#he was a football star before getting injured and then addicted | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

winterromanov · 5 years

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Maybe a college Bucky one where he’s being playing games out of town, and trying to study for exams and he’s just so tired but trying to keep going and reader makes him nap and relax and it’s just very Soft ☺️

pairing: bucky x reader (set in the same universe as this fic)

Trying to play football and also be a competent college student is an Incredibly Difficult Feat. You know this, because watching Bucky vault himself from away games to home games to mid terms to finals is about the most exhausting thing you’ve ever seen. If he’s not studying he’s at practice, and if he’s not playing he’s in an exam. It’s like watching a manic, sleep-deprived whirlwind, living almost entirely off coffee and takeout noodles.

He’s not taking care of himself. He’s pushing and pushing and pushing, trying not to let anybody down--as if he could ever do that.

“You don’t have anything to prove,” you say, as he crashes face-down on the bed in your dorm, the night before he leaves to play a game at Harvard and minutes after his Cold War history deadline. You’ve not seen him eat anything the last twenty-four hours. “Look--you won the last game. Steve said you could sit this one out.”

A vague mumbling comes from your bed. His face is smothered by the pillow and he’s too exhausted to even turn over, so you poke his ass with your foot. His hand reaches out, reflexes still ridiculously quick, pulling you onto the bed with him.

“Sorry, love,” you smirk, curling as close to him as your tiny mattress will allow. His arm pulls you close to his waist, palm splayed across your back. His heartbeat is unrelenting beneath his shirt, thudding between you. “Didn’t quite hear that one.”

His head shifts so you’re basically nose-to-nose, his grin sleepy and delirious. He’s gonna pass out any second. You’ve seen it many, many times before in the last hectic few weeks--you’re probably gonna see it a few more. “I’ll be fine after nap. Promise.”

“Don’t you dare fall asleep before I can force a pizza down you,” you warn, and he laughs, deliberately snuggling into the pillow and letting his eyes flicker closed. You can’t resist--running your hand through his hair, along his face. Kiss his forehead. “Goddamn it, Buck. You’re making it very difficult for me to look after you.”

“You being here is enough,” he says softly and before you have chance to reply he’s gone, lost in some dream. You slowly creep out of his embrace, making the pizza for him anyway. By the time you wake up the next day his body is a phantom shape in your bed but the pizza is gone--he’s left you a bright pink post-it note on the plate. Scribbled in his usual scrawl are the words thank you always favourite girl.

we won!!! harvard ain’t better than us at FOOTBALL

wish u could have been there

renaissance lit is being a bitch :(( well done you STAR. miss you more every moment so get back quick

should i hijack the bus and speed down the freeway

if you must

consider it done

love you

love you more than anything

The next game is thankfully a home one against Yale so you can at least keep an eye on him--you’re just protective, that’s all, not wanting him to burn out in front of you. There’s a lot of gym sessions and library cramming and a grand total of one dinner date at his apartment, where you made a pasta dish with as many vegetables as you could think of in as possible (his mom had sent you a message afterwards with immense gratitude because her son needed his greens, damn it). The following evening you’d wrapped yourself in one of his jerseys and sat in the bleachers alongside an injured Sam--injured and bitter about it--and waited in the lights and the noise for the game to begin.

“Bucky tells me you’re worried about him,” Sam interjects rather suddenly and when you blink back, he shrugs his non-injured shoulder nonchalantly. “Not that I blame you. That dude just doesn’t let up, does he?”

“You could say that,” you reply, shivering a little. The November air is cold, even wearing Bucky’s sweater. “He keeps telling me the season will be over before long, but I...I don’t want that to be a couple of weeks too much for him, you know?”

Sam hums thoughtfully. Around you, the crowd practically fizzes with excitement, covered with facepaint and aggressively chanting team songs at the opposing side. You’d never been to a college football game before you started dating one of the team’s star players, but you have to admit, the atmosphere is kinda addictive. Watching Bucky play is kinda addictive.

“If I know Bucky, and boy do I know him,” Sam eventually replies, squeezing up closer to you as more people gather into your stand. A girl is openly staring at you both--it doesn’t happen that often, but more so at games. People know Bucky, and Sam, so people know you. “He’ll get through this all okay. He always does, (Y/N). I’d been pretty damn surprised if he doesn’t make captain next year.”

You stare at the bright, clean grass of the field, and think of a boy so fucking exhausted from trying to balance his life that he can barely function half the time. Bucky would be an awesome captain. You just don’t want him to become a dead firework because of it.

The game ends up being pretty close but Yale just snatch the victory. It doesn’t mean that they can’t win the season, but. Bucky makes his way over to your stand at the end of the game like he always does, taking off his helmet and mouthguard. He also looks extremely deflated, like he always does when they lose.

“It’s okay,” you say, taking his face in your hands. He looks angry at himself. And you know what he’s thinking. I should have pushed harder. “Shit happens. You were still amazing.”

He kisses you over the barrier in a display of affection you were once too shy to give away in public, but you need him as much as he needs you. When you break apart you plant a chaste, gentle peck on his jawline, running your thumb over the shadow.

“You two make me sick,” Sam interrupts the moment, arms folded. Bucky flips him off while smiling sweetly and you can’t help but laugh. “Honestly. Didn’t ask to be violated, but here we are.”

“Payback for every single time I’ve walked in on you doing unspeakable things with the girl from the top floor on our kitchen counter.” Bucky snaps back teasingly. You like watching the banter unfold between the two of them. You’d be worried if Bucky and Sam weren’t taking the piss at every given opportunity.

Sam gestures pointedly at his injured right shoulder. “I cannot believe you’d treat a fallen comrade like that. I’m disgusted.”

“And so was I when I saw the state of the kitchen counter.” Bucky gives you one last kiss, clutching your hand. “See you after I hit the showers, yeah?”

“I’ll be waiting.” Your promise him, and his eyes glow just a little brighter.

When Bucky facetimes you from Brown the very next week, he looks like he hasn’t slept for at least three days. His Ancient Chinese history exam is literally a day after he arrives back from the trip and he’s frantically cramming in his hotel room in Rhode Island, while also trying not to fuck up the team’s chances of winning the season.

“Just one more game after this,” his grainy voice says on the other end of the video feed, head lolling against the headboard of his Holiday Inn bed. You wish he was in your bed. God, you wish he was in your bed. “And the season is over and I don’t have to be away from you ever again.”

“I don’t think your mom would like it if I stole you away for Thanksgiving.” You joke, tongue poking between your teeth. His lips curve, half a laugh escaping from his chest.

“That’s why she personally invited you to stay with us for the holidays. She’s worried you might sneak in there first and drag me to Virginia. She already knows I’d go wherever you go.”

Your smile is kinda wistful. “Except when you go to Rhode Island.”

“Except when I go to Rhode Island.” He repeats, sighing dramatically. He rubs one of his tired eyes. “Ugh. Who thought coinciding pre-Thanksgiving exams and football season was a good idea, huh?”

“I have no idea, but I’m prepared to have words with them.” You tilt your head. “Don’t work too hard, yeah? It’s one exam. It’ll all be okay in the end.”

“I know, I know.”

You want to keep talking, on and on until the early hours like you do sometimes, because time is apparently not real when you and Bucky are on the phone together. But he needs sleep, and you need sleep, and occasionally you’ll do things for the greater good. “Good luck for tomorrow. Brown won’t know what’s hit ‘em.”

“They better not,” he jokes, “Will you be live-streaming the game?”

As if you wouldn’t. You can’t pretend that you always know what’s going on or any of the rules, but you always try to watch him if you can. He’d do the same for you, over and over and over. “Already got the tab open on my laptop and everything.”

Bucky’s grin is near effervescent, even through your patchy wifi connection. “I love you more than anything, you know that?”

“I may have had an inkling.”

hello y/n

HELLLOOOOO

u know brown are the best losers because they lose and give you TEQUILA

omg are you drunk

never been DRUNK IN MY LIFE!!!! but im at this cool party and stEv e has found a girl and i miss u

i miss u so much . and like i just do generally

whenever ur not ar oUnd

oh sweet boy. you are very drunk.

im serious though

sometimes i think about how much i love you and it scares me

because then i th ink what it would be like if you wreent there

and that makes me so fucking sad i cant breathe

y/n

y/n ???????????????

hellooo

have u gone to bed

no, just messaging steve to make sure he gets you back safe. im not going anywhere. just please please look after yourself. love you always

“I’m sorry about those messages I sent you last night.”

You grab him in the tightest hug possible, his hold all still hanging off his arm, rain spattering down from dark clouds outside his apartment block. You hold him for at least ten years, you reckon, because the thought of him being so fucking sad he can’t breathe makes you so fucking sad you can’t breathe.

“You’re a terrible drunk who says things that make me emotional.” You laugh tearfully into his sweater and he grips you even harder, if possible. The shards of glass jabbed between your ribs start to dissolve as you inhale every single part of him.

“I know, sweetheart,” he murmurs, “I know.”

His last game is the day of your renaissance literature exam and for once you’ve been the one not eating and relying on caffeine, anxiety lingering round your jittery bones like an irritating ghost. Your interactions with Bucky are a battle between you wishing him aggressive luck for what could be the winning game while he equally aggressively says your exam will go fine, they always go fine, it’s an easy A for sure.

Your exam isn’t until the afternoon so you spend the morning pacing about your bedroom looking at a sporadic mess of post-it notes on your wall declaring quotes and context that you hope will just stick in your brain. When Lizzie from down the hall says there’s a package for you you don’t actually think much of it, too busy to deal with something you’ve probably forgotten you ordered from Amazon--but she makes some comment about how fancy it is, wrapped up in striped paper.

Your name is in print across the front so it doesn’t leave a clue on the sender, but as soon as you rip into it and find a bundle of things nestled between tissue paper, you know instantly. It’s kind of embarrassing you didn’t click sooner.

Dear Y/N - you’ll ace it, favourite gal.

You try not to break down in sleep-deprived and emotional tears as you pull out a brand new sweater in your favourite shade of burgundy, a vintage copy of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, three different kind of Hershey’s bars and a dumb little teddy bear wearing your college jersey. He’s sent you a fucking care package. He’s away at Princeton, and he’s sent you a care package, because exams drive you crazy and he’s just... Well, he’s Bucky.

i got your present

have i ever mentioned that i love you

i may have had an inkling

He doesn’t really leave you a choice, does he? Besides, the game is only at Princeton, and if you catch the train the moment you escape the uneasy warmth of a crowded exam hall you should be able to get there in time.

You’ve never been to Princeton stadium before, but you grab one of the last tickets available and rush onto their crowded bleachers just before the game is about to begin. The lights are heady, the atmosphere is electric, and you’re about to watch the man you lovingly, completely, unrelentingly call your own play the game he loves almost as much as you at a stadium forty miles from home.

hey steve, you text his closest friend, hoping he’ll see it, get buck to look at the front of the stairs near block d when you come out

y/n if this is what i think it means he’s going to lose his goddamn mind

When the team runs out you notice the number five on his jersey straight away, a constant fleeting image in your head from the countless games you’ve seen him play. Even from a distance, Steve’s eyes catch your own and his arm starts gesturing violently in your direction, Bucky taking a couple of moments to catch on.

It’s a good job the game isn’t due to start for a few more minutes, because absolutely nothing can stop him from automatically sprinting to your side of the field and kissing you senseless, cameras and crowds be damned.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he says on a dizzy outtake of breath.

“Couldn’t miss the last game of the season, could I?” You gently push his chest, urging him to go back to his team. “And neither can you. Go back to them. I’ll be waiting.”

He steals your lips for one more second, giddy and pumped full of adrenaline. “I really lucked out the day I met you, didn’t I?”

His mouth is hot. Hot. Unmistakable. Real. Always, always real. “Not as lucky as me.”

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#big oof #ridiculously fluffy #soft bucky #college!bucky #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky x you #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe

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zestycompress · 4 years

Text

Ultimate Duo! Ch. 3

sorry for forgetting to post </3 i dont do it on purpose

AO3 Link

Giorno has never gotten his face licked before. Surprisingly, Bruno was right. He was lying about Luca’s death. But now that he thought about it, how did he realize that he had little talent? Did he practice? How many people has he licked before? When did he realize it was sweat that revealed the truth? Actually, maybe it was best that he didn’t know. Some questions are better left unanswered.

If only he was given the chance to wipe the now-dry trail of saliva off his face. Bruno summoned his Stand, it was blue and white with golden spikes and zippers. Its ability was to create zippers, which was not that much of a surprise. However, it had proven to be quite useful. Having a part of your body unzipped was a bizarre feeling. The unzipped area felt a bit numb. When Giorno stuck his hand into the opening, it felt strange. Words could not properly describe what the inside of the zipper felt like. (Would it be considered the inside of his body or the inside of the zipper?) It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but his current situation didn’t make it nice either.

Despite it being Giorno’s first time using his Stand to fight another human being, it didn’t go so bad.

But things started going downhill once Bruno escaped the funicular by using his Stand to create an opening. If he told his associates that Giorno was the one who killed Leaky-Eye Luca, he’d be in deep trouble, perhaps Kars would become a target as well. It would be unnecessary for them to go after him since he wasn’t involved with Luca’s death, but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t try keeping him hostage in order to bring out Giorno.

If Bruno was a Stand user, chances are that he knows others who are Stand users as well. Giorno didn’t know much about Kars, but he hoped he had some kind of way to defend himself from something he can’t see. The only ability Giorno’s aware of is that Kars can transform a part of his body into a plant, possibly other things as well, he wasn’t sure. Maybe if Giorno actually asked about Kars’s abilities, he would know what he’s capable of. Instead, he just gave him all that he knows about Gold Experience. Not a smart move.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about Kars, Giorno should be focusing on the present. He couldn’t let Bruno get away. If he catches him, he wouldn’t have to worry about any gangsters trying to avenge Luca by killing him.

...Too bad he managed to disappear in one of the civilians he crashed into.

Creating zippers is an unique ability, Bruno was lucky to have a Stand able to do that. There were plenty of things he could do with the power. However, Giorno didn’t want to know what kinds of things he’d do, especially to an enemy.

Giorno held a small tooth between his fingers as the civilians scattered. Using Gold Experience, he turned it into a common house fly. The little insect should lead him straight to Bruno Bucciarati.

And that it did.

The small fly landed on a civilian's shoulder. They swatted it, but the small insect seemed to refuse to leave them alone. The person smacked it with the back of their hand, soon feeling the pain reflected right back at him. Bruno was forced to reveal himself, coughing up blood as the fly transformed back into its original form, a tooth.

Giorno walked towards him, more than ready to end the fight. He was a bit disappointed to have involved innocent people in his fight, but he did what had to be done.

~~~

“It’s because you have a good soul.” Bruno stared dumbly at the blond teenager. “You’re in the mafia, but you’re decent.”

Giorno had noticed his hesitation when he saw the arm covered in scars, no doubt caused by drug use. Bruno was clearly disturbed by it, maybe even disgusted. He couldn’t blame him. There were people in this world willing to sell drugs to children without any sort of guilt. They’re causing people so young to become addicted to drugs and it sickens him. They don’t care because they’re only interested in making money. What a terrible world. Even worse, nobody makes an effort to stop it, but Giorno is going to change that.

He was going to become a mafioso, climb to the top, and overthrow the boss. He’ll take back Italy and change everything for the best, and Bruno will be joining him.

A nearby group of children played football, accidentally kicking the ball over to Bruno and hitting him with it. He turned around, not upset in the slightest, and returned their ball by kicking it back. The kids shouted thanks and resumed their game.

“Fine, I’ll report that I was unable to locate Luca’s attacker, then I’ll introduce you to begin the initiation process, but you should know,” Bruno walked closer. “If it ever gets out that you’re attempting to take down the boss, I’ll be forced to cut ties with you. A traitor stands alone on an island of isolation. Your failure will be yours and yours alone.”

Giorno thought about Kars, then turned to face Bruno. “What if I want to bring someone along? For the initiation process, I mean.”

“I suppose you could,” He responded. “I’m assuming that they have the same goals as you, right?”

He was silent, allowing a certain memory to come back to him.

“Signore Kars.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to become a Gang-Star.”

“...Don’t let anybody get in your way.”

Even if it was a small interaction, Kars seemed to be supportive - well, based on his tone of voice, it was more like he was saying “just do it already.” Closest thing to supportive - but that’s besides the point, Kars didn’t seem to care at all. He was most likely going to say no if Giorno asked if he wanted to join the mafia with him. However, if Giorno mentions how there might be other Stand users, he’d agree to it.

“...Not exactly,” The blond teen finally answered. “By the way, could we make a quick stop?”

“If you need to go pick up your friend, go. I have a few things I need to attend to. There’s this place we’re going to meet up at, don’t be late.”

~~~

Giorno could recognize Kars from anywhere, his height and long hair makes him stick out like a sore thumb. The Pillar Man turned around when he heard the young boy call out his name, quickly jogging up to him.

“Signore Kars, I must ask you something very important!” Giorno said.

He seemed a bit disinterested, but that’s just his usual expression.

“What is it?” He replied, silently taking note of how much shorter the teen is compared to him.

“I am going to be joining Passione, it’s uh, it’s a gang, basically,” It felt a bit weird speaking to Kars. Perhaps it’s the amount of pressure he feels just by making eye contact with him. His bright crimson eyes made Giorno feel weak, afraid almost. He hated staring into them, but he wasn’t going to let Kars know about his opinion on his eyes. “I just wanted to know if you’d like to join me. I believe there’ll be other Stand users there.”

The mention of Stand users sparked interest, a grin appeared on Kars’s face. “Stand users, you say? I suppose I could…”

“Well, I’ll be leading the way.”

~~~

Bruno had to use all his strength to not gawk at Kars. To be honest, he was expecting another teen, not a whole adult! Was this someone Giorno was related to? He couldn’t see any sort of similarities so it was unlikely. Maybe he was his step-father? No, Giorno would’ve probably mentioned that already.

Whether they were family or not, it wasn’t any of Bruno’s business. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“The capo who will decide both of your futures in the famiglia is a man named Polpo. By the way,” His gaze turned to Kars. “What’s your name?”

The Pillar Man glanced at Giorno, then returned his focus to Bruno. “Kars,” He said then added. “The ultimate lifeform.”

“Right…” Bruno eyed Kars as if he didn’t believe him. He pointed at the building with his thumb. “Go on now. He resides here in this building.”

“But.. but this is…” Giorno murmured. “It’s a prison.”

“That’s right, Polpo was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. He still issues orders and manages the famiglia, but he does it all within those walls. He can leave his confinement whenever the desire strikes him, but he chooses not to.” Bruno explained. He pointed at the duo. “Listen, in a matter of minutes, he’ll conduct both of your interviews. It’s imperative you pass. It’s no different from an ordinary interview. His mood will dictate its content, and remember… he cannot find out.”:

Kars had a puzzled expression, Giorno never told him about his reason for joining.

“I understand.” The blond teen replied. He gave Kars a “follow me” gesture and walked inside the prison.

~~~

“Before you head in, I’m going to need your watch and everything in your pockets on this tray. After that, you can move onto the pat-down.”

Giorno placed his bag on the tray and checked his pockets. Kars did the same, but had nothing in them. The young Stand user noticed the guards weapons, staring at them for a moment then returned to what he was doing. The gates opened and the two were allowed to pass. Kars awkwardly ducked underneath the entrance to avoid hitting his head.

“Please stand over there, hands above your head,” A guard told Giorno before turning to Kars. “It’ll be your turn in a moment, signore.”

As he goes through the body check, she gives them both directions to Polpo’s cell. The guard repeats the process with Kars and allows the two to pass. The corridor was dark and when the lights in the cell flickered on, it revealed that it was empty. Kars frowned, expecting to see a person inside. Sighing, he turned to Giorno, about to complain that he wasted his time until a voice echoed in the cell.

“It’s injured, isn’t it? Your left arm.”

What was believed to be a bed was actually a man. Not so surprisingly, it caught the duo off guard.

“I spy a faint yet distinct red marking on the fingers of your right hand that signifies you were gripping something. I’d say to the markings left behind by a bag and based on that fact, you’ve been carrying the bag exclusively in your right hand.” Polpo sat up, examining Giorno’s hand. Kars hummed, now focused on the teenager’s fingers as well. The capo had a good eye. “Now why would that be?”

“Well first of all, you’re correct. I carried my bag with my right hand, also I did injure my left arm earlier.” He replied.

Polpo laughed and opened a refrigerator next to him. “Oh, I envy your youthful body and reckless spirit. And you there,” He turned to Kars. “Your eyes, they reveal a lot about you. Despite your young appearance, it seems like you’ve been around for a long time. I wonder, do you travel?” The man grabbed a wine bottle and a glass as he spoke. Curiously, Giorno glanced up at Kars. He was tense and his eyebrows were furrowed.

“By the by, do either of you drink wine? This chianti classico is molto buono,” He popped the cork off. “And when paired with a few crackers, scamorza, and the right amount of caviar, it’s perfection.”

“We’re not allowed to give you anything,” Giorno said as Polpo poured himself a glass of wine.

“Nor can we accept things from you.” Kars finished, almost sounding harsh.

“Puh! That’s just a silly formality. What people say when watched and what they do when no one’s around,” He clicked a button on a remote which revealed his hidden items. “Are two entirely different things! Therein lies the beauty and ugliness of this fickle thing we call humanity.”

A quiet laugh almost escaped Kars when the capo mentioned “humanity.”

“I suppose the only real tragedy to being holed up in this cell is, well,” He continued to speak as Giorno began to ponder the reason why he stays in his cell.

“Bucciarati already told me all about you,” Polpo said. “So you two desire to be a part of our famiglia, do you? It was Giorno Giovanna, wasn’t it? And he never gave me a name for you…”

“I am Kars,” He responded, the man cocked an eyebrow.

“...Just Kars? Hmm, alright. Well then, if you two are ready to begin, let’s commence with the interview,” He began to bite the tips of his fingers which disturbed Giorno. He got distracted by a cuckoo clock and once he turned back, Polpo was holding a lighter.

“When you're separating the wheat from the chaff, what do you think the most important factor for one to consider? Think carefully Kars & Giovanna,”

“What a person can do, correct?” Giorno answered.

“Oh, well what can you ragazzi do?”

The teen dropped the wallet and cash he stole from one of the guards, the one who patted him down to be exact.

Polpo laughed. “Is that all you brought to impress me, Giovanna?”

“Well besides that, I have this other little trick I can do.” Giorno folded his ear into his head, making the man laugh once more. The two turned to Kars, waiting for him to do something.

He raised his arm, a blade suddenly appeared, it gleamed brightly. Giorno squinted, the light hurt his eyes a bit, but he still admired it. The blade shone beautifully. Though, it didn’t seem that impressive to Polpo.

“Hmm, but you see, there’s something very important we haven’t discussed yet…” Polpo said. “...and that is the delicate subject of trust!”

Giorno mentally sighed, expecting to go through the same conversation Leaky-Eye Luca gave him. Kars didn’t bother listening. He was a little grossed out by the fact that the man was using his pinky finger to remove some food in between his teeth. He even flicked it at Giorno who surprisingly didn’t flinch. Not even a little.

“My test will tell me exactly how trustworthy you two are,” Polpo lifted a lighter in front of them. “Concerning flame of this lighter reveals all!” Giorno moved to grab the lighter from a small opening. “Now take it in hand and go, you both are not to let the flame expire. This could be a little teamwork practice for you two.”

The flame wavered, causing Giorno to move his hand back. “Aspetta! I warn you, exercise extreme caution. The 17th century theologian Fuller once said he’s my friend that speaks well of me behind my back, you’d do well to remember those words.”

Kars rolled his eyes, not caring about a word the capo said. He walked towards the lighter as he spoke. Carefully, he grabbed the lighter, holding it as if it was a delicate flower. The Pillar Man allowed Giorno to hold onto it. The expression on his face clearly said “Don’t you dare mess this up!”

“You have twenty-four hours, I look forward to our second meeting tomorrow, 3:00 PM. Don’t be late.”

Giorno could feel himself sweating a bit. He was starting to get rather anxious. This was the only chance he has and he couldn’t mess it up.

“ALL VISITORS MUST PROCEED THROUGH THE GATE FOR A FINAL PAT-DOWN.”

...That voice didn’t help.

~~~

A guard pointed his gun at Giorno as the young boy racked his brain for ideas that could get him out of this situation. Kars leaned down and whispered, “We could kill them and leave, can’t we? You just got the damn lighter, there’s no way that we’re failing this early…”

Giorno shook his head. “No, I think I got this.”

He lifted his arms above his head, feeling the flame burn his skin. Kars could see and smell the smoke, it wasn’t pleasant. The female guard patted him down, telling him he was free to go before grabbing his wrist. She reminded him that accepting anything from Polpo was prohibited. Kars frowned, preparing himself to slice her head off with his brilliant bone blade once she found the lighter.

A flower.

Instead of a lighter, it was a flower.

It caught Kars a bit off guard, but that’s something he wouldn’t admit out loud. The guard wasn’t expecting that either, but she allowed Giorno to keep it. The blond teen looked back at the Pillar Man. He could’ve sworn he saw a small smile on his lips. The woman urged him to keep moving. Giorno collected all his things and left, waiting for Kars outside the prison. The flower transformed back into a lighter.

Walking back to his room with Kars following behind him was… sort of weird. It was clear he was an adult and students stared at him. With just one glare, they turn away and move faster. Kars could be so effortlessly intimidating. A gust of wind almost blew the flame out. The Pillar Man transformed his right arm into a wing, using it to shield the flame.

“Here, give it to me,” Giorno handed the lighter over to Kars, making it easier for the man to protect the flame. The two ignored a group of students who called out to them to take some photo for them. Soon, Kars’s arm returned to normal as they entered the building.

The blond teen carefully held the lighter once Kars returned it to him. He grabbed a piece of bread, took a bite out of it, and shoved the object into it. He felt the Pillar Man’s eyes boring into him, definitely judging him for his action. Giorno rearranged the objects on his desk to protect the flame.

“I think it should be fine, a little draft shouldn’t be enough to blow it out,” He moved to lock the window. “By the way, signore Kars-”

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed someone opening his door, he quickly mouths “hide” to Kars. Giorno hides outside his window as Kars shapeshifts his body to hide in the cupboards. It was pretty bizarre to watch.

The Japanese tourist, Koichi Hirose, entered the room. He was searching for his passport. Giorno watched helplessly as he looked through his closet and opened his drawers. Using Gold Experience, Giorno transforms a lamp cord into a snake. The animal bit the bread, moving it up and out of Koichi’s reach. Unfortunately, the flame burned its skin and forced it to drop the bread. Now it's been noticed.

Luckily, Koichi was focused on his passport which gave Giorno time to get back the lighter. The distraction also gave Kars time to get out of the cabinets.

To be honest, Giorno wanted to question Kars ability. He has the ability to shapeshift. He could turn his arm into a bird’s wing and flatten his body to get through the small spaces in his cabinet.

“Just missed you there, sorry about that!” The old janitor began rambling about something silly. Giorno stared down at his wet hands… and the wet lighter. The flame was extinguished.

Despite being behind him, the teen could feel the ungodly amount of rage radiating off of Kars. The Pillar Man was making low, almost demonic growling. He muttered curses and glared at the old man. It took a whole lot of willpower not to kill him right then and there.The janitor reignites the lighter and hands it back to Giorno.

Both Giorno and Kars could tell something was off, but neither of them knew what it was.

Suddenly, the blond teen sees something walking by and disappearing behind a column.

“Kars… I think I saw…”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO REIGNITED THE FLAME!”

Giorno was able to hear the voice, but Kars couldn’t.

“I OFFER TWO PATHS, BUT YOU MUST PICK THE ONE THAT WILL LEAD TO SALVATION!” Turning around, Giorno sees the Stand grabbing onto the poor janitor’s soul. “TIME TO CHOOSE, DO YOU LIVE ON AND BECOME ONE OF THE CHOSEN OR DO YOU PROCEED ALONG THE PATH OF DEATH?”

An arrow appeared from its mouth which Kars was able to see. Giorno felt pain when he saw the man's soul, his expression showed how terrified he was. He wanted to do something, but there wasn’t a thing he could do. The arrow went through his head. When nothing happened, the Stand threw his body back and Giorno caught it.

The first thing noticed is how there was no wound, yet he was only a corpse. He moved back while Kars stayed in place. The Pillar Man glanced at Giorno, silently asking if the Stand had moved yet.

Before he could make any response, the Stand dashed towards him, probably to pull out his soul and pierce him with the arrow as well.

Looks like someone has gotten into another unwanted Stand battle.

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burnouts3s3 · 6 years

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Let’s Talk About: Eric Forman

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.

"Let's Talk About" is a series of articles focused on individual character or characters and their development and commentary throughout the work in question. THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OF THE WORK, but rather what the character says about the world around them. If you wish to read a strict review, please click on the link to read it. My reviews focus more on the purely technical aspects of the work. There are bad characters with good messages. There are good characters with bad messages and so on and so forth. Thank you.)

Let’s Talk About: Eric Forman

When writing about That 70’s show, I kept going back and found myself charmed with how much the characters and the drama drew me in. While the show’s humor was its main selling point, it became apparent there was much more going on and that the serious moments kept me watching.

Eric Forman was the show’s main character, a high school boy living with his Korean War veteran father, Red, and his smothering mother, Kitty, while having to battle with his slut sister, Laurie, when she visited from College. Eric was a skinny, pale introvert save for a close group of six friends who often hung out at Eric’s basement, where they would smoke marijuana and grouse about their daily lives. The show took place during the late 1970’s in Point Place, Wisconsin, a suburb just modern enough without feeling like a city but far away from cities to be considered intimate.

In some ways, Eric was the perfect protagonist, at least for That 70’s show. As a character, Eric’s not really that interesting. He’s a whiny, neurotic, paranoid person who overreacts to non-important and petty situations but deep down does care, even if he’s a bit too obsessed with things like girls, high school, GI Joe and most of all, Star Wars, to notice it at first. It makes him the perfect character to bounce off the wacky personalities for the other cast members such as Stephen Hyde, the conspiracy theorist and delinquent, Michael Kelso, the dumb friend who’s ready to physically injure himself and sex seeker, Fez, a Foreign Exchange Student unfamiliar with American customs, Jackie Burkhart, a shallow rich girl and Donna, tomboy and love interest.

Eric is essentially the audience avatar; too much of a weakling to do anything against a backdrop of characters. But as the show went on, Eric’s character grow, developed and changed as we saw his transition from boy to boy who lives with his parents to man. I would argue that Eric, while not that different from sitcom stereotypes, defied expectations and eventually became the show’s emotional core and his plight was compelling (even if said plight was from the perspective of a white working class male with a mother and father figure).

The first 4 seasons of the show were basic high school antics. It depicted Eric living day by day through the late 70’s dealing with high school, his growing on and off relationship with Donna, his butting heads between his need for independence and his role as a son in his family and other mundane topics. This wasn’t exactly compelling stuff but it did hit a note. Eric was essentially us, a child living with his parents and not sure where to go in life but getting through things like a post-Vietnam world with his friends.

What really sold the show was the chemistry between the characters. Getting a group of character actors like Kurtwood Smith, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderama and discoveries of genuine talents such as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis solidified the show as a syndication mainstay. But it was really Topher Grace that brought the show together. To be fair, Topher Grace is not a very diverse actor with a big range. But he had a toned down sardonic wit that made him relatable enough to laugh at but humble enough to bond with.

Then Season 5 came to a close. The gang had graduated from High School. Eric and Donna were ready to leave for College. And everyone else was ready to move on with their lives.

But, there came a complication. After being arrested, Fez realizes that his student Visa expires when he graduates and he will be deported. (Fans of the show have pointed out the continuity error that during his trip to Canada, Fez has a green card thus making him legal to stay). But, just before the gang leaves, Laurie makes an announcement: She’ll be marrying Fez so he can stay in the country.

This causes Red to have a heart attack. Red survives but cannot work and in need of special care. With Red unable to work, Kitty has to take double shifts at the hospital to make ends meet. All the while, Eric realizes that his dream of going to college gets further and further away.

Again, this was an obvious stunt by the showrunners. They wanted the gang to graduate high school but they also wanted them to stay at the Forman’s basement since they wouldn’t have to build another set.

Then comes the most emotional moment of Season 6.

“I have to go!” Eric cries, desperate to convince Donna and himself. Then after a moment of silence, Eric says “I have to stay”.

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It’s a big moment. Obviously, the show producers want to keep Topher Grace, Eric’s actor, around for another season. But here, it’s made into a big moment. What was the American Idea, a child leaving his adolescent home to pursue higher education is focused through the lens of economic strife and reality. With Eric, the idea of being stuck under his parent’s roof and having to live there is almost a nightmare to him. But he chooses to stay to help his family in this time of crisis, during a time when Laurie is having a sham marriage with Fez while partying like she’s still in college without him. (Behind the scenes, Laurie had to be written out. Her original actress, Lisa Robin Kelly, was dealing with drug abuse and was kicked off the show and replaced with a different actress. The fans of the show didn’t care for the new actress so Laurie eventually disappeared without a trace. The last reference is when Kitty asks “Has anybody seen Laurie?” during the series finale. Lisa Robin Kelly would tragically pass away from her drug addiction).

And thus, it’s the crux of his character: Eric wants to leave not only his childhood home but Point Place, the very place where he grew up.

As such, the show’s conflict also became a meta statement: How long can the characters, and by proxy the actors, keep doing this? How long can they keep meeting up in the Formans’ basement? How long can Kelso keep being an immature man-child with no thought other than having sex with the next girl he meets? And how long can Eric still be a child under his parents? And how long can Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and the other actors keep in the comfortable work that is a sitcom without advancing their careers?

Season 6 continued. Eric got a job as a dog food coupon dispenser, before Bob and Joanne broke up. Eric then became waiter at a restaurant to help out at the house. Donna decided to stay as well, putting off college for a year to support Eric.

Eric and Donna even planned to get married during Season 6. However, at the last moment, just when we’re finally ready to see these 2 characters we’ve been following for 6 seasons tie the knot, Eric gets cold feet and doesn’t show up to the wedding. He comes back to Donna’s room while she’s sleeping. Donna wakes up, hits him but just tells him to stay.

This is also a commentary on Eric’s character and the nature of the series. Eric says he ‘wants’ to change but can’t commit to it. Much like the familiarity of a sitcom needing to stay the same, Eric needs the familiarity of not being married to Donna but still having a relationship to her. It’s a sign of immaturity. Eric isn’t doing anything with his life, whether it’d be financially, socially and even romantically. He, like the series, was running in place.

Season 7 came around and Eric is completely lost in his direction in life. When he started Season 6, Eric was planning to leave for college. But after refusing to marry his one true love, Eric has eventually regressed into a state of adolescence and decides to take ‘a year off’. This was done out of uncertainty from the producer’s part. The show had lasted for longer than they had anticipated and no one was sure who was going to come back next season.

Both Eric and Red were locked in nostalgia, though for different generations. Red Forman’s nostalgia was for an ideal 1950’s America with white picket fences, a nuclear family, with him bringing home the money from his manufacturing job and his wife is a homemaker and his daughter is sweet and pure and his son is a football player so good he can get a sports scholarship for college. Eric’s nostalgia is his high school years continuing on forever, where he could just hang out in his parent’s basement, his friends would always be there and he would have a carefree sex-ready relationship with Donna without any consequences.

It wasn’t until Eric met a man named Stu, another adult male concerned with little more than reading comic books and lounging around without a care in the world. Eric, enchanted by this idea, befriends Stu and wants to become him. It’s not until Eric visits Stu’s home that he realizes that Stu still lives with his mother and has done nothing with his life. When Stu’s mother coddles him and offers Eric a cookie in the shape of an X-Wing, Eric realizes he will become Stu if Eric doesn’t change right now.

And at the core of season 7 was the message: change. For Eric’s desire and stubbornness for everything to stay the same, it simply can’t. Social Movements like Civil Rights and Feminism make an appearance. More and more persons of color are being introduced into the group. Eric wants the show to stay 1979 forever, but it just can’t. Time marches on. Childhood doesn’t last forever. People change. Life changes. And Eric, as hesitant and painful it is to take the first step, must change as well.

Eric’s plan to take a year off turns out to have huge ramifications, even going so far as quitting his job. (This was probably intentional on the producers’ part as they probably didn’t want to have the restaurant as a set anymore). His friends all end up getting jobs and getting on with their lives. Hyde, the rebellious conspiracy nut, becomes part of the corporate machine he so much despises, Jackie becomes a newscaster and Fez becomes a shampoo boy at a local salon. Even Kelso, the moron of the group, finds a career in law enforcement as well as a daughter he had out of wedlock.

In some ways, Eric Forman is the evolution of stay at home children, such as Bud Bundy from Married with Children. But whereas Bud’s situation was often played for laughs and satire, Eric’s is played up more for dramatic purposes. And it some ways, it reflects the situation of arrested development. Obviously, this was unintentional on the producers’ part; they had no idea that their sitcom would run for 8 seasons and thus set the first episode in 1976 (such as to get the Star Wars reference in). But, just as the back end of the Vista Cruiser never went beyond 1979, so did Eric.

Then came an opportunity. Eric, after an awkward talk with his guidance counselor, finds a path. If Eric goes to Africa to help out, he can get payment for college. Obviously, Kitty and Donna do not take this news well. Donna is furious with Eric, stating how selfish he is for asking her to put on life on hold for him. Eric and Donna make up and Eric prepares himself to leave Point

In the background, Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher decided to go on with their careers. Ashton, having gained fame from his reality show Punk’d, decided to make a go at Hollywood along with Topher Grace left the show to pursue a movie career, starting with playing Eddie Brock in Spider-man 3. (Yeah… Didn’t work out so well, though he has found other parts in other movies).

And after 7 seasons, with Bob’s Polka band playing him off, Eric rides his Vista Cruiser to the airport finally saying “So Long, Point Place!”.

In Eric’s absence, the show didn’t really have a thematic crux. They just had their biggest turning moment and dramatic finish to the series. Originally, this was the series finale only for the show to still be popular and incur another season to make.

Say whatever you will about Topher Grace’s range (or lack there of) as an actor, his character, Eric, played a vital balance to the cast of wacky characters. Without him as the Straight Man, Hyde’s cynicism, Fez’s innocence, Jackie’s shallowness, Red’s anger and Kitty’s smothering had nowhere to essentially go. It’s not that the actors couldn’t bounce off each other but without an Eric character to balance all the chaos, the show became sort of a mess.

To replace Eric, the producers introduced Charlie, a son of Red’s War buddy, back in Season 7. Charlie is also a meek, unsure waif and honestly, I feel like he would’ve made a fine addition to the show. But, there was a complication. The real life actor who played Charlie was contacted by Fox to star in his own live action sitcom and couldn’t return. So at the start of Season 8, Charlie is killed off by falling off the water tower. Instead, the show picked Randy, an old friend of Donna’s to be in the group.

Randy sucks. Or rather, the idea of Randy sucks. He was an obvious attempt by the producers to replace Eric and Kelso by combining them into essentially one person. But, it didn’t work. Fans of the show hated him and it felt like a betrayal. Plus, it didn’t help that Randy had no chemistry with the rest of the cast. Or, maybe that’s just a symptom. Watching these 6 friends interact for 7 seasons only to lose 2 of them and replace them with this guy feels really cynical and cold in terms of marketing.

Just as well, the departure of both Kelso and Eric made the ratings tank and forced the show to end. (There’s an ongoing fan theory that the producers ‘sabotaged’ the show so they could finish production and didn’t force it to go on). Ratings got so bad, the show forced an endless amount of guest stars and even got Ashton Kutcher to come back.

The series finale was on New Year’s Day and Donna is worried Eric won’t come back from Africa. But, in those final moments, Eric returns to Pont Place, confesses his love for Donna, has one last circle with the gang and proceeds to go upstairs, leaving the basement empty. And finally, after 8 seasons and 200 episodes, that 70’s show ended, the sticker of the Vista Cruiser showing a 80’s stick, signaling the show to turn into 1980.

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That 70’s show was a show that was a lot smarter than people took it credit for. What started as a blatant attempt to get ad space and another live action sitcom for the Fox Network transformed into a running commentary about family, friendship and high times. And in the center of the show was Eric, the boy who grew up during this period.

And as much as the characters wanted things to stay the same, much like Red feeling uneasy to depressed to ready to change after losing his manufacturing jobs, finding a new job to finding a place to support his family alongside his wife, so did the rest of the cast.

Thank you, Eric Forman. Thank you for everything.

#That 70's Show #donna pinciotti #Eric Forman #topher grace #red forman #kitty forman #fox #point place #wisconsin #rust belt

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shervonfakhimi · 4 years

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The Razorback Renaissance Plus Observations From Auburn-Arkansas

To say the basketball program here in Fayetteville, Arkansas is an afterthought would be a stretch, but that also isn’t to say that basketball reigns supreme. If the launch of the XFL and it’s 3.3 million viewers is any indication, the nation-wide addiction of football has long matriculated in the state as its primary focus, along with the perennial powerhouse baseball, but it is about time to start to the basketball team. And fans are beginning to take notice.

I went to the Razorbacks hoops game against the 11th ranked Auburn Tigers (more on this in a second), and the buzz of Bud Walton Arena was electric. And rightfully so. This 2019-20 team is the most fun Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team I can remember watching. The team is not filled with many guys capable of creating their own shot from all three levels of the court (Mason Jones is really the only one), yet coach Eric Musselman has still managed to get big-time performances in big spots from Jones, fellow potential NBA draft pick Isaiah Joe and go-to glue-guy, to the extent that type of player exists, Jimmy Whitt Jr. Musselman plays to the strengths of his players; Joe has shot 212 3s before injuring his knee, while Jimmy Whitt, a midrange assassin and Shaun Livingston doppelganger in terms of style of play, has only shot one. Offense can be hard to come by with only one player shooting above 35% from 3 (that being big man Adrio Bailey, shooting 40% on only 20 3s on the season), but Musselman is not afraid to get creative to help kickstart the offense. When they can, they push it at will in transition. He’s trot out lineups with two big men on the floor together; Muss will play lineups with no big men at all. That’s important their defense has not suffered under just about any circumstance or lineup Muss decides to play. According to kenpom.com, Arkansas’ defense ranks 13th in the country in defensive efficiency. Jimmy Whitt is the linchpin that holds these lineups. Whether he’s guarding a guard on the perimeter or jostling with a big man to deny post position, his competitiveness on the defensive end matriculates across the team. They dig for steals, they rotate and recover, switch when necessary, and take charges (for what it is worth, they rank 21st in the country in steals per game). This is not only great to see for this year’s team, but for the future as well.

This year is a bit of a transition year for the Hogs. This is the first year of Musselman at the helm after taking over for Mike Anderson. Not only is he implementing a new modern style of play for the state of basketball today, but he’s also instilling a culture for the players of tomorrow. This is especially important because one of the best Razorback recruiting classes of all-time is coming into the fold next season. Montverde Academy star and Little Rock native Moses Moody (part of what some say is one of the best high school teams ever) is the headliner, alongside fellow Arkansas natives KK Robinson, Davonte Davis and Jaylin Williams. Musselman has gotten the most of a team without a lot of premier talent; all four of these players are in ESPN’s Top 100. On top of that, transfers Connor Vanover (California) and JD Notae (Stetson) will all be eligible as well, and there’s a non-zero chance both Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe forego the NBA to make a run next season. Guard Desi Sills will probably be back as well. Next season is the first one Musselman can really mold into his own image and will have plenty of talent and versatile players to do so with.

This year’s Hogs team is a very good team. They don’t have a loss by double digits and multiple losses in overtime. They’ve won big games on the road over Indiana and Alabama, a couple of tournament-caliber teams. That isn’t to say they’re a perfect team; offense can be a struggle and they seemingly have to make a choice between speed on the perimeter to push it in transition or size for rebounding purposes. But they’re an NCAA tournament-caliber team and have routinely pushed or beaten similar teams this season; they had a lead late vs Auburn but blew it, they led Kentucky with seven minutes to go, they lost by two on the road against LSU, they beat Indiana (part of a loaded Big 10) on the road, they held potential lottery pick, Kira Lewis Jr., in Tuscaloosa, Arkansas spanked a solid Tulsa team at home. They recently slipped up in Missouri and don’t have much wiggle room for losses like that in the future, but also have games against Florida and LSU upcoming, games they can certainly win.

Before the season started, as I was heading back to my car after class, I bumped into Mason Jones. I tried to play it cool and let him be, but after asking him what floor to press in the elevator we were entering, I couldn’t help myself and tell him that I was excited for the season and the arrival of Coach Musselman. I distinctly remember him telling me ‘You’re gonna love Coach Muss!’ I wished him and the team (and his brother) good luck on the season once we arrived to our destination and went on from there to go to three games so far this season and catch the games when I could and record them to watch later when I couldn’t. Watching them this season, Arkansas has proven they can play with anybody and are not scared of anybody, partly why this season has been fun for me. But next season can be even better and foreshadow a very bright future for years to come. Something special is brewing here. It’s time to start paying attention.

Takeaways from Auburn-Arkansas

Isaac Okoro Is a Pro

Mason Jones was the best player on the floor last Tuesday after he dropped 40 points, but Auburn’s Isaac Okoro was very impressive in his own right. He’s projected to be a lottery pick by many, and after watching him live, you very much could see why. No one scored on him. I’m actually serious; I don’t think anybody scored on him. He’s strong, quick and tenacious defensively, unwilling to concede an inch. I’m not sure why Bruce Pearl did not have Okoro guard Jones all game long, but when he did, he shut him down. He was fantastic all game, both on the ball and off the ball defensively. He’s not the best shooter percentage-wise but hit two of four from deep to add to his 14 point night. OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors may be a good comp for Okoro. There is a lot to work with here. If he adds a consistent jump shot to his game he’s going to return on the investment of a team that drafts him in the first round.

Mason Jones Is Too

Jones struggled when guarded by Okoro, but not when anybody else was on him. He put 40 points on Auburn’s head, scoring from everywhere on the floor. He’s got a mean step-back to his game. He’s a violent, physical driver willing to absorb contact (he shot 16 free throws in this game). Arkansas lets him go iso a bit (because they don’t have a lot of other options) and he’s proven time and time again he can create his own shot (this was his fifth 30 point game this season) and be fairly efficient (he has a 51.4% effective field goal percentage this season). But that doesn’t mean he isn’t unselfish either. With a condensed floor, he is often forced to give the ball up and is not afraid to do so. He’s adept at moving without the ball as well, often finding open spots along the three-point line to help himself get better looks. It’s time he gets more attention from NBA draft folks because he often carries this team when they don’t have much working as he did against Auburn.

Auburn’s Guards Have Cojones

Samir Doughty and J’Von McCormick, man. These dudes got some stones to them. Any time Arkansas would begin to separate, one of these two would hit a big shot to keep it fairly close. McCormick hit a huge three in the last 2 minutes of regulation to get Auburn its first lead in a very long time. Both hit big free throws in overtime to clinch the game (especially more important when you consider Mason Jones missed a free throw late in regulation that could’ve won Arkansas the game rather than go to overtime). McCormick followed that up by hitting another game-winner against LSU on Saturday. Auburn is not a perfect team, but these guards are the types of guards who can help propel a big run in the tournament. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to face them.

Solutions for Arkansas Spacing

With Isaiah Joe sidelined for the foreseeable future, Arkansas needs to find ways to navigate through their spacing woes. That isn’t to say they didn’t have these issues when he was playing as well, but they were easier to navigate because of the type of shooter Joe is and how well and far he can shoot it from. His presence alone creates so much attention for the defense to free up some holes for Arkansas’ guards whose strength does not come from their jump shot. On Saturday against the Missouri Tigers, these issues couldn’t be more apparent as Mason Jones struggled and they dropped another game in overtime. Jones only went 3-14 from the field and the Hogs as a whole shot 3-14 from three. Perhaps a solution could be to run more pick and rolls with guards to try to force a smaller guard to be mismatched against Jones? Maybe Adrio Bailey should be camped in the corner and hope his limited sample size of being a 40% shooter from three is legit? Maybe someone buried on the bench is known as a shooter and should get more run? I’m not sure, but something needs to change to help the offense. Two weeks ago, Arkansas was an 8 seed in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. They’re now a 10 seed after this slip-up against Missouri. They need to figure something out soon or they’re going to play themselves on the other side of the dreaded bubble.

That’s it for this. If anyone wants to catch a game, I’ll be going to the LSU game in Bud Walton on March 4th. I’ll see you all then. Thanks for reading. Go Hogs!

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luckylq4-blog · 4 years

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Our biggest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure

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biofunmy · 5 years

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In Andrew Luck’s Retirement, Football’s Consequences Weigh Heavily

In the century that it has grown into the nation’s most-watched sport, the N.F.L. has expected players to act like warriors willing to suck up the pain and sacrifice their bodies for the good of the team, and to be grateful they are paid handsomely to do it.

Yet even as awareness of the physical toll of the sport rises, the sudden retirement just two weeks before the start of the season by the Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck at age 29 still provided a jolt.

Luck, a former first overall draft pick and one of the league’s brightest stars over the last seven seasons, said Saturday he could no longer take the years of pain and rehabilitation from a host of cringe-worthy injuries: a lacerated kidney, injured ribs, at least one concussion, torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder and, most recently, a calf and ankle injury.

It was not the first time a young player had stepped away supposedly in the prime of his or her career — several have done so in recent years — but it was one of the more vivid examples of the changing dynamics of a league striving to portray the game as safer than ever while its players increasingly weigh the consequences of continuing a career where the long-term physical issues only build as the seasons pile up.

Unlike in earlier eras, when players had to grind out a decade or more to maintain a high standard of living, the financial arrangements of today’s top players often make it easier to retire comfortably before they hit 30.

“There’s an immense amount of pressure for a No. 1 draft pick to be out there,” said Chris Borland, who shocked the football world when he retired from the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 after one standout season. “But you’re seeing more players prioritize their health over money.”

The minimum salary for rookies today is approaching $500,000. First-round draft picks receive signing bonuses worth millions of dollars more before they have taken a snap. (Luck’s first bonus was $14.5 million.) In years past, the third contract was pay dirt. Getting a second contract is now the goal, and Luck did. He signed a five-year contract worth up to $122 million in 2016. Even though he is leaving about half that money on the table, Luck has already been paid $97 million.

Of course, Luck is not really young in football years. By the time most N.F.L. players reach his age, they have been playing tackle football for two decades or more.

Living with pain and overcoming injuries is a central feature of their lives, and many are trapped in a cycle of injuries and rehabilitation that wear on them mentally as well as physically. It is a toll that carries on long after they retire.

“I feel tired, and not just in the physical sense,” Luck said Saturday. “The lack of progress just builds up and you turn the corner and run into another stumbling block.”

Last season, Matt Hasselbeck, a former N.F.L. quarterback — and a former teammate of Luck — who is now a television analyst, recalled a conversation he had with Luck before Luck had surgery on his shoulder that kept him off the field for the 2017 season. Hasselbeck warned Luck that the year of rehabilitation was “going to be the worst year of his career. It’s no fun, football’s not fun, life’s not fun.”

Hasselbeck said Luck admitted he had not considered the psychic pain that goes with surgery and rehabilitation.

“Everything’s harder, everything’s miserable and you’re going to ask yourself, ‘How long do I want to do this?’” Hasselbeck said.

Luck responded to the year of hard work with a throwback season in 2018. He played all 16 games, passing for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns, both of which were the second-best marks of his career. With a 10-6 record, Luck led the Colts back to the playoffs after a three-year absence.

The future once again looked bright for Luck, the son of a well-known football executive, who after a standout career at Stanford stepped in to replace Peyton Manning as the face of the Colts.

Still, though Luck said on Saturday that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders with his decision to retire, some fans could not abide his decision. A round of boos greeted him as he left the field of a preseason game Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as news outlets began reporting his decision.

Randy Grimes, a former player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who struggled with injuries and now helps athletes overcome addiction to painkillers, said he was not surprised. In his view, little has changed since he last played in 1992.

Players are competitive, coaches are competitive, owners want a return on their investment and fans just want to watch football. The confluence often conspires to force players to make decisions that are not in the best interest of their long-term health.

“It’s always being in the training room and not being part of practice,” Grimes said. “That in itself forces you into a place of isolation and on an island even when you’re in the middle of it but alone.”

Some players — including Grimes during his career — have coped with the injuries and isolation by taking addictive painkillers that numb the pain but leave them with dangerous addictions. Other players grapple with the depression that comes from being in constant pain.

Then there is the ongoing issue of potential cognitive decline caused by repeated head hits. The N.F.L. has changed many rules of the game to reduce the number of dangerous plays, placed independent neurologists on the sidelines during games and strengthened its return-to-play protocols. Even so, many retired players struggle with memory loss, impulse control issues and in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

Most players have heard about former teammates with these and other struggles and some like Luck want to leave the game before it consumes them as well.

Players of Luck’s generation now consider a more ruthless calculation of health versus money, and that is putting them in conflict with team owners, who are always looking for more football, not less.

As they did during labor talks in 2011, the owners are pushing to extend the regular season from 16 to 18 games, and to expand the playoff calendar. The players are once again pushing back. They made concessions eight years ago so they could get more time off in the off-season and fewer practices with pads during the season.

The owners hope they can dangle enough money in front of the players to get them to change their minds. The players, on the other hand, are pushing for the league to lift its ban on the use of marijuana for pain relief.

“The conversation around 18 games is absurd, especially when the league is talking about player safety,” Borland said. “Late in the season, when teams are still playing Thursday night games, the locker room looks like a trauma ward.”

Luck knows this better than most players, having missed 26 games in his N.F.L. career. Even his successful return last season, when he won the N.F.L. Comeback Player of the Year Award, was not enough to keep him going. He was bothered by injuries to his calf and ankle this year and had barely practiced this off-season.

On Saturday, he told reporters he wavered about whether to stop playing. But over time he recognized that he spent the past four years on a never-ending cycle of trying to get healthy, and that he needed to break that loop.

Two weeks ago, he said, he decided to jump off the N.F.L. train and focus on himself.

“I’ve come to the proverbial fork in the road,” he said Saturday, “and I made a vow to myself if I ever did again, I would choose me in a sense.”

Ben Shpigel contributed reporting.

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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Football news: Leeds United documentary review

Unlike Marcelo Bielsa side, Take Us Home: Leeds United starts questionable and gets better the longer it lasts.

We have been blessed in recent years with a large number of football documentaries. Manchester City sits behind the scenes Everything or nothing taken by Amazon was excellent, while Sunderland Til I caught lightning in a bottle.

The news camera & # 39; s had gone behind the scenes when Leeds was like manna from heaven for those who like marathoning these shows. Last season there were Bielsa-ball, Spygate and the dramatic unraveling of their promotional pressure on Elland Road

Amazon to release their documentary about Leeds United this week

dramatic campaign 2018-19 where Leeds has just missed promotion

There are also moments that all fans will find interesting – such as the failed transfer of Daniel James

And from the two episodes that Sportsmail had access to ahead of Friday's release, there is plenty to suggest that certain fans may want to cancel their weekend plans.

But before that, the opening sequence flies, set to the kind of music you attract and it all builds on to a growth that leaves you addicted.

The credits roll, with beautiful slow-motion footage of a series of characters who are an integral part of being a Leeds fan – players, supporters and even the local fans. raster – and you feel ready to dive into it.

The documentary is beautifully shot and really shows the images of Elland Road [194590011]

There are also moments that go behind the scenes and Marcelo Bielsa on show its best

And then you will be subjected to a detailed explanation of the decision from owner Andrea Radrizzani to buy Leeds. Believe me, as much as you want, don't turn it off at that stage.

It feels like fluff and is not the way to start a series that should reasonably have enough drama. It is not because someone has tuned.

Fortunately it's over. Although the story is often told, the way the story of the Bielsa appointment is being re-presented is excellent, including interviews with people who know him who allow the filmmakers to immerse themselves in the man's character.

The footage of the training ground is also nice to see – although it is mainly about Bielsa who & # 39; Very Good & # 39; from his lungs. And players who talk about him are fascinating and beyond what they could say every week.

Sportsmail had the opportunity to watch the first two episodes of the early show

view

Players talk about Bielsa is fascinating and beyond what they could weekly. say

Part of the problem for a Flevering one is just that the documentary makers were not there at the start of the season. There is not enough behind the scenes of what was one of the most exciting runs of last season.

There is also a general problem that Bielsa is not for access and keeps itself at a distance from the media. That is fundamental to his character and would probably never change. Just don't expect Pep Guardiola-like to dress in the dressing room in the first few episodes.

But there are hints about what comes later. Bielsa finally agreed to sit in front of the cameras and gave a 45-minute lecture about the season. Small fragments from which the entire show is dotted, such as the pearls of wisdom that he presented in his last press conferences.

The documentary of what has been released so far shines here. Bielsa is the story of last season, along with the players he has improved. It is interesting to hear them speak about this man from Argentina, just like his story. He is the narrative hook, not the owner.

Soccer is true, not surprisingly, this soccer documentary really works

The players who celebrated one of their goals during a season in which they played in a fine style played

Soccer is true, not surprising, this footbal credential really works. The images of the injured Leeds players – and boy, there were many – celebrate the dramatic victory against Blackburn and that is what people want to see and fill up the rest of the season.

It is also beautiful and photographs the city of Leeds, Elland Road and everything around it beautifully. The Russell Crowe story, recorded at a quiet moment during another task, is also very good and gives it all a star quality.

To a certain extent, it is difficult to judge what Sportsmail has seen, because so much of the drama will take place in the third episode.

It is hard to judge because so much of the drama will be in the third episode and afterwards

Spygate, the unsuccessful transfer of Daniel James – all that comes after the conclusion. If that is handled properly, with insight that goes beyond the club and journalists have discovered in that phase, then it is a moving watch.

As it is, it is a valuable hour and a half of your time.

The other four episodes, covering six of the most dramatic months in the history of a single club, can and will probably be even better.

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#Football news: Leeds United documentary review"

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backtogether-rp · 5 years

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Welcome Chay! Congrats you’ve been accepted for the role of Tyson Cook, send your account in within the next 24 hours. Also, make sure to check everything out here.

Out of Character Information.

name: Chay age: 26 timezone: est activity level: 7-10

In-Character Information.

face claim: Matthew Noszka full name: Tyson Jeremy Cook age: 25 birthday: October 25, 1993 hometown: Brooklyn, NY current location: Philadelphia, PA gender identity: Male orientation: Heterosexual ships: Tyson/Chemistry anti ships: Tyson/Forced triggers: alcoholism, minor drug abuse. occupation: Quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles (Injured). siblings (if any): N/A. +3 positive traits: ambitious, intuitive, humorous -3 negative traits: arrogant, obstinate, resentful

Biography.

Tyson’s story starts off in Brooklyn, NY. He spent twelve years of his life in a cramped, two bedroom apartment. The home wasn’t large enough to fit his family. Somehow, his mother was able to jam her only biological child, sisters, and their children into one tiny apartment. A single mother and the only girl to graduate from high school in her family, Jane Bara was used to taking care of people. She wasn’t accustomed to the love being returned to her. Jane’s good deeds were often overshadowed by her demons. Her family was well-versed on Jane, knowing she was extremely weak for men and her favorite poison. With all of the pressure mounted up on her back, she turned to the bottle and sex for some type of comfort. Tyson was the product of his mother’s promiscuity. He was born without a father because Jane had no idea who his father could be.

The man who ended up signing his birth certificate wasn’t of any blood relation to him. Eric Cook was just a nice guy that Jane ignored for other men. As young Tyson grew up in the midst of chaos, Eric’s home was his place of solace. At home, Tyson felt like he had to compete against kid cousins and grown men for his mother’s affection. Jane tried her hardest to provide the essentials for Tyson. However, her addictions and jobs kept her from forming an unbreakable bond with her only son. She failed at parenting, but Eric was good at it. At the age of twelve, Tyson decided to leave his mother’s apartment and stay with Eric, and his family. Eric was already the man who claimed him on his birth certificate. Therefore, he felt responsible for Tyson despite the fact that he wasn’t his biological son. Eric was always upfront with him about his father. He told him that he wasn’t his ‘real’ father, but he was his only father figure and coach.

Eric was in charge of youth football at Tyson’s school. In an attempt to keep Tyson out of trouble, he put him on the football team. Before he joined it, Tyson was a troubled kid. He hung out with the wrong crowd and did whatever to fit in with the clique of troublemakers. Football helped him in some ways, but it didn’t totally change him. His life didn’t change until Sophomore year of high school. He was caught with Marijuana and thrown in Juvie for the second time. Eric was so disappointed in Tyson, he stopped speaking to him. His wife was the only reason why Tyson was allowed to stay in their home. Lisa Johnson-Cook believed he could change. Eric’s silence and Lisa’s encouragement pushed him to change his life around. Tyson started putting his all into his craft. His efforts showed in his skills on the field. By senior year of high school, college scouts were coming to every game, trying to get first dibs on the young quarterback. Ultimately, Tyson chose to go to UCLA. He wanted a new challenge and found it in California.

While in college, his old habits came back to him. This time, they were much worse due to how much sway he had at UCLA. People were treating him like royalty. He was the star quarterback, dethroning the poor sap who had the position before he came into town. He could get away with practically anything because he was the new ‘it’ guy. This went to Tyson’s head. He started partying, drinking, and smoking on a daily basis. He got into a lot of fights that were covered up by his coach who had took on the role of his father figure in California. Terrence Lewis was the one who looked out for him. When Tyson’s habits started to mess with his game, he gave him a little intervention that put him back on the right track. In his third year of college, Tyson decided to enter the NFL draft. He ended up being a first round draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles. This brought him closer to his hometown. By this time, Tyson had adapted to a ‘team of me’ mindset. If you weren’t team Tyson, you couldn’t get a call or visit. Once again, Tyson’s old habits came back to him. He was making millions of dollars off of endorsements and being the starting quarterback for the Eagles. The money blew his head up like never before. However, life has a way of humbling you. At the start of the new season, Tyson tore his ACL at a home game. The Eagles were forced to leave him out for the rest of the season. As Tyson’s recovering from the injury, he fears he’ll never get back to being the star athlete he used to be.

#accepted #accepted: male #accepted: apps #submission

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lexxikitty-blog1 · 6 years

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Defensive Mindset by Wendy Temple Read: April 2017 Rating: 4 Stars

*I received this book from the publisher, in return for a fair review.* This is the second full length novel that I’ve read by this author. A strange sentence, I’m sure, to anyone who happened to glance at the author’s page on GoodReads before reading my review (or, you know, ever looked at it . . . or something). Listed is this book here and a short story collection with many different authors included in it. So, second full length novel that I’ve read? Well, the other one I read was a book about an undercover police officer in Scotland that got released sometime around 2009, or thereabouts, titled Innocent Catch, and released under the author byline of ‘Weebod’. Mind you, I did not know of the connection between this author and that author until I reached the very last page of this book and saw that ‘contact the author at’ and then an email address. This is the same email address for Weebod. Interesting little jolt of recognition to hit me unexpectedly. Don’t usually read something by a brand new to me author only to suddenly realize I’d read them before. Right, so, this specific novel itself. This novel stars two football/soccer players in Edinburgh. One is the straitlaced, ‘doesn’t like to drink’ rule follower type, who just loves – passionately loves – football, that’d be Jessie Grainger. The other is the exact opposite – Fran Doherty (so glad that the author didn’t go with a first name of Shannon there) dislikes rules, loves drinking/drugs/breaking rules, or at least that was Fran. She’s been clean and sober for 2 years now, ever since getting out of jail, but there’s a very strong draw to fall back into her addictions – because that is what she suffers – massive addictions. Oh, and to further the ‘opposites’ part – unlike Jessie, Fran plays football for the paycheck, not out of love for the game. I know I’ve read others who have had issues with this book. Not sure yet what they were since I’ve attempted to not read any reviews before I read the book and wrote my own review, but I did happen to notice a few negative ratings. Hmm . . . since I don’t know specifically what the negatives they saw were, I can’t say whether or not I saw them too or . . well, mmphs, this is a stupid paragraph here. Right, so. Book opens with Jessie playing in the final games of a football season, meaningless games because her team is already out of the running for the league title, though they are currently in second place. On the opposite side of the pitch, playing for the other team is Fran – and they meet constantly during the game, literally, physically. With a bunch of sliding tackles, close touches, and outright groping (yes, literally, while lined up for a penalty kick, Fran had her hands on Jessie’s breasts and basically groped her – which is apparently okay in football). Well, naturally, Jessie being such a rule follower . . . had enough of it and slapped Fran in the face, hard. Got a red card for that – will start the next season missing three matches. Story then skips forward to the next season (which, apparently, wassomething like a week or 8 weeks after the end of the last season – that’s one of my problems with this book, I really had no idea of the time scale here, it really seemed like things occurred right after each other, and, in fairness, for all I know they do. I do not know enough about football to know if it is odd for one season to start something like 3 weeks after the last one ended; only thing I do know is that they don’t play in the summer . . . apparently. Maybe they only have three weeks of summer in Scotland). Jessie is excited to start a new year, annoyed that she’s benched for three matches, but excited. The coach, Tom, keeps bouncing in and out of the room. Teammates are getting ready for training. Tom bounces in and out again. Finally he announces the new additions to the team which includes a player to help with some defensive liabilities – one Fran Doherty. Naturally Jessie’s kind of annoyed by this issue. And so, before I recap the entire book in my review, I move on. Two Point of Views – Fran Doherty – ‘burnt-out barmaid with a past as messed up as her attitude’ (as the book description puts it – she’s not a barmaid though, she’s the person running the property for her grandfather Harry who had a stroke – hotel and bar, though she’s only operating the bar until, well – not going to spoil everything); and Jessie Grainger . . . who doesn’t have a good little description I can lift from the book description. Well, as noted, Jessie is a star footballer (played for the UK in the Olympics, and for Scotland in . . . um, book didn’t say, assume it’s something like World Cup or something), and, because female football players aren’t exactly paid massive wads of cash, she is also a ‘businesswoman’ (something to do with real estate, I believe, handling the Edinburgh office for her father’s company (which had been founded by that father’s father)). Fran and Jessie clash. Action on and off the pitch occurs. Questions are raised and never answered, well some (like, well maybe it got answered and I missed it, but I’ve no real idea how old the people in this book are. I know the coach is something like 30, he was injured at 28, began coaching, and it’s two years later; Nikki, Fran’s godmother, ‘looks like she’s in her mid-fifties’, as one character put it – and if I followed the clues: 1) Fran’s mother had Fran when she was 18, dead at 22; 2) Nikki was friends of the mother and conceivably roughly the same age as the mother; 3) Nikki, recall, looks mid-fifties; 4) 55-18=37, Fran can be no younger than 37 (or she's, you know, 32). Jessie? No idea. Not even anything like ‘she’s the same age as Fran; younger; older; etc.’ except for the part where she had played at the highest level at the Olympics for UK, and for something for Scotland, and my limited understanding is that youngsters don’t normally compete at that level, and that was in the past so . . . um . . still no clue to Jessie’s age (26)). I rather liked the characterization level given here. And I lied, I do know one of the negatives at least one person saw – Fran plain doesn’t talk . . . much at all. And I can see that. Personally I was looking at it the other way around – Jessie doesn’t shut up. She’s always babbling, can’t stand silence. Babble. Babble. Babble. Personally I’m much more like Fran communication wise (too much information and all that – it sometimes literally physically pains me to get words out). And no, I do not actually see myself as Fran. For many reasons. But I’m probably a lot more like her than Jessie, though that’s mostly due to communication since, while I have an addictive kind of personality, I always knew that so I didn’t fall into the same traps Fran did. While reading I was thinking of some things I could mention. I thought of ‘so much angst that the puppy has drowned and the kitten is in trouble’, but that’s kind of gross. Lots of angst though. From both sides, Jessie has issues of her own though has mostly had a ‘perfect’ kind of life. Oh, another thought I had while reading – I kind of dislike many of the players on Jessie’s team, which, in its way, indicates that they had enough ‘there’ for me to dislike them. There are certain clichés, tropes, etc., that pop up in romances (and yes, this is a romance) – one of which involves attempts to come together, remain together, splitting apart, etc. Well, this one certainly had a unique twist on a part of that dynamic. Ah, this book. Jessie was kind of like a hyperactive kitten that occasionally had people toss water onto, every once in a while got tied up and um . . no, let’s not go this direction as it’s misleading (no bondage occurs in this book. While Fran’s off to the side like a wounded three legged pit-bull who has been through the fights and barely grunts any longer. And for some reason both, the kitten and the pit-bull, are weirdly drawn to the other. The lust is huge. The power imbalance is also noticeably massive. Overall a satisfying and occasionally riveting look into a Scottish . . . um . . . scene/romance/sport. Side note: two characters in this book previously appeared as main characters in another book - Iicit Cusp (and a third side character in this book appeared as a side character in that book). Rating: 4.00 April 6 2017 & April 10 201

#Sports Fiction #Lesbian Fiction #Lesbian Romance #Ylva Publishing #4 Stars #ARC #New Adult #Romance #Contemporary Romance #Slice of Life #2017 Reads #Book Review #Lesbian Book Review

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esanchez119-blog · 6 years

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Beliefs

Police brutality, its something we cant ignore. Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Erik Garner, Dontre Hamilton, and the list goes on of people that were victims of this. Innocent people getting abused and killed just because the color of your skin. This is where the concept of Whiteness comes into play. In most of cases of police brutality the officer is Caucasian. Obviously everyone that isn’t white is going to see it as white people trying to show their dominance as a race. Why you may ask? For generations being white has been a privilege, Its always been that when you are white you have a bigger chance of getting something in life. Whether it be a slave in the 1800′s or just simply having the opportunity of a better education. We as a society consider this to be fair because most of us are blind to the way our society works. Take the Colin Kaepernick movement for example and how they misinterpret it.

Kaepernick didn't take a knee during the anthem in thoughts of disrespecting our nations flag and song. The reason he takes a knee is to respect the people being killed and abused by the police because of the color on their skin. Now one thing I have always heard is that we now live in different times than the Rodney King era which is true yet we still have the same problems. We have a total racial injustice when it comes to anyone that isn’t white.

I feel the way Kaepernick took the approach was perfect. Taking a knee on national television during the anthem. The goal was to get people to talk about it and he succeeded by getting more and more people to talk about it. Yet the Racial injustice in police brutality isn’t the only kind of injustice we have opened conversations about. Johnny Manziel also know as “Johnny Football” was an ex NFL Quarterback due to the amounts of trouble he attracted. Among those troubles, were substance abuse, domestic violence, and a drinking addiction. Now you may be asking why am I talking about a different NFL player that has nothing to do with this movement Kaepernick started? Reason is because this man no matter his record is getting scouted and interviewed by current NFL teams mean while Colin Kaepernick, a experienced QB that has been to the main stage in the NFL, the Superbowl has no one even looking at him. Which is again some sort punishment of a person speaking his mind and standing (or kneeling in this case) for what they believe in.

Now, i just want to understand why it is disrespectful to take a knee. When players gets injured football players take knees. So are we now saying that this is some sort of disrespect toward the injured player? No its not, now lets go back to why we even have to stand during the anthem? How does that mean that we honor our flag and country? I have seen people drunk passed out during the anthem along with people walking up and down stadium stairs eating food, on their phones, and even talking during it. That isn't disrespectful? No? OK how about when Stacy Ann Ferguson “Fergie” had to sing the Anthem at the All Star basketball game. That performance was a damn joke, and should of been a disrespect to our anthem yet everyone was just laughing about it, as if it was an accident. Would it had been the same outcome if the singer was black? SO why is it that the Kaepernick movement is such a bad idea or bad look on a very inspirational man. Take in to consideration that this man gave up what he loves to become a voice for people that don’t have a voice. He may never play in the NFL again but it doesn't bug him. Tell me a person that would give it all that up just to help others. People are terrified of what possible outcomes could come out of it yet Kaepernick didn’t. Read up on this man before you are so quick to judge.

LInks of Kaepernick

https://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/41530732

Manziel’s Crime record and activity

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/25/johnny-manziel-xfl-not-eligible

Victims of Police Brutality

https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicholasquah/heres-a-timeline-of-unarmed-black-men-killed-by-police-over?utm_term=.yjAmq0vY2#.oq4RQNpg3

Undisputed Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless on Kaepernick’s future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egIBdp4dafk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QerOOMFpIms

#alllivesmatter

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junker-town · 7 years

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‘Hard Knocks’ Recap: A business trip to beautiful Jacksonville

The Bucs travel to Jacksonville; Jameis Winston throws a hilarious interception; Chris Baker humps a tree; everyone eats wings.

On this week’s episode of Hard Knocks, the Bucs traveled to Jacksonville for a couple days of practice against the Jaguars before the two teams played in the preseason. These are the main takeaways.

Stop Trying to Make Doug Martin Happen

The Bucs are filled with fascinating characters. Gerald McCoy is as intelligent and entertaining as he is intelligent. Jameis Winston — caveat here — is a fascinating combination of leadership and talent capable of head-smacking stupidity. Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson have a heartwarming bromance. Brent Grimes and his wife Miko — I swear this is a compliment — should be studied by psychologists. Fringe cornerback Robert McClain is a talented artist with a beautiful family. And on, and on, and on.

For the first two episodes, I kept wondering, “Where the heck is Doug Martin?” He showed some promise as a physical entertainer when he briefly appeared last week to usher some rookies offstage, but he was otherwise absent until this episode.

And now I know why: Doug Martin is the dullest person on the team. His voice is a natural monotone. He referred to his time in rehab as a “journey” while saying nothing about addiction or his treatment (he tested positive for Adderall, but the show gave no specifics beyond “violating the league’s drug policy”). Entering his sixth year, he says he needs to “start” acting like a veteran, even as the head coach singles out rookie Riley Bullough for his leadership. In a noble but failed effort to give him some personality, HBO showed him riding an electric skateboard (he didn’t want to rollerblade or ride a bike in college).

Martin isn’t bad or unlikable, he’s just boring. Now I know why he didn’t want to be called Muscle Hamster: he doesn’t deserve a nickname that interesting.

The Chucky and Rex Show

Three episodes of Hard Knocks, two appearances by Jon Gruden. There are perfectly good reasons for this that are not necessarily related to the Bucs’ present coach being Madame Tussaud’s version of Pete Carroll, but the optics aren’t great. Still, I welcome Chucky and his Mark Davis haircut, especially since the ESPN crew working the Bucs’ preseason game have brought along rookie broadcaster Rex Ryan, who’s just here to trash his former quarterbacks and suck on some toes. AND HE’S ALL OUTTA TOES.

REX (to Jameis Winston): You know, I’m jealous. I never had a quarterback like you, you know what I mean? That’s why I’m sitting here, and I’m pissed off about it.

GRUDEN: You think YOU’RE pissed off about it? [everyone laughs] I gotta LIVE in Tampa!

REX: Look at the guys you had. Shit, my guys were better than your guys.

GRUDEN: I got my four ki— three kids wearing Jameis Winston jerseys.

Here are the things I love about this exchange:

Rex Ryan blames his firings on having shitty quarterbacks. And buddy, I’ve got your back when it comes to Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith and Greg McElroy (not to mention backup Tim Tebow). But Tyrod Taylor is pretty good, and Buffalo’s rushing attack was excellent the two years Ryan was there. That Bills defense, though? Not exactly the result of a supposed defensive mastermind.

Rex openly states — unprompted, on video, in front of his co-workers — that he’s pissed about having his job.

For a moment, I thought Gruden’s “You think YOU’RE pissed off about it?” was an excellent burn on Rex — and from the reaction, so did everyone in the room. Alas, he was talking about his proximity to the Bucs, and how often he sees Winston practice and play.

Rex states that Gruden’s dogshit quarterbacks were worse than HIS dogshit quarterbacks — which isn’t true, but it IS funny that Ryan doesn’t pick up on the subtext: if Gruden won a Super Bowl with worse quarterbacks, what does it say about HIS ability as a coach?

Jon Gruden is unsure how many kids he has?

SWAG CHECK

Oh hell yeah: we’ve got a packing and traveling montage! Time to get some slo-mo walks to the buses! We’ve got some GQ mofos going from Tampa to Jacksonville:

Watch out Russell Westbrook! The intentionally gaudy shirt isn’t my cup of tea, but it’s of the moment and fitted to his big frame. With the chain and stylish sunglasses, he looks good, and he knows it.

Gerald McCoy continues his flawless scene streak in Hard Knocks. August heat in Florida won’t keep him from looking good in tight black pants, and he’s made the most “stylish adult” decision of all: the only way to look truly good with luggage is to spend a lot of money on it and carry it in your hands.

Oh my goodness. Did my channel somehow change to a network airing a dramedy about a fabulously charming lawyer? Ladies and gentlemen, SPORT is in session!

And wait, are those ...

... CHERUB CHAINS?!?! Help, my TV is melting from this heat. Honey, cash my 401(k), I have to pay this man whatever it takes to be my personal stylist.

Okay, who’s next?

... oh.

Becky, your dad’s here!

Beautiful, Scenic Jacksonville

The First Law of Hard Knocks is: If something can look epic, it will look epic. Tacky team headquarters will be captured with breathtaking drone footage panoramas. If a garbage barge passes by, it will be shot in low-angle slow-motion during the golden hour. If a team travels to Jacksonville, Florida — our nation’s sprawling ode to shipping containers and jungle rot — then it will look like a goddamn postcard.

To be clear: that is a screenshot I slapped some text on. I know, it’s a little slapdash. But I’m not going to shell out for Avalon font just so I can make the Internet a better Jacksonville postcard.

A Moment for Chris Baker

Defensive tackle Chris Baker (pictured humping a tree) has been a delightful trash talker in every episode this season, getting more air time each week — and with good reason. Here he is talking with some Jaguars fans:

You crazy, boy. We out here destroyin’ y’all. Y’all got to be the angriest fans in the world. Cuz y’all ... is going to get at least three wins.

He also split a sideline hot dog with Gerald McCoy during the second half of the preseason game at Jacksonville.

McCOY: Hey Bake! (waves hot dog) You so fat. You gotta be the fattest dude I know.

BAKER: Where’d you get it from, bro?

McCOY: Don’t worry about it. You want half?

He pulled a Sanchez! Don’t disrespect the game!

Lunch is on Gerald

While in Jacksonville, Coach Koetter informs the team that McCoy has arranged for three food trucks to provide ribs, wings, and snow cones for lunch, all paid for by the star defensive tackle (McCoy to Baker: “Except you, Bake.”)

This is an awesome gesture. I love hot wings and ribs.

BUT. Giving 90 massive pro athletes — many of them over 300 pounds — as many hot wings as they can eat ... for lunch ... in Jacksonville ... in August ... seems like an act of war on the hotel’s plumbing. My heart goes out to those poor toilets.

GOAT RESCUE

THE SCENE: Quarterbacks Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Ryan Griffin ask about Sefo Liufau’s girlfriend. A condensed version of their discussion follows.

LIUFAU: Her family has four goats.

WINSTON: Oh, so she rich?

GRIFFIN: You’re so country.

WINSTON: If you got goats, you got MONEY. I’m from Alabama. If you got some cattle, you rich.

LIUFAU: I’m pretty sure they got the goats from goat rescue, they’re only like $100.

Jameis Winston LOVED the idea of a goat rescue operation that worked like a dog shelter.

Elsewhere in the realm of quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick had some excellent, subtle digs at Winston. The best was following a pregame huddle with the offense, in which the players repeated each line of Winston’s poem about beating the Jaguars. After the interminable scene, Fitz, sitting next to Winston at their lockers, leaned over and deadpanned, “You rhyme was a little long.” But I also enjoyed this:

FITZ: Would you say Muhammad Ali is one of your biggest inspirations?

WINSTON: Yes.

FITZ: When you talk, when you break down, I can, like, I can just feel that you’ve seen a lot of his stuff.

This conversation was immediately followed by a clip of Winston speaking to the team, and Fitz is clearly right: it’s like a cross between Ali and Ray Lewis.

“First you get the money, then you get the goats!”

Disappointed Dirk

He threw this.

Okay, first: if you have not seen Winston GLORIOUS interception that was overturned because he was ruled down, you must go watch it now.

The exchange that happened next was beautiful, because Dirk Koetter has never been more relatable. For one minute, Koetter is the football version of “extremely pissed off dad who is trying to be loving and constructive with his son, but is also JUST SO PISSED AT HIM.”

DIRK: Jameis. You’re fuckin’ playing a great game. You’re playing a great game. And then your greed takes over. If this is real football, that’s so fuckin’ stupid. That’s guaranteed points! You’re so much better than that! You’re so much better. You’re playing a great game. You just threw a great, perfect spot to O.J., GREAT go route, and then you fuckin’ do that!

JAMEIS: I got you. I got you.

DIRK: You can’t do that! Ever! Ever! Ever!

I hope Winston NEVER cuts down on his turnovers. Just an entire career of every TV announcer raving about how talented he is while he throws 18 picks a year. “Such POISE while throwing that backbreaking pick, Troy.”

The Cruel Business

This episode’s rookie undrafted free agent to fall in love with was Maurice Fleming. We get the full, nasty arc of his tragedy over the course of one hour: we meet him hanging out in a pool with other rookies. He shines in practice. He wakes up before sunrise to train on his own.

The coaches praise him. In the preseason game, he injures his knee as the Jaguars make a desperate final drive. He can’t cut. He can barely run. But he stays on the field, because he has to stay on the field to make the team. He makes the game-saving pass break-up.

But this story doesn’t have a happy ending, because it’s the NFL. Fleming gets X-rays and an MRI on his knee, then waits for a small eternity to get the results. He’ll be out four weeks, so he’s out of a job. The Bucs waive him.

What a crap-ass league.

MONTAGE RANKINGS

Jameis Winston workout montage

Doug Martin game footage montage

Team walk-through montage. An odd choice, I know, but I liked that it was (a) scored by the director of team security playing a hotel piano, and (b) showed this extremely weird-looking thing that every single NFL team does before a game.

Food preparation montage. I’m very hungry right now.

Sucking at practice montage

Offense clicking montage

Gassers montage. Don’t make gassers a montage unless you deliver on a puke shot.

Players’ day off montage. This didn’t have enough music or quick-cuts to be a true montage, I just wanted to point out that Ali Marpet spent his off day reading a book, eating sushi, and playing his ukulele by himself on Picnic Island.

haha, look at this lonely nerd!

But for real, he seems nice.

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torentialtribute · 5 years

Text

Former Liverpool star Luis Garcia admits players are not prepared to talk about mental problems

& # 39; If you are in trouble, you don't want other people to know. & # 39;

Aaron Lennon has warned us and now Luis Garcia is doing the same. Almost two years ago, Lennon was on a busy main road close to the M602 motorway in Manchester, and police officials believed he was in a precarious situation.

Burnley's winger has recently recovered from a stress response. related illness after being arrested under the Mental Health Act, but his message was clear. He was not alone. I thought other players suffer in silence.

Luis Garcia did not struggle during his game, but now he knows that some players are "class =" blkBorder img-share "

<img id =" i-8cd1623c5b04a2bf "src =" https: // i. dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/03/15/13052288-6985275-image-a-15_1556893971414.jpg "height =" 417 "width =" 634 "alt =" The former Reds star had a support network to when he went through a divorce "class =" blkBorder img

] The former Reds star had a support network around him when he went through a divorce

Garcia did not have a hard time during his aying days nor is he now.

The former striker from L iverpool was lucky to have a support network around him when he went through a difficult divorce but this is

& # 39; Maybe you spoke with a good friend & # 39;

& # 39; We were talking about all kinds of things, but not about feelings. you could talk about it openly. I remembered a few conversations with guys who were gambling and they were winning all the time, which was strange.

& # 39; They always said when they won, but not when they lost.

& # 39; In terms of gambling, they knew they could arrive in a moment of trouble and they didn't want people to know you were participating.

<img id = "i-41076051cea9afeb" src = "https: //i.dailymail. co.uk/1s/2019/05/03/15/13052266-6985275-image-a-16_1556893978172.jpg "height =" 412 "width =" 634 "alt =" Former Liverpool star Garcia spoke on behalf of charity work BeGambleAware during an event "

<img id =" i-41076051cea9afeb "src =" https://dailym.ai/2JfJ6vE .jpg "height =" 412 "width =" 634 "alt =" Former Liverpool star Garcia spoke on behalf of charity organization BeGambleAware

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson recently broke during an interview and confesses that he has sunk into the horrors of his gambling addiction.

In the UK, 76 percent of men are suicides and suicide is

difficult for young men to open up about their struggle.

] & # 39; Sometimes it looks like you are weak, you have no control, & # 39 ;, Garcia said reluctantly on behalf of charity organization BeGambleAware.

& # 39; If you are in the soccer business and you

& # 39; Things like this can be messy and you need to have a lot of things in mind: training, playing or not playing , are involved in the games or have a problem.

& # 39; I would probably go to friends that I would have been since I was a child, when I was there I would struggle to talk to them.

Garcia (second from left) studies for masters and does his coaching badges

& # 39; of those problems, such as gambling, would I have gone to them? I don't know.

I was lucky, I didn't have such problems, I got divorced and I went with them [my mates] not even my family. It was a big deal and I went to them to talk about it. & # 39;

The former Barcelona star was asked if he knew players who were open about their sexuality. , for example if they knew players who were gay during their playing career.

to be honest, how wee t u that?

<img id = "i-cf3c005119ddde99" src = "https://dailym.ai/2IZonwE -19_1556894089647.jpg "height =" 394 "width =" 634 "alt =" The 40-year-old is now a football expert who played for Liverpool between 2004 and 2007 "class =" blkBorder img-

The 40-year-old is now a football expert who played for Liverpool between 2004 and 2007

& # 39; You spend a lot of time, two hours, three hours a day [with each other] and then

& # 39; I didn't know at all, believe me, if they didn't come out or say anything

& # 39; So you didn't know if that was serious or not, it must be that they are scared. & # 39;

Garcia, who is now studying for a Masters degree and trying earning his coaching badges may have insisted that he do it was lucky during his life, but his time in Liverpool was not easy. -year-old, now a soccer connoisseur, played for Liverpool between 2004 and 2007 under manager Rafael Benitez.

His & # 39; ghost & # 39; goal, where the ball didn't seem to cross the line against Chelsea in the

He also scored a wonderful volley against Juventus in the round before his career at Reds came out on a flyer.

& # 39; When I first met him, he said: & # 39; I don't know what to say, I arrived very well in Liverpool in the city, with the people. I trained every day, then I went home and rested.

& # 39; I had games again on Saturday and Wednesday, so you were very focused on what you were doing. & # 39;

]

Garcia & # 39; s & # 39; ghost & # 39; goal, where the ball crossed the line against Chelsea in 2005 did not seem to pass & # 39; goal, where the ball apparently did not cross the border in 2005 against Chelsea & # 39;

Garcia & # 39; s & # 39; ghost & # 39; goal, where the ball did not seem to cross the line against Chelsea in 2005

& # 39; They don't like it as much as you do. They have their own lives and things, but it is a different lifestyle here [England] than in Spain.

& # 39; So it was quite difficult first and second year. When I was injured in January of the third year, I went back to recover in Spain and after four months, returning to Liverpool was very difficult.

& # 39; After a few weeks I spoke to Rafa [Benitez] and said: "Listen, I have to change because I'm having a hard time, I have a lot of problems at home because we don't enjoy life, so maybe I should move to help us. "

The rest is history; Garcia left Anfield and signed for Atletico Madrid, who eventually saw Fernando Torres coming the other way

He is still following Jurgen Klopp while trying to end a 29-year wait for the Premier League "

He is still following Jurgen Klopp while trying to stop waiting for 29 years on the Premier League

It was a shame that it ended in this way for Garcia, because he was loved by the Liverpool supporters.

He still follows Jurgen's side Knock while they offered to end a 29-year waiting period for the Premier League.

& I would have liked [have played in this team] If I had the chance to participate!

& # 39; It's a fantastic team, the whole team is very strong right now. I would try to find a spot in the middle or wide and try to get a few minutes, but it looks hard! & # 39;

Garcia maintains that he is a very positive and happy man, but he sends a message like Aaron Lennon did and that message is clear. The silence in the dressing room is deafening.

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#Former Liverpool star Luis Garcia admits players are not prepared to talk about mental problems"

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