a suggestion from Natasha - which should have been Steve's first clue that it'd end in trouble. She suggests a BDSM club that allows photostatic veils for anonymity, knowing Steve has growing desires he's been desperate to explore. Of course, she didn't bother to warn him of three very important facts: 1. Bucky Barnes is a member of this club 2. Bucky Barnes is apparently gay 3. Bucky Barnes is a dom Steve is stunned when he comes face to (veiled) face with Bucky Barnes himself his first night at the club. His brain malfunctions. Surely, that's the only reason why he does the incredibly idiotic thing of accepting Bucky's invitation to play with him. He knows he shouldn't - but what will one night of lies hurt? One night to scratch the itch, to get Bucky Barnes out of his system once and for all, and then Steve can move on. Except when Bucky keeps giving him chances for more, Steve finds himself unable to walk away. Like Steve said before... trouble. Unfortunately for him, he's always been a magnet for that kind of thing.

Complicate this world you've wrapped for me (I'm acquainted with your suffering) [Explicit, wip] art by LadyGigi written by @hanitrash

The Captain is sent on a mission to prove his ability to perform without the assistance of a STRIKE team. What he doesn’t know is that it’s more than his competence being tested…because if he passes, the face of HYDRA—and the fate of the world—will be forever changed.

Stephanos of the Glade [Explicit, 9/9, 22.6k] art by @murkycrush written by @wolfiefics

Escaped gladiator slave Iacomus discovers a new path in life as a guardian of a mysterious glade and it's equally godlike inhabitor, Stephanos, the river god of the Aneine River. With Stephanos' intercession, he learns to live a life outside of slavery with the help of Artemis, Ares, Demeter, and many other Greek/Roman gods. He finds his purpose in helping Stephanos protect the river from one who would cause it harm. Possibly to the death.

Covert Display [Explicit, 1/1, 8k] art by @murkycrush written by @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy

For decades, Bucky suffered, but he’s finally back with Steve, completing missions together, and going home to a shared apartment. Despite their past, nothing’s happened between them since waking up in the twenty-first century. Until it does. Bucky just never intended for anyone else to see.

I Wanna Break a Sweat, Eating Your Juicy Cake [Explicit, 1/1, 13.4k] art by @mxaether written by @theflailing

When Bucky finally has some time off work, he books a flight to DC to visit his best friend and old college roommate, Sam. While there, Bucky decides that he needs to blow off some steam, and a Grindr hookup is exactly the thing that will scratch that itch. When the hottest guy on the planet starts sexting him, Bucky can't believe his luck. But the universe has more in store for Bucky than he ever could have hoped for, and with the luck that he's about to have, maybe he should buy a lottery ticket, because it feels like all of his dreams are coming true.

Thank you again to all the participants this year!

[upontherisers]

a/n: ik i'm behind on prompts but i'm in AU hell. in my brain, there lives a summer camp. chaos ensues. huge shout out to @shoshiwrites and @loveduringthewar for listening to my rambling for the past few days.

“Welcome back to a beautiful evening at PNC Park. It’s the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two strikes, one out, the Yankees lead the Pirates 8-4—scratch that—” It’s more exciting to pitch from behind. “Tie game. Egan winds up—”

“Stop talking to yourself,” Brady yells.

No one lets him have any fun around here. He waves his co-counselor off and winds up again, sending a two-seam into Connor’s catcher’s mitt with a satisfying thwack. Diego, the batter, sighs, takes his helmet off defeatedly, and shuffles back to the home dugout. The kid stood no chance, especially not this far back in the batting order.

“Sorry, bud,” Bucky calls. That’s a lie; he’s about to pitch his first no hitter of the summer and he’s carrying his cabin, which has put up an abysmal performance through these first seven innings. Serves them right for naming themselves The Brady Bunch instead of naming themselves after him.

“They named themselves after you last year.”

“You mean the Tampa Slay Buckyneers?”

They’re back-to-back camp champs; they better play like it. This the only pre-season game before the cabin tournament and Bucky needs to put up some serious numbers or he risks losing his stars being poached for the intramural tournament at the end of the summer. Nevaeh Hale in UC05 just started playing national travel ball and there’s no way in hell he’s letting an arm like that end up on Kidd’s team or even worse, with one of the new counselors. Official practices are strictly against camp rules but if The Brady Bunch’s nightly tribal council just happened to coincidentally be on the baseball diamond tonight, he wouldn't complain. He has the speech from Remember the Titans down pat and he’s not afraid to use it. We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile.

His co-counselor will put up a fight, but he doesn’t understand the game like Bucky does. Brady’s a swimmer and swimming isn’t a sport, it’s a survival skill.

Bucky kicks at the dirt and pops his gum as Connor throws the ball back. The kid’s playing well today. His request to play catcher instead of his usual center field had taken Bucky by surprise, but he’s holding his own. It’s not as big of a test as Bucky would like it to be and he’s not sold on it being a permanent change. They need Connor’s height—and more importantly, his speed—in the outfield, especially in their first game against Buck and Benny’s Boyz 2 Men 2 Fast 2 Furious.

“It’s a bad name.”

“It’s a great name.”

“You’re only saying that because it’s Buck’s team.”

B2M2F2F’s (say that five times fast) Chayse Merriweather had shot up three inches since last summer and his counselors are being tight-lipped about how his swing is looking, but Bucky has no doubt that he’s going to have to send his boys deep and have his pitchers prepped to walk him if push comes to shove. The more he thinks about it, the more he makes up his mind. Sorry to Connor, but Xander is a decent enough catcher and since counselors aren’t allowed to play in the actual tournament, Buck needs as much height as he can get in the outfield. 

But, on the other hand, Jacob F. is pretty tall and he could—

The dinner bell sounds across camp and two benches of teenage boys jolt upright in sudden, rabid interest. 

“Final at bat?” Cros calls from his dugout. 

Bucky defers to Brady, who gives him a solemn nod, and he shrugs at the home side. “Sure.”

He scans the field behind him. The outfield’s getting bored: Maxwell and Aiden have been shouting song requests to Dellie and Ken in the booth and doing TikTok dances since the game started, Nolan’s pulled so close to Dominic that there’re practically two third basemen, and even if he started making subs, the dugout’s too busy doing bottle flips to know where they’re at in the game. He loaded the bases to give them some defensive practice, maybe field some ground balls while keeping an eye on their man, start getting into a passing rhythm for double plays, but apparently it’s much more interesting to do a bad line dance to Beyoncé. 

He yells to his boys to get back to their spots and is immediately waved off. Nol and Dom don’t even acknowledge him, which hurts a little. The dinner bell broke the remaining shreds of their attempt at concentrating, and he wouldn’t regain control until after they ate.

Sometimes, he feels like he’s the only one around here who gives a shit about baseball.

The Riveters’ fastest runner, Jordan, is on second and wouldn’t steal with Davonte at shortstop. Bucky doesn’t have the rest of the batting order memorized yet, but based on their last few hitters, the other team’s scraping the bottom of the barrel. He’ll lay down a few heaters, make sure the kid doesn’t feel too bad about it (2-0’s an honorable loss), and make sure his boys don’t kill each other getting in the dinner line. He’s not going to save their season from the mound and besides, it’s taco night. He’d develop their roster over a plate of delicious, greasy ground beef and use Brady as an entirely unresponsive sounding board.

It takes awhile for a batter to step up to the plate and if they’re the ones who want one more swing, they shouldn’t waste his time. It’s getting chilly as the sun goes down and the mosquitos’ll be out soon, and he much rather deal with the 15-year-old boy’s tirade against bug spray in the privacy of his bunk. He gets some plate-to-mound reps in with Connor before standing up and setting his hands on his hips. “What’s taking so long?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Cros says, flipping through papers on a clipboard, “hitter change.” Are they fucking printing out their batting orders now? Since when? No offense to the other bunk, but they’re much more… feelings based than Bucky and Brady’s. Cros emphasizes enjoyment over wins, which is fine, he supposes, but there’s a reason they haven’t made the playoffs in the five years Bucky’s been at camp. And now they’re printing out their batting order, like that’s gonna help.

Maybe Jean took Harry to a game, opened his eyes to the joys of the spirit of competition, made him see that there’s as much confidence building in holding yourself to a standard as there is in “having fun.” Maybe this’ll be a year when more than two cabins are putting in effort.

After a few moments, someone finally steps out, bat in hand. It’s Rosie, much to Bucky’s surprise. He doesn’t know much about Cros’ new co-counselor, but he knows he’s full of surprises. 

It had been a shock when Bubbles announced to the counselors’ group chat that he wouldn’t be returning this summer, passing up eight weeks in the mountains for a “once-in-a-lifetime” Master’s exchange program in Paris. Bucky didn’t understand; you have to pay to go to Paris, they pay you to be at camp.

And Cros put on a brave face during returning counselors’ orientation, pretending that he wasn’t shitting himself about doing his first summer ever without his partner in crime, nodding nervously at Chick’s assurances that they found him a good co-counselor. Everyone was surprised when Rosie showed up the next week. It’s not like they were expecting anything in particular, but they weren’t expecting someone so… so perfectly suited to the environment, frankly. A law student, the newest Head of Academics for the kids who take summer classes, and vouched for by Izzy in the front office. 

Bucky held the man at arm’s length for a few days due to being unimpressed by his “I don’t really follow the Yankees” answer when Bucky tried to connect over Rosie being from Brooklyn.

“There’s more than one professional sports team in New York,” Gale says, taking his seat next to Bucky for a fire safety orientation they’ve seen too many times. 

“Yeah? Name one.”

“Or,” says Mahalia as she leans forward and sticks her head between the boys’, “get this: some people don’t root for their hometown teams. Some people get so infatuated by a group of uniforms hundreds of miles away that they betray the land that raised them.”

“You know what?” Bucky snaps, turning around.

Chick clears his throat from the front of the room and gives a warning, arched brow. Bucky flips Mahalia off over his shoulder.

Even thinking about her partially ruins the respect he’s built for Rosie.

It took a week or so for him to realize that it’s not an act, that the new counselor is as genuine as he presents himself to be—patient, smart, gives good advice but isn’t parental about it. Instead of the usual mess of interbunk seating at dinner on the first night of camp, the majority of Rosie’s campers opt to sit with him at the cabin table rather than catching up with all their friends, full of questions and listening intently as he introduces himself. Their team name is in the intramural Google spreadsheet by Day 3. Rosie’s Riveters. It’s rare that a bunk names themselves after a counselor even once in the ten summers they’re together, let alone a new guy coming in seven years late.

He’s a good fit for UC16. Cros’ group has always been on the quieter side, tending to stick with each other and spend a quiet night playing board games in the bunk rather than trying to wreck as much shop as they can before curfew. A gentle but strong spirit who stays calm under pressure (look, Harry’s trying but he’s not there yet), a natural leader, and a complete lack of FOMO makes Rosie the perfect guy to keep his boys in a low pressure environment.

He’s the darling of the front office, the clear favorite of the kitchen staff, and one of the only counselors allowed within the sacred walls of the nurses’ cabin. Bucky’s never been on the nurses’ porch let alone inside the bunk, and he's known all of those girls for years.

“Maybe that’s why they don’t want you in their personal living quarters.”

Whatever, Mahalia. He’s grown up a lot since starting at Lake Harding, okay?

So it surprises him as Rosie walks to home plate with confidence, taking a couple of half-swings before digging a heel in the box and hiking the bat up. He looks ready.

Bucky’s impressed, but not deterred. “I don’t go easy on counselors,” he says.

“That’s fair,” Rosie shrugs with a gentle smile.

Alright, well. The Brady Bunch still wants to get to dinner and a few of them have homework to do before tribal council and lights out.

“Bottom of the ninth,” he whispers as he winds up, savoring the familiar drag of clay under his shoe, “bases loaded, two outs, Yankees lead 2-0.”

The ball slams into Connor’s glove, a high and tight four-seam, without so much as a twitch from the batter.

With no refs, Bucky has to call his own games. “Strike one.”

Rosie nods at the ground with a contemplative pout before preparing again. If it’s going to be this easy, Bucky might as well change things up a bit. The wind is blowing south east, toward home plate, and if he can sink his change up just right…

He winds up, aims, and fires, and the most beautiful noise he’s ever heard—the expressive, roaring, galant crack of ball meeting bat—thunders across the field. It takes him a second to track the ball against the darkening sky, and up it goes, higher and higher over the short chain link fence at the end of the outfield.

Rosie takes a few stumbling steps toward first with the practiced momentum of a man who’s gone yard many times in his life but just wants to be polite about when he starts running, and lets the bat fall to the dirt as he starts a light jog. It’s silent except for the evening birdsong when the ball finally disappears into the first few feet of forest, and then the home dugout erupts. The Riveters pour out onto the field like they just won the World Series, hats and mitts flying into the air, whooping and jumping on each other. 

Bucky is dumbstruck. He’s never been grand slammed, not once in five years and a week of pitching, but as Rosie is rounding the bases, he finds Cros’ gloating, smug ass smile still in his dugout and furrows his brows. What the fuck, bro?

“Brooklyn College, Division II Men’s Baseball National Champs,” Cros shouts over the victory cries of his boys, “2020 through 2023.”

“Where the hell is Brooklyn College anyway?” Bucky asks later as he’s pulling his tray through the taco bar, replaying the sound of Rosie’s homer over in his head.

“Brooklyn,” Brady says with a laugh.

They take their seats at their table where Connor and Davonte, the traitors, are animatedly regaling two UC05 girls with the story of The Miracle on the Diamond.

“You think he’d coach?”

Brady drops his fork into his plate with a scowl. “I’m your assistant coach.”

“Well, you weren’t much help today.”

“How was I supposed to know the guy’s a national champi—”

“Heard you boys got your asses kicked by a lawyer,” Mahalia says, plopping down on Bucky’s left. 

Brady returns to his dinner in silence and Bucky gathers up a taco in his hand. “People lose sometimes.”

“I don’t,” Mahalia says innocently, stabbing the greens in her neatly arranged taco salad. What the hell is wrong with her? “I stood on business today. Parenthesis-Withdrew-parenthesis in italics didn’t know what hit ‘em.”

Ah, yes, (Withdrew), Ev and Dougie’s latest scheme to trick opposing teams into not showing up to their matches, automatically forfeiting and giving them the win. The worst part is, Mahalia did stand on business. Getting pinched on the last possible pitch hurt like a bitch, but not as bad as whatever the UC08 girls did to their opponents on the volleyball court. The shell-shocked faces of (Withdrew)’s valiant soldiers told Bucky everything he needed to know about their game when the Bunch got back to the boy’s side of Upper Camp.

Mahalia bumps his shoulder with hers, causing half his taco to spill all over his plate. “It’s funny,” she starts, “Nevaeh plays so well. I can’t believe she hasn’t tried volleyball before.”

He already doesn't like where this is going.

“She had a lot of fun out there. She might pick volleyball over baseball when intramurals start.”

She's poaching his fucking players. Bucky’s vision goes red and he’s about to get up and leave (he learned last year that he and Mahalia are not allowed to get into screaming matches in the dining hall) when she reaches over and nabs his cookie off his plate before standing and sweeping over to her own table. He’s too stunned to speak or to look away, even as she turns over her shoulder and bites down on the treat with a coy smile.

He’s going to kill her. 

[intheticklecloset]

Big Windup Coffee Shots #21-30

A collection of the Big Windup Coffee Shots I've done, compiled for the sake of ease. These are all stand-alone stories. Many are from various seasonal events.

~~~

21) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

“Would it be easier if I counted down?” Abe asked Mihashi with a smirk, briefly checking his watch. “I could count down by the half hour until we get home. Or I can count the mileage signs we pass.”

Mihashi fidgeted in his seat, nearly bouncing for how nervous and excited he was at the same time. He shook his head. “N-No, I don’t think that would h-help…”

“No? You want me to just surprise you when we get there, then?”

The wide eyes and not at all contained smile Mihashi gave him in response was all the answer the catcher needed. He chuckled.

“All right, then. Go ahead and pass out. I’ll make sure to wake you when we get home.”

Abe watched in his peripheral vision as Mihashi fidgeted a little more before slouching down in his seat and leaning against the window, closing his eyes in an effort to fall asleep. The poor kid had been restless due to the long string of games they’d had lately, and now that they had a three hour trip home, he’d been trying to stay awake and was failing miserably.

The catcher had initially suggested just passing out in the first place, but Mihashi seemed to want to stay up for some reason, hence their conversation. It didn’t even need to be said anymore that Abe’s method of waking him up would be a surprise tickle attack. They did it so often nowadays it couldn’t really be called a “surprise” at all.

Still, it seemed to be good motivation for the pitcher, because once he knew he had that to look forward to if he did in fact fall asleep, he was out like a light in a matter of ten minutes.

Abe couldn’t help but smile at him for it.

When they finally pulled into the parking lot of Nishiura High late that night and after everyone else had shuffled off the bus, Abe gently shook Mihashi by the shoulder. “Hey. Wake up.”

“Hnnuh?” Mihashi mumbled.

As soon as he was even slightly awake, Abe shoved his hands up under his arms and scribbled mercilessly. “Wake up, I said.”

“EEEEEE!!” Instantly the pitcher was very alert, laughing before he even realized what was happening, squirming in his seat while pressed up against the window, totally unaware of the crowd that had gathered outside to watch his awakening and laugh along with him. “AHAHAHAHAHABE!!”

Abe kept it up, enjoying the funny sounds his friend always made when tickled consistently like this. It was always difficult for him to stop once he got going. “We’re home, Mihashi.”

*

22) Lee Tajima, Ler Hanai

Hanai smacked Tajima’s hand away from the bowl. “Hey! Wait until we’re actually starting, genius.”

Tajima rubbed his hand, looking offended. “Dude, the bowl’s full of candy. It’s not like we’ll run out.”

“We have to wait for everyone to get here. At least wait for Coach.”

“You’re just saying that because she’ll get after me even worse than you do!”

“Yeah, well, sometimes you need it, Tajima.”

Hanai sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes the overenergetic cleanup hitter was just too much. They were at their combined end-of-season/Halloween party, each in costume and waiting for the last few teammates to arrive. About half of them were already here, but it wasn’t saying much when there were ten boys on the team, plus one equipment manager and their two coaches.

Tajima tried to reach for the bowl a second time.

Hanai smacked him away from it again. “I’m serious! Not until Coach gets here at least!”

“You’re no fun,” Tajima grumbled, sticking his tongue out at him. “It’s just one candy bar. And they’re not even full sized. Jeez.”

“Are you bored? Is that the problem?”

“Well, yeah! Everyone is taking their sweet time showing up and I’m supposed to just stand in front of this candy bowl and not eat anything?”

“Yes!” The team captain was growing more irritated by the moment, but thank goodness the team had ingrained a stress-relief strategy into their daily lives, because within seconds Hanai remembered and had grabbed Tajima by the ribs. “Here, maybe this will cure your boredom!”

“Hehehehey! Wahahahahait!” Tajima squeaked, giggling as his taller friend wrapped him in a bear hug, fingers dancing along his ribcage. “Ehehehahahahaha! Nahahahahaha! No fahahahahahair!”

“I warned you, and you didn’t listen.” Hanai smirked, holding him even tighter. “You’re the one who wanted a trick or treat so bad. Well, here’s your treat!”

“Mohohohore like a trihihihihihihick!” Tajima retorted, still giggling crazily. “Fihihihihine, fine, I’ll wahahahahahait! Just stohohohohohop!”

Hanai smirked, feeling a tiny rush of superiority for enough of a second to want to keep going. It was so rare that he was able to outdo Tajima in anything; now that the season was over, he had to come out on top somehow. “Nah, I still think we should wait until Coach shows up.”

*

23) Lee Abe, Lers Tajima and Mihashi

“Why are you dressed like that?” Mihashi asked, surprising Abe with the boldness and straightforwardness of the question.

The catcher looked at him sideways. “Because it’s a costume party? And this is a costume?”

“I-I know that, but I mean…” Mihashi gestured at him nervously. “Like…that.”

Abe had decided to go simple, dressing in a toga with a gold circlet on his head that his mom had made him. He’d almost left it out, but it really did complete the look, so he decided to go with it. Mihashi was – predictably – dressed as a professional baseball player.

“It’s a toga. You know, from ancient Rome? Haven’t you paid attention in history class?” Abe asked, growing a little irritated. He glanced around the room at their other teammates, quickly taking in their outfits. Sure, he stood out a little, but only because he was the only one who didn’t go all-out.

“It’s…k-kind of…brave to wear that here, isn’t it?” Mihashi stammered.

“Why?” Abe snapped, berating himself when his friend flinched at his tone. “Sorry. I’m just confused. Why is it weird?”

“N-Not weird…” Mihashi clenched and unclenched his fists. “Brave.”

All at once, Abe understood what he meant. He looked first at his costume, at the way it left half of his chest bare. Then he looked at the pitcher, then their friends around the room. “Well, now that you mention it…but I doubt we’ll be doing much of that tonight. That was just to boost our performance during the season, and the season is over now.”

Mihashi shifted on his feet, nodding a little.

Before Abe could open his mouth to say anything more, he felt cold hands squeeze his ribs from behind, making him yell before he could stop himself.

“Abe! Why are you showing off like that? You’re just begging for someone to come tickle you!” Tajima laughed, wiggling his fingers teasingly.

Abe instinctively wrapped his arms around his chest, blushing furiously at the embarrassing noise he’d just let out. “I’m not showing off! I just didn’t want to do anything crazy for this party, that’s all.”

Tajima glanced at Mihashi and winked. “You’re thinking it too, right, Mihashi?”

Abe saw the way his pitcher’s eyes lit up and stared incredulously. “What? You traitor!”

“Get him!” the cleanup hitter yelled, and instantly both he and Mihashi were on Abe, digging into his sides and waist, drawing out surprised giggles and curses from their friend.

“Stahahahahahap! The seheheheason is over! You guhuhuhuhuys!”

“So? Doesn’t mean we have to stop having tickle fights,” Tajima laughed.

Mihashi drilled his thumb into Abe’s waistline just above his hips almost on instinct, and the usually grumpy catcher threw his head back and laughed so hard the gold circlet flew from his hair onto the floor.

“GAHAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAHAP IT!! YOU BOHOHOHOHOTH SUHUHUCK!!” Abe shrieked, flailing uselessly. “PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!”

Tajima laughed again, putting his efforts into holding Abe captive so Mihashi could keep tickling his worst spot. “Sorry, Abe, but you know, this is a Halloween party. Trick or treat, my friend!”

By the time the night was over, Mihashi felt he’d gotten enough treats to last him until next spring when baseball season would begin once again.

*

24) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

The off-season was…different for Mihashi and Abe’s friendship, to say the least.

Having met in April before their first season together and bonding entirely over baseball, finishing up the year and entering into the colder months brought out a side to each of them the other had never seen.

For instance, while Abe was still on to him about keeping his weight consistent and his pitching arm loose, he wasn’t nearly as militaristic about it, especially as the holidays came around. Mihashi, on the other hand, was far more quiet and tense in a different kind of way. It didn’t take much for Abe to put it together that it was because he didn’t know how to be friends with him outside of the game, so – constantly making an effort to meet his friend halfway – Abe had invited him over for a movie night just for the two of them.

Now, as the catcher stole a glance at Mihashi from the corner of his eye and saw how rigid he still was even half an hour and a bowl of popcorn later, he sighed. “Is this how it’s going to be all winter?”

“H-Huh?” Mihashi stammered, looking at him nervously.

“Are you going to be all weird and quiet around me now that we’re not playing baseball? I can’t be that scary, can I?”

“N-No! You’re not!”

It sounded more to Abe like he very much was. With another sigh, he cracked his knuckles. “Guess I gotta do it then, huh?”

“What do you m-mean…? Ah! AIEE!! A-Ahahahahahabe!” the pitcher squealed with giggles when the brunette’s fingers found his upper ribs, trying to get to his underarms that Mihashi was stubbornly protecting, shaking his head. “Nahahahahaha! I w-wohohohon’t be weheheheheird!”

“Don’t lie. That’s too tall of an order for you, Mihashi,” Abe teased, grinning despite himself. “Just promise you won’t give me the silent treatment all winter, okay? I still want to be friends with you even if we’re not playing baseball for a few months.”

“I prohohohohohomise! Plehehehehehease!”

Mihashi looked a lot happier and more relaxed now, so Abe let up as requested. There was a beat of silence between them, and then the catcher let out an even bigger sigh and flopped over, laying his head on the pitcher’s lap as he turned his attention back to the film.

“A-Abe?” The catcher murmured something, and Mihashi hesitated a moment before asking, “W-What did you say?”

“I said you’re comfy,” Abe replied a little louder, though his voice betrayed that he was clearly embarrassed by the admission. “Stay still.”

And, well…how was Mihashi supposed to not smile at that?

*

25) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

Mihashi fidgeted nervously, shifting from foot to foot, glancing back over his shoulder at Abe, who huffed at him.

“Well, go on,” he said, nodding toward Tajima, who looked confused but amused.

The cleanup hitter asked, “Why do I feel like you’re about to apologize for returning a library book one day late?”

Mihashi gulped. “I-I was just…just wondering if…m-maybe, if you w-wanted to, um…”

Abe tried to be patient. He really did. He gave Mihashi a few seconds, waited for him to get over whatever hurdle he’d run into.

Then he ran out of patience.

He grabbed his friend’s sides and squeezed, and Mihashi yelped and immediately burst into giggles, shooting his catcher a surprised look over his shoulder.

“Just helping you loosen up,” Abe said evenly, squeezing and digging his fingers in harder where he knew it tickled more, smirking at Tajima. “He wants to ask you something, but he’s chickening out.”

“Ahahahahabe!” Mihashi squealed, though he wasn’t really trying to get away, as per usual. He squirmed and wiggled in place, hopping from one foot to the other like he was dancing.

“Ask him, Mihashi.”

“B-Buhuhuhuhut…! But you’re tihihihihickling mehehehe!”

“And?” Abe grinned, suddenly feeling playful. He wrapped his arms around the pitcher from behind, hugging him to his chest while his fingers continued to tickle up and down his sides. “You can talk just fine while laughing. Ask him.”

Tajima had to laugh at this point as well. “Yeah, Mihashi, ask me! It can’t be that bad, coming from you. What’s up?”

Mihashi had to admit he felt a lot lighter and more confident now, so he sputtered, “C-Cahahahan you teheheheach me how to behehehehe a better hihihihihitter?”

Abe kept tickling him while Tajima pretended to contemplate his answer.

“Sure,” the cleanup hitter replied, giving him a thumbs-up. “I got your back, my dude.”

Mihashi would have smiled had he not already been giggling. “Thahahahank you! A-Ahahabe, you cahahahan stop now!”

“On the contrary, Abe,” Tajima replied, grabbing Mihashi’s wrists and holding them above his head. “I think you missed a spot.”

Abe beamed and used the opportunity to dig into the pitcher’s underarms, and he and Tajima shared knowing looks with each other as their ace shrieked with happy, ticklish laughter.

*

26) Lee Abe, Ler Tajima

When Tajima playfully wiggled a feather along the back of Abe’s neck, he expected the catcher to turn around and glare at him, perhaps bat him away or even scrunch up his shoulders defensively. What he didn’t expect was for Abe to immediately let out a squeal, slapping a hand to the back of his neck so fast it actually trapped the feather in its place.

Then he turned around, looking confused and embarrassed.

“Jeez, Tajima,” he mumbled, releasing his grip and shivering as if trying to get rid of the residual feeling of the feather along his skin.

Tajima blinked, then broke into a huge grin. “Jeez, yourself.” He dragged the tickly strands down his neck a second time, getting the same reaction. “You’re crazy ticklish here, huh?”

Abe crushed the feather in his fist and yanked it from the cleanup hitter, throwing it to the ground. “Shut up.”

There was a brief pause. Just as Abe was turning around again – perhaps to apologize or to explain himself, Tajima didn’t know – the third baseman darted forward and started raking his fingernails gently up and down the catcher’s neck.

Abe shrieked this time, going to bolt out of his seat but stopped by an arm around his chest as Tajima kept him right where he wanted him.

To Tajima’s surprise, prolonged tickling here drew out a myriad of noises he’d never heard from Abe before – a collection of squeaks, wheezes, and whines that only made the exploration of this new tickle spot more fun for him.

“Aww, you’re super ticklish here! Almost as bad as your hips, huh, Abe?” he teased.

Abe squirmed in his seat, trying to pry his captor’s arm away from his chest while also clawing at the fingers scribbling against his neck, giggling hysterically all the while. “Stohohohohohohop! Plehehehehehease! It’s so bahahahahahad!”

“I can see that,” Tajima returned easily, finding a spot just below his earlobe that really got Abe cackling. He smirked. “Does Mihashi know about this?”

In response, Abe let out a startled cry that quickly dissolved into laughter when the cleanup hitter scratched consistently at that new spot. He squirmed and pleaded, “Dohohohohohohon’t tehehehehell him! Plehehehehease, Tajima!”

At that moment Tajima glanced up and saw said pitcher jogging toward the dugout where they were playing around, and he chuckled. “I have a feeling I’m not going to have to say a word, Abe.”

*

27) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

“How do you feel about ghosts?”

Mihashi turned and looked back at Abe, who was holding up a box of cute string-light ghosts. “O-Oh! Those are…kind of cute,” he murmured.

Abe nodded, considered the box, and plopped it in their basket, going right back to browsing without another word.

The two of them had been sent out to get decorations for their upcoming Halloween party, so here they were, walking up and down the aisles of a party store, looking at everything from pumpkins to bats to ghosts to creepy clowns. Abe personally thought they’d have been better suited to get supplies such as plates, napkins, snacks, and the like, but Coach had been insistent.

“W-What’s your favorite Halloween thing, Abe?” Mihashi asked, amazingly stammering only once in that whole sentence. The catcher hoped it meant he was getting used to him.

“I don’t know,” he replied, glancing up and down the aisle, thinking for a moment. “Maybe vampires? Nah, that’s too cliché. Skeletons, I guess.”

Mihashi blinked at him. “Y-You can…like something that’s c-cliché…right?”

Abe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I like both.”

“So…will you dress up for Halloween?”

“Uh…I don’t know.” Abe frowned, then eyed Mihashi curiously. “Are you going to?”

The pitcher nodded, averting his eyes, letting them roam over the costumes in the aisle. “I want to.”

“What will you go as?”

“M-Maybe…a v-vampire?”

It took every ounce of self-control he had for Abe not to burst out laughing. “You? A vampire? Wait…” He blinked. “Is that why you asked what my favorite Halloween thing is?”

Mihashi looked like he wanted to die. “I-I mean…I-I just…it’s j-just…”

Abe strode toward him and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “Chill, man. I’m not making fun of you. It’s just kind of…unexpected. But I really don’t think you could pull off the vampire look, Mihashi.”

The pitcher was nodding halfway through his sentence. “Y-You’re right, I can’t. I don’t know why I thought…”

“But I do think you could pull off being a skeleton. You’re always having trouble keeping your weight up.” Abe smirked and poked his ribs, earning a squeak from his friend. “Make sure to have a lot of Halloween candy at the party, all right? But not so much you get sick.”

“I-I will,” Mihashi stammered, fighting back a smile.

Abe glanced around. They happened to be alone in the aisle at the moment, so he set his basket down and grabbed Mihashi around the midsection, vibrating his fingers playfully into his sides and belly.

Mihashi squealed, instantly covering up his mouth to keep his voice down as he giggled and squirmed. “Ahahahahabe!”

“I can even feel your ribs! You can definitely pull off a skeleton, dude.”

“Ehehehehehehe! Okahahahahay, I’ll behehehehe a skeheheheheheleton! Ahahahahabe!”

Abe grinned despite himself. “What’s your favorite Halloween thing, Mihashi?”

The pitcher shimmied and squirmed in Abe’s grasp, halfheartedly trying to get away as he giggled out, “Blahahahahack cahahahahats!”

“Wow, no hesitation.” Abe chuckled and finally let him go, ruffling his hair before reaching for their discarded basket full of Halloween decorations. “I guess it wouldn’t be hard to dress as a black cat. Just find some cat ears somewhere and then wear all black, right?”

Mihashi glanced at him in surprise, still smiling from the surprise attack. “Y-You…want to dress up as a b-black cat?”

Abe shrugged, scanning the shelves nonchalantly. “I mean, if we’re going as each other’s favorite thing…”

Mihashi beamed. He couldn’t wait for their Halloween party.

*

28) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

“H-Hey, Abe?”

“Yeah?”

Mihashi fidgeted nervously as he always did, his pink cheeks nearly hidden by his scarf. Abe kept his hands in his pockets – he’d forgotten gloves, which he was now lamenting – and gave it five seconds before huffing out a sigh and saying in a firmer tone, “Use your words, Mihashi. What is it?”

The two of them were sitting outside waiting for a ride from Mihashi’s mom. School had let out for the winter holidays and they had agreed to hang out for a while before having to part ways for a couple of weeks. Now it was dark out and they were both more than ready to go home and warm up and eat, but the weather had delayed Mrs. Mihashi’s arrival somewhat.

“D-Do you want…um, I mean, we can…m-maybe…uh…”

Despite having known each other for eight months now, Mihashi still didn’t quite know how to talk to Abe, or ask him for anything directly. Abe, for his part, had gotten better about being patient with him, but when all else failed…

Bracing himself for the cold, Abe removed one of his hands from his pockets and started squeezing Mihashi’s knee on the bench next to him. “Use your words, I said. Come on, spit it out.”

Mihashi’s bright giggles always made the space between them less tense, and Abe couldn’t help but smirk after a few seconds of hearing them. He’d have gone for a worse spot like his armpits, but underneath that bulky coat, he was certain it wouldn’t have done much good. Besides, lighter tickles were just as fun and effective sometimes.

“D-Dohohohoho you wahahahahahant to build a s-s-snohohohowman whihihile we wahahahait?” Mihashi finally stammer-giggled after several long moments.

Abe kept up his light squeezing for a moment, then stopped and replied, “I mean…I guess I wouldn’t mind, but I kind of don’t have gloves. My hands will freeze before we even get started.”

“Oh! R-Right…I forgot. Sorry, Abe,” Mihashi apologized quickly, his cheeks turning even pinker, if that were possible.

Abe hesitated, then smiled. “Buuuut…I think I know something else we could do to pass the time.”

Mihashi glanced at him with a mix of trepidation and excitement in his eyes. “Y-Yeah?”

This time, Abe went for both knees at once, laughing along with Mihashi as he squealed and squirmed in place and clenched his fists in his gloves over and over again, his laughter literally visible as puffs of frozen air around them.

Abe stopped as soon as he saw the sweep of headlights – he’d be caught dead before being caught tickling Mihashi by his mom of all people – but it certainly was a fun way to pass the next few minutes of waiting. And – bonus – they were both feeling warmer by the time they got into the car.

*

29) Lee Abe, Ler Mihashi

Abe felt a light tickling on the back of his neck and he shot upright with a gasp, slapping his hand over the offending spot and whirling around to look at his friend.

Mihashi was wide-eyed and frozen to the spot, looking like he was just as startled as Abe was.

“Um…a-are you okay? Abe?” the pitcher asked him.

Blinking, Abe decided it must have been a bug, because he was fairly certain Mihashi hadn’t been messing with him. He looked too nervous for that. Plus, he was pretty sure his friend didn’t know how sensitive his neck was, anyway.

“Yeah,” he replied at last, shivering a little, inspecting his hand when he drew it away and finding nothing. “Sorry. Just thought I felt something crawling on me.”

“Oh. I…didn’t see anything,” Mihashi offered.

Abe dared to mess with him. “Were you staring at my neck to know?”

“No! I-I…I just…!”

“Relax, Mihashi, I’m kidding,” Abe chuckled, tossing him the extra pillow he’d brought out here for their mini camping excursion.

It wasn’t really a camping excursion; the two of them had borrowed a tent from Abe’s parents and set it up in his front yard. It was a good way to ease Mihashi into more than just sleeping over without the pressure of actually being away from any adults if he felt like he needed them nearby. They’d still managed to make s’mores (by heating them up in the microwave and then hurrying outside before they cooled down) and they were going to sleep in the tent tonight, but that was pretty much it.

It would do for a first time, Abe figured.

After a couple of moments of silence of the two of them getting their sleeping bags arranged for when they eventually decided to pass out, Abe felt that strange sensation on the back of his neck again, and he gritted his teeth to keep from gasping a second time, scrunching his shoulders as he reached back with more purpose to try and remove whatever was crawling on him.

To his surprise – and slight horror – what he felt instead was not a bug, but a finger.

This time when he whirled around, Mihashi looked guilty.

“You didn’t see anything, huh?” Abe muttered.

The pitcher stammered, “I-It wasn’t me…the first time. But the way you r-reacted, I wondered…I thought, maybe…I wanted to know…”

Abe sighed heavily. “Well, did you get your answer?”

Mihashi nodded, then seemed to hesitate. “Is…is your neck really that ticklish, Abe?”

The catcher blushed before he could even try to fight it off, and he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not!” Mihashi replied adamantly. “I t-think it’s…um…ah…”

After a moment’s contemplation, Abe shifted so he was facing his friend, clenching his fists in his lap. “Go on. You obviously want to try it.”

A tiny spark of eagerness flickered in his friend’s eyes, and Mihashi tentatively reached forward to drag a single fingertip down Abe’s neck. The catcher sucked in a breath and willed himself to stay still, but as soon as the pitcher added the other fingers and scribbled, he lost his willpower and broke into a string of giggles, wrenching away from him.

“That’s…kind of f-fun, Abe,” Mihashi told him quietly, nervously.

Abe blushed again, but smirked. “Fun, huh? Is your neck ticklish, Mihashi?”

The two of them ended up giggling a lot together that night before sleep finally overtook them.

*

30) Lee Mihashi, Ler Abe

The way Mihashi screeched when the water balloon burst, one would have thought it had exploded open on the back of his head.

Alas, he’d had no such luck. In his efforts to actually join in and throw a balloon instead of just being pelted by them, the pitcher had used his arm a bit too well and hit Abe squarely on the back of his skull. Now the catcher stood frozen in place with his hair sopping wet, slowly turning to search for his assailant.

Mihashi was far less worried about what would happen to him in retaliation than he was about his catcher, however, and he was already waving his arms and panicking aloud, “A-Abe! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was aiming for your back – are you okay?! Did I hurt you?! Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to—!”

“Mihashi,” Abe said in a very calm voice, making his friend stammer to a halt. “I’m proud of you.”

“I – you…you’re…what?” Mihashi blinked at him. Around them their teammates had all frozen in place, too, waiting to see how this would play out. Hanai hovered nearby, waiting to see if he’d need to step in and rescue their pitcher.

Abe straightened and smirked. “I’m proud of you. You actually got involved with the water balloon fight. Even if we did say headshots were off-limits.”

“I know, I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to—”

“I’m a little surprised, actually. Your throwing control is the best I’ve ever seen. Guess the balloon was a little too slick, huh?”

Mihashi gulped and nodded, still unsure how to process that his normally grumpy catcher wasn’t yelling at him.

Abe grinned, snatched a balloon out of Tajima’s indignant hands, and bolted for the pitcher. “Come here!”

Poor Mihashi barely had a chance to register that he was being chased before Abe tossed the balloon at him and it burst open on his shoulder as he turned to run. Then he was tackled to the ground and fingers were in his sides and the pitcher squealed with giggles, catching a flash of Abe’s smiling face as he squirmed.

“Ahahahaha?! Ahahahahabe, wahahahahahait! I’m sohohohohohorry!”

“I know you are,” Abe replied, tweaking his ribs, the water from his hair dripping down onto the both of them as they wrestled each other. “But since I can’t throw a balloon at your head, this is what I’ll have to settle on for revenge.”

Around them, the rest of the team breathed a sigh of relief and got back into the fray, paying no mind to their catcher tickling their pitcher into shrieking fits of giggles.

“Ehehehehehehehehe! Ahahahahahahabe!” Mihashi cried, letting out a yelp when his friend finally managed to wiggle into an armpit. “AHAHAHAHAHAHA WAHAHAHAHAHAHAIT!!”

“Tch, wait for what?”

“I DOHOHOHOHOHON’T KNOHOHOHOHOW!! JUST – AIEEHEHEHEHEHEHE IT TIHIHIHIHICKLES!!”

Chuckling under his breath, Abe allowed himself a full, wide smile as he replied, “Then I guess I’m doing something right.”

[optimistredsox]

7 Apr, BOS @ LAA, 12-2, win

Well maybe this year isn't going to be so bad after all. Going 7-3 on a season-opening west coast road trip was enough to get the Sox boosted from 22 to 16 on the MLB Power Rankings list... something I tend to ignore regardless but still... jumping up six spots is nice. Am I concerned about the ridiculous number of strikeouts? Yes. Actually I am. We might've scored 12 runs but we also struck out 11 times (and 14 the night before). Remember when the Sox had a lineup that just couldn't be struck out? Yeah, it turns out that was 20 years ago. Am I splitting hairs because I need to find something to complain about before listing a huge number of bright sides because we absolutely crushed the ball yesterday? Yes. I am doing that too. But please, Red Sox, strike out less.

Anyway. Plenty of bright sides.

The Red Sox have the best team ERA in the major leagues, a paltry 1.49. The bullpen have given up six earned runs in the first ten games. Does having a former pitcher as GM help? And does having the equally excellent Andrew Bailey as the new pitching coach help? I think so.

Tanner Houck wasn't quite as good as he was in Seattle, but he was very good, throwing six shutout innings and striking out 7. He did walk two but the zone seemed a little weird yesterday. He gave up only four hits.

Chase Anderson pitched the rest of the game. He gave up a couple of runs, one of which was a Mike Trout homer which, hey, is going to happen to the best of us. But he kept it pretty clean otherwise and gave the bullpen an extra day off before they head home to Boston.

David Hamilton, filling in for Trevor Story at shortstop, made quite the splash, turning some incredible plays in defence but also announcing his arrival in the majors by going deep in his first at-bat in the third inning. A dinger which started an avalanche of dingers. He went 2-for-4 in the end. Welcome to the bigs, David.

Tyler O'Neill is proving once again to be pretty awesome. He went deep in the third as well scoring three runs even though he went 1-for-3. I think he made some good outs in right field too.

Reese McGuire had a day you don't really expect from a backup catcher. He went 2-for-4 with FIVE RBIs, thanks in part to a huge three-run dinger in the sixth. He also did a good job catching baseballs thrown at him really fast.

Raffy hit a dinger in the third and didn't make an error. Good job, Raffy.

Ceddanne Rafaela came in late to the game but managed to go 2-for-3 WITH TWO TRIPLES. WHO DOES THAT? And yes, he scored twice. On those two triples.

Masa Yoshida looks like he's re-finding his groove. He went 1-for-4 but hit the ball hard and scored twice because he took a walk. Something I wish more Red Sox hitters would do.

Jarren Duran got a hit and scored a run.

Tristan Casas went 2-for-5 and scored a run.

We won!

We're heading home to Fenway!

[freebooter4ever]

You worry about the theoretical possibility of someone hitting your guys the way trouba hits everyone else instead of worrying about the not-theoretical guys he puts on IR multiple times a season?

He’s a real problem now, not just in your imaginary world where he’s on any other team.

So it sounds like you might really really dislike troubs, and if you don't want to block me the other option is blacklisting "NYR" - tumblr makes it really easy, and i am usually very careful to tag all my r*ngers reblogs/posts with that. I myself have one specific player's name blacklisted because just seeing it triggers me into anger. (discussion of the physical part of hockey got long, under tag)

There's two options: full tag, and also in the body of the post so tumblr will filter out ALL posts with that word. But it won't hide the posts it just gives a nice greyed out warning so you don't have to see it. Trust me, its great, it's the only way i got through having that asshole on my favorite team for a few months. (and you can still click to unhide the post, like say when geno is defending the pens goalie and swatting the asshole player like a fly and you want to reblog the gif)

For a direct response to your second point: troubs' hits were legal. I'm not afraid of him being traded to another team, i am quite literally afraid of another similar hitter on an oposing team taking retribution by landing a similarly legal hit on our forwards. I feel like troubs style leads to escalation and thats what worries me. like troubs targeting vulnerable mistakes of oposing forwards is putting a giant target on our own forward's backs.

BUT im a wimp. Always have been, i know this about myself. I dont like contact sports. I will watch football but not closely, i absolutely despise boxing, and even wrestling is pushing it sometimes. My formative years were spent in a karate dojo that emphasized self defence always. I excelled at kata and bunkai, but put me in the sparring ring and i wilt. One of my most distinct memories when i was 13 or 14 and shooting up taller than a weed was being forced to spar with this obnoxious teenage guy a head shorter than me. He had something to prove and landed an illegal punch on my nose. I was so mad i took that kid down with almost full force and then ran to the bathroom and bled all over my pristine white expensive cotton gi and cried like a baby and didnt come out till one of the women senseis sat with me and calmed me down. They never forced me into the sparring ring again after that, lol. what im saying is i dont like fights. If I had my way we would eric-bittle-ify hockey and checking wouldn't be a thing.

BUT with hockey im trying to be more open minded and understand how this fits into the game. And learn to appreciate it in addition to how much i admire the speed, and strategy, and more refined aspects of the game. Some parts i dont think i'll ever understand: like the borderline illegal hits, or the ones that are legal but extremely dangerous like the one that gave the poor penguin defense man a concussion during his first big league game. Now i have not been watching long but i have heard that troubs has hit sid in the past? I dont know anything about it, i dont think i want to. If it happened again? Yeah troubs might end up on my blacklist. But for now he's still the captain of the team, and the team genuinely seems to appreciate troubs very loyal very aggressively defensive phsyical style of play.

But also i mean, trochk picked on geno for like three games straight last season, and i dont think geno was even injured, but ive lowkey hated trochk ever since and have a hard time rooting for trochk as much as the rest of the guys on the team so lol dont hold me to any loyalties.

[twins2994]

Miami Marlins-Minnesota Twins Series Preview

9.24.24-Ryan Weathers LHP (3-6) 3.94 ERA Vs. Bailey Ober RHP (12-7) 3.84 ERA

9.25.24-Edward Cabrera RHP (5-8) 4.12 ERA Vs. Simeon Woods Richardson RHP (5-5) 4.00 ERA

9.26.24-Valente Bellozo RHP (3-4) 4.82 ERA Vs. David Festa RHP (2-6) 4.80 ERA

The Marlins At A Glance- The Marlins are in the middle of a rough season and Skip Schumaker won't be back. The team announced that they would not extend this contract beyond this season. The Marlins will exceed 100 losses for the first time since 2019. The team traded Luis Arraez away early and sent some bullpen arms to other teams at the trade deadline. Jazz Chisholm was also traded to the Yankees. Jake Burger leads the offense with twenty-eight homers and sixty-nine RBI. Xavier Edwards has played well with a .311 average through sixty-four games. The team consists of a lot of young guys, who are getting their chance. Griffin Conine is hitting .238 and is the son of longtime MLB player Jeff Conine. The Marlins starting rotation has a 5.35 ERA, which is second-worst in baseball behind the Rockies. The Twins will see Ryan Weathers on Tuesday, who is a big pitching prospect of theirs. The bullpen is a little better with a 4.27 ERA. JT Chargois is on the Mariners now, Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing were traded to the Padres, AJ Puk was traded to the Diamondbacks, and Trevor Rogers is on the Orioles now. Calvin Faucher is the closer with six saves.

The Twins At A Glance- The Twins can only blame themselves for their demise. They didn't get depth during the trade deadline and injuries to Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, and Brock Stewart have piled up. The Twins are (11-22) in their past thirty-three games and are lucky that the Royals are on another seven-game losing streak or else they would be out of the American League Wild-Card race. They sit a game behind the Tigers for the final playoff spot. Kyle Farmer has been the hottest hitter with a .395 average in September. Carlos Correa has knocked in five runs since his return. Matt Wallner has three homers and ten RBI this month. Max Kepler took live batting practice on Monday and it's unknown on if he'll be back. He didn't play in any rehab assignment games for the Saints and now their season is over. The pitching has been decent at times, but do not get enough run support. Scott Blewett has allowed just two runs over 16 2/3 innings of work since his call-up. He finally received a higher leverage inning in the extra inning game on Friday night. I'd expect Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran to be used heavliy in this series given that they've had three days off.

What To Watch For- The Twins are (10-9) all-time against the Marlins. The Marlins took two of three games from the Twins early in the 2023 season at loanDepot Park. The Twins won the prior series in 2019, which was also in Miami. The Marlins haven't been to Minnesota since 2016, when they lost two out of three games. None of the six scheduled starters have faced their opponent before. The Tigers get three with the Rays this week and the Royals get three against the Nationals in DC this week. The Twins need to win and get a little help to stay in this Wild-Card race.

-Chris Kreibichi-

[novumtimes]

Man City and Spurs win while Saints and Palace lose again

The Premier League returned for the second round of fixtures on Saturday and after Brighton stunned Manchester United in the early match, there was plenty still on the menu for the 3pm games. In what was a wet and windy day in the United Kingdom, there was plenty of room for upsets if the big hitters were not in their best form. Read on as we give you a summary of everything that happened across the division on Saturday afternoon. Tottenham 4-0 Everton Tottenham enjoyed a comfortable afternoon on their return to North London, beating Everton 4-0. Yves Bissouma – back in the team following his suspension by manager Ange Postecoglou – got the opening goal of the game, smashing in off the crossbar from the edge of the box. Spurs were then rewarded with a second goal thanks to a loose touch from Jordan Pickford, which was picked up by captain Heung-Min Son and slotted into an empty net. Cristian Romero added a third with 20 minutes to go, leaping to head home from a corner, before Son grabbed his second on the counter-attack after a storming run from Micky van de Ven to condemning Everton to back-to-back defeats. Super Tottenham! pic.twitter.com/ZG92Wb6o1n — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 24, 2024 Crystal Palace 0-2 West Ham Crystal Palace failed once again to get off the mark in the new season under Oliver Glasner. Having been beaten by Brentford in the opening match, they were stunned at home by West Ham. Tomas Soucek scored the opener for the Hammers, before Jarrod Bowen opened his account for the season to make it 2-0. It marks Julen Lopetegui’s first competitive win in what was a great away performance. Southampton 0-1 Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest had to grind out their first victory of the campaign away to Southampton. They won 1-0 on the South Coast, condemning the Saints to a second defeat in as many games. Morgan Gibbs-White got the goal for the Tricky Trees, scoring in the 70th minute. His strike was just one of the 20-plus shots Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had at St. Mary’s Stadium. pic.twitter.com/bRP4iHOfGa — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 24, 2024 Fulham 2-1 Leicester Fulham bounced back from an opening-day defeat by Manchester United to beat Leicester 2-1 at Craven Cottage. Emile Smith Rowe netted his first goal for Fulham after moving from Arsenal this summer, but his effort was cancelled out by Wout Faes. In a tense match, it was anyone’s game in West London, but it was the home side who struck through Alex Iwobi, another former Gunner. A dominant home performance was rewarded with three points, Fulham’s first win of the season. Manchester City 4-1 Ipswich Manchester City survived an early scare from new boys Ipswich to come back and win 3-1 at the Etihad. The Tractor Boys’ new summer signing Sammie Szmodics opened his account early on, but it would count for little. Erling Haaland equalised from the penalty spot after some brilliant work from Savinho, before netting again alongside Kevin De Bruyne in an entertaining performance from Pep Guardiola’s side. Haaland had his hat-trick late on, with City sending out another message to their rivals that they mean business again this term. FULL-TIME | It’s so good to be back home! 4-1 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/gbiMQoBV0f — Manchester City (@ManCity) August 24, 2024 Source link via The Novum Times

[lukeswritings]

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/13/24

Catching up on some minor league releases recently. It seems that some of these releases were related to contract opt-outs, considering that many transactions involved veterans…

Two Cubs minor leaguers, infielder Kevin Padlo and outfielder Gilberto Celestino, were released over the weekend. Celestino has had a very rough go of it recently. He was traded from the Pirates to the Cubs on July 25 and began playing at Triple-A Iowa. Just a week later, on August 2, he was struck in the face by a pitch from Zebby Matthews of the St. Paul Saints and suffered multiple facial fractures. He understandably had been on the injured list since then and now is on the open market. At the time of the injury, he was hitting .316 in five games for the I-Cubs and .275 over the entire season. We hope that he’s resting up and will return soon. As for Padlo, he’s been with three different organizations in 2024 — the Dodgers, Royals, and Cubs — without any major league playing time. He was traded on August 2 from the Royals to the Cubs but is now a free agent. Padlo has struggled mightily this season, hitting .184 in 71 games. He has limited experience in the majors across the past three seasons, playing a handful of games for each of the Rays, Mariners, Giants, Pirates, and Angels.

The Angels have cut veteran left-handers Amir Garrett and Adam Kolarek. Since 2021, Garrett had a tough time with command and limiting baserunners to a 5.06 ERA, resulting in four teams dropping him from their roster. The reliever was getting ahold of his command this season. In 26 games at Triple-A Salt Lake, he’d only walked 16 and struck out 43 in 33 2/3 innings. He had a brief showing in the majors in May, appearing in six games for the Angels before being DFA’d and returning to the minors. Kolarek is no stranger to the open market, as this is now the seventh time in his career that he’s been let go. The funky lefty has an impressive 3.62 ERA in seven major league seasons but oddly has a much worse 4.20 ERA in eight seasons at Triple-A, including a 6.97 ERA this year. He’s yet to appear in any major league games this season. Considering the stats, both pitchers will likely have to settle for minor league deals as their next contracts.

The Yankees have released utilityman Josh VanMeter, who had been playing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 29-year-old former Red, Diamondback, and Pirate was hitting a less-than-sterling .177 in 59 games upon his dismissal. He will look for his next opportunity but hopes that teams overlook that he had the seventh-worst batting average among hitters with at least 100 at-bats in the International League.

The Phillies have released right-handers Max Castillo and Ricardo Pinto. Castillo was DFA’d four days ago to clear space on the 40-man roster for two minor league call-ups and was outrighted on Sunday but was quickly released. The robust righty struggled to a 7.62 ERA in 52 innings in the minors in 2024. He and Samad Taylor were once the return when Whit Merrifield was traded from the Royals to the Blue Jays two years ago. He’s bounced from Kansas City to the Red Sox and the Phils in the past year, with only seven games last season to show for in major league work. He’ll look for work elsewhere. Pinto, 30 and nicknamed Pinto Bean, went five years since his last major league action until he returned to the big leagues in April with six games for the Phillies, to stomach-turning results. The veteran Venezuelan has lots of experience playing internationally in Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico, so a return to one of those leagues could be on the horizon.

The Mariners have let go of righty Mauricio Llovera. He’s dealt with injuries that have limited him to just 17 minor league games this year and ineffectiveness – a 4.58 ERA in those games. He also has the unfortunate distinction of being the second pitcher in major league history to give up three consecutive home runs without recording a single out in an appearance, which he accomplished on August 7, 2021. Llovera will now look for his next opportunity elsewhere.

[dhowellafisheromen]

AL returns to All-Star glory with comeback win over NL

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.

Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game, hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer for the American League and being awarded the MVP trophy named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

"That's an honor. Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being," Duran said after becoming the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP. "That guy was awesome, and I'm honored to be able to have his award."

The decisive homer came in the fifth inning Tuesday night as the AL beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.

Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani also went deep in Texas with a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead in the third.

Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the AL third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.

"It's a surreal moment. So I'm just thankful to be here," said Duran, who was one of 39 first-time All-Stars this year.

Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.

The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.

Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 mph.

"Frankly, I wish I'd had a few more pitches to do that today," said Skenes, who has a good mix of pitches to go with the hard stuff. "It's cool to bring eyes to the game."

Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled a 400-foot drive to right off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

"I haven't really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I'm just relieved that I put the ball in play," Ohtani said. "I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season."

When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 mph slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 mph.

Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in 1996. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.

Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-center after he had replaced Judge in center. Duran took a 95.9 mph fastball before going deep on an 86 mph splitter.

"I knew he threw really hard so I was just praying he would throw me a first pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was. After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up," Duran said. "He happened to leave a pitch up. I happened to put a good swing on it."

The last Red Sox player to be the All-Star MVP was J.D. Drew in 2008, following Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.

Duran was voted by his peers as an All-Star after being the first AL player to go into the break with at least 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 homers and 20 stolen bases.

The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League’s 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

AL starter Corbin Burnes arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras on the baseline.

Quick game

Played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati that took only two minutes shorter.

Won in both leagues

Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL's San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

Up next

The MLB regular series resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins. San Diego (50-49) is set to become the first team to play its 100th game, at the Guardians on Friday night.

[theultimatefan]

Cicadas, Expansion Talk and Holidays in June: Ten Things to Know in the American Assoc. This Week

The American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) season continues with a full slate of series this weekend, all available for free live viewing at aabaseball.tv.

Here are 10 Things to Know about the AAPB this week:

The colorful cicadas may be an annoyance to some, but the Kane County Cougars aren't one to brood. Instead, with the 13-year and 17-year cycles converging (we're not entomologists, but we play them on AABaseball.tv), tonight is Kane County Cicadas Night at Northwestern Medicine Field vs. the Kansas City Monarchs. The team will wear special Cicada-themed jerseys which will be auctioned off for charity, and the first thousand fans receive a custom insect swatter.

Juneteenth, Father's Day, Flag Day, Pride Month and National Cucumber Day (ok, that one might be a stretch) are all celebrated across the country in June. But two AAPB teams have a couple of other ideas... Halloween (Chicago Dogs, Saturday) and Halfway to Christmas (Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Tuesday) will bring those popular holidays back a few months early.

On Tuesday, the AAPB announced another in a series of key corporate partnerships, this one with MOBILEMONEY, now the official cashless payment solutions provider to the league and its member clubs.

Sometimes a change of position can make all the difference. The Kansas City Star and Yahoo! Sports have the story of Monarchs outfielder-turned-pitcher Nate Tellier, a .342 hitter in college whose coach suspected – rightfully so – that the mound might be a better route for the righthander in the pros. So far, so good, as he’s posted a 2.11 ERA over 17 innings at press time.

Big things are happening around the AAPB, and the time might just be right to grow the footprint, which now currently extends to 12 team across 10 states. Commissioner Joshua Schaub recently discussed the prospects for expansion at Fargo’s Valley News Live, potentially doubling the number of franchises by 2028-29..

Another 10Things, Another Homecoming as Winnipeg native Ben Onyshko signed with the hometown Goldeyes last week. The 27-year-old lefty was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners out of Steston (Fla.) Univ, reaching AAA Tacoma. He started his Goldeyes career with two innings of hitless relief on Friday to help preserve a win over Sioux City.

The Gary SouthShore RailCats along with other businesses sponsored a luncheon for local businesses and leaders for clean air initiatives for Northern Indiana last week. The luncheon awarded three college scholarships to local students in the areas and recognized four businesses making voluntary efforts to improve clean air quality in 2023.

In a few alumni moves:

Kane County outfielder Je'Von Ward had his contract purchased by Toronto and homered in his first game with Single-A Vancouver on Saturday.

Now former Kansas City Monarch Blake Rutherford is heading to Mexico to play for Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican Baseball League. Rutherford, a former MLB player, originally drafted in the first round to the New York Yankees in 2016, but finally made his big league debut in 2023 with the Washington Nationals. This season with the Monarchs, he posted a .328 batting average, .911 OPS, and launched three home runs.

After hitting .331 in the Low-A Florida State League, infielder Payton Eeles (Chicago '23) was promoted to Cedar Rapids, the Twins' High-A affiliate.

The Record Watch department has its eyes on Fargo's Izzy Alcantara, who has 30 stolen bases through his team's first 33 games. The AAPB record is 71, set by the Milwaukee Milkmen’s Bryan Torres last season. Torres continues to rake with the Cardinals’ AA affiliate in Springfield, hitting in eight straight games last week to boost his average to .329 with 16 stolen bases at press time.

[xtruss]

He Replaced Mickey Mantle. Now Baseball’s Oldest Living Major Leaguer, Art Schallock, Is Turning 100

— By Janie McCauley | April 25, 2024

Art Schallock poses for a photo in Sonoma, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Schallock, the oldest living former Major League Baseball player, will celebrate his 100th birthday on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Wendy Cornejo, Cogir on Napa Road via AP)

San Francisco (AP) — Whether at home or on the road, Art Schallock would begin each day by taking the elevator down to the lobby and collecting the latest comic books for roommate Yogi Berra.

“Every morning,” Schallock recalled, chuckling at the thought decades later.

Schallock never minded. It was all worth it.

Just part of being the new guy back in the day, a rite of passage for the latest big leaguer getting promoted. Schallock got the call in 1951, replacing future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle when the New York Yankees optioned the then-19-year-old to Triple-A. Schallock, then 27, roomed with Berra and was tasked with picking up Berra’s daily delivery of “funnies” as they called them.

The oldest living former major leaguer, Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.

The baseball memories are still plenty fresh.

“That was quite a thrill, quite a thrill playing with those guys,” Schallock shared in a video call. “I roomed with Yogi Berra when I got up there and he knew all the hitters. We went over all the hitters on each team. Besides that, I had to run down to the lobby and get his funny books. Every morning. Yogi knew all the hitters, how to pitch to them, whether it’s low, high or whatever, he knew how to pitch to them. And I had to learn from him.”

Art Schallock poses for a photo in Sonoma, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Schallock, the oldest living former Major League Baseball player, will celebrate his 100th birthday on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Wendy Cornejo, Cogir on Napa Road via AP)

The Bay Area native went to Tamalpais High in Mill Valley then College of Marin before becoming the 10,823rd major league player when he debuted on July 16, 1951. He pitched 2 2/3 innings for the Yankees that day at Detroit, then earned his first career win exactly one month later at Washington.

The left-hander won three World Series rings from 1951-53, although he only pitched in the ‘53 Series, retiring Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson during a two-inning outing in Game 4. He went 6-7 with a 4.02 ERA over five seasons in 58 games and 14 starts with the Yankees and Orioles.

He still wears one of those World Series rings regularly on his pitching hand.

“Here’s a game that I loved, I really enjoyed it and loved the game of baseball and they pay you for it. What more can you ask for?” Schallock said. “I wish I was playing today and getting the salaries that they get, but that’s the way it goes.”

Schallock shakes his head and smiles about the money. He signed with the Dodgers for $5,000, and if he lasted past June 1 he received another $5,000 payment.

“When I got out of the service, I went to junior college for a couple of years and pitched baseball there and then I pitched semi-pro in San Francisco and made a name for myself and Brooklyn signed me,” he shared.

Schallock still has some years to go to set any kind of age records. Negro Leagues pitcher Si Simmons of the 1926 New York Lincoln Giants lived to 111, while another ex-Yankees pitcher, Red Hoff, reached 107.

Though Schallock has a hard time hearing these days, he relishes every chance to chat about baseball. And he offers no real secrets to his longevity — no strict exercise regimen or special diet.

Art Schallock poses for a photo in Sonoma, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Schallock, the oldest living former Major League Baseball player, will celebrate his 100th birthday on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Wendy Cornejo, Cogir on Napa Road via AP)

“Stop having a drink, have two,” he said, laughing. “That’s all I was allowed to drink before dinner, that was it, my wife cut me off. Vodka over the rocks with a little splash of water, vodka and water and a little ice. Only two. I also had a few beers.

"(Yankees manager) Casey Stengel always had beer in the clubhouse after the game. He’d rather see you drink in the clubhouse rather than some bar. ‘Cuz two or three of you go in the bar and sit down, the fans think you’re a drunk because you’re sitting in a bar, so you drink in the ballpark.”

Of course, there’s been some good fortune along the way to make it to 100.

Serving for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean during World War II after enlisting in 1942, Schallock narrowly escaped harm when the neighboring aircraft carrier USS Liscome Bay was sunk by a Japanese torpedo in November 1943 and 644 were killed — accounting for the majority of the casualties in the Battle of Makin.

“I never thought I would get back to the highest level. I wanted to play baseball, yes,” he said. “I did it in junior college. In those years, the Bay Area was full of baseball. When I say full of baseball, semi-pros. Every town had a team.”

Schallock has been signing his share of baseballs leading up to joining the rare centenarian club. They will throw him a party at his assisted living facility, Cogir On Napa Road Assisted Living and Memory Care.

Perhaps find him an agent now given all the fanfare?

“It’s too late,” Schallock said, laughing, “it’s too late.”

[thebehindpost]

Season previews: Melbourne (6th)

Last season: 4th (16 wins, 7 losses, 125.2%), 5th after finals Notable ins: Jack Billings (St Kilda), Caleb Windsor (no. 7 draft pick), Tom Fullarton (Brisbane) Notable outs: Angus Brayshaw (retired), Brodie Grundy (Sydney), James Harmes (Western Bulldogs)

All eyes are on Melbourne in 2024. Take any one of the burning questions surrounding the Demons and it would be enough to fill the back (or front) page of the paper and keep talkback radio lines busy for a day. Add them all together and it means there is no more fascinating team heading into the season. With their backs against the wall, Melbourne could rediscover the form that led to success in 2021 and win a flag for the ages. Or under the weight of scandal and scrutiny, they could fall right apart and tumble out of the eight. Placing the Demons at 6th is having a bet each way but until we see if they can put the summer from Hell behind them and play some football, it's hard to take a bold stance in either direction.

What happens if Max Gawn gets injured? It would not be lost on Melbourne that we fret over who backs up the big man now, when less than 12 months ago debate raged over how they could possibly have Gawn and Grundy in the same team. The Grundy experiment failed: he finished last season playing for Casey and will start the new one with Sydney. The dilemma is that Gawn is at his best when he rucks solo and if he is playing, only needs pinch-hitters that can perform other duties. A quality ruckman recruited to wait in the wings would be no happier playing in the VFL than Grundy was, so the best they could get last trade period was Fullarton (19 games in five years). Grundy may not have been the solution the rest of the season but Melbourne sure seemed happy to have him when Gawn went down with a knee injury last year. The Dees won three of the four games he missed. Will their on-ball division fare so well this time using a ruckman cobbled together from spare parts?

Can the Demons fix their forwardline woes? They are the complete package down back and through the middle but goals were simply too hard to come by in 2023. They kicked just sixteen goals across both finals and lost those games by a combined nine points. The ball use going inside 50 was haphazard, sent to the boundary in areas not dangerous to the opposition or bombed over the heads of their forwards. A powerful key forward would help but plenty of teams have found goals by using system to overcome a lack of personnel. The positive is that Melbourne have spent an off-season clear on what they have to work with and what they do not, so should come in with a better plan of attack.

Where is Clayon Oliver's football at? Oliver's career had been near-flawless right up until the moment he suffered a hamstring in round 10, 2023. Probably the best pure midfielder in the game, his CV at 26 already contains four best and fairests, three All-Australian selections, two AFLCA Player of the Year awards and a premiership medallion. He was on track for a Brownlow medal and had probably only been denied one already by sharing votes with Gawn and Christian Petracca. If personal issues had at all been a factor for Oliver prior to last year, it had been impossible to tell on the field. The last six months though have been shaped by concerns over fitness, innuendo around "lifestyle choices" and mental health, briefly finding himself on the trade table and then spending most of the summer training away from the main group… all before his seven-year multi-million dollar deal even officially started. Reports are that Oliver is now back in the fold and available for Opening Round, which is a positive for both club and player. They badly need his brilliant best and he needs the distraction football brings, as it was only when injury took that away that the rest of his world started to fall apart.

Is there a drug culture at Melbourne? The answer at times feels like a version of the Narcissist's Prayer: "No there isn't. And if there is, it's not that bad. And if it is, it's not a big deal. And if it is, that's society's fault. Oh and by the way, every other club has one too." The coach, Simon Goodwin, says there isn't one but will admit to challenges. Their captain's proof there isn’t was hair-testing reports he has probably never seen, bringing to mind Sergeant Schultz. And CEO Gary Pert says that this side has the best culture he's ever seen in football (not the highest bar given Pert's previous role was at Collingwood during the hard-partying 'Rat Park' era and the period of time captured in the 'Do Better' report). They may well all be right. But the facts are that Melbourne are the only club with a player stupid enough to test positive to cocaine on game day then be found with text messages on his phone asking an unspecified number of teammates if they'd like to buy drugs from him. As for the coach himself, it is hard to recall a figure in football that's had to deny as many rumours of illicit drug use as he. Many are just fictions spread on social media but at least one source is Glenn Bartlett, their former president. Bartlett has an axe to grind with the club but it's hard to believe he would simply invent tales of such nature.

Winning papers over a lot of cracks and the Demons would love to start the season strongly to quiet the noise. But they are close to breaking point and cannot afford any more negative headlines. Melbourne will be praying for no further damaging revelations to emerge from Joel Smith's case at SIA, Oliver to keep his head down and some early wins (they have a tricky opening schedule with Sydney, Port Adelaide and Adelaide away and easier-beats Hawthorn and Bulldogs at home). Despite the public denials, one hopes that Melbourne take issues with their culture more seriously internally. If heads stay in the sand there much longer, then heads will roll.

[academicassignment]

5 Local Players to Watch Out for in the Big Bash League in 2023-2024

Big bash league

Australia’s top T-20 franchise league, The Big Bash League, is back with its thirteenth edition and how. This year’s edition has already showcased the return of some big-name international players and some exciting young local players who have shown much promise either in the previous editions of the league or in Australia’s domestic competitions.

While superstars such as Rashid Khan and Harry Brook will be missed, this edition of Australia’s premier T-20 franchise league promises a wonderful mix of experience and freshness, as well as proven international performers and young guns.

In this article, we will look at five local upcoming stars who are expected to dazzle with their exceptional skills. To ensure that you can peacefully enjoy the ongoing Big Bash competition without worrying about your class assignments, we are bringing you top-notch dissertation writing and other academic services that you will absolutely love.

5 Young Australian Players Who Can Light Up the Ongoing Big Bash League

Ever since the return of the Big Bash League for 2023-2024, there has been much buzz around young talents who have the potential to dethrone established names, such as Alex Hales, Glenn Maxwell, and Sean Abbott, to name a few. Here are five names to watch out for in this six-franchise competition:

Jack Wood:

Jack Wood previously featured in Big Bash as a replacement for Mitchell Swepson in 2020 and again in 2022. This year, he has been given a full contract by Brisbane Heat. He has already made a name for himself as a hard-hitting batsman and a crafty left-arm wrist spinner. Wood had a successful outing as a bowler with Ipswich-Logan in 2019-2020, fetching 28 wickets. He was also the highest run-getter in Australia’s domestic Max T20 competition in 2023, accumulating a total of 317 runs in 6 matches at a remarkable strike rate of almost 167. This year, he is expected to deliver with both the bat and the ball, given his red-hot form.

MacAlistair Wright:

Mac Wright is a leg spinner and a dependable middle-order batsman who plays for the Tasmania under-23 side. His Big Bash stats are certainly not stunning. Before the 2023 edition, he scored 351 runs in 15 matches at a decent strike rate of 122 and took one wicket at an economy rate of 10.60. But he has had a fine start to the 2023 edition, scoring 152 runs in 3 matches at a 50+ average and a 136+ strike rate. You should keep an eye out for this young allrounder, given the start he has had.

Ollie Davies:

Power-hitter Ollie Davies started his Big Bash journey in 2020 with a decent outing – displaying a rare combination of explosiveness and finesse. Before 2023, he scored 604 runs in Big Bash at an average of 23, with three half-centuries and a top score of 65. In a recent players’ poll conducted by Cricket Australia before the start of the marquee event, in which 35 players voted, Ollie received 3% voting in favor of becoming the player of the tournament.

Sam Harper:

Sam Harper is an explosive wicketkeeper-batsman who had a memorable outing in the 2022-2023 Big Bash season. He has been a reliable performer for all teams he represented with the bat and gloves behind the wicket during his first-class career. Once touted as one of the brightest talents in Australia, he is yet to set the stage alight, but this could be his breakthrough season.

Nick Hobson:

Nick Hobson, a stylish left-handed batsman, will be seen in Perth Scorchers jersey colors in the 2023-2024 Big Bash league. Before the 2023 season, Hobson scored 268 runs in the competition with a highest score of 46. Hobson has captained the Claremont-Nedlands side in domestic T20 competitions and has been their batting mainstay at the top. While he has not replicated his domestic cricket form in Big Bash, he could prove naysayers wrong with a stellar outing.

Conclusion

The current season is already underway, and we hope many new stars will emerge who will rule T-20 domestic, international, and, indeed, franchise cricket for years to come. Do let us know who your favorite is in the comments below.

And before we sign off, here’s a reminder once more. If you need help with dissertation writing, assignment, or career guidance, reach out to our experts at any time. We’ll be more than happy to help.

[optimistredsox]

14 July, BOS @ CHC, 8-3, win

Well, that was a nice break, wasn’t it? Few days not worrying about baseball (I’m not really a big ASG guy, especially when there’s only one Red Sox on the AL team), London getting some much-needed rain, that warm glow that comes when you realise that if the Red Sox aren’t playing any games, they can’t lose any games. 

But it turns out if you do play games and you hit a million dingers in those games, you’re probably going to win those games. Ok, so it wasn’t a million dingers, but it was six, which is pretty great. It was also pretty great that Bello maintained form on the mound and put the Sox in a position to win. Yeah, he gave up three but that’s ok when we score 8, because 8, it turns out, is more than three. So plenty of bright sides.

Bello went six innings, striking out five. He gave up two dingers, both to Cody Bellinger, but I’m going to let him slide on that. The wind favoured hitters and the long ball last night and that worked out in our favour in the end.

Raffy Devers, having promised Brayan Bello that he would hit two home runs for him when he came back from the break, hit two home runs in consecutive innings. He went 3-for-5 and seems to have enjoyed a restful few days.

Justin Turner, Tristan Casas, Yu Chang and Adam Duvall also hit dingers last night. Just the one each, of course, but then not everyone can be Raffy Devers.

Jarren Duran had a couple of hits and scored a run.

Masa Yoshida had a couple of hits and scored a run. 

Aside from a hit and a couple of walks by Scott Tay in the ninth, the bullpen was super solid.

We won!

We’ve won six in a row!

The Yankees lost and even though we have the same record because we’ve kicked the shit out of them so far this season they are in last place below us! Fuck those guys!

[rippleon-blog]

Rippling with Lobo Legend Coach Ray Birmingham

I was so excited that Coach Birmingham agreed to come on the podcast. I have been a big fan of his as he is a legend in college baseball. I just knew if we could have an opportunity to visit, he'd share some of the incredible wisdom he's acquired throughout his career and boy was a right. This episode is pure gold and is chalked full of great stories about motivating and leading that everyone can learn from.

  Plus he is just one of the kindest and most thoughtful men I think I've ever met. Although I knew him through his social network presence, the conversation with him was so easy to have. He made me feel like he and I have been friends for years. He's a Rippler through and through.

  Here's a bit more about Coach:

  At UNM, Birmingham has the second-most wins in program history with 402 to his credit as the Lobo skipper, earning his 400th DI Career win on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 versus Air Force. He also initiated and had led the ongoing development and execution of the $3.65 million expansion of Santa Ana Star Field as well as UNM’s first privately-funded building on campus – the R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard Clubhouse that was completed in December of 2016.

For his overall career, Birmingham is in exclusive company having won over 1,000 games. Entering the 2021 season, Birmingham will have coached in parts of six decades dating back to the late 1970s. Birmingham is also the winningest coach in the state’s history as all 1,220 of his victories have come coaching for teams in his home state of New Mexico (College of the Southwest, New Mexico Junior College and UNM).

In 2015, Birmingham was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and was also inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2011. He also currently serves on the College Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

Birmingham has also coached or spoken at numerous clinics throughout the United States and South America. He has been published in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Journal and worked professionally for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals.

In 2004, Birmingham led the NJCAA all-star team to four wins in five games over the Chinese All-Stars in Beijing, China. In 2007, Birmingham was selected as the head coach of the NJCAA all-star team when China returned to the United States to play the U.S. team. Birmingham also coached the NJCAA West All-Stars to a three-game sweep over the East All-Stars in the summer of 2009.

In the summer of 2014, Birmingham served as the hitting coach for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, which was made up of the top collegiate players from around the country. Team USA played games across North Carolina before traveling to the Netherlands to participate in Honkbal-Haarlem Baseball Week. The CNT won the international tournament by outscoring its opponents 34-6 over its final seven games. Birmingham helped guide Tennessee’s Christin Stewart to “Best Hitter” honors at the tournament and Albuquerque’s own Alex Bregman of LSU was named Honkbal Baseball Week MVP. Team USA concluded its summer with five games in Cuba, finishing with an overall record of 18-8-2.

In his 43rd year of coaching, Birmingham has been a part of 22 championships. All the college baseball programs Birmingham has coached have reached the top 25 in the national rankings at some point. Between University of the Southwest, New Mexico Junior College and New Mexico, 167 athletes have gone on to play professional baseball with 39 coming while the head coach at UNM. Additionally, under Birmingham at UNM, 40 athletes have earned All-America honors and 10 have been freshman All-Americans as well. Birmingham was also the coach of NMJC’s first basketball conference championship team – a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Ready to get your Ripple On? Check out the latest episode of The Ripple Effect Podcast with Steve Harper!

[nicholasohrnberger]

A Love Letter To Manny Machado

Manny Machado was in the news a lot this past week and as memory serves, it wasn’t long ago that Manny Machado was all any Yankee fan used to talk about, and for good reason. During the period between 2011/12 – 2017 it seemed very plausible that Machado would eventually find himself in pinstripes. “Who else?” Yankee fans thought, “Who else is going to pay that man what he’s worth?” Well, as it turns out many teams, including some that we didn’t expect, and in fact it was one of the least likely teams (at that time) that managed to sweep Manny off his feet. However, the San Diego Padres offered Manny a player option that would allow him to opt out of his contract after the 2023 season. All this however, made me think about the recent history of the Yankees.

During the 2016 MLB season the New York Yankees had a clear plan of action with how to handle a new era of Yankees baseball. The path toward this new era, for years was steered by Manager Joe Girardi who was given an incredibly difficult task. The task? Guide the Yankees through the waning years of their home grown and big money stars, who’s best years were likely in the past. Girardi not only accomplished this goal but led the Yankees Core Four and the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui and others to a World Series Championship in 2009, his second year as Manager of the team. However, there was still a task that needed doing and the Yankees goal every year was World Series or bust, regardless of other duties.

Over the next eight seasons Girardi managed the Yankees to five playoff appearances and three AL Championship Series appearances. All the while chipping away at the task with which he was charged. At the conclusion of the 2011 MLB Season Andy Pettitte became the first domino to fall, retiring from Major League Baseball. The very next year Jorge Posada would retire, followed by Mariano Rivera in 2013 and Derek Jeter in 2014. Just like that the Core Four were gone, but mega contracts belonging to Alex Rodriguez & Mark Teixeira would end subsequently in 2016. The Yankee strategy, however, was not to simply cut payroll and lose games. Certainly not when you consider the contracts doled out to players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, & the lingering contract of C.C. Sabathia.

The mindset of the front office however appeared to shift, as economical two- or three-year replacement trades and signings such as Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley, Starlin Castro and others became more usual. The Yankees believed they had a new young core, spearheaded by Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Jorge Mateo, Gleyber Torres, and of course Aaron Judge. These signing were meant to support and mentor these budding stars so that they could one day take the field together, but as they showed that their talents would not necessarily translate to the big leagues, the Yankees began to course correct. Doing so would mean targeting some of the best hitters and pitchers Major League Baseball had to offer and so it appears 2018 and 2019 was the year to strike the big deals.

Three names were on the lips of any fan or executive with any sense. The first was certainly Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees were in need of a long-term closing option and after acquiring, trading, and signing him again in 2017 they finally had one, and a fireballer no less. However, not every target worked out quite so easily, as in 2016 one of the biggest targets for the Yankees would leave us. 2016 brought about a tragedy, as José Fernandéz of the Miami Marlins perished in a boating accident at the end of the season. Frenandéz was widely touted as the best pitching target for anyone looking for it in the 2018 offseason and the Yankees or someone else would have undoubtedly made him the richest pitcher in the history of the sport. Giancarlo Stanton had also been acquired during this time and with the state of the payroll and the acquisition of Gleyber Torres from the Chapman trade, it became clear that the last mentionable target for the Yankees probably wasn’t coming to New York. Manny Machado.

A few days ago, Manny did something we don’t see very often from players entering contract negotiations or who can opt out of their contract. Manny Machado was honest and made it clear that he has no intent on activating his player option at the conclusion of the 2023 season that would likely keep him in a Padres uniform for the rest of his career. The article I’m writing easily could have been about the prospects of where Machado might go, or perhaps the amount of money he is likely to garner from an updated contract, or even the loyalty aspect of player versus front office. However, on this fine day in San Diego, this New Yorker is holding onto the prospect of a former dream fulfilled if only partially. Today, I’m hopeful that we may yet see number thirteen dawn pinstripes as many Yankee fans thought would happen and is probably overdue. Also, the payroll is dropping by something like $80 million next year so.. well to Manny Machado I say, “Hop in brother. The water’s fine.. Oh! And there’s a TON of money in here."