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gingerale2017 · 3 years

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On The Way Home

More mlb content yay! Anyways this is pre-reveal and features adrienette starting a routine on dropping Marinette home everyday. No angst. Enjoy!

The school bell ringed super loudly, waking Marinette up from her power nap. She flinched her head up, a pad of paper sticking to her forehead, yelping.

The whole class started to laugh, including Adrien. Her cheeks heated up. Alya snickered and leaned towards her, “You couldn’t last through Mrs, Mendeleiev’s class? Girl…”

“Marinette, please explain yourself for sleeping through my science class,” Mrs. Mendeleiev started.

“I’m sorry, I must have dozed off. I barely slept last night,” this was true. Everybody in Kitty Section started to outgrow their old clothes so she was up last night stitching them up. Mostly, she was nervous for another encounter with Luka after the last one ended spectacularly. She was being sarcastic, it was horrible and embarrassing.

Apparently, her body wanted to soak in her sleep hours during science class. The worst time to fall asleep.

“I’ll give you a warning this time, Marinette. Next time I’ll send you to the principal.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Mendeleiev,” th le science teacher nodded and continued to assign homework as the students gathered their stuff.

“Hey Alya? Can I get a ride home today? I need to be at the bakery in like five minutes, but we both know that’s not possible,” Marinette tugged on her friends orange flannel as Alya got up.

“Sorry girl, I’m going home with Nino to study today. Plus, you know I always walk home from school, ” Alya responded. Alya helped Marinette pick up her mess as Adrien came around.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you guys talking about needing a ride?” Adrian appeared out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of Marinette. She flinched and turned around so fast that she fell on top of Adrien. Her already flushed cheeks probably turned even redder. He caught her and pushed her up towards Alya, giving her a warm smile.

“Yeah, Mari’s parents need her at the bakery right now, but she can’t make it in time, u less someone drops her off,” Alya said while grabbing Marinettes elbow.

“Y-yeah. I-I need to b-be there tonight- I mean tomorrow- I mean-”

Adrien cut her off, “I can take you!” He said it rather loudly.

Unfortunately, Lila heard and began to walk over to them, “Hey Adrien, Alya, and Marinette. What's going on?”

“None of your business Lila, ” Marinette huffed.

“Uh, Marinette needs to get home early today, and she can’t make it in time by walking so she needs a ride, ” Adrien said at the same time.

“Oh, I’m sure your parents would understand you being late, Marinette. I kind of need Adrien to help me with my schoolwork again. Will you please help a friend out?” Lila smiled and made Marinette's blood boil. She clenched her fists.

“I helped you the other day, Lila. Besides, this is a one-time thing with Marinette since she’s been such a good friend to me, I want to repay her, ” said Adrien, “can I help you another time, please? Plus this is important to Marinette.”

It was Marinette’s turn to smile as Lila’s eye twitched, “Of course Adrien! I didn’t mean to come off as rude or anything. And if it's so important to Marinette, I don’t want to be the one stopping you guys. Have fun!” The liar walked away but looked to Marinette before leaving. Oh, she hated that fox.

“Anyways, I got to split. Nino’s waiting for me, ” Alya then whispered to Marinette, “good luck.”

She whimpered. This is terrible, she’s probably going to do something stupid, like at the wax museum.

No, don’t think of that Marinette. Never again, she thought, that is the unthinkable.

“Are you ready to leave yet?” asked Adrien. She turned to him and tried to smile.

“Yes, l am. Do you know my address?” he nodded.

“Okay! Let's go!” she marched towards the exit.

“Marinette, the exit is that way, ” Adrien pointed towards the other side.

She blushed, “Yeah, I knew that. Let's go again!”

They went through the double doors and down the stairs to his car. He opened the car door for her and she gladly took a seat, received that she didn’t do anything clumsy.

“So, Marinette, what is this important thing you have to do at the bakery,” he asked after settling himself.

Marinette shrugged her backpach off and placed it at her feet, “Well, you know Nadja Chamack, the news reporter?”

“Yeah.”

“She wants to do a cover on the bakery. Apparently a survey was taken for best food places in Paris and ours was called the best bakery in Paris. My parents wanted me to keep it a secret so we can do a party later, but they wanted me for the interview. Which is now.”

Adrien nodded and smiled, “thats’s great news Marinette. I do love your dad's croissants, they’re so good. Do you mind if I could have one before I leave?”

“O-of course, Adrien! You can have as many as you want!” he looked excited when she said it.

They talked during the whole car ride. Mostly about the bakery and fashion stuff. Marinette was proud of herself that she barely stuttered during the whole thing. She even enjoyed herself and could tell Adrien was too.

“Oh, we’re here. If you need a ride ever again, please tell me. I will be more than happy too.”

Marinette nodded and opened her car door. He waved at her and she waves back.

“Good luck at your next fencing competition, ” she blurted. They did not talk about his fencing competition at all and he grew confused. She quickly closed the car door and ran inside, thinking about the ride with Adrien. Maybe she could take up on that offer sometime.

#mlb #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #chat noir #fluff #to be continued #alya cesaire #lila rossi #mrs mendeleiev #nino lahiffe #fanfiction #mlb fanfic #adrienette

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dlugo7-blog · 4 years

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Still Here.

Disclaimer:

I’ve seen so many wins and losses, both in my life and in others’, and I wanted to share my experiences from what was quite easily the toughest 365 I’ve ever faced. This isn’t to bring attention to myself, but more so to let you know that we’re all human. I hope you read this and it helps you somehow; whether you can relate or not, we’re all in this life stuff together. Be confident, be you, always.

It’s been… a while? Sure, the decade is coming to a close, and it’s great that many are reflecting on the last ten; however, I myself wanted to focus on this past year in particular.

Making decisions is inevitably a part of life that we eventually must tackle with confidence. The spectrum of decisions features endless possibilities: from black or white socks in the morning, to which job you should take, one is small, one is big, both are crucial.

I made a decision at the end of last year that changed my life forever. This decision was something that I never envisioned happening. When I say never, I mean not one millisecond did my mind wonder off into a state that featured this decision coming to life in any way, shape, or form. There were plenty of reasons that I didn’t think that a decision like this would ever have had to be made, but the main ones were the power in and faith of love, which I still possess to this day.

With that decision came the darkest days of my life, but opportunistic ones subsequently. I started a new position at Nike, which consisted of a three month “stretch assignment” as a part of the music team. I was primed and determined to obtain a corporate-level position after the 90 days because I knew that I had worked my ass off and was ready for the next step in life, but also partially because I needed the aforementioned next step for the sake of my own mental.

The first month was full of learning and growth; I was blessed yet again to rub shoulders and engage in conversation with some of the most creative, hard-working people that I had ever met. For my Nike vets out that made the choice to read this, I was just trying to be a sponge early on in the process. January was a blur, but it closed with me being asked, “is your schedule clear for the first week of February? We want you to go to LA.”

*cues “Bicken Back Being Bool”* The night before leaving, I had one of the toughest conversations I’ve ever had in my life; one that semi-clarified the direction in which my life was heading in. I’ll never forget the ride to the airport in the morning; I let it all out in that Uber while texting my inner circle. I told them that I was scared as fuck, in so many ways, but I thanked them for always keeping me afloat in midst of this life shit. I’ll say this until I am blue in the face, but you are only as strong as your support system. I’m often one to bottle up, but we’re all human at the end of the day, and I have no shame in admitting that. I boarded the plane, my brain scrambled, with my first solo work trip staring me in the face.

I landed in LA, arrived at my hotel, and walked into a room that was straight out of the movies. TV mounted on a pole in the middle that swerved whichever way you wanted it to, king-sized bed with a bathtub adjacent to it, and a mirror the size of a Manhattan skyscraper. The best part was the fruit platter that was assembled on the table, which had an envelope propped up against it that said “Mr. David *middle name* Lugo.” I felt like Hov, y’all. I can’t lie.

The trip was full of nothing but positivity. I’m forever grateful to the both East and West music teams for showing me an insurmountable amount of love throughout my time with them, but this trip in particular was something I’ll never forget. I got the opportunity to meet so many people in higher places, and experience things “on the other side.” I was ten feet away from Jorja as she performed, and I was never so close to losing a job in my life. That’s cap, but, what a moment that was. “If you asked this little kid from Brooklyn who had dreams of being in the MLB if he would be on a work trip in LA working in the music world, he would’ve looked at you like you were crazy. Thank you for taking a chance on me.” That’s the text I sent in gratitude at the conclusion of the trip. I meant every word.

Time passed, and I kept working hard, as always. I started to gain some traction, some momentum, both physically and mentally. Then, March 31st came. I’ll never forget being on Dave’s couch watching Duke and Michigan State when Ian stopped and said, “Not Nipsey, man.” I frantically refreshed Twitter, the only word I could utter was “fuck.” Thirty-three years old, shot and killed in front of what he built. He’s playing in the background as I type this now, and it still doesn’t seem real. I’ll never forget coming to work and talking to Kha about it. He said, “that’s so crazy, because you always tried to get me to listen to Nip.”

The next day was the start of my last week at the office. I barely spoke to anyone that day, because that shit hurt. It still does, there’s no way around it. Ironically, one of my close friends was getting married in LA that weekend. I’ll spare the details, but despite my hard work and determination those few months, the stars weren’t fully aligned yet, and there was no room for me to join the corporate team. The trip to celebrate love couldn’t have come at a better time.

I made my way out West, and it was bittersweet for obvious reasons: the decision to close out the last year, Nip’s death, not getting a permanent look at the office, and a variety of other life obstacles all weighed on me. We pulled up to Slauson to pay our respects, and hundreds of people were gathered to celebrate Hussle’s life. As emotional as it was, the love and energy that was there was truly special.

Wedding day came, and to see love at its’ peak was a beautiful thing. My friends were so happy to be joined in marriage; the company, the scenery, the aura, all of it was perfect. They even walked out to “U See Us,” and I was so gassed that I went and thanked them after. Nip blaring out of the speakers as they walked into the hall was something I didn’t expect. Full transparency, as gushingly happy as I was for everyone involved, I was selfishly sad a bit. Reflecting is great, but reminiscing isn’t always the same. A combination of the two made for a constant tug of war in my mind. As I sat in the airport waiting for my departing flight back home, I couldn’t help but think how this could’ve been me soon.

I got back home, hot to cold, literally. Back at the store, I felt trapped again. Creatively, I was fed up with my lack of progress due to circumstances that were out of my control. The one constant positive thing about that door was the people and the running community that was built there. I loved being that guy to round the troops up to go for a run after work, motivating others to join me regardless of their running experience.

A big step in my personal growth this year had a lot to do with running, as many of you may already know. I took it extremely serious, and developed a new passion that I never could’ve imagined coming to life. This new found passion allowed me to lead in a new way, inspire in a new way, and most importantly be happy in a new way. I am forever grateful for every single person that encouraged me, ran with me, or was involved in the journey that is still going to this day. I’m forever in debt to you all.

Skipping a few months of a routine cycle, which led to this.. Remember that opening paragraph about decisions? Well, I faced a pretty fucking massive one in July, when I stepped out of the box and bet on myself. Real quick, though, shout out to Roddy for a late contender for Song of the Year with “The Box.” Unbelievable.

Anyway, I felt stuck and decided to reach out to someone who had offered me some help a while back if I ever needed it, based on some work that I had done in the past. I took his word for it and set up a meeting. That meeting led to another meeting, which led to an interview, which led to a 90+ degree day in July. I was at Citi Field for Go Play Day with Nike, when I got a text from said person saying that he wanted to speak about a potential offer. I couldn’t take the call because I was occupied teaching first graders the proper fundamentals on how to field ground balls and step into their throws. Clearly more important. So serious, by the way.

The call happened the next day, and I was offered a job. Holding back tears like Will in The Pursuit of Happyness, I thanked the other end of the phone a million times, and the call ended. I broke down, my pals. The accumulation of hard work, persistence, struggle, pain, and everything you could imagine had brought me to this point. That’s where I’ve been since August, putting in some serious work with an All-Star team. I’m leading my own year long project, and doing the damn thing.

Damn, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I’m tired. I’ll use this paragraph to tell y’all some random facts about the year. Amanda and Darren had a baby, and Adonis is perfect. He’s a baby me, and I can’t wait to take him to the park. I went to Oregon and Seattle, went up to the Space Needle which was beast, and had a peaceful time exploring such a beautiful coast. I went to more of Ian’s plays because he’s a superstar. I ran with Dave because he realized I’m not trying to be a bodybuilder like he is, so to get him to run was like pulling teeth. Freddie Kitchens is the worst coach ever. I started going to church this year, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in quite some time. I dyed my hair because, life? I got two tattoos, one of which has been years in the making and is an ode to Sade, Bob Ross, and myself. I fell in love with Snoh. I don’t know, a lot of shit happened.

To close out this damn near novel of the year, I want to say that I’m proud of myself. I’m still standing, and I didn’t know what to expect as I wrote this. It was emotional, without a doubt. I’ll continue to reflect, I’ll continue to reminisce, and I’ll continue to be human. I encourage you all to do the same. I’ll continue to walk in faith, and give all glory upstairs. I don’t really know how to close this, which is weird, but as I always say, love is love. Whether it’s to close out this decade, or to start the new one, make a decision. Right or wrong, have faith it’ll all work out. I still do.

- The Boy

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Buck O’Neil

John Jordan (Buck) O'Neil (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout, and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

O'Neil's life was documented in Joe Posnanski's award-winning 2007 book The Soul of Baseball.

Playing career

Born in rural Carrabelle, Florida, O'Neil was initially denied the opportunity to attend high school due to racial segregation; at the time, Florida had only four high schools specifically for African Americans. However, after working a summer in a celery field with his father, O'Neil left home to live with relatives and attend Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, where he completed high school and two years of college courses. He left Florida in 1934 for several years of semi-professional "barnstorming" experiences (playing interracial exhibition games). The effort paid off, and in 1937, O'Neil signed with the Memphis Red Sox for their first year of play in the newly formed Negro American League. His contract was sold to the Monarchs the following year.

O'Neil had a career batting average of .288 between 1937 and 1950, including five .300-plus seasons at the plate, as well as five seasons in which he did not top .260. In 1946, the first baseman led the NAL with a .350 batting average and followed that in 1947 with a .305 mark in 16 games. He also posted averages of .344 in 1940 and .330 in 1949. He played in four East-West All-Star Games in three different seasons and two Negro World Series.

A World War II tour in the U.S. Navy from 1943–1945 briefly interrupted his playing career.

O'Neil was named manager of the Monarchs in 1948 after Frank Duncan's retirement, and continued to play first base as well as a regular through 1951, dropping to part-time status afterward. He managed the Monarchs for eight seasons from 1948 through 1955 during the declining years of the Negro leagues, winning two league titles and a shared title in which no playoff was held during that period. His two undisputed pennants were won in 1953 and 1955, when the league had shrunk to fewer than six teams.

Negro leagues career statistics

O'Neil was known to have played full-time in 1951 and as a reserve and pinch-hitter as late as 1955, but Negro leagues statistics for the period 1951 and after are considered extremely unreliable.

Source: Hall of Fame Committee on African-American Baseball, 2006

Off the field

When Tom Baird sold the Monarchs at the end of the 1955 season, O'Neil resigned as manager and became a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He was the first African American scout in Major League Baseball, and was named the first black coach in the major leagues by the Cubs in 1962 and is credited for signing Hall of Fame player Lou Brock to his first contract. O'Neil is sometimes incorrectly credited with also having signed Hall of Famer Ernie Banks to his first contract; Banks was originally scouted and signed to the Monarchs by Cool Papa Bell, then manager of the Monarchs' barnstorming B team in 1949. Banks played briefly for the Monarchs in 1950 and 1953, his play interrupted by Army duty. O'Neil was Banks' manager during those stints, and Banks was signed to play for the Cubs more than two years before O'Neil joined them as a scout.

After many years with the Cubs, O'Neil became a Kansas City Royals scout in 1988, and was named "Midwest Scout of the Year" in 1998.

O'Neil gained national prominence with his compelling descriptions of the Negro leagues as part of Ken Burns' 1994 PBS documentary on baseball. Afterwards, he became the subject of countless national interviews, including appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder.

In 1990, O'Neil led the effort to establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, and served as its honorary board chairman until his death.

In 1996, O'Neil became the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.

In February 2002, at the end of the NLBM's Legacy Awards annual banquet, O'Neil received an induction ring from the baseball scouts Hall of Fame in St. Louis.

O'Neil and all-star Ichiro Suzuki developed a relationship, with Ichiro attending the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with O'Neil and seeking O'Neil's knowledge of the game when the Seattle Mariners would have road games in Kansas City. "With Buck, I felt something big. The way he carried himself, you can see and tell and feel he loved this game."

A busy final year

On May 13, 2006, he received an honorary doctorate in education from Missouri Western State University where he also gave the commencement speech.

O'Neil was a member of the 18-member Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee from 1981 to 2000 and played an important role in the induction of six Negro league players from 1995 to 2001 during the time the Hall had a policy of inducting one Negro leaguer per year. O'Neil was nominated to a special Hall ballot for Negro league players, managers, and executives in 2006, but received fewer than the necessary nine votes (out of twelve) to gain admission; however, 17 other Negro league figures were selected.

God's been good to me. They didn't think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That's the way they thought about it and that's the way it is, so we're going to live with that. Now, if I'm a Hall of Famer for you, that's all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don't weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful.

On July 29, 2006, O'Neil spoke at the induction ceremony for the Negro league players at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Still playing after all these years

Just before the Hall of Fame ceremonies, O'Neil signed a contract with the Kansas City T-Bones on July 17 to allow him to play in the Northern League All-Star Game. Before the game, O'Neil was "traded" to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and was listed as the starting shortstop, although after drawing an intentional walk, he was replaced before actually playing in the field. At the end of the inning, another "trade" was announced that brought O'Neil back to the Kansas City team, allowing him to lead off the bottom of the inning as well (drawing another intentional walk).

The T-Bones originally claimed that O'Neil, at age 94 years, 8 months, and 5 days, would be by far the oldest person to appear in a professional baseball game (surpassing 83-year-old Jim Eriotes who had struck out in another Northern League game just a week earlier). However, that claim was in error, as the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League had signed Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe to a one-game contract and allowed him to face one batter on June 19, 1999 when he was 96 years old. While O'Neil was the second-oldest pro player, the claim was amended that he would be the oldest person to make a plate appearance in a professional baseball game.

The Kansas City T-Bones retired his number on May 26, 2006.

Death and legacy

On August 5, 2006, O'Neil was admitted to a Kansas City hospital after complaining that he didn't feel well. He was admitted for fatigue and was released three days later only to be re-admitted September 17. On September 28, Kansas City media reported that O'Neil's condition had worsened. On October 6, O'Neil died at the age of 94 of heart failure and bone marrow cancer.

During the ESPN opening day broadcast of the 2007 Kansas City Royals, on April 2, 2007, Joe Morgan announced that the Royals would honor O'Neil by placing a fan in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat in Kauffman Stadium each game who best exemplifies O'Neil's spirit. The seat itself has been replaced by a red seat amidst the all-blue seats behind home plate in Section 101, Row C, Seat 1. Due to the renovations and section renumbering in 2009 the seat number is now Section 127, Row C, Seat 9, and the seat bottom is now padded. The first person to sit in "Buck's seat" was Buck O'Neil's brother, Warren.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

On December 7, 2006, O'Neil was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush; the award was given to his brother, Warren, on his behalf on December 15. He was chosen due to his "excellence and determination both on and off the baseball field", according to the White House news release. He joins such sports notables as Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, and Jack Nicklaus in receiving the United States' highest civilian honor. On November 13, 2012 the family of Buck O'Neil donated his Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in honor of what would have been O'Neil's 101st birthday. The medal will be showcased in a special area of the NLBM dedicated to O'Neil.

Beacon of Life Award

On March 31, 2007—the day of Major League Baseball's first annual Civil Rights Game—O'Neil was posthumously awarded MLB's first annual Beacon of Life Award at the inaugural MLB Beacon Awards luncheon.

Lifetime Achievement Award

On October 24, 2007, O'Neil was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award named after him. He had fallen short in the Hall of Fame vote in 2006; however, he was honored in 2007 with a new award given by the Hall of Fame, to be named after him. A statue of O'Neil is to be placed inside the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on 18th and Vine in Kansas City, and the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented no more than every three years.

At the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 27, 2008, Joe Morgan gave a dedication speech for the award and talked about O'Neil's life, repeatedly citing the title of O'Neil's autobiography, I Was Right on Time.

Other honors

Buck O'Neil Run/Walk

"John Jordan 'Buck' O'Neil" exhibit (in the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame)

Hall of Famous Missourians: In February 2012 O'Neil was inducted to the Hall, located in the Missouri state capitol building in Jefferson City. A bronze bust of O'Neil will be on permanent display by the sculptor E. Spencer Schubert.

Wikipedia

#Buck O’Neil

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tnyj · 3 years

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Chapters of my life and career.

This post is a documentation of my life. From birth until current day.

I was born on November 17th, 2004 at 10:20 AM, at 52 centimetres long and weighing 1 pound and 14 ounces. I was born at 25 weeks, 15 weeks premature.

The funny thing is that, because I am a male, I could have died as a stillborn, because of my prematurity. My birth also kick-started a chapter of my life that is still ongoing, but that wasn’t named until my 14th year of life.

I went from hospital to hospital for the first half a year of my life.

I had suffered 12 respiratory arrests because the nurses were trying to get me onto CPAP, but my lungs kept failing after a few hours of being on it, so I was put on ventilator again and again. Because of this, I have a lip deformity on the right corner of my mouth. Also because of this, my windpipe itself became twisted and deformed, ironically.

On March 21st, 2005, I had the first major operation in my life, which was the Tracheostomy Operation, which was a tube in my throat to help me breathe. (I went on to have it until 2014, but that will be touched upon later.)

Then whilst, I was Guys Hospital, in London, I contracted MRSA because a nurse inadequately washed her hands, and was contaminated with the bug. The infection would go on to spread to my skin and blood, and that would have also killed me, if it wasn’t the extra special care given to me via the staff that worked there.

Then I went to another hospital.

Then another. This time, on April 26th, 2005, being the same hospital I was born in: Maidstone Hospital.

This was my final stay at Maidstone Hospital, where I grew bigger and stronger.

Then, on May 1st, 2005, I visited my mum’s parents to meet them and other members of my family. My Grammy (Mum’s mum’s mum), had a dog named Tina. I was scared of Tina, because I have never seen a dog at that point in time, because I was in hospital for most of my life back then, and also because when compared to my size at the time, I was smaller than it, even though the dog itself was small.

Because of this, I had a fear of dogs ever since until 2012.

On May 3rd, 2005, I was finally sent home, at five months old.

In 2007 I started walking for the first time, at the age of 2, because all I had was leg muscle therapy to help support my own bodyweight standing up.

I didn’t start talking with my vocal chords until 2008, because they were frozen and literally stuck together, and I had several operations to separate them.

I spoke via Sign Language until my vocal chords were finally separated.

In 2010 was another major operation, a partial tracheal resection, where they took a small portion of my deformed windpipe (caused by the constant ventilation tubes being shoved into my throat so I literally don’t die), and replaced it with a bit of my rib cartilage.

I tested positive for MRSA until 2010, as well.

Then, from 2012 until 2014, 2018 and 2020, I had several operations where they would laser away at my deformed windpipe, and several operations where they would just put a camera down my throat to check on my airways.

In 2014, was the most life changing moment since the initial tracheostomy operation: I had the tracheostomy out for an extended period of time, for the first time in my entire life.

Then, a year later, I suffered my most recent respiratory arrest in my life, in December 2015, caused because of combined effect of the premeds (medicine you take before you have the anaesthetic) and the anaesthetic itself, which caused a severe reaction and could have killed me. I had to have the tracheostomy back for 3 days.

Then when 2016 started, the hole where the tracheostomy resided healed shut, ironically when the doctors said that it isn’t supposed to. In February, I went swimming properly for the first time in 5 years. It was genuinely fun.

Then, nearly 2 years after this, I was due yet another major operation, this one also life-changing, where I could have the tracheostomy for the rest of my life or not have it ever again. Those outcomes were out of my control, and entirely up to the surgeons and doctors.

This operation was a full tracheal resection.

They severed most of my deformed windpipe, then pulled the rest of my windpipe that was intact up and then sewed it in place.

I was put into a medically induced coma, and then put into the ICU, post-operation. Then, when I returned to school in early/mid February, I was highly focused on education, getting into GCSE Mathematics (advanced math.), ran 800m without stopping (I have bad asthma), and began self-regulating more (because I sometimes take myself out of lessons if I am really frustrated). Because of this, I achieved what I consider the best achievement in my entire school life: The Personal Progress Award. (KEEP IN MIND: I go to a special needs school, because I am mentally disabled.)

2018 was also my tenth year at this special needs school, coincidentally.

Then, 2019 rolled around, and with modern context and hindsight, is the worst year of my school and personal life.

Starting off, was mediocre, at best. It wasn’t until late 2019 that things really went to shit, because of a then unrealised tendency to fuck myself over, because of the lack of forethought, especially when I let myself be consumed by emotions. In late 2019, I had my first relationship. I felt very happy at first, but then I was deluded by love, in the sense that I let myself be taken advantage of emotionally and psychologically and being abused because of such. Especially with her having another relationship beind my back at the same exact time as her being together with me (two-timing). Looking back now it is easier to realise that it was a very shitty relationship, but I was only 15 and I didn’t know better, at all. After me and my ex broke up, I was clearly depressed as shit, because it was my very first relationship.

Then the post-breakup bullying started, where my ex would make fun of me and mock me without reason. I let the pain, anger, sadness and hate build up within me, until I snapped after putting up with it for weeks and weeks.

She mocked me for how clingy I was, and at that point I was just done with that bullshit, so I punched her face. My fist hit her glasses, then they broke and cut her face open, which I didn’t expect, due to how angry I felt.

I was lucky not to have the police called on me.

That was incident was also when I completely lost childhood innocence, as well.

Then, 2020 came along, and changed modern human history. With CoViD-19 coming along and causing a massive pandemic that is still fucking ongoing.

On April 1st, I started using an audio editing software for my music career, which was new at the time, because all I had was a website DAW.

Then on April 23rd, 2020 I had my last MLB operation in recent memory. Which was operation 33.

In June 2020, I pioneered and experimented with a Hypertone Technique that I would later call ‘Breaking’. It involves copying and pasting nothing into an Ultrasound Tone (Ultratone), which breaks the tone into segments, making a small wall of the Broken Tone, then copying that wall, cutting the unedited (unbroken) tone, then pasting the wall of the Broken Tone, until it is significantly bigger, then speeding that up. The difference between this and most methods is that Breaking is an infinite cycle that can be repeated for eternity.

In that same month, I reached ee+121 BPM.

Later on, in August 2020, I reached ee+388 BPM, because I discovered three new forms of Breaking: Micro-Breaking, Nano-Breaking and Pico-Breaking.

Then, in December 2020, I discovered another three forms of Breaking: Femto-Breaking, Yocto-Breaking and Zepto-Breaking. In late December 2020, I started a 202 track album, titled ‘Reality Has No Meaning’ in response to the UK going into a second lockdown, due to variants of CoViD-19 hitting the country.

I completed RHNM in late January 2021.

Then, in February, I revived my BPMs reaching ee+500 on February 13th, 2021, ee+666 on February 17th, 2021 and starting my final major Hypertone album, and major album in general that has 100+ tracks: Towards E+1000 Digits. Which started on February 17th, 2021 and ended with the ee+1000 BPM track, on February 25th, 2021. I also reached ee+1001 the same day. marking an end to Breaking’s publicity.

In April 2021, I became insanely bitter, hateful and cynical, because I realised that I no longer had childhood innocence. This bitterness lasted until June and July. When I suddenly became apathetic to everything. I didn’t feel emotion for as long as I used to, circa 2018 and 2019. I still felt emotion, but very rarely.

In June I became pessimistic more severely than before, for some reason.

In late July, I became way more stylised, with the creation of more Soundcloud accounts to house very distinct styles of my music. The most personal of these is an alias named FFTSD, which is an acronym for ‘Falling For The Same Delusions’

Which expressed apathy, and also gave personal and self-reflective anecdotes in the descriptions of it’s tracks with a more expressive title.

This is all I have to offer about my life for now.

The Audacity Era is sort of Reminiscent of Hospital Hell for me, because it never ends. It’s on and off, constantly. (I mean this in the sense of my motivation to make music constantly being on and off).

This is everything about my life, online and offline.

Thank you for reading this essay/thesis or whatever, have a great day!

- TNYJ

#essay #self #explanation #real life #true #true stuff #true story #personal #my life #life

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/gameday-central-wisconsin-28-illinois-7-end-3rd-quarter-sports/

Gameday Central: Wisconsin 28, Illinois 7; End 3rd quarter | Sports

Beat writer Scott Richey will keep providing updates all night long from Camp Randall Stadium as Illinois takes on Wisconsin in the 2020 Big Ten opener. Follow along right here:

Tweets by srrichey

***

Meanwhile, back in Champaign. The watch party at Memorial Stadium is drawing a pretty good-sized student crowd.

***

Tonight’s Illini starters:

OFFENSE

LT – Vederian Lowe

LG – Kendrick Green

C – Doug Kramer

RG – Verdis Brown

RT – Alex Palczewski

QB – Brandon Peters

RB – Mike Epstein

WR – Josh Imatorbhebhe

WR – Casey Washington

WR – Donny Navarro

TE – Daniel Barker

DEFENSE

DE – Owen Carney Jr.

NT – Roderick Perry II

DT – Jamal Woods

DE – Marc Mondesir

OLB – Khalan Tolson

MLB – Jake Hansen

OLB – Delano Ware

CB – Nate Hobbs

CB – Tony Adams

S – Sydney Brown

S – Derrick Smith

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – James McCourt

P – Blake Hayes

***

We’re about an hour from kickoff in Madison, and there’s already some rather significant news to report. Illinois released its list of unavailable players for tonight’s game, and there are some big names on it.

Out at Wisconsin

DL Isaiah Gay DB Michael Marchese WR Trevon Sidney DB Devon Witherspoon OL Blake Jeresaty (season)

— Illini Stats & Notes (@IlliniStats) October 23, 2020

Defensive line was already a question mark heading into the season, and no Isaiah Gay only exacerbates that. Getting pressure on Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz could be important. Gay’s absence means Illinois will have to put an inexperienced defensive end on the field to start the game.

Devon Witherspoon being unavailable is just as big a blow. You might remember the sophomore cornerback from his game-saving tackle in last year’s upset of Wisconsin. The big question, of course, is if Witherspoon is out does that mean Tony Adams moves back to corner or does Marquez Beason make his Illini debut as a starter?

***

Looking out from the Camp Randal Stadium press box to no one (save for some cardboard cutouts in the seats closest to the field) is a surreal feeling.

The press box itself is pretty empty, too. Wisconsin is taking the social distancing thing seriously. I’m at an end of a row, and I’ve got more than six feet between my seat and where the Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan will sit.

Warmups are underway, but for the moment only the specialists for both teams are on the field.

***

The News-Gazette will be represented at Camp Randall Stadium for tonight’s Big Ten opener between Illinois and Wisconsin. Beat writer Scott Richey (that’s me as I shift to first person) is, in fact, set up in an undisclosed Marriott-brand location in Wisconsin right now prepping for his gameday coverage.

In a typical year I might venture out in Madison. Check out campus (again). In 2020? Hotel. Camp Randall. Nothing in between. Especially in Wisconsin.

The hotel was even a concession to 2020, in a way. The press box at Camp Randall is set to close 30 minutes after the last Zoom interview is complete. That’s not enough time to provide you all with the exhaustive coverage that will wind up right here at IlliniHQ.com in the wee hours Saturday morning. That and much more will grace the pages of Sunday’s News-Gazette.

The strangeness of 2020 aside, the drive from Champaign to Madison was exceedingly normal. I could have done without the rain, but being back on the road for the first time since early March (Illini basketball at Ohio State) was a surreal feeling. Then I hit the construction as soon as I crossed the Illinois-Wisconsin border, and all felt right with the world. It was a sign that at least some things never, ever, ever change.

In our still not-so-normal world, I won’t be joined for tonight’s game by News-Gazette colleague Bob Asmussen. Wisconsin credentialed just six total Illinois media members. It will be nice, though, to see the Decatur Herald & Review’s Joey Wagner, the Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan, 247Sports’ Jeremy Werner, Gatehouse correspondent Gavin Good and Gabby Hajduk from the Daily Illini.

Here we go. I’ll check back in when I can get into Camp Randall at 5:30 p.m.

pic.twitter.com/mHXIAqmxLm

— Kendrick J. Green (@The_fridge53) October 23, 2020

***

Our beat writer caught up with the Illini coach before Friday night’s season opener at Wisconsin

Beat writer Scott Richey breaks down the 2020 season opener

Here’s what you should expect in the Illini’s season opener

Three AP voters give their take on the Illini quarterback ahead of Friday night’s season opener at Wisconsin

‘Last year, when we played Wisconsin, it was an all-around effort by everybody,’ defensive lineman Jamal Woods said

Well, here we go again. The 2020 Illinois football, once thought lost to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, starts tonight in Madison, Wis. The Illini don’t ease into it either, with No. 14 Wisconsin first up in the revised (times two) Big Ten schedule.

No nonconference warmup in 2020. No shot at an Illinois State or UConn or Bowling Green before jumping into Big Ten play. No, it’s a headfirst dive into the deep end immediately instead.

The Illini and Badgers kick of at 7 p.m. at Camp Randal Stadium. Most will be listening (check out Brian Barnhart and Martin O’Donnell on WDWS) or watching from home. The Big Ten has banned fans in 2020, and even the allowance for families of players and coaches has been put on pause in Madison.

While you get ready for the start of the most unique Illinois football season in more than a century, catch up on our exhaustive preseason coverage leading up to today’s game. It was a team effort by the entire N-G sports staff, including long-time beat writer Bob Asmussen, sports editor Matt Daniels, preps writer Colin Likas with a major assist, copy editor Joe Vozzelli and beat writer Scott Richey.

Richey will represent the N-G in Madison as one of just six Illinois media credentialed to make the trip in the new COVID-19 world we’re living in. He’ll provide updates throughout the day and late into the night as befitting a 7 p.m. kickoff. (Don’t ask his opinion on that. Or do. He doesn’t mind sharing).

As always, right here at IlliniHQ.com is where all your gameday needs will be answered, including more from our preseason deep dive on the Illini:

Uniform tweaks further awareness of social justice issues

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois football players have taken an active stance on social justice issues in the last few months, including an athlete-organized march in late August against police violence and racial injustice. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Kendrick Green and senior cornerback Nate Hobbs spearheaded that initiative, and others have been active on social media to promote awareness, too.

The Illini will use Friday’s season opener at No. 14 Wisconsin to further that cause. Illinois will replace its traditional orange and blue Block I helmet decal with a black Block I instead.

“We wanted to show that we are aware of what’s happening in our country right now,” Hobbs said in an official release. “We’re willing to take a stand, not as one, but as a unit.”

To continue reading, click here.

Quarterback Brandon Peters leads a deep and talented senior class for the 2020 Illinois football team, which opens the season at 7 p.m. on Friday at Wisconsin.

David Craan/Illinois athletics

Asmussen | Illini, get ready for a college football season like no other

CHAMPAIGN — It’s 11 a.m. on Dec. 5.

Three inches of snow blanket the Memorial Stadium turf. And the white stuff fills the empty stands.

Well, almost empty … except for the cardboard cutouts of fans ($50 to $99 a pop) and the faux Marching Illini.

In five minutes, Illinois and Iowa will run onto Zuppke Field to no applause, other than what’s generated by the loudspeakers and scoreboards.

No smell of roasting hot dogs or popcorn in the air. No beers being spilled on people in the next row.

Outside beautiful Memorial Stadium, the usual hustle and bustle are absent.

If the Dick Butkus and Red Grange statues could talk, it would be some version of, “What the heck is going on around here?”

To continue reading, click here.

More from the 2020 Illinois football special section:

Meet the seniors

Meet the coaches

Big Ten West preview

Big Ten East preview

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate Bryce Barnes is entering his sophomore season at Illinois.

Illinois athletics

GCMS grad Barnes aiming for bigger special teams presence

CHAMPAIGN — Bryce Barnes is readily visible for about 2 seconds.

His nameplate and number 48, in dark blue print on a gray uniform backdrop, are seen bouncing around before being sucked into a sea of humanity.

The then-Illinois football freshman turns into one small piece of a massive celebration, set off by James McCourt’s 39-yard field goal that allowed the Illini to upset No. 6 Wisconsin 24-23 at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19, 2019.

It’s all archived in a YouTube video on the Illinois athletics website.

Of course, Barnes lived the moment. And the 2019 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate can provide a slightly different perspective from it.

“I ended up at the bottom of the pile, and (McCourt and I) were face to face underneath everybody,” said Barnes, who was blocking on the line as McCourt booted the ball through the uprights in front of the Illini band and student section. “It was an honor for me to be out there in such a big win for this program. I wanted to start crying just because of how happy I was.”

To continue reading, click here.

More from Scott Richey

Lovie: ‘We’re going to see exciting football’

Starters have Smith comfortable with cornerbacks

#central #gameday #illinois #quarter #wisconsin #Sports

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vsplusonline · 4 years

Text

European leaders are blunt: A vaccine won't come soon enough

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/european-leaders-are-blunt-a-vaccine-wont-come-soon-enough/

European leaders are blunt: A vaccine won't come soon enough

SOAVE, ITALY — In separate, stark warnings, two major European leaders bluntly told their citizens that the world needs to adapt to living with the coronavirus and cannot wait to be saved by the development of a vaccine.

The comments by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came governments worldwide and many U.S. states struggled with restarting economies blindsided by the pandemic. With 36 million newly unemployed in the U.S. alone, economic pressures are building even as authorities acknowledge that reopening risks setting off new waves of infections and deaths.

Pushed hard by Italy’s regional leaders and weeks in advance of an earlier timetable, Conte is allowing restaurants, bars and beach facilities to open Monday, the same day that church services can resume and shops reopen.

“We are facing a calculated risk, in the awareness … that the epidemiological curve could go back up,” Conte said. “We are confronting this risk, and we need to accept it, otherwise we would never be able to relaunch.”

Conte added that Italy could “not afford” to wait until a vaccine was developed. Health experts say the world could be months, if not years, away from having a vaccine available to everyone despite the scientific gold rush now on to create one.

Britain’s Johnson, who was hospitalized last month with a serious bout of COVID-19, speculated Sunday that a vaccine may not be developed at all, despite the huge global effort to produce one.

“I said we would throw everything we could at finding a vaccine,” Johnson wrote in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. “There remains a very long way to go, and I must be frank that a vaccine might not come to fruition.”

Coronavirus has infected over 4.6 million people and killed more than 312,000 worldwide, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University that experts say under counts the true toll of the pandemic. The U.S. has reported over 88,000 dead and Europe has seen at least 160,000 deaths.

In the U.S., many states have lifted stay-at home-orders and other restrictions, allowing some types of businesses to reopen.

Houses of worship are beginning to look ahead to resumption of in-person services, with some eyeing that shift this month. But the challenges of reopening the door to in-person worship are steeper in states with ongoing public health restrictions.

In Elgin, Ill., Northwest Bible Baptist Church had sought to welcome back worshipers on Sunday, preparing to scan people’s temperatures and purchasing protective equipment. But the church postponed that after local authorities raised questions and is now in talks about parameters for holding future services.

The church’s preparations to reopen were “more than what they’d had to do if they were at Home Depot or Lowe’s or Walmart,” said Jeremy Dys, a counsel at First Liberty Institute, the legal non-profit representing Northwest Bible Baptist. “Somehow people going to church are incapable, it’s insinuated, of safely gathering.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declined to criticize local leaders amid images of crowded bars and boardwalks in areas where coronavirus restrictions are being lifted. Azar told CNN in an interview Sunday that, “The president has left it up to states to know their local situation the best,” and said it’s therefore “very hard to judge in any community whether a bar being open, a restaurant, a school is the right thing.”

He said the lockdown measures also carry “serious health consequences,” including the risk of suicide, delayed cardiac procedures and cancer screenings. As for the images, he said: “I think in any individual instance you’re going to see people doing things that are irresponsible,” but says: “That’s part of the freedom we have here in America.”

Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told “Fox News Sunday” that the virus can spread “explosively” if lockdown restrictions are lifted too quickly.

“That’s why we have to be so careful,” Frieden said. “We’re all tired of waiting at home. We want to get out. I want to get back to the gym. We want to get back to our lives.”

Professional soccer matches in Germany’s Bundesliga resumed over the weekend, a move keenly watched by the rest of the soccer world as well as American sports leagues like the MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL, which all face major changes to their operations amid the pandemic.

Germany has won wide praise for its widespread testing amid the pandemic. Not all fans were happy about the restart, which took place in empty stadiums, but the games were broadcast widely around the world.

Players were warned not to spit, shake hands or hug each other to celebrate goals. Team staff and substitutes wore masks on the bench, and balls and seats were disinfected.

“The whole world is watching Germany to see how we do it,” Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick said. “It can act as an example for all leagues.”

Churches throughout Greece opened their doors to the faithful after two months Sunday, while limiting the number of congregants and dispensing disinfectants. Turkey allowed people over 65 to leave their homes only for a second time — up to six hours — but kept them under a general lockdown.

Small shops were opening in most of Spain, which on Sunday reported only 87 new deaths, the lowest daily death count since March 16. Restrictions, however, remained tighter in Madrid and Barcelona, the hardest-hit areas.

In Asia, China’s commercial hub of Shanghai announced a June 2 restart of classes for younger students amid falling virus cases. People in Thailand streamed Sunday into shopping malls, which have been closed since March.

China’s airline regulator reported that flights had returned to 60% of pre-outbreak levels, exceeding 10,000 per day for the first time since Feb. 1. No new deaths have been reported in a month in the world’s second-largest economy, where the coronavirus was first detected late last year.

China reported just five new cases on Sunday, while South Korea recorded 13, raising hopes that a new outbreak linked to nightclubs in Seoul may be waning, even though 168 patients have been infected so far.

——

Gorondi reported from Budapest, Hungary and Chan reported from London. Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

Source link

#Health

0 notes

itsfinancethings · 4 years

Link

(SOAVE, Italy) — In separate, stark warnings, two major European leaders have bluntly told their citizens that the world needs to adapt to living with the coronavirus and cannot wait to be saved by the development of a vaccine.

The comments by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came as nations around the world and U.S. states are both struggling with restarting economies blindsided by the pandemic. With 36 million newly unemployed in the U.S. alone, economic pressures are building even as authorities acknowledge that reopening risks off new waves of infections and deaths.

’’We are facing a calculated risk, in the awareness … that the epidemiological curve could go back up,” Conte said late Saturday. “We are confronting this risk, and we need to accept it, otherwise we would never be able to relaunch.”

“We would find ourselves with our social and productive fabric heavily damaged,” Conte said.

Italy’s economy is forecast to contract 9% this year due to the coronavirus amid a long, strict lockdown.

For his part, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalized last month with a serious bout of COVID-19, speculated Sunday that a vaccine may not be developed at all, despite the huge global effort to produce one.

Johnson said Britain was taking “baby steps” toward reopening, “trying to do something that has never had to be done before — moving the country out of a full lockdown.”

“Despite these efforts, we have to acknowledge we may need to live with this virus for some time to come,” Johnson wrote.

The Conservative leader said the U.K. needs to find new ways of controling the virus, including more testing for people who have symptoms and tracing the contacts of infected people. One minister said Sunday that 17,200 people had been recruited to be contact tracers.

Coronavirus has infected over 4.6 million people and killed more than 312,000 worldwide, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University that experts say undercounts the true toll of the pandemic. The U.S. has reported over 88,000 dead in the pandemic and Europe has seen at least 160,000 deaths.

Professional soccer matches in Germany’s Bundesliga resumed over the weekend, a move keenly watched by the rest of the soccer world as well as American sports leagues like MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL, which all face major changes to their operations amid the pandemic.

Players were warned not to spit, shake hands or hug each other to celebrate goals. Team staff and substitutes wore masks on the bench, and balls and seats were disinfected.

“The whole world is watching Germany to see how we do it,” Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick said. “It can act as an example for all leagues.”

In the U.S., Former President Barack Obama again criticized U.S. leaders overseeing the coronavirus response, telling college graduates online that the pandemic shows many officials, as he put it, “aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” He mentioned no names but appears to be gearing up to campaign for his former vice president, Joe Biden, a Democrat running against President Donald Trump in the November election.

In California, more parks and hiking trails welcomed visitors in a second phase of reopening, and more retailers offered curbside pickups to customers. Outdoor exhibits at Atlanta’s zoo have reopened, while in New Mexico, retailers, houses of worship and many services reopened at limited capacity, but not in the state’s northwest, where much of its outbreak is centered.

In New Orleans, a city famous for its cuisine, restaurants will have to limit the number of reservations as officials eased restrictions.

“We’re going to trial run what it is to operate in the new normal,” said Kirk Estopinal, one of the owners of Cane & Table in the city’s famed French Quarter.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said horse racing tracks and the Watkins Glen International auto track can reopen but with “no crowds, no fans.” He also said he could envision a return of Major League Baseball in New York, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, but this time without spectators.

“If it works economically, that would be great,” he said.

___

Gorondi reported from Budapest, Hungary and Chan reported from London. Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

#IFTTT #Blogger

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preciousmetals0 · 4 years

Text

March Madness; Disney Sadness; Apple Gladness

March Madness; Disney Sadness; Apple Gladness:

Friday Four Play: The “Take It to the Limit” Edition

The third time’s the charm, right?

That’s what they say, anyway. Dow futures hit the circuit breakers once again this morning as markets took it to the limit … one more time.

Most of us are sad after Wall Street experienced its worst day since 1987’s Black Monday. The rest of us are wondering what to do with the rest of March now that March Madness is officially canceled.

Now that’s madness!

But it’s not only the NCAA tournament. The NBA suspended its season, as did the NHL, Major League Soccer and European soccer.

The MLB delayed opening day for at least two weeks and canceled spring training.

The PGA will still hold tournaments, but without spectators. Who will the announcers shush now? It’s just not the same!

It’s clearly a bad time to be a sportsball fan.

Getting back to the heart of the matter, Wall Street’s in rally mode today. Optimism is growing over a promised White House coronavirus bill … though what’s ultimately in this bill may or may not help you through the night.

Wall Street has been living life in the fast lane, with easy money driving massive bullish trading in the city.

Right now, however, we need to learn to be still. Remain calm. Don’t get lured into either the rush to sell or the rush to buy. Today’s rally may just turn out to be a sucker’s rally, so there’s no need to rush into today’s buying spree, guns blazing, like a desperado.

After all, the markets won’t have their pretty maids all in a row for some time. If you don’t plan to invest properly for the long run, you’re in for a heartache tonight … I know.

So, put me on Wall Street and show me a sign. And take it to the limit … one more time.

And now for something completely different … here’s your Friday Four Play:

No. 1: A Whole New World

I don’t know what timeline we’re stuck in, but I never thought I’d see the day when The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) closed all its parks at once.

From Florida to Paris, Disney announced this morning that it will cease all park operations as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

“In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of our theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort, beginning at the close of business on Sunday, March 15, through the end of the month,” Disney said in a statement.

Here at Great Stuff, we expected this announcement and anticipated that it’d lead to heavy selling pressure. However, since the closures arrived on a rally day for the markets, DIS stock is actually gaining despite the news.

We wanted to tell you that this would be a buying opportunity for DIS. But now … I think we’ll hold off until investors finally digest this historic event — especially since park revenue makes up about 26% of Disney’s total sales for the year. Ouch.

No. 2: Slackin’ Off

On the surface, Slack Technologies Inc. (NYSE: WORK) appeared to put in a solid fourth quarter. Earnings and revenue (which jumped 49%) each topped analysts’ expectations.

However, guidance for both the first quarter and the full year were on the light side. This was especially disconcerting for Wall Street, which expected big things from a company that enables working from home through the COVID-19 outbreak.

Digging deeper into the report, we find that fourth-quarter losses more than doubled year over year. What’s more, most of the new users flooding into Slack due to the coronavirus are free users. Convincing those freemium users to buy amid uncertain market conditions will be tough indeed.

As a result, Wall Street sent Slack packin’ to the tune of more than 25% today.

No. 3: The Beginning of the End?

The last time we checked in on Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), the iPhone maker was shuttering its retail locations across China and issuing profit warnings — a veritable canary in a coal mine.

It’s fitting, then, that Apple is now the dove carrying an olive branch of hope.

What’s that, little bird? Oh, Apple is reopening all 42 of its Chinese retail locations?! That’s great news!

But there’s more…

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) analyst Aaron Rakers upgraded Apple stock from equal weight to overweight. Why? Rakers expects Apple to outperform, noting that the tech giant is “under-owned in large cap fundament funds.”

Wait … you mean to tell me that, after two weeks of the harshest selling we’ve seen in years (decades, even) … funds don’t own enough AAPL shares?

Fascinating … it’s not like everyone was dumping nearly every stock they owned recently, including Apple. Tell me more! Is water wet? Is the sky blue? Can sheep bladders really be used to prevent earthquakes?

Now, even the good news comes with a warning: “While it is still admittedly difficult (impossible) to gauge the fundamental impact Apple may realize from the COVID-19 outbreak, at current levels we think shares offer a compelling risk / reward for long-term patient investors.”

Is Rakers too soon? Too late? Either way, we’ll see what kind of financial shape Apple is in when the company reports its second-quarter earnings in a couple of months.

AAPL shares are up about 4.2% at last check. Nice.

No. 4: Occidentally on Purpose

For some, market collapses are a time to hunker down, save capital and prepare for the worst. For others, it’s time to go hunting.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that activist investor Carl Icahn gobbled up nearly 10% of Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s (NYSE: OXY) shares during the recent market downturn. That’s right: In the middle of the Russia/Saudi Arabia pillow fight over oil prices, when oil service companies were getting beaten to death, Carl drank Occidental’s milkshake … drank it right up.

Icahn not believe it, and neither could Occidental. Today, the company’s board adopted a “poison pill” to prevent Carl from completely taking over. The pill (definitely not the little blue kind) is designed to limit shareholder rights for one year should any one shareholder acquire 15% or more of OXY shares outstanding.

Basically, Occidental just turned off the tap on Icahn’s share-siphoning program. Investors aren’t happy, however, as OXY is one of the few stocks struggling in today’s broad market rally.

Great Stuff: Happy Little Trees

Weeks like this make me want to put on Bob Ross and drift off to thoughts of happy little trees.

If this week’s whiplash was tough for you, you aren’t alone. Although … let’s not kid ourselves.

We aren’t through this yet. We have no idea how markets will react as the virus seeps deeper and deeper into the bowels of America. There will be more volatility to come — I’d almost guarantee it, but you know … irrational markets and all.

Just remember…

Optimism is just as contagious as the virus … and all the worry that comes with it. If you’re searching for some much-needed positivity to start the weekend, search no more.

No matter what the markets look like now, we will get through this. Business will go on. Life … uhhh … finds a way!

And you better believe that Mickey Mouse ain’t dead.

At times like this, you can count on Banyan Hill expert Paul Mampilly to keep looking forward.

Paul’s “Strong Hands” approach to investing is crucial for times like this. He believes America will emerge from the coronavirus stronger than ever … no matter how long it takes. And the mega trends that he follows (such as 5G and precision medicine) won’t die to market panic.

Click here to learn about Paul Mampilly’s vision for a new, rebuilt United States — America 2.0 … complete with Strong Hands and happy little trees.

That’s all for this week. But don’t fret, you can get more meme-y market goodness by following us on Facebook and Twitter!

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

0 notes

goldira01 · 4 years

Link

Friday Four Play: The “Take It to the Limit” Edition

The third time’s the charm, right?

That’s what they say, anyway. Dow futures hit the circuit breakers once again this morning as markets took it to the limit … one more time.

Now that’s madness!

But it’s not only the NCAA tournament. The NBA suspended its season, as did the NHL, Major League Soccer and European soccer.

The MLB delayed opening day for at least two weeks and canceled spring training.

The PGA will still hold tournaments, but without spectators. Who will the announcers shush now? It’s just not the same!

It’s clearly a bad time to be a sportsball fan.

Wall Street has been living life in the fast lane, with easy money driving massive bullish trading in the city.

After all, the markets won’t have their pretty maids all in a row for some time. If you don’t plan to invest properly for the long run, you’re in for a heartache tonight … I know.

So, put me on Wall Street and show me a sign. And take it to the limit … one more time.

And now for something completely different … here’s your Friday Four Play:

No. 1: A Whole New World

I don’t know what timeline we’re stuck in, but I never thought I’d see the day when The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) closed all its parks at once.

From Florida to Paris, Disney announced this morning that it will cease all park operations as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

No. 2: Slackin’ Off

On the surface, Slack Technologies Inc. (NYSE: WORK) appeared to put in a solid fourth quarter. Earnings and revenue (which jumped 49%) each topped analysts’ expectations.

As a result, Wall Street sent Slack packin’ to the tune of more than 25% today.

No. 3: The Beginning of the End?

The last time we checked in on Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), the iPhone maker was shuttering its retail locations across China and issuing profit warnings — a veritable canary in a coal mine.

It’s fitting, then, that Apple is now the dove carrying an olive branch of hope.

What’s that, little bird? Oh, Apple is reopening all 42 of its Chinese retail locations?! That’s great news!

But there’s more…

Wait … you mean to tell me that, after two weeks of the harshest selling we’ve seen in years (decades, even) … funds don’t own enough AAPL shares?

Is Rakers too soon? Too late? Either way, we’ll see what kind of financial shape Apple is in when the company reports its second-quarter earnings in a couple of months.

AAPL shares are up about 4.2% at last check. Nice.

No. 4: Occidentally on Purpose

For some, market collapses are a time to hunker down, save capital and prepare for the worst. For others, it’s time to go hunting.

Basically, Occidental just turned off the tap on Icahn’s share-siphoning program. Investors aren’t happy, however, as OXY is one of the few stocks struggling in today’s broad market rally.

Great Stuff: Happy Little Trees

Weeks like this make me want to put on Bob Ross and drift off to thoughts of happy little trees.

If this week’s whiplash was tough for you, you aren’t alone. Although … let’s not kid ourselves.

Just remember…

Optimism is just as contagious as the virus … and all the worry that comes with it. If you’re searching for some much-needed positivity to start the weekend, search no more.

No matter what the markets look like now, we will get through this. Business will go on. Life … uhhh … finds a way!

And you better believe that Mickey Mouse ain’t dead.

At times like this, you can count on Banyan Hill expert Paul Mampilly to keep looking forward.

Click here to learn about Paul Mampilly’s vision for a new, rebuilt United States — America 2.0 … complete with Strong Hands and happy little trees.

That’s all for this week. But don’t fret, you can get more meme-y market goodness by following us on Facebook and Twitter!

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

#Timor Invest

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Buck O’Neil

John Jordan O’Neil (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout, and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

O'Neil's life was documented in Joe Posnanski's award-winning 2007 book The Soul of Baseball.

Playing career

A World War II tour in the U.S. Navy from 1943–1945 briefly interrupted his playing career.

Negro leagues career statistics

O'Neil was known to have played full-time in 1951 and as a reserve and pinch-hitter as late as 1955, but Negro leagues statistics for the period 1951 and after are considered extremely unreliable.

Source: Hall of Fame Committee on African-American Baseball, 2006

Off the field

After many years with the Cubs, O'Neil became a Kansas City Royals scout in 1988, and was named "Midwest Scout of the Year" in 1998.

In 1990, O'Neil led the effort to establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, and served as its honorary board chairman until his death.

In 1996, O'Neil became the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.

In February 2002, at the end of the NLBM's Legacy Awards annual banquet, O'Neil received an induction ring from the baseball scouts Hall of Fame in St. Louis.

A busy final year

On May 13, 2006, he received an honorary doctorate in education from Missouri Western State University where he also gave the commencement speech.

On July 29, 2006, O'Neil spoke at the induction ceremony for the Negro league players at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Still playing after all these years

The Kansas City T-Bones retired his number on May 26, 2006.

Death and legacy

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Beacon of Life Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Other honors

Buck O'Neil Run/Walk

"John Jordan 'Buck' O'Neil" exhibit (in the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame)

Wikipedia

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junker-town · 6 years

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Sosa-McGwire home run chase tracker

What was it like in 1998, during the nail-biting race to beat Roger Maris’ home run record? We track the big headlines and the dingers as the world watched.

Welcome to the spring of 1998: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are coming off seasons of 58 and 36 home runs, respectively, and it’s McGwire’s first full season in St. Louis. Predictions of him breaking Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark of 61 are already flying. Six short months from now, McGwire and Sosa will both have accomplished the feat with the former edging the latter by four home runs to set a new record of 70.

Before that finish line, though, both men would hit more than 130 combined dingers throughout the year, and there would be magazine covers, commercials, and late-night shows tracking them the whole way. The home run race would captivate baseball fans, as well as people who wouldn’t otherwise care about the sport, and it would stay lodged in the mind of kids everywhere — some of whom grew up to be today’s stars of the game, and can still articulate how they felt during that summer.

So, whether you’re someone who remembers the McGwire-Sosa home run chase in all of its enthralling detail, or a future MLB fan who wasn’t yet old enough to recall all of the specifics of the season-long battle (hi, hello, it’s me), either way, it’s been 20 years since that race and its can’t-miss action brought fans back to baseball. Let the dingers fly!

[Note: Our tracker took into account all available recorded dates, field positions, and distances for McGwire and Sosa home runs in the 1998 season.]

CARLO ALLEGRI/AFP/Getty Images

McGwire steps in, wins homer contest

McGwire’s home runs were already meriting column space in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in early March, but not because of a game situation. In a batting practice home run derby against Blue Jays players, he hit all of the Cardinals’ seven homers to win. That March 8, 1998, anecdote would be a prelude of what was to come, and he even did it without his usual bat.

Sammy time: “Sosa predicted last spring he would hit 50 home runs. Now he’s out of the prognostication business”

Sosa took a step back from the confident position he had with his 1997 home run totals in the March 9 edition of the Chicago Tribune. He should have stayed with it though, since even though he wasn’t “out there to hit 40 home runs” he did that, and more. It’s safe to say he did accomplish his goal of hurting teams every day.

McGwire’s chances of breaking homer mark is among topics discussed with Reds’ minor leaguers

Someone was making predictions though, at least for McGwire. Pete Rose, joining a trend that would be a big feature of that season’s Spring Training coverage, appeared in the March 15 Post-Dispatch confidently predicting McGwire could top Maris’ mark, and offering managers advice they wouldn’t quite follow: walk him a bunch. McGwire would end the season with 162 walks, but even that many free trips to first didn’t keep him from setting the record.

While McGwire was getting all the prediction coverage, Sosa had headlines following him during Spring Training.

RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

“Sosa’s No. 1 need: Discipline at plate”

He struck out three fewer times in 1998 than in 1997 (171 to 174) but hit 30 more home runs than the previous year. So this March 22 Tribune headline isn’t necessarily wrong, but it turns out his plate discipline didn’t matter when it came to crushing as much as everyone thought. Hey, not every preseason prediction was going to land.

Over in McGwireville that same day, the Sunday edition of the Post-Dispatch fills us in on McGwire’s opinion on all his publicity with the most 1998 reference, saying, “He has graced the cover of The Sporting News Baseball Yearbook and the Sports Illustrated special baseball issue and the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated. He is on the cover of the Cardinals’ media guid. He’s been on more covers than Monica Lewinsky. And McGwire, predictably, isn’t wild about it.”

Lewinsky name drop aside, McGwire admits he would rather not be on covers and only be written about for his feats rather than constantly having to take photos and be the center of attention. “I would rather do the articles and that’s about it.” McGwire said. “I don’t like publicity.”

That is … not a wish that will come true.

Twin towers of power

In the March 25 edition of the Tribune, with the season almost underway, a prediction of 75 or 80 homers for Sosa and teammate Henry Rodriguez gets space in the sports section. They’d combine for 97 home runs, with Sosa accomplishing the bulk of that, of course. Rodriguez did end up notching 31 of his own bombs, only five away from his career high.

In response to Cubs’ first baseman Mark Grace being tagged as the cleanup hitter and Sosa slotting in third in the batting order, Grace said in the March 27 Tribune that he’s happy with that setup because, “I want to see Sammy get as many pitches as he possibly can. Because when Sammy puts the bat on the ball, good things happen.” If you only knew, Mark Grace. If you only knew.

Players: 61 HRs before .400

Also on the 27th, a small item in the Moline, Illinois, Dispatch noted that Grace said McGwire, Sosa, or anyone on the Rockies would have a chance at reaching Maris’ threshold and then passing it, which is a pretty close prediction considering Sosa didn’t break 40 the year before. Cubs GM Ed Lynch did Grace one better and named McGwire or Ken Griffey Jr. as players who could hit 70 home runs, specifically. Hit the nail right on the head there. Hopefully he bought some lottery tickets after media availability that day.

All eyes are on McGwire as he aims at homer mark

Two days from Opening Day, McGwire still wasn’t comfortable with being the center of attention while his teammates failed to garner the same close analysis and predictions. He told the Post-Dispatch: “I know there’s a lot of eyes on me. There should be a lot of eyes on everybody else.”

Hopefully he got used to it. Because once the season began, these confident preseason predictions would look like a middle-of-the-paper footnote compared to the home run race fervor. Covers and attention, ahoy.

Everyone [remembers] right? As a kid growing up that was amazing. Sosa was just so electrifying, so fun-loving. McGwire was that classic, stoic Cardinal Way just dropping bombs into Big Mac land. Every time we play in St. Louis it says Big Mac up on the third deck and you can’t help but remember that summer. What a great time for baseball. —Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros

It was very significant. You’d wake up every day and see if they hit one. I was just rooting for excitement, for homers. I wasn’t team Sosa or Team McGwire, I was just team excitement. —Jed Lowrie, Oakland A’s

“Get Ready for a Slugfest: Why Maris’ record and a lot of others could fall”

McGwire’s first cover of the season came eight days before he would hit his first home run. Sports Illustrated’s March 23 cover was all Big Mac with the exception of a brief mention of NCAA Tournament upsets happening that week (10-seed West Virginia had beaten 2-seed Cincinnati, 6-seed UCLA beat 3-seed Michigan, and 8-seed Rhode Island pulled off the upset over 1-seed Kansas).

I might have been in fourth or fifth grade? But I remember watching it every night. ...I think I was going for Sosa. I really liked the way he hopped. Plus I’m from North Alabama so Chicago, St. Louis, they’re right there. —Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox

You know things are legitimate when the brands get involved. A trip for two to the World Series from Pepsi just for guessing the home run champion’s dinger total was a sure sign the race was top of everyone’s mind, instead of just the baseball world’s.

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In May, McGwire and Sosa combined for 12 home runs in a single week.

Just a lot of home runs. I actually remember on ESPN they had a count and it seemed like every other day one of them was hitting a homer so it’s just cool to look back on that, to remember that. —Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies

It was amazing. Every time you watched a game when they were on the TV it was a home run and it was pretty interesting and electric to see two guys go at it for a home run title. —Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies

Nike’s “Chicks Dig the Long Ball” commercial, in which Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux train to hit home runs to impress fans (including Heather Locklear!!), who are more captivated with McGwire’s prowess at the plate. One of the best things to come out of the 1998 season.

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I thank Sammy and McGwire for doing what they did because that brought baseball back. The fans came back to paying attention to baseball, because it was a little cold until they came in and did the home run challenge, which is almost impossible to do. Every baseball player should thank them for doing what they did, that’s why we are where we are right now. Everybody’s having a career right now because of it. —David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (ret.)

As a kid, it was something that really drew you into the game of baseball and watching it every night. Not just those two guys, but all the fans and all the teams, you know it was definitely one of my early baseball memories. —Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

I was pretty young, but I just remember every day there was something. I didn’t know really how special that was until looking back on it and seeing how many people haven’t even reached 60 homers, some of the best power hitters ever. I’m glad those guys are out of the game now so I don’t have to face them. —Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks

“Slammin’ Sammy: Sammy Sosa is on a record home run binge”

The next big cover featuring either Sosa or McGwire didn’t come until June 29, when Sports Illustrated put Sosa on a cover of his own. At this point, Sosa had 32 homers to McGwire’s 36, and the race was well on its way to the top of Hype Mountain. This cover just about marks the point where the race actually turned into a race and not “just” McGwire chasing Maris.

I think I was 12 maybe. So playing little league baseball, that was really exciting to follow. I remember no matter what we were doing, if we were at somebody else’s house or I even remember times when my dad was making me mow the yard, someone from inside the house would yell, “Hey, McGwire’s gonna come up” and I would run inside real quick and watch his at-bat and then have to go finish my chores. I appreciate that part of it, it got me out of doing some extra yard work. That might have been the summer where I fell in love with the game and it became my most favorite sport. —Sean Doolittle, Washington Nationals

I always watched SportsCenter when I was laying in bed going to sleep. Obviously, being able to watch that race was unbelievable. I was a McGwire guy. I liked the Cardinals a little more because they were closer to home, so I’d always watch the Cardinals. —J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins

“Outta Here!”

With McGwire at 44 home runs and Sosa at 40, TIME issued the first cover to feature them both. Neither of them posed for this one, and based on both of their reluctance at the beginning of the season to be the absolute center of attention, it’s notable TIME went the route of having an artist draw them rather than setting up a photo shoot or using wire photos.

The eventual World Series champions get a mention here, but it’s a small one. The Yankees’ even came after the note on stadium food. But the most important part of this subhead is the phrase “baseball is back.”

The predictions and the hope of a home run spike may have been one thing, but the actual race did something better than being exciting: it gave baseball a second life that wasn’t guaranteed after the 1994 strike.

I remember it was awesome feeling. Especially when they played each other. The way that they’d go at each other. I think that baseball really grew a lot after the strike and baseball got back on top after that. —Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

“The Great Home Run Chase: In pursuit of Mac, Junior and Sammy. A remarkable 72-hour odyssey”

Oh look, a Ken Griffey, Jr. reference on the August 3 edition of Sports Illustrated. Griffey would end the season with 56 home runs, a full 10 behind Sosa and a total that in most other years would have gotten him all of these covers. Instead he got this brief mention before the two main men in the race uncorked things and went on their August and September tears. At the time of this cover, he was one behind Sosa and four behind McGwire.

I just remember how much fun baseball was. Obviously, when you have two big names like that going at it with the home run race, two iconic organizations too … as a kid you can’t ask for anything better than that. —Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs

I remember how far and how long they were hitting them, how excited everybody was. The Home Run Derby was something I always watched growing up as a kid and that was a special event. It was Home Run Derby every day for them. —Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

Not every current player remembers the home run race. Whether because of youth or growing up in another country, their introductions to what McGwire and Sosa did came late.

I was in Brazil so I don’t want to say I barely watched baseball, but it was hard. When I moved here, to see that. Still to this day, 60’s and 70’s? It’s like, geez. I think I might have just gotten past that career-wise and those guys were doing it in one year. It’s really cool. You heard it a little bit on ESPN Brasil but at that time, I was playing baseball but wasn’t really following baseball as much. I was more following NPB, Japanese baseball. —Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians

I didn’t have the opportunity to watch that in Cuba, we didn’t have the stations. But I heard about it and when I came here I watched videos of that. It was very special. —Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

As McGwire’s record-breaking home run neared, pop culture made room for No. 62. Including Hank Hill from King of the Hill asking him to please hit the big one so their season could start. Hill’s 1998 season was delayed so FOX could make sure they aired McGwire passing Maris.

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“One Cool Daddy: How Mark McGwire is beating the pressure”

There’s a lot of things about the September 7 Sports Illustrated cover that wouldn’t happen 20 years later: the pose that looks like McGwire is breastfeeding his son; the headline “One Cool Daddy” for a piece authored by Rick Reilly; and an article about golfers’ sex lives. Or at least you’d hope that all of those things are relics.

There it is, No. 62 and assured immortality in the record books. A 341-foot left field shot that just snuck over the left field wall a few feet from the foul pole. In any other context, a normal home run. But not here.

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McDonald’s took advantage of the “Big Mac” nickname connection, promoting their line of baseballs with McGwire’s face on them for $3.99, and congratulating him for the achievement with that year’s “Big Mac getting a Big Mac” commercial.

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It’s mid-September, both men had cracked 60 home runs and McGwire has officially passed Maris with a September 8 shot to left. So the covers are really picking up.

“The Record: What it means to Mark McGwire and to America”

McGwire, unsurprisingly, gets the cover of Sports Illustrated for breaking the record. But over on Newsweek it’s both Sosa and McGwire smiling and grinning with their arms around each other as the season nears its end.

In case you haven’t realized by now how big a deal the race was at the time, both the Swissair Flight 111 crash that killed 229 people and that summer’s market crash were demoted to the top bar with baseball getting the rest. On Newsweek!

I actually watched a little of the Sammy Sosa thing, I think it was E60. I watched that and it was showing some of the clips from that year. How they were hugging and doing that fist handshake and stuff, and it brought back some memories. Obviously being in the southeast, back then TV was WGN I think carried the Cubs and then TBS carried the Braves so that was kind of who we got. So I remembered a lot of it. It was something you probably won’t see again. —Mitch Moreland, Boston Red Sox

“Suddenly it’s This Close: Sammy Sosa jumps right back into the home run race”

Just because the record was McGwire’s doesn’t mean that the race was over, and a pair of covers from September 21 celebrate both things. Sosa stood at 63 home runs to McGwire’s 65 at the time so Sports Illustrated went with “Suddenly it’s THIS CLOSE” and ESPN the Magazine, still in the first months of its existence, dubbed McGwire’s 62 “the greatest sports moment of our time.”

McGwire answers the “Where do I go from here?” question posed on this SI cover in an exclusive piece from his own pen that reflects on the night of the record, how things have changed after unseating Maris, and what his priorities are now that people look at him differently and ask more of him as the single-season home run record holder. It’s a snapshot of one man’s mind in the days immediately after his life changed — for the better, at least at that point — and re-reading can be strange knowing what we know now, but also bring forth an appreciation of McGwire doing a piece this honest.

September 26 saw Will Ferrell do a Mark McGwire impression on Saturday Night Live, the only time he would portray the athlete on the show. If getting spoofed on SNL when it was at one of the peaks of its powers isn’t a sign that this home run race was consuming all, nothing was.

What A Season!

Sometimes, the numbers do all the talking. McGwire finished with 70 homers. Sosa won the RBI battle, even though McGwire jacked more home runs. Kerry Wood had a 20-strikeout game. Cal Ripken, Jr.’s consecutive games streak ended at 2,632. Alex Rodriguez had 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases. And oh yeah, besides all of that, the Yankees set an American League record for wins in a season.

But sometimes, talking does the talking. McGwire followed up his Season of Many Covers by appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman, and later spoke with Barbara Walters for her yearly Most Fascinating People special. McGwire’s Letterman appearance included guests who were very of-the-time, like “Life Is Beautiful” actor/director Roberto Benigni and singer Bruce Hornsby.

McGwire cracks jokes in an all-black, oversized 90’s suit that would make any tailor today cringe. He’s comfortable in the chair and brags a little, Hollywood style, but also veers into “aw shucks” territory with things like shouting out friends and family, and continually saying he can hit anything that’s over the “white part of the plate.” Letterman, for his part, does the Lord’s work by asking whether McGwire calls home runs dingers, taters, or something else. The semi-disappointing answer? “Homers.”

Letterman also points out that this race was what baseball needed and McGwire answers that he and Sosa did it “for the country,” not just baseball. That it doesn’t seem like hyperbole in that context is the most incredible part.

I always get on Big Mac, because he’s our bench coach, to get him to take BP one time but he won’t do it. He can still hit bombs for sure — he just won’t do it. He’s pretty quiet about it, but he’s awesome. —Brad Hand, Cleveland Indians

Sportsmen of the Year

On December 21, a pair of covers came out that featured both men but couldn’t have been more different. In one, McGwire and Sosa are named Sportsmen of the Year by Sporting News, and look like they’re going to a baseball-themed prom.

In the other, they’re named Sportsmen of the Year by Sports Illustrated and … the rest will live in infamy.

McGwire capped off his year with the Barbara Walters interview, once again taking the spotlight while Sammy preferred not to (or didn’t receive any offers to) appear on the top late-night or news magazine shows.

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Walters refers to McGwire as “a gracious man” and the 1998 season as “a time we’ll all remember,” and neither description could be phrased better than that. Leave it to Barbara Walters to wrap up a season that simultaneously brought baseball back, and set baseball on a path to questioning many of its recent heroes in such an apt way.

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flauntpage · 6 years

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Your Thursday Morning Roundup

With the new NFL league year beginning at 4 PM yesterday, the Eagles are officially the defending Super Bowl champions. That still feels weird to say.

The Birds were relatively quiet with the exception of re-signing Nigel Bradham to a five-year, $40 million deal. The team also pushed back Michael Bennett’s roster bonus. Just this morning, they restructured Zach Ertz’s contract. Does that mean Vinny Curry and Mychal Kendricks might stay?

Eagles created $5.407M in cap space in 2018 by converting $7.21M of TE Zach Ertz's $8M base salary into a fully guaranteed roster bonus, per @FieldYates.

Broncos created $12.375M in 2018 cap space by converting $16M of LB Von Miller’s $18.5M base salary into a signing bonus.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2018

The biggest surprise of the day came with cornerback Patrick Robinson, who appeared to be staying with the Eagles, but signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. Even though the Eagles reportedly offered more overall money, the Saints offered more guaranteed money.

The #Eagles and Patrick Robinson got close on a contract extension on Monday. Then stalled. … then his window opened. And the #Saints jumped in and locked him down. He’s a former #Saints first round pick.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2018

Meanwhile, there’s more decisions to be made with some current players. Vinny Curry might have to restructure his deal or be let go, while Mychal Kendricks appears to be getting shopped around once again. But the most interesting nugget involved Nick Foles:

Good nugget from @MikeGarafolo — Arizona Cardinals made a call to Philadelphia about Nick Foles. Obviously, didn't go far.

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) March 14, 2018

Arizona later signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon. Good luck with those two QBs. And will Buffalo signing AJ McCarron, it seem more and more likely Foles will stay in Philadelphia for the upcoming season.

As for free agents, Beau Allen signed with Tampa Bay and LeGarrette Blount will meet with the Detroit Lions on Friday.

Elsewhere, the Giants signed Nate Solder, the Cardinals released Tyrann Mathieu, Ndamukong Suh and Julius Thomas were released by the Dolphins, Trevor Siemian was traded to Minnesota to serve as Kirk Cousins’ backup, and Joe Thomas announced his retirement.

The Roundup:

Recapping Tuesday’s tough home loss to the Indiana Pacers.

How big of an impact is Robert Covington making on defense?

Victor Oladipo believes Markelle Fultz will be an impact player when he returns to the court:

“Everybody’s path is different,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. What he’s going through is only going to make him stronger and better as a man and a person. … His time is coming.”

The Indiana all-star finished with 11 points Tuesday in a 101-98 victory over the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center. One gets the sense that he anticipates playing against Fultz, if not in the playoffs then in future seasons.

Sixers coach Brett Brown said it hasn’t been determined if Fultz will return this season. However, there’s a good chance that he will do so and soon. Fultz’s shooting form has been looking close to normal in recent workouts.

“His time is coming,” Oladipo said. “I know he’ll be ready for it, because I know he puts the work in.”

Six players Sixers fans should watch as the NCAA Tournament begins this afternoon.

The Sixers also have a game tonight, as they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia +.

The Flyers have a big game tonight against Columbus at 7 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. One player that looks to finally make an impact in the scoring department is rookie Oskar Lindblom:

When he hasn’t had the puck on his stick, Lindblom has been diligent about providing back pressure. A regular all-situations player (including penalty killing duties) during his time in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Lindblom prides himself on his two-way abilities.

While hockey is a bottom-line business in which results needs to follow process at a certain point, the coaches and organizational decision-makers gain insight into a player, especially a “skills guy” whose role includes expectations of relatively frequent point-production, by how he handles dry spells. Does he let it drag down other facets of his game? Does he start to force ill-advised plays that only compound the lack of points?

In Lindblom’s case, the young player has shown considerable mental toughness while continuing to push for his first NHL point.

“Quite frankly, that’s why a guy like that stays up [in the NHL] versus maybe another guy who’s not producing and turns pucks over. Oskar’s going to break through at some point,”Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said.

Good news for Jake Arrieta: Not only did he get his #49 from Ben Lively (in exchange for a boat), he’s already thrown his first bullpen session with the Phillies:

For Arrieta, it was just a minor test, a necessary hurdle to pass before being ready to start the season. For the crowd, it was a happening.

“He looks great to me,” Kranitz said. “He always stays in shape. There’s no question about that. What I was looking for today was how the ball was coming out of his hand — it was coming out great. I didn’t expect anything different, but it’s always great to get eyes on him.

Arrieta plans to pitch Saturday in a minor-league game at the Carpenter Complex. He threw roughly 40 pitches Wednesday and should throw 50 on Saturday. He would then have time to pitch in two Grapefruit League games before the team leaves Florida. Arrieta is confident he will be ready to start the season on time despite not signing until a month into spring training.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any issue with getting extended quickly,” Arrieta said. “I was able to build up throughout the offseason to a point where I feel like I could slide in and be ready for the start of the season. That’s the game plan for right now, and I plan for that to go very well.”

Meanwhile on the field, the Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves 5-3. Jorge Alfaro hit a home run in the second inning.

Buster Olney thinks the Phillies could compete in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes:

“I would bet the family farm that Bryce Harper winds up with the Phillies or back with the Washington Nationals.”

There’ll be some new food at Citizens Bank Park, including edible cookie dough, which is actually crap.

Phillies take on Detroit today at 1:05 PM.

Both Philly-area NCAA Tournament teams are in action today. First up, 16th seed Penn takes on Kansas at 2 PM on TBS. The Quakers got a welcoming surprise at their open practice yesterday:

Kansas University is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Wichita and many of the Jayhawks fans were in attendance Wednesday. But unlike some fan bases that might boo the opponent, this one greeted Penn enthusiastically.

A large portion of the fan base was schoolchildren bused in for the event. That’s how big basketball is in Kansas. Each team had a 40-minute open workout. After Penn came North Carolina State and then Kansas.

“I didn’t expect this,” Penn point guard Darnell Foreman said. “First of all, having so many kids come, that was pretty cool and all the Kansas fans intrigued about who you are and still waiting for their team. That fan base is crazy.”

The attention caught Penn a little off-guard, in a positive way.

“It was awesome,” said Penn leading scorer Ryan Betley, averaging 14.5 points. “We didn’t expect this.”

Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Villanova takes on Radford at 6:40 PM on TNT. Nova’s freshmen are ready for their first taste of March Madness:

“I don’t really think I’ll have nerves,” Gillespie said. “I’ve played for so long at this point, I really don’t have butterflies anymore. It’s just basketball to me, and just another game that we have to focus on defending and rebounding and playing together.”

“I don’t think I will be nervous or anything because I’ll be focusing on what I can do for my teammates,” said Cosby-Roundtree. “I try to just be focused, dialed in on what we have to do so that I won’t have to feel nervous.”

The older players have talked to the younger players this week about coping with distractions, but there were some signs of nerves Tuesday at the Wildcats’ practice at nearby Duquesne.

“I kind of sensed it at practice,” coach Jay Wright said. “Collin Gillespie wasn’t being his normal self, which is rare, nothing bad. I just thought they were a little distracted. I tell the older guys, keep an eye on them, keep talking to them.

“But I think the only remedy is they’ve got to get in a game. Once you get in an NCAA game, you get in there, it is really different than any other experience. You get in there, you feel it. Then I think when you come out of the game and you go back in the second time, you’re good. But you’ve got to get in there and feel it.”

Meanwhile in the NIT, Temple fell to Penn State 63-57 thanks to a 15-3 Nittany Lion run late in the game up in Happy Valley. The tournament also experimented with four quarters and a three-point line that was nearly two feet further than current college rules.

In other sports news, Syracuse held off Arizona State in their First Four matchup 60-56, while Texas Southern crushed NC Central for their first ever tournament win 64-46.

Minor League Baseball announced new pace-of-play rules for the upcoming season. They include a limit on mound visits, a pitch clock, and having a runner begin at second base in extra innings.

Aaron Judge jokingly tried to recruit Manny Machado to come to the Yankees next season, but MLB wasn’t having any of that.

Former Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler still doesn’t know why he was benched for Super Bowl LII.

UFC fighters Kevin Lee and Edson Barboza promoted their April 21 fight in Atlantic City by visiting a ton of spots in Philadelphia.

In the news, Meek Mill could be set free while he appeals his probation sentence, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Toys R Us will close or sell all of their stores after 70 years.

iHeartMedia has filed for bankruptcy.

Your Thursday Morning Roundup published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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someyankee · 6 years

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The 2017 Baseball Memorabilia Haul

I’ve delayed this long enough. 2016 was a big year for me in terms of no longer just buying cards of guys from the 1980′s and 1990′s. I ventured out and started spending money on stars playing today, and prospects for the future! I continued that this year, but also filled out a lot more players on that 1980/1990 list that I’ve been working on!

2017 was by far my biggest year ever in terms of collecting cards. The most I’ve ever gotten in a single year. I hope you enjoy checkin’ em out!!!

FIRST THINGS FIRST. THE ALBERT PUJOLS FROM LAST YEAR.

BIG BOY CAME BACK A 9! Which is crazy good! I’m ecstatic about it. The Corners sub-graded an 8.5 and the Edges graded a 9, while the Surface & Centering hit at 9.5. Part of me wants to do a re-grade to see if the corners and edges could possibly come back a bit higher... but hey. a 9 is still insane. And that auto is great.

Albert is currently looking like he’s at the end of his career, but even if he sticks around for another several years being basically unplayable - his peak was so nuts he will still be regarded as one of the best players in Baseball history.

Now to the new additions to the collection, by order of when I received them:

01.) 2013 BBM SCM Original #206 - Shohei Ohtani (BGS 9.5)

Newest big star in MLB. Shohei Ohtani is an awesome pitcher, and what makes him unique is he’s also great with a bat. Was desperately hoping he was going to sign with the Yankees, but unfortunately he came in immediately deciding he didn’t want to live on the East Coast. Which sucks. Boo. But hey, I hope he still does good. Just not against us.

02.) 1989 Donruss #635 - Curt Schilling (PSA 10)

Curt Schilling is a piece of crap. A terrible person, with terrible opinions, and his attitude keeping him out of the Hall of Fame so far has brought me some great joy.

With that said he’s one of the best pitchers of all time. His unpopularity atm made this purchase very easy on my wallet.

03.) 1983 Fritsch #013 - Jose Canseco (PSA 10)

Before Jose Canseco lost his finger and opened up a can of worms about steroids, he hit a lot of dingers and was very popular. He also is a butthead. I probably spent too much on this one, but eh. He’s off the list now.

04.) 1988 CMC Calgary Cannons #034 - Edgar Martinez (PSA 10)

I’d been wanting an Edgar Martinez card for a long time. He has no rookie card that really looks great though. This was my favorite of the bunch I had seen.

Edgar is one of the best designated hitters ever. Not the best, but at least top 3. Deserves to be in the hall, and I’m glad he’s taken a big jump in the votes and looks like he could get in next year!

05.) 1978 Burger King Tigers #013 - Lou Whitaker (PSA 8)

I had a PSA 8.5 of Alan Trammell. You can’t have just Trammell though without Whitaker. For 19 years, those 2 were the starting 2B and SS for the Detroit Tigers, and they were damn good. Trammell & Morris just made the Hall of Fame thanks to the Veterans Committee, but left Whitaker off the ballot in a decision that was just baffling. Hopefully Whitaker gets his due soon enough. He’s arguably the best of those 3.

06.) 1995 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects #011 - Carlos Beltran (BGS 9.5)

Carlossss!!! The very next day after I purchased a Lou Whitaker, I got this card. No real reason other than I really like Beltran. I don’t think he’ll ever get Hall of Fame votes or anything, but he was a big player in New York.

I don’t like the Astros, but I’m glad he finally got his WS Ring before retirement.

07.) 1998 Bowman’s Best #120 - Adrian Beltre (BGS 9.5, AUTO 10)

This is it. The biggest purchase I made this year, and by far the most I’ve ever spent on a single card. A tough grade on its own, but I managed to get one with the Topps Certified Auto as well!

I got this card in March. Beltre went into the season with 58 more hits to go before he reached a career milestone of 3000. He ended up going into the season with an injury that kept him out for a little less than half the season. Because of that, I was super worried he wasn’t going to come into the season very productive - but in 94 games he was still able to hit .312/.383/.532 and reach the 3000 hit mark.

He’s currently sitting on 462 Home Runs also. With only one more year left on his Rangers contract, I don’t know if he’s going to be able to make it to 500 before his career his up. But who knows, if he has another stellar year this year - maybe he’ll get signed to a few more years and hit just enough to reach another milestone.

I may have spent a lot on this guy, but I can see the value of it being much higher in the future.

08.) 2011 Heroes & Prospects #GSA2 - Gary Sanchez (BGS 9.5, AUTO 10)

El Gary.

Gary Sanchez rolled into the 2016 season late and in only 53 games put up a really compelling case for Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately he didn’t get it.

Gary wasn’t as GODLY in 2017 as he was at the end of 2016, but he showed some real big sparks of greatness and I think he’ll be incredibly fun to watch for years to come.

This card is the GOLD Version of this set. Only 10 of these exist. Only 2 have been graded a 9.5. I’m happy to have one.

09.) 2000 SPx #094 - Alfonso Soriano (PSA 10)

Alfonso Soriano came up as a 2nd Baseman on the New York Yankees. In 2002 and 2003 he mashed a lot of taters. We then traded him for Alex Rodriguez.

Soriano spent most of his career on the Chicago Cubs where he was... pretty mediocre. He hit dingers but didn’t get on base a ton. He ended his career with over 2000 hits and over 400 home runs. I thought he was fun.

10.) 1983 Topps #083 - Ryne Sandberg (BGS 9.5)

Ryne Sandberg played his career on the Chicago Cubs as a second baseman. He was really good. He could hit dingers and also defend really well.

A PSA 10 of this card cost over 300. Nutty. I ended up settling for a BGS 9.5 since I was able to get it for much cheaper. If PSA did raw grade reviews I might see if I could get it converted to a PSA 10... but they don’t. Hrm. Oh well!

11.) 1959 Menko #JCM14b - Shigeo Nagashima (PSA 7, HAND CUT)

This is the coolest card I got all year.

Shigeo Nagashima is the most popular player in the history of Japanese baseball. More popular than his teammate Sadaharu Oh, the Home Run King. This isn’t a rookie card unfortunately! It’s a second year card. However I got it because last year I was able to nab a Sadaharu Oh rookie from this exact same set! Put them next to each other, and they match very well. A rookie card of Nagashima would be really cool - but I’m really really happy with this one!

12.) 2013 Elite Extra Edition #071 - Gleyber Torres (BGS 9.5, AUTO 10)

Gleyber Torres will be on the Yankees this year. Gleyber Torres will be great. I am ready for The Yankees to win the World Series.

13.) 2016 Bowman’s Best #B16ARO - Amed Rosario (BGS 10, AUTO 10)

The Mets had a million problems last year and it took them forever before they called up Amed. He wasn’t great, but he’s young and has a good shot to bounce back. At least I hope. Also, that’s a sick auto.

14.) 1978 Burger King Tigers #015 - Alan Trammell (PSA 9)

I already had a PSA 8.5 of Alan Trammell. But I wanted a higher grade. So I got this one!

15.) 1987 Leaf #043 - Rafael Palmeiro (PSA 10)

Rafael Palmeiro was a very talented player. He was a lock for the Hall of Fame. But then he did something very dumb.

His downfall came when he testified to a room of Congressmen that he had never used Steroids, and then only 6 weeks later he failed a drug test.

He was a lock for the Hall of Fame. But the announcement that he failed a test killed his good standing with fans. Despite being 1 of only 5 players to have 3000 hits and over 500 Home Runs, he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot on his 4th year with only 4.4% of people voting for him.

16.) 1993 Upper Deck SP #273 - Johnny Damon (PSA 10)

Johnny Damon was a good player. Not great, but very good for a long time. This was his best moment. He never did anything big on the Red Sox, no siree.

17.) Some Didi Gregorius

The Bowman with the facsimile is a rookie card. The card next to that has a real autograph! Both of these cards came with the purchase of an autographed ticket from Didi Gregorius’ first game in Yankee Stadium. He hit a home run on the first pitch he saw.

18.) 2014 Sal Top Prospects #017 - Aaron Judge (JSA AUTO)

Aaron Judge is big, and strong, and also my friend. I don’t think this card is really in the best condition to be graded, which is why I haven’t done that yet - but I really like the photo and the Autograph. You can tell he’s a big boy. I like it very much.

19.) 2010 Bowman Sterling #025 - Carlos Santana (BGS 9.5, AUTO 10)

Not his biggest card or anything - but for a First Baseman who has been nothing but good his entire career, this card was cheap as hell. Not one of my favorite players, but deal was a bit too good to pass up.

20.) 2003 Upper Deck USA Baseball #J-5 - Justin Verlander (PSA 10)

I don’t think I’d have been able to get this card for this cheap had Verlander not been on the Tigers still. One of the better pitchers of this era, and while he looked to be falling apart in 2014 - he’s been great every year after. Probably only needs a couple more good-not-great years and he’s pretty much a lock for the Hall.

21.) 2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball #DB-GU - Dellin Betances

A throw in with another card I had purchased. I forget which. I hope Betances can bounce back after falling apart last year because he is very fun when he is striking out everybody.

22.) 2008 Upper Deck USA Baseball #QA-SS - Stephen Strasburg (BGS 8.5, AUTO 10)

Aaaaugh!!! The 8.5 on this card KILLS ME. But despite that, I’m happy to have it. Strasburg was one of only 2 big current players on my list when I first started collecting cards again over 5 years ago. His popularity and scouting reports which pretty much guaranteed he was going to be a huge star made all of his cards wayyyyy out of my price range.

Strasburg is still a very popular player, and still very good. In 2015 & 2016 he wasn’t able to get any more than 150 IP though. Take that and add in that his ERA had been steadily climbing with each year, and this card became affordable.

However, in 2017, Strasburg had a real bounceback year. 175 Innings Pitched, and an ERA of 2.52 in a year where offense was the highlight.

I may just get this encased with a grade for the Autograph. I really love the rarity of this card. Only 20 in existence, great autograph, and it spells his name wrong. A lot to like!

23.) 2010 Upper Deck USA Baseball #USA-62 - Corey Seager (JSA AUTO)

This was a throw in if I added 10 dollars to the Strasburg card. Corey Seager is the starting shortstop for the LA Dodgers. He’s really damn good, and will probably be good for at least another 10 years.

24.) 2008 Bowman Chrome #BDP48 - David Robertson

DEALIN’ DAVE IS BACK ON THE YANKS. I love him. I’m planning to get it slabbed very very soon. That is all.

25.) 2010 Bowman AFLAC #FL - Francisco Lindor (BGS 9.5, AUTO 10)

Francisco Lindor had a rough start to the year, hitting only .252/.312/.456 in the first half. That’s rough when you supposedly had turned down an 100 million dollar offer at the start of the year.

However, he bounced back in the second half hitting .298/.366/.563. Like Corey Seager, he’s probably going to be a great player for years to come.

I don’t think I got as good a deal on this card as I did on the Joey Votto that I bought at the end of last year - but for the price I got for it... it’s gotta be up there. A really great way to end the year!

Andddd that was the last one! Hope you enjoyed.

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