text:
There are no specific apologies that I can give for not updating when I clearly said I would, and this is an even lamer apology because not only am I still not updating my chapter fic, I'm posting something else instead. So lame.
But anyway, I hope you enjoy this oneshot!
He couldn't be more annoying. This kid. This twerp. This animal. This thing- who just sat there on the couch all Saturday long munching on leftover edamame or soy chips, making the most awful noises that made her grate her teeth and seal the brim on Rage. For that was the one emotion that always seemed to want to pour out whenever he was present. Just about everything he did would have pissed off a less controlled, more demonic Raven. And she could only thank the priests of Azarath that she had all that time to practice, for surely this was the test they meant. This is what would have driven her evil side out, ready to kill, ready to swallow the green ant into the darkness. Her father would be ready, waiting to take full advantage of this newly found devilry, and come her 16th birthday, that would be it.
World gone.
All because of Beast Boy and his incessant chewing.
"I didn't know it was possible for something so scrawny to produce noises so obnoxious."
But thankfully, she was strong (and patient) enough to deal with him. Her 16th birthday had come and passed as well as her 17th, and she had yet to fully transform into any kind of apocalyptic gate and complete that prophecy. Raven didn't bother looking up from the book she was currently half-consumed with. He didn't need to see the glare in her dark eyes, or the irritated curve of a frown on her face. Her deadpan would be enough to get the point across as it always was.
And usually, he would sigh and complain and whine about how he was an animal, and animals were expected to be that loud. She would reply with a witty remark about how currently he was more boy than beast and that in this state he should act like one. And then Beast Boy would go ahead and prove that he actually was more beast than anything else and turn into a dog or a cat or a gorilla if he was feeling especially obnoxious that day.
Which she hated. Not that she didn't fully expect him to be obnoxious, but if anyone can be more loud than Beast Boy, it was Beast Boy in one of his animal forms.
When there wasn't any familiar response, Raven glanced up from the fiction novel, closing it without even holding her place. "Beast Boy?"
The chewing had stopped (thank Azar), and Beast Boy turned from the morning cartoons and glanced over to the darker girl on the other end of the couch. It was then she noticed it was only Saturdays that Beast Boy never changed into the more common purple and black uniform. The mask had been long forgotten, and on Saturdays, Beast Boy completely forwent any sort of super hero attire at all. She expected his pajamas to be more childish, like footie PJs or Superman printed flannels. But they weren't. They were purple and black, like he normally wore, only the shorts and t-shirt revealed much more of his green skin. He was still staring at her, which was weird, and she was still staring at him, which was even weirder. Raven coughed and picked up a mug of tea, which caused Beast Boy to finally talk. "You know, you don't have to sit with me."
She would have been insulted if she didn't sense the pure curiosity in his voice, but just to be sure he didn't mean it as an insult, she replied with a neutral, "Excuse me?"
"I mean...we're the only ones up this early. Everyone else is tired from Friday night training, but I love Saturday morning cartoons, and you..." Beast Boy's green eyes flashed from her face to the tea to the book and back. "I'm not sure why you choose to be here."
Raven shrugged, "I'm a morning person."
"No...I mean, I know that. You don't go this long living with someone without catching on to some of their habits. Like, I bet you're freaked out why I'm not a goat by now, right?"
Gorilla, actually, but Raven didn't say anything concerning that. "Go on."
He smiled and set down the bowl of chips, "What I'm trying to say is that yeah, you're a morning person, but you could be in your room right now or the hundreds of other rooms we have. But you're not. Why?"
Raven hated the look on his face. It was the sly, cocky Beast Boy- the Beast Boy that loved to crack innuendo based jokes and hit on random fangirls. "What are you getting at?"
"Nothing...exactly. Just that maybe you actually like my obnoxious chewing."
"Or you like hanging out with me so much you're willing to put up with it." He grew a cheeky grin and leaned over, taking another soy chip from the bowl and sliding it into his mouth.
Raven frowned and in an instant, the mounds of chips went flying from the bowl and into Beast Boy's face in a flurry of black energy. She grabbed her tea and book and stood up, cloak trailing. "Don't push it."
Next Saturday, she didn't leave her room. Beast Boy was right, which was hard to believe, but she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. For years now, Robin had established Friday night training, mostly because some of their lesser villains never dreamed of going out on Friday nights and missing the chance of more normal human interactions. This gave them more opportunities to practice uninterrupted. But Raven also had the slight suspicion that Robin did it to limit the Titans' more normal human interactions.
Both Beast Boy and Cyborg were noticeably dismayed at the notion that Friday night dates would fail to exist, not that either of them dated much but there were a couple of incidents. Starfire didn't know any better and just agreed wholeheartedly. The idea probably was, though Robin would never, ever admit it, because of her. She had grown more and more interested in boys since they first arrived at the Tower, and although most of her interest was in the Boy Wonder himself, there were times when she couldn't help but notice some of the more attractive civilians. Even Raven was upset at the idea, not that she had any known dates in her future. She begrudgingly agreed to the plan, being the third in the majority vote. Yes, she knew it was probably the best time slot to hold the practices, but a part of her at least wanted the option to date on Fridays.
Because, after all, she wasn't exactly stone. She was a teenage girl, one that never experienced normalcy but wanted it all the same. Raven moved from her bed and slid the mirror from her desk. She needed to meditate and find a way to control her emotions, and then maybe one day, she'd feel safe enough to experience them.
It wasn't like she was afraid of love. Love was not a scary emotion, nor was happiness, joy, or anything along those lines. She was not, as much as Starfire said, afraid to love anyone she felt deserving of it. But there were two things wrong with that. One was the amount of effort it would take to find someone actually deserving of love. She didn't mean it in any sort of pretentious way; no, she wasn't shallow or anything. By deserving she simply meant someone who wouldn't hurt her or judge her or try to use her. She had been used too many times in her life by people who were supposed to love her but didn't. And she did not intend to feel that way again.
And even then, even if she managed to find someone deserving of her trust and love, emotions themselves were a double edged sword. Allow yourself to feel something like love and you're opening yourself up to hate. Someone you felt so strongly for could easily hurt you and turn that powerful emotion into something dark. And that was something she could not let herself feel. She had been close to that feeling though. With Terra. Hell, she probably did hate Terra. And that was why she had managed to be defeated, drowned in an ocean of earth and sludge.
So no, she wasn't afraid of love as many thought. She was afraid of that love turning to hate. She was afraid of leaving herself too open, too comfortable with someone that could easily hand her heart back to her on a silver platter.
Which, according to the incredibly cheesy novel on her bed, was a common thing for teenage girls to worry about, really. She was glad half of these books had cover slips that were easily removable. If anyone found out that she wasn't reading Dante or Poe or even King, her whole 'creepy' exterior would be ruined.
And you don't want that to happen because?
She didn't answer that. Sometimes she didn't like where her mind would wander.
But these novels, as poorly written and predictable as they were, helped her feel...normal. Not only because they were the standard kind of book girls her age read, but because they made her feel emotionally mature. Yes even she- Raven, half demon Teen Titan- was less emotionally inept than the girls in these books were. That made her feel sort of proud.
She had managed to get pretty far in the book too before her meditation and without Beast Boy's chewing next to her. Her room was much quieter, much more suitable for this kind of stuff, and much more suitable for her.
When her stomach growled and her mind began to get a little fuzzy from the lack of caffeine, Raven retreated from her mirror and went to the kitchen to grab some toast and tea.
"Raven! There you are!"
She turned slowly, realizing Beast Boy was the one talking to her from his normal seat on the couch. The morning cartoons sounded off behind him, but his eyes were fully directed on her.
Raven remained impassive. "Obviously," and kept moving, but the green Titan followed her into the kitchen. She turned on the stove-top and waited for the kettle to sing. "It appears that you're following me."
Beast Boy grinned, "Wow, Rave, nothing gets passed you."
She allowed no inflection in her voice. "Ha. Ha."
"So, where were you this morning?"
The question threw her off, "In my room?"
"Well..." Beast Boy scratched his dark hair, "You usually come out here. You know...it's Saturday."
"Nothing gets passed you either."
Beast Boy ignored the recycled sarcasm. "No, seriously. Were you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You just decided..."
Raven didn't know what he was getting at, but at the sound of her kettle, she decided to end his curiosity. "You informed me last week that there was no practical reason I needed to sit with you unless I wanted to file down my teeth. So I stayed in my room. Now I'm hungry so I'm out here."
"Gotcha." Beat Boy whistled and grabbed a carton from the fridge. "Want some soy eggs?"
"Not if you paid me."
She was surprised by the more appealing offer. "Okay."
"Okay? Okay!" He was grinning, which wasn't unlike him at all, but the magnitude of this grin was enormous. "Get ready, Rave, for the best tasting, most magnificent meal you have ever tasted."
"Beast Boy, it's toast."
"Delectable toast." Beast Boy grabbed a loaf of bread and popped two pieces into the metal toaster. "Jam, right?"
"Yes, but st-"
"Strawberry, I got it." He moved again to the fridge and grabbed the jar and a knife. He laughed at her confused face. "Remember that whole thing about living with each other and knowing stuff? I got it, don't worry."
And just because she was slightly curious to see if this was true, Raven left him alone and sat back on the couch, tea in hand. She hadn't brought her book with her, so she was left staring at the numerous cartoon animals running around on screen. Maybe that was why Beast Boy liked these shows. All the animals acting...human, it must have been interesting for someone who could change into them all so easily. She had never really watched them before, even though she had sat in front of them countless times. And now that she was left staring at it, she couldn't help but admit that they were kind of...funny.
When Beast Boy came back, two plates in hand, Raven didn't miss a beat. "I see where you didn't get your jokes from."
It took a while for the youngest Titan to understand, but when he did, Raven bet she could have felt his happiness even if she weren't an empath. "You think it's funny, Rave? Really?"
"It's not terrible."
"Dude, that's great." His teeth were so white. She had never noticed that before. They were white and pointier than any normal teeth, and Raven found them strangely fascinating. When she first saw Beast Boy without his mask, she must have thought he was strange looking. Yes, she wasn't exactly the epitome of normal herself, but grey skin blended in better than green ever would. And no matter how weird Beast Boy's appearance initially seemed, that soon went away after the many years of working and living together.
But then why was Raven suddenly noticing all of these things again?
Like how thick his hair was and how it managed to stand straight up in places. Or how his eyes weren't the normal green color other humans have, but a darker, deeper green that only eluded to the many animals he could transform into. Or how even though he looked simply thin, his arms and calves were incredibly toned from all the conditioning he had to do with the team.
Raven's cheeks felt warm. What am I doing? And she immediately set her tea down. "Thanks."
Beast Boy looked to her, "For what?"
"For breakfast."
He smiled then and took a bite of his white eggs, "No problem, Rave. You know what's going on?" He pointed to the screen and waited for her reaction. When she shook her head 'no', Beast Boy then asked, "Want me to explain?"
She could feel his hesitance and resistance to the question, the doubt in a positive response and the expectation that she'd most definitely turn him down, eat her toast, and head back to her room. And maybe, that's what she would have done, but for some reason she said, "Yes."
His happiness was almost infective. It felt so bright that Raven almost cringed when Beast Boy took another gulp of his eggs and scooted closer to her. "Okay, well, it's really easy to get...especially for someone like you. But basically in this episode, they're trying to..."
Raven took another sip of her tea as she listened to Beast Boy's explanation, for once not annoyed by the nonstop talking.
She didn't know what to do this morning. Her back ached, her legs ached. Robin seemed especially sadistic yesterday by making them do the obstacle course without any of their special abilities, which seemed especially difficult for Starfire since hers were so innate. And so were hers after all. Raven was used to levitating, not running. She was used to using her mind to lift heavy, giant objects, not her hands. She never felt so sore, but she knew this training would be for the best. She looked to the clock, seeing it was already 9AM, two hours later than she would normally get up.
Raven moved on her side, cringing as she rolled on her arms. Who knew pushups, something so simple, could be so brutal?
She wasn't meant for that kind of fighting, but she wish she was. She didn't want to just rely on the less...heroic side of her heritage to dictate her fighting strengths. But then again, she hated this. Raven was raised a pacifist, but it was hard to remain peaceful amongst super villains. She was athletic, sure, that was sort of a requirement in the Teen Titan job position. But there was a stark difference between her minimal athleticism and the athleticism someone needed to do the course effectively.
Beast Boy had surprised her the most. He wasn't allowed to morph, which scared him at first, but he still managed to complete the course much faster than she ever could. It was impressive actually. Really-
She shook her head. "Just want to sleep."
Raven tried to close her eyes again, but her internal clock refused to let her sleep. Her body was physically exhausted, but mentally, she was wide-awake.
And even if she wasn't she would have been in about five more seconds. A hard knock on the door greeted her ears. It was still too early for Robin to finally wake up. The Boy Wonder never usually slept long, but Saturday was his sleep in day after a whole week of being an insomniac. Cyborg had a set recharge time, but the human side of him could sleep until 2PM if all the Titans let him. Starfire usually woke up around 10:30 every day. Which only left...
"Raven? You there?"
Beast Boy.
Raven sighed and tried to sit up but she found her body immobile. "Sort of."
"Not sure what that means, but can I come in?"
She felt torn by the statement. She was thirsty and needed help getting up, but she was sure she looked ridiculous. Her normally straight hair was probably frizzy and clumped up in knots. Her pajamas were everything but flattering and...
Why would she care about any of that?
She just didn't want Beast Boy in her room. He'd most likely break something. "No."
"...Oh, um...alright." She heard his weak reply and could feel his disappointment through her door. "As long as you're okay..."
"Beast Boy?" She squirmed her body up, laying her back on the headboard. Why was it that she always seemed to talk to him through doors? Now, that time after Malchior... She always put a barrier between them when she was feeling emotionally raw. Yet, there was no reason for her to be raw this morning-not emotionally at least. Okay, so her body was incredibly tired, and lately, Beast Boy had been everything but unbearable, yet that wasn't the same as the prior incident. No, not at all.
His familiar voice greeted her shyly. "Yeah, Rave?"
"I'm okay. Thanks for asking."
Though there was a sinking sensation that she was anything but.
Why Robin thought it was a good idea to do the same drill the following Friday was beyond her. It had been hard, especially because they had to leave mid-session to stop Control Freak from doing whatever he was doing. Leave it to him to be the one villain with no Friday night plans.
Not that she could say anything. She hadn't been on a date since...well, ever. Unless those enchantment, spell studying sessions with Malchior counted. But she was pretty sure they didn't.
She was still in training mode, so much so that when Control Freak had a billboard of a tow truck come flying towards her, Raven simply froze. Normally, she could have easily stopped it with a simple incantation. Three words and the truck would be immobilized, not crashing towards her at uncatchable speeds.
But she couldn't think. She only watched as it traveled faster, headlights glaring, the last bit of light she would see until everything-
There was a shout and a crash and it all happened so fast that Raven didn't realize she was being thrown onto the pavement until her back hit the asphalt. There were scrapes across her exposed skin, but she quickly got up. A flash of green had pushed her aside, and when she got a better look, she saw a small figure on the ground next to a totaled truck.
"Beast Boy..." she whispered, almost inaudibly. Robin was by his side already while Cyborg and Starfire continued to shoot down the nearby enemies.
Cyborg shot another large blast directly at Control Freak's remote, killing the remaining animated objects and leaving the villain vulnerable. "Finally. This freak will never learn."
The alien girl above hovered and grabbed Control Freak with super human speed and strength. "You shall pay for hurting my friends!" Her eyes glowed green, and Robin had to rush over and calmly place a hand on her arm.
"Relax Star, just bring him to jail."
"Yes." Starfire nodded, "You are right, Robin. I do not know what came over me. Raven and Beast Boy..."
"I'm fine." Raven stood up immediately, dusting off her cloak but avoiding the gashes in her arm. She had been careless, stupid, clumsy. It was so unlike her, and because of her mistakes, Beast Boy was still on the floor. Wait. Her eyes widened. Why is he still on the floor?
She wanted to go over there and heal him, but she knew the pain would be a lot for her to take in unnoticed. Raven didn't want them to know about that-about how, although minimal to the actual injury, she still suffered a bit whenever she healed.
Robin's commanding tone broke her thoughts, "Star, Cyborg, take Control Freak to jail and make sure this time no one gives him any access to electronics. I have a feeling he keeps making these stupid remotes. Raven, take Beast Boy back to the Tower."
"And where are you going?" Starfire asked anxiously.
Robin pushed on his mask. "I promised a reporter from Metropolis a story about our team."
"Oh, why so?"
"Well, we won't be running the show forever and I was..."
Raven couldn't believe that they were just talking so casually. They were just standing in a circle as Beast Boy was lying yards away, bleeding. "Can we please keep moving?" Her voice was stern, thin of patience. "Robin, go meet the reporter. You guys get the idiotic villain away. I'll be over there." She gestured towards Beast Boy and felt her stomach twist. "Bye."
She didn't wait for anyone else to speak, though she swore she could hear someone actually laughing behind her. "Idiot." Raven knelt towards Beast Boy's unconscious frame and bit her lip. In an instant, a black raven consumed both figures in the moonlighted streets, and then they were both back in the tower on the floor of Beast Boy's room.
He was heavier than she expected, and after a failed attempt of picking him up, Raven used her powers to place him on the lower bunk of his bed. She pushed away piles of clothes and sat down next to him before putting her hood down.
There was a small gash in his chest, nothing major, which was probably why Robin had been so calm before. No, it would be nothing to clot and close the wound, but bringing him back to consciousness was a different story. Raven steadied her hands and removed the upper portion of Beast Boy's uniform, sliding the tight material to the lower part of his waist. She laid her palms directly on the wound; it would be faster this way, more direct, and would save more of her energy for waking him up.
He was breathing easily, body so warm that it caused Raven to flush. Soon, the small trickle of blood stopped flowing, and she could feel her own cuts and bruises deepen, but she ignored it. It was nothing to her. Raven didn't bother wiping the blood from her hands and moved directly towards Beast Boy's head. He was unconscious, probably with a concussion, and the last thing he should be doing was sleeping it off. More and more energy poured out, and soon, Beast Boy's green eyes flickered. His breaths became sharper, controlled, and Raven moved away.
She bit her lip at the sight of blood on his head even though she knew she had just healed him. He rubbed his eyes and then groaned. "Jeez, feels like I've been hit by a truck." He gave her a smile before sitting up.
"Not funny, Beast Boy." She managed to ignore her own slight headache.
"I don't know, Rave, it was a little..."
"You're an idiot."
Beast Boy frowned and stretched his muscles, directing Raven's gaze down towards his chest and the abs lining his stomach. Didn't he used to be a little annoying kid? When did he develop into this? Raven's heart pulsed and she turned away, but she could feel a different emotion swerve through Beast Boy's body, something akin to confidence.
"Can't we wait about two minutes before you start insulting me?"
"No." Raven stood up from his bed and started looking through the piles of clothes littering the floor. "Is there something I can use?"
"Planning on changing?" He wiggled his eyebrows but then frowned as she held up her blood stained hands. "Oh, yeah. Here." He moved slowly from his bed and gave her a dark towel. Raven wiped the red from her hands and then moved towards Beast Boy, dabbing the soft towel on his forehead. Beast Boy's face was turning red, "...err...thanks."
"Of course." Her eyes looked down to his still revealed chest, and Beast Boy nervously dressed himself.
He scratched his dark hair. "Couldn't wait to undress me, huh?"
Beast Boy paused, shocked at the question. "Well, Rave, you see, when two people really, really like each other, they tend to want to..."
She scoffed, "No, Beast Boy. I mean, why did you do that?"
"Do what?" He raised an eyebrow.
Her voice was faltering, "You..."
"You mean, why did I get hit by a truck for you? Isn't it obvious?"
She felt...nervous under his stare, those green eyes looking more thoughtful and serious than Raven ever imagined they could. Her throat felt caught, raw, and scratchy, and the mess in her head that was her emotions seemed completely out of sorts. She needed to meditate. She needed to think. She needed to figure out why Beast Boy was so close to her. But all she could do was mutter a, "...It is?"
"Yeah." He grinned again, smile so wide with his little fang peeking from his lips. She never felt her eyes so concentrated on Beast Boy before. Well, yes it was hard not to notice how cute he was. That even with green skin, pointed ears, and a small frame, the boy was absolutely adorable. But that was adorable, like a puppy, and that was definitely not what she was seeing now. Adorable had turned into endearing which managed to evolve into charming and (dare she think...) attractive. He was attractive. And she was attracted to him. That whole thought scared the crap out of her.
At her failure to respond, Beast Boy continued to close the distance between them. His room smelled nice, she noticed, not like cologne or tofu or the smell of his unwashed laundry, but it seemed to be unmistakably Beast Boy. His voice dragged lower, "You okay, Rave?"
She didn't feel alright, but Raven was pretty sure she kept her straight face. "I'm okay, really." She didn't want him to press on her emotions, not when they were so volatile. Raven was half expecting a monster to suddenly materialize from the fear parading inside her.
"Then why are you bleeding?" He grabbed the towel from her and sat her gently down on his lower bunk. "You have scrapes all along your legs..." Beast Boy didn't seem flustered as he grazed her pale legs with his fingertips. She could feel the shivers from his touch that the warmth from the towel couldn't diminish. Beast Boy, however, failed to notice Raven's reactions. "Did I throw you that hard?"
"What were you?"
Beast Boy shrugged. "A mammoth. Needed to be big enough to stop that truck."
He kept dabbing, not looking up, "For what?"
"For not moving."
Beast Boy shrugged, "It happens. You've saved my butt a thousand times. The least I can do. I rarely get the chance to save you."
She ignored his weird phrasing and watched as he moved on to the next leg. It was strange how comfortable she felt with him doing this. This was something intimate, something she probably would have never allowed anyone to do just a few years ago. "What about Adonis?"
He flushed at that and moved up to her arms. Raven hadn't really noticed how much she had actually bled, but Beast Boy was incredibly thorough. "That wasn't really me, Rave. It was the Beast."
"He was strangely protective."
Beast Boy's green eyes flashed up at that. "Yeah, he was."
The eye contact was unnerving, too tense, too un-platonic for Raven's comfort. She stood up suddenly, causing Beast Boy to fall back on his butt. "Sorry, it's just, it's midnight and I should be getting to bed."
"It's 12? Already?" He smiled then and stood up. "That's okay. Let's put antiseptic on those cuts first. Then I'll let you sleep. Deal?"
She nodded and followed him to the bathroom. Raven insisted on putting the lotion on herself, but Beast Boy wasn't so shy. He removed the upper portion of his uniform and then had her rub the cream across his chest. He was grinning, smirking at the red forming on her cheeks, but Beast Boy didn't say anything. Even though his emotions were practically pouring out of him, he didn't say a word.
And Raven was grateful for that. She was already so embarrassed with her performance earlier that the last thing she needed was Beast Boy asking anything too personal. But, then again, this was Beast Boy, and he couldn't help but be a little curious. "Thanks, Raven."
"Of course."
"Wouldn't be a Saturday morning without us spending some time together, no?"
She made no comment at that. Her hands kept running up and down his firm chest, feeling the smoothness of his skin, how it seemed to prickle from underneath her touch.
"To be honest, Rave..."
She stopped the motion of her fingers and put the cream back in the closet. He was...something else. "What is it, Beast Boy?"
"I stopped liking Saturday morning cartoons years ago."
She was confused. Why was he mentioning this now? How was that relevant at all? And... "Why would you watch them if you didn't like them?"
"Because..." He lowered his head. "I like hanging out with you so much I'm willing to put up with it."
"Beast Boy..."
"Eh! Don't say anything yet!" He raised his hands, still topless, still slightly bloody and dizzy from the earlier fight. If this was some love confession, Raven thought, he was going about it in the worst possible way. They were in a bathroom, sweaty, gross, and exhausted. But Beast Boy didn't even seem to notice or if he did, he certainly didn't seem to care. "And I know you can feel it, can't you? You can read that sort of thing, so don't act all surprised and shocked."
She didn't, although she was. Sure, she could read emotions, but emotions like that were complex beings. Strong feelings like those could easily be misread as familial love or platonic love, not...this. But, then again, what was this?
Raven felt her face warm and she stepped back, "Are you saying that you..."
"I'm not saying anything because I know it'll scare and confuse you. I'm just saying that, yeah, maybe on most days I like to sleep 'til it's 1PM, and sure, those cartoons are kind of amusing, but most of them are repeats that I've seen fifty times. But, Saturday is still my favorite day because it's the only time I get to spend alone with you."
"Beast Boy..."
"No, no!" He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "I don't want you saying anything to me yet. Go to your room. Go meditate. Go to sleep. This is a big deal and I don't want you saying anything now to protect me or because you're afraid, because Rave..." He scratched his head, "I'm worried too. I'm afraid. But maybe, that's okay. It's alright to be afraid of something like this because it's life changing. It's okay to be unsure if this will work out, because even if it doesn't, it was worth risking it in the first place. Do you understand me?"
He took a step back, "...You don't?"
"No, I don't. You're wrong."
Beast Boy blinked, unsure if he should be disappointed yet or not. "I am?"
"Yes." Raven moved closer to him. "I'm not afraid. Not...anymore."
Another smile, "You aren't?"
"No. But can we..." She sat down on the counter next to the sink, not seductively, but more unsure. Her back was pressed against the cold mirror, but even that didn't match the coolness that swerved through her from his touch. In her mind, she knew this was right. She knew that this would be worth it. That even though they were complete opposites, something in her cared deeply for this boy. Maybe it wasn't love, not yet, but whatever this emotion was, she couldn't be afraid of it forever. She wouldn't be living if she was. "Can... you help me with this?"
"Of course." He grabbed her hands. His warmth and happiness was vibrant, vivid. Raven wanted to smile, but her nerves restrained her. "Hey." Beast Boy touched her chin, "You got to remember it's just me, so even if you screw up, I'll probably do something even stupider two seconds later."
"You're not stupid." She chuckled and gripped his hands again, just enjoying his company, loving his presence next to her. "What now?"
At that, Beast Boy raised an eyebrow and pulled her in closer. "Well, usually...after these little confessions, the two friends seal the deal with a kiss." He pushed a little closer, and grinned when Raven didn't move back.
As he started to lean in, his lips were suddenly met with a warm hand. He opened his eyes only to see Raven smirk. "Maybe next week."
I like them a lot. Please leave a review! Excellent motivators so that I keep writing :) Thanks so much for reading!


text: Soda, Pop or Coke. Which is it? Added on May 14, 2011 by Alex Koehne. I knew there was the soda vs. pop situation going on but I had no idea that coke had become a stand in for all soft drinks in certain states. Quite a lot of states actually. Also, the statistically fattest states. Hmm. Connection? Also, look how confused Alaska is!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|"I had found my place at last, and I will never regret the path that led me there. I took a warrior name, Nightwhisper. Though my paws are stained with blood, and I once tried to kill the cat you know as Firestar, I would do it all again to live in the Clans. There is no life better than being a warrior, and no better way to prove your loyalty or your courage than in battle."
|— Nightwhisper after his tale in Battles of the Clans, page 111
|Rogue,[2] Loner[3]
|Unnamed she-cat
Unnamed toms
Unnamed she-cat
|Book Appearances
|Forest of Secrets, Tigerclaw's Fury, Battles of the Clans
Nightwhisper is a scrawny,[6] sleek,[7] brown tom[6] with green eyes[8] and a distinctive pointed muzzle.[9]
In the The Prophecies Begin Arc
Forest of Secrets
- Though he is not mentioned by name, Nightwhisper is the second cat who attacks Fireheart during the battle against the rogues. He prepares to kill the ThunderClan warrior, when suddenly Thornpaw bites his tail. With a yelp of pain, he tries to shake off the apprentice, but when Thornpaw refuses to let go, Nightwhisper flees.
In the Field Guide Arc
Battles of the Clans
- Nightwhisper is pointed out at a Gathering by Dapplenose. He tells the reader about his past in the Twolegplace and his family. He had two brothers and a sister; his brothers were eventually killed on Thunderpaths and his sister became a kittypet. He occasionally met with other cats who used to be in ShadowClan and is intrigued by their tales of Clan loyalty.
- One day, Tigerclaw comes to the cats in Twolegplace and tells them of his plan to overthrow ThunderClan, and that they will have a place in it once they win. He also says that the cat who kills the flame-colored tom called Fireheart, would earn them a place as deputy. In the battle, Nightwhisper attempts to kill Fireheart but is set upon by Thornpaw, who severely wounds his tail. He flees from the battle, which was lost.
- He returns to the Twolegplace and nearly dies from starvation while hiding behind a pile of Twoleg waste for two days, due to fear that he will be found. However, another rogue brings him some food and relates that Tigerclaw had been driven out from his Clan once some other warriors had come to the battle. When Tigerclaw comes back to recruit rogues to take over ShadowClan, Nightwhisper agrees to join him for the prospect of Clan loyalty and the fact that others might care about him. He joins and stays in ShadowClan when Tigerstar takes over. It is noted that he is still in ShadowClan and does not regret any of his past, now that he has a place in a Clan.
In the Novellas
Tigerclaw's Fury
- When Tigerclaw finds the rogue group, he asks of Mowgli's current location, and it is noted that he found him in Twolegplace, impressed by his physical features. It is also said that Tigerclaw planned to make him a senior warrior if he fought with him, and Mowgli agreed to. Stumpytail notes that Mowgli was clawed in his ears by Brackenpaw, and Tigerclaw thinks that Mowgli needed more training and encouragement.
- As Tigerclaw ventures into Twolegplace, he recalls how Mowgli fled from him during the battle, but his attributes make Tigerclaw believe that there is something useful about Mowgli. Tigerclaw also remembers Mowgli grappling with Fireheart, and as he was aiming his claws for Fireheart's throat, Brackenpaw had caught him off balance, and dragged Mowgli off. Tigerclaw realizes that he cannot judge Mowgli harshly, and decides to give him another chance; if he failed, Tigerclaw would regret making such a choice. Once he locates his scent, Tigerclaw calls for Mowgli softly, and the latter answers, emerging from the long grass, his eyes wide, and his fur is pricked along his spine. He asks if Tigerclaw was looking for him, which Tigerclaw confirms, as he didn't have a habit of going into Twolegplace.
- Mowgli, head low, apologizes, as he knew how much he wanted Fireheart dead, and shouldn't have let him chase him off. Tigerclaw comments that mistakes belonged in the past, and inquires if Mowgli was to let such event happen again, which the latter, eyes hungry for approval, replies that he wouldn't, as he would do anything to fight with Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw then reminds him that he still plans to destroy ThunderClan, and to kill Fireheart, prompting Mowgli to stand up straight, and promises to do so. The two venture back to the fallen tree, with Mowgli at Tigerclaw's heels. When they meet ShadowClan, Mowgli comments that he thought Tigerclaw hated the Clans, but he assures Mowgli that it was merely ThunderClan. As they hunt toward ThunderClan, Tigerclaw is reminded that all of his companions knew ShadowClan well, apart from Mowgli and Snag.
- During a fight with ThunderClan, Mowgli rushes and slices at Fireheart's hind legs, and his eyes glitter in triumph. While looking around, Tigerclaw notices that Mowgli and Blackfoot wrestle with fish-scented cats. At camp, Tigerclaw informs Mowgli, Snag, and Blackfoot to take a warrior and apprentice each to go through basic attack and defense moves, as they would meet up for a later mock battle, and the three cats nod. As Tigerclaw practices with Tallpoppy and Flintfang, he hears Blackfoot, Mowgli, and Snag test the rest of the Clan.
- When Nightstar dies, Snag and Mowgli stand at the crowd's edge warily. Tigerclaw then requests Runningnose to give Snag and Mowgli warrior names, as they would feel as ShadowClan would be their true home. Runningnose allows him to, and Tigerclaw calls up Mowgli and Snag. Mowgli is then renamed Nightwhisper, and Tigerclaw notes his stealth and courage. The Clan then chants their new names, but Oakpaw protests, as they didn't have to do training, but Tigerclaw glares at him, silencing the apprentice. As a fire rages on, Nightwhisper strains himself to view it. He inquires Tigerclaw if he was to go over there, as there may be cats who needed their help, but Tigerclaw answers that he was merely to see what was happening. Nightwhisper shifts his weight on his forepaws, but Tigerclaw informs him to stay. As Tigerclaw is chosen to become leader, he notes that Nightwhisper and Jaggedtooth were former loners, and would stay loyal to him until their deaths.
- He is said to be a loner instead of a rogue.[4]
Character Pixels
Please do not edit this gallery
- Unnamed she-cat:[2] Status Unknown
- Unnamed she-cat:[2] Status Unknown
- Mowgli: "I'm sorry, Tigerclaw. I know I shouldn't have let that cat chase me off. I know how much you wanted that ginger tom killed."
- Tigerclaw: "Mistakes belong to the past. I want to know if you'd let it happen again."
- Tigerclaw's Fury, page chapter 4
- "Ah, I see Nightwhisper is here tonight. See that scrawny brown tom under the thorn tree? He has a tale that will haunt your dreams, if you dare to listen. I've heard from his Clanmates that his sleep is haunted, and he wakes shrieking about rivers of blood and the taste of enemy fur in his mouth. He has seen too many battles alongside Tigerstar, I fear."
- —Dapplenose talking about Nightwhisper at a Gathering Battles of the Clans, page 100
- "They told me about how the code had once kept them safe and strong and bound in loyalty to the cats who shared their territory. I envied those cats, and secretly thought the exiles were fools to have thrown away what they had before."
- —Nightwhisper about his rogue days Battles of the Clans, page 108
- "I felt as though I had finally come home. I could be a warrior, protecting my Clanmates, serving my leader, earning his respect by getting rid of the cats who weakened our Clan and made our territory vulnerable. I would kill Fireheart!"
- —Nightwhisper joining Tigerclaw Battles of the Clans, page 108
Warrior Ceremony
|Mowgli's Warrior Ceremony
References and Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Revealed in Battles of the Clans, page 111
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Revealed in Battles of the Clans, page 107
- ↑ Revealed in Tigerclaw's Fury, chapter 2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Revealed in Tigerclaw's Fury, page 26
- ↑ Revealed in Tigerclaw's Fury, allegiances
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revealed in Battles of the Clans, page 100
- ↑ Revealed in Tigerclaw's Fury, chapter 8
- ↑ Revealed in Forest of Secrets, page 272
- ↑ Revealed in Tigerclaw's Fury, page 50


text:
Group Of Lawyers For The Rights Of Refugees and Migrants
The "Group of Lawyers for Immigrant and Refugee Rights" is a purely voluntary collective of lawyers concerning the rights of immigrants and refugees. The Group was set up and operating since February 2006 in order to provide practical solidarity to immigrants and refugees. The Group has set itself the following objectives: a) providing legal advice to immigrants / behavior shows and refugees for the whole range of issues concluded with the existing legal regime establishing their position, b) legal aid in exceptional cases and c) intervention in the public debate on immigration and refugee matters.
Basic Information
Legal Support|Civic Rights|Human Rights
Refugees / Asylum Seekers /IDP|Immigrants


text:
No products in the cart.
Marketing Assistant
The Marketing Assistant position is a great opportunity for the right individual to join a fast-growing women's fashion retailer; there are numerous growth opportunities for employees who excel.
The Marketing Assistant will work as part of a three-person Marketing team. Their efforts will mostly be focused on maintaining a social media, e-mail, and website presence, but the job will evolve to the degree that the Assistant learns and grows. We're looking for someone who is interested in a long-term working relationship (at least a year, hopefully); pay and responsibilities will increase according to the Assistant's job performance.
Overall job functions include:
-Manage day-to-day social media functions using HootSuite: respond to social comments, schedule daily posts, work with Marketing Team to develop social media content strategy.
-Plan and attend lifestyle photography photoshoots.
-Fulfill the day-to-day tasks of executing marketing campaigns: printing signage, planning logistics, attending in-store marketing events, etc.
-Ensuring that stores are provided with sufficient signage/marketing
-Create and send out 2-3 emails a week using MailChimp.
-Collaborate with influencers on social media & blogs.
-Design content for various marketing channels.
-Use graphic design skills (depending on experience) to create promotional material.
Job Requirements:
-Recent marketing experience is preferred, but not required.
-Track record of enthusiastically seeking out and adding new skills (e.g. graphic design, marketing analytics & tools, social media account management, etc.).
-Responsible and dependable individual.
-Strong interest in marketing content creation (e.g. staging lifestyle photos, creating website/social graphic images, monitoring competitors' accounts and brainstorming new content ideas).
-Ability to think independently and find ways to help without necessarily being given a list of tasks.
This is a full-time position. Pay will range from $9-11/hour, DOE. To apply, please send your resume to email@example.com.


text:
After playing with a Ouija board with her brother Larry (Fisher Stevens), eleven-year-old Faith Corvatch (Marisa Tomei) becomes convinced that her soulmate, the man she is destined to be with, is named "Damon Bradley." This belief is strengthened when a few years later a carnival fortune teller tells her that "Damon Bradley" is the name of the man she will marry.
Fourteen years later, Faith is a teacher at a Catholic school and is engaged to a podiatrist. Ten days before their wedding, Faith learns that her fiancé's high-school classmate Damon Bradley will fly to Venice, Italy that day. Determined to meet him, Faith follows his trail with her sister-in-law Kate (Bonnie Hunt) from New York City through Venice and the Italian countryside to a streetside restaurant in Rome, but they never quite catch up with him.
Faith meets a young American man (Robert Downey Jr.), but has no interest until he identifies himself as Damon Bradley. They spend a romantic evening together and fall hopelessly in love. Then he reveals that his actual name is Peter Wright, so she angrily leaves him and prepares to fly back home. Meanwhile, a suave Italian businessman named Giovanni (Joaquim de Almeida) has been wooing Kate.
The next morning, Peter tells Faith that he searched for Damon overnight and discovered that he has moved on to Positano. Giovanni agrees to drive the three Americans there. At a posh hotel, Faith meets Damon, a good-looking playboy, and invites him to dinner. Peter spies on them at the restaurant until Damon makes unwelcome sexual advances with Faith. It turns out that this "Damon" is really a friend of Peter's who has helped Peter stage the entire scene.
Back in the United States, Larry finds out that his wife Kate is in Italy. He travels there to find her while Kate and Faith are again planning to return home. Larry arrives in time to make up with Kate. He also reveals to her that Faith's childhood "Damon Bradley" phenomenon was a prank: Larry intentionally spelt out the name on the Ouija board, then he paid the fortune teller to tell Faith that her true love had the same name. He hasn't told Faith the truth because he has been afraid she would never speak to him again.
Faith and Peter are at the airport when they hear Damon Bradley paged. At the information desk, they finally meet Damon, who is not especially handsome. Peter explains to Damon why Faith has been following him. He also tells Damon that he (Peter) is in love with her, then boards his flight home to Boston. Damon asks Faith if she loves Peter. She realizes that she does and rushes to join Peter on his plane. The airport staff delays the flight until Faith can board. She and Peter embrace and kiss as the passengers and crew applaud. Their plane then flies into the sunset.


text:
Week 13 Fantasy Hitting Planner
David Ortiz is finally swinging a hot stick for the Red Sox, while Josh Hamilton could be back with the Rangers next weekend. Our Scott White goes through all 30 lineups for owners in his latest Fantasy Hitting Planner.
The Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every weekend, we provide you with favorable and unfavorable matchups as well as lineup changes for each team.
Weather planner: Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to Weather.com, no games are in danger of being rained out.
This week's news and notes for each team:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Schedule: @CIN3, @COL3
Heating Up: Justin Upton has gone hitless in his last two games, but he's coming off an eight-game hitting streak during which he hit .485 (16 for 33) with two home runs and a stolen base. Stephen Drew is batting .450 (9 for 20) over his last five games and is back to being a must-start.
Cooling Off: Rookie Gerardo Parra 's batting average continues to tank after a hot start. He's 5 for 34 (.147) over his last eight games and irrelevant in mixed leagues.
Injury Concerns: Eric Byrnes went on the DL with a broken left hand, which would have cleared an everyday job for Chris Young if he didn't continue to battle a strained groin. He won't return until at least Tuesday, with Alex Romero starting in his absence. Chad Tracy could come off the DL any day and regain semi-regular at-bats at first base, but you can leave him for NL-only leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Diamondbacks face one left-handed pitcher this week, but they don't have any clear lefty-righty platoons now that Tony Clark has seemingly replaced Josh Whitesell at first base. Then again, once Tracy returns, he might get the better half of a lefty-righty platoon with Clark.
Lineup Changes: Other than the changes at first base, none.
Atlanta Braves
Schedule: PHI3, @WAS3
Heating Up: After a slow start, Garret Anderson is clearly in midseason form now, batting .371 (13 for 35) over his last nine games. You could do worse if you needed a stopgap in a deeper mixed league. Brian McCann power numbers have lagged most of the year, but he has two home runs in his last five games, batting .375 (6 for 16) during that stretch. Keep him active.
Cooling Off: Kelly Johnson has dealt with leg cramps lately, but his poor hitting remains his biggest problem. He has one hit in his last 23 at-bats and doesn't deserve to start in mixed leagues. Chipper Jones batting average has dipped below .300 with his poor hitting of late. He's batting only .167 (10 for 60) since June 9, but you wouldn't bench him in Fantasy.
Injury Concerns: Nate McLouth missed Saturday's game after leaving Friday with a sore hamstring, but he doesn't believe he'll miss more than the weekend. He has heated up lately, hitting .297 with two homers and nine RBI over his last nine games, so keep him active.
Platoon Possibilities: The Braves face three left-handed pitchers this week, and Martin Prado might start those games in place of the slumping Johnson. He's stealing at-bats from Johnson even against righties.
Lineup Changes: Shortstop Yunel Escobar sat for a second straight game Saturday against the Red Sox, with the official reason being the strained hip flexor that has bothered him on and off for the last month. But according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have grown tired of his immature behavior. Most recently, he mouthed an expletive to the official scorer after he was charged with an error during Thursday's game against the Yankees. He spent the rest of the inning pouting, appearing disinterested with the game. Bench coach Chino Cadahia scolded Escobar between innings, and he hasn't played since, with Diory Hernandez starting in his absence. Escobar has just enough power and hits for just a high enough batting average to start in all Fantasy formats, but he comes with some risk this week.
Baltimore Orioles
Schedule: BOS3, @LAA4
Heating Up: Aubrey Huff has multiple hits in six of his last 10 games and is batting .375 (15 for 40) with two home runs during that stretch. He's not quite a must-start anymore, but he should start now. Nick Markakis , who hit only .240 in May after a .381 April, has multiple hits in two of his last three games and is batting .615 (8 for 13) during that stretch. He remains a must-start.
Cooling Off: Luke Scott batting average has dipped below .300 with a recent cold stretch. He's batting only .172 (5 for 29) over his last eight games.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Orioles face two left-handers this week. The team doesn't have any strict lefty-righty platoons, but Ty Wigginton sometimes spells Scott against tough lefties.
Lineup Changes: None.
Boston Red Sox
Schedule: @BAL3, SEA3
Heating Up: David Ortiz June has gone from encouraging to outstanding. He's batting .317 (20 for 63) with seven home runs, showing he still has something left to contribute in mixed leagues. The Red Sox even used him at first base during interleague play just to keep his bat in the lineup. Time to get him active again.
Cooling Off: Jacoby Ellsbury has hit safely in only three of his last nine games, batting .222 (6 for 27) during that stretch. He's the kind of player you don't sit, though.
Injury Concerns: Jed Lowrie continues to rehab from wrist surgery at Triple-A Pawtucket, but he likely won't return until after the All-Star break. Nick Green continues to start in his absence.
Platoon Possibilities: The Red Sox face two left-handed pitchers, which means J.D. Drew might have to sit twice in place of Rocco Baldelli . The Red Sox have shied away from that platoon a bit lately, though.
Lineup Changes: None.
Chicago Cubs
Schedule: @PIT3, MIL4
Heating Up: Geovany Soto certainly has his power stroke working now even if his batting average continues to suffer. He's batting .286 (8 for 28) with four home runs over his last nine games and deserves to start again in all leagues. Rookie Jake Fox has capitalized on regular playing time in AL parks, batting .400 (10 for 25) with two home runs over his last six games.
Cooling Off: Milton Bradley has lost playing time to Micah Hoffpauir recently and will likely lose more and more if he continues to struggle. He has one hit in his last 13 at-bats and doesn't deserve to start in mixed leagues.
Injury Concerns: Aaron Miles , who missed Friday's game with a hyperextended right elbow, sat out again Saturday. He doesn't start regularly, though, and doesn't matter outside of deeper NL-only leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Cubs face only one left-hander in their seven games this week, meaning Mike Fontenot will likely start six, sitting one in favor of either Andres Blanco or Ryan P. Freel . Kosuke Fukudome , who normally sits against lefties, will likely get to start all seven games with Reed Johnson on the DL.
Lineup Changes: Fox has played every day lately, mostly at designated hitter, but he'll likely man third base when the team goes back to NL parks. With Aramis Ramirez (shoulder) expected back around the All-Star break, you probably shouldn't bother with Fox outside of NL-only leagues.
Chicago White Sox
Schedule: @CLE3, @KC4
Heating Up: Paul Konerko has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, batting .295 (13 for 44) with four home runs during that stretch. Jermaine Dye has two hits in five straight games, batting .526 (10 for 19) with two home runs during that stretch. Scott Podsednik is batting .378 (14 for 37) with two home runs and two stolen bases over his last eight games. Konerko and Dye should start in mixed leagues, and Podsednik is reaching that point, particularly in Rotisserie leagues.
Cooling Off: Jim Thome , just getting back to playing every day after three straight series in NL parks, is batting .118 (2 for 17) over his last 10 games.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The White Sox face three left-handed pitchers this week, so Jayson Nix will likely start three times for Chris Getz . Neither player matters in mixed leagues.
Lineup Changes: None.
Cincinnati Reds
Schedule: ARI3, STL3
Heating Up: Jonny Gomes isn't a full-time player -- not yet, anyway -- but he's playing out of his mind as a designated hitter in interleague play, batting .455 (10 for 22) with two home runs over his last seven games.
Cooling Off: Streaky Brandon Phillips has cooled off again, batting .091 (2 for 22) over his last six games. You wouldn't sit him, though.
Injury Concerns: Edwin Encarnacion , out since April with a fractured wrist, is on a Triple-A rehab assignment and should return sometime this week. He was slumping badly before the injury, so you don't need to bother with him in mixed leagues unless you just have a desperate need at third base.
Platoon Possibilities: The Reds don't face a single left-hander this week, which means the red-hot Gomes will probably have to remain out of the lineup unless manager Dusty Baker forces Laynce Nix to the bench instead. Also, Dickerson has gotten the majority of at-bats against right-handers recently, forcing Willy Taveras to the bench.
Lineup Changes: Joey Votto 's return to the lineup means Ramon Hernandez goes back to catcher, which means Ryan Hanigan goes back to the bench. No sense in owning him outside of deeper NL-only leagues. Jerry Hairston will have to vacate third base when Encarnacion returns, but the Reds still have an opening for him at shortstop.
Cleveland Indians
Schedule: CHW3, OAK3
Heating Up: Jhonny Peralta has seemingly begun his usual midseason surge, batting .333 (12 for 36) with two home runs over his last nine games. Get him active in all leagues.
Cooling Off: Victor Martinez batting average continues to regress back to a reasonable number. He's batting .120 (3 for 25) over his last seven games, though he does have two home runs during that stretch. Ben Francisco isn't looking like a viable option even in AL-only leagues right now, batting .103 (3 for 29) over his last nine games.
Injury Concerns: Asdrubal Cabrera (shoulder) will likely come off the DL and return to the lineup Sunday. He was getting on base, scoring runs and stealing bases before the injury, looking like a must-start option, so you'll probably want to get him active unless he looks awful Sunday.
Platoon Possibilities: The Indians face two left-handers this week, but Luis Valbuena has become an everyday player, no longer platooning with Josh Barfield .
Lineup Changes: The Indians traded Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals on Saturday, which should make their starting lineup much more stable on a day-to-day basis. Cabrera will likely play shortstop when he returns, with Valbuena at second base and Peralta at third. Grady Sizemore has hit second since returning from the DL. He should start in all Fantasy formats even though his sore left elbow will likely remain a concern all season.
|% Change
|Casey McGehee , 3B, MIL
|Juan Rivera , OF, ANA
|Jake Fox , 1B, CHC
|Scott Rolen , 3B, TOR
|Brett Gardner , OF, NYY
|Cody Ross , OF, FLA
|Scott Podsednik , OF, CHW
|Everth Cabrera , SS, SD
|Kevin Kouzmanoff , 3B, SD
|Miguel Olivo , C, KC
Colorado Rockies
Schedule: @LAD3, ARI3
Heating Up: Don't look now, but Garrett Atkins has multiple hits in three straight games. He's batting .615 (8 for 13) with one home run during that stretch. Troy Tulowitzki is clearly back to being one of the premier Fantasy shortstops, batting .338 (24 for 71) with seven home runs in June. Todd Helton is batting .429 (12 for 28) with two home runs over his last eight games and remains too valuable to sit in most Fantasy formats.
Cooling Off: Ian Stewart didn't make the most of his regular playing time in AL parks, batting .087 (2 for 23) over his last six games. He might lose his job to Atkins again when the team returns to NL parks.
Injury Concerns: Yorvit Torrealba looks like he'll finally return from his personal absence Sunday, but he backs up Chris Iannetta and is no more than a low-end NL-only option.
Platoon Possibilities: The Rockies face three left-handers this week, which means Ryan Spilborghs , who has begun playing against left-handers recently, could make as many as three starts. He has to contend with Seth Smith and Carlos Gonzalez for at-bats, though.
Lineup Changes: Other than the muddled outfield and the confusion at third base, none.
Detroit Tigers
Schedule: @OAK3, @MIN3
Heating Up: After falling behind some of the other big sluggers in home runs at the beginning of June, Miguel Cabrera has made up ground with five home runs in his last 11 games. He's batting .419 (18 for 43) during that stretch. Placido Polanco has had a power surge of his own, homering three times in his last six games. He's worth a look in mixed leagues again.
Cooling Off: Marcus Thames got off to a hot start in his return from the DL, winning an everyday job, but he's now batting .143 (3 for 21) over his last six games. Leave him for AL-only leagues. Curtis Granderson is batting .115 (3 for 26) over his last seven games, but you wouldn't sit him.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Tigers face four left-handers this week, which probably means four starts for Ryan Raburn . His platoon partner is somewhat up in the air right now, but it's either Josh Anderson or Don Kelly . None of these players matters in mixed leagues.
Lineup Changes: None.
Florida Marlins
Schedule: WAS3, PIT3
Heating Up: Hanley Ramirez is probably the hottest player in the world right now, not that you'd ever bench him. He's batting .400 (14 for 35) with four home runs and two stolen bases over his last nine games. Dan Uggla also has four home runs over his last nine games, though with an unspectacular .281 (9 for 32) batting average. Jorge Cantu looks like he might be recapturing the form he had in April, batting .393 (11 for 28) over his last six games. Get him active again in mixed leagues.
Cooling Off: John Baker doesn't look like the same player from earlier in the season. He's batting .191 (9 for 47) in June and doesn't deserve to start in mixed leagues.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Marlins face two left-handed pitchers this week, which really only affects their catcher situation. Baker will sit at least twice for Ronny Paulino .
Lineup Changes: None.
Houston Astros
Schedule: @SD4, @SF3
Heating Up: Lance Berkman homered twice Thursday and has continued to swing well in the two games since. He's batting .667 (6 for 9) over his last three games and also has three walks during that period. He still has plenty of time to build up that .255 batting average.
Cooling Off: As expected, Miguel Tejada has cooled down after that torrid streak at the end of May and beginning of June. He's batting .211 (8 for 38) over his last 10 games, but he remains too valuable to sit in most formats. Hunter Pence has struggled out of the sixth spot, going 2 for 16 over his last four games. Like Tejada, you wouldn't sit him.
Injury Concerns: Geoff Blum (hamstring) could return from the DL on Sunday, but he's a light-hitting shortstop who hardly matters even in NL-only leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Astros face two left-handers this week. Jeff Keppinger will likely start those games instead of Blum, assuming Blum regains his starting job upon his return.
Lineup Changes: None.
Kansas City Royals
Schedule: MIN3 CHW4
Heating Up: Mark Teahen has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .296 (8 for 27) with one home run during that stretch. He's not a major source of power, but he's a viable stopgap in mixed leagues.
Cooling Off: Willie Bloomquist , who gets to play on almost an everyday basis with all the injuries to the Royals lineup, once looked like a viable option in Rotisserie leagues because of his ability to steal bases, but he's batting only .158 (3 for 19) over his last six games.
Injury Concerns: John Buck (back) is on a Triple-A rehab assignment and could return this week, but he splits at-bats with Miguel Olivo and has little Fantasy appeal.
Platoon Possibilities: The Royals face four left-handed pitchers this week, which could mean big numbers for Billy Butler , but they don't have any lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: None.
|Start %
|Juan Rivera , OF, LAA
|Kendrys Morales , 1B, LAA
|Billy Butler , 1B/DH, KC
|Paul Konerko , 1B, CHW
|Michael Bourn , OF, HOU
|Kurt Suzuki , C, OAK
|Denard Span , OF, MIN
|Scott Podsednik , OF, CHW
|Lyle Overbay , 1B, TOR
|Jhonny Peralta , SS, CLE
L.A. Angels
Schedule: @TEX3, BAL4
Heating Up: Bobby Abreu is batting .333 (5 for 15) with one home run and two stolen bases over his last four games. He's a must-start, but he's still not hitting for much power.
Cooling Off: Torii Hunter has slowed his pace a little after looking like a top-five Fantasy outfielder much of the season. He has only one home run in his last 11 games and is batting .237 (9 for 38) during that stretch. You wouldn't sit him, though.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Angels face only one left-hander this week, which means Kendrys Morales shouldn't lose many at-bats. He has sat against some tough lefties in favor of Robb Quinlan , but the situation doesn't look like a true platoon yet.
Lineup Changes: None.
L.A. Dodgers
Schedule: COL3, @SD3
Heating Up: James Loney has found his power stroke in June, hitting three of his five home runs this year within the last eight games. He's batting .276 (8 for 29) during that stretch.
Cooling Off: Every time Russell Martin shows signs of life, he can never sustain it. He's batting only .211 (4 for 19) over his last six games. Still, you can't expect to do much better than him off the waiver wire.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Dodgers don't face any left-handed pitchers this week, not that they have any lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: Manny Ramirez will make his grand return Friday, coming back from a 50-game suspension. He'll play only three games, which limits his upside to the point you probably shouldn't use him in standard mixed leagues. Still, three games from him is better than six games from most players. Juan Pierre figures to go back to the bench with Ramirez's return, especially after Andre Ethier solidified his job with a three-homer game Friday. Go ahead and sit Pierre in mixed leagues.
Milwaukee Brewers
Schedule: NYM3, @CHC4
Heating Up: The Brewers are having trouble keeping Casey McGehee bat out of the lineup. He's batting .407 (22 for 54) with four home runs over his last 15 games and has reached a point where he deserves a look even in mixed leagues. J.J. Hardy is showing signs of snapping out of his season-long funk, batting .333 (8 for 24) with one home run over his last six games. Ryan Braun is batting .438 (7 for 16) with one home run over his last four games, not that you'd ever consider benching him.
Cooling Off: Corey Hart has only one hit over his last five games, batting .056 (1 for 18) during that stretch. He's a candidate to sit in shallower mixed leagues. Same goes for Mike Cameron , who's batting only .149 (11 for 74) in June.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Brewers face two left-handers this week, which means Bill Hall will probably start those two games, filling in for Craig Counsell . McGehee has effectively become an everyday player, bumping Mat Gamel out of the lineup and switching between third base and second as necessary.
Lineup Changes: Other than McGehee's increased playing time, none.
Minnesota Twins
Schedule: @KC3, DET3
Heating Up: Michael Cuddyer is about the only Twin playing up to his capabilities right now, batting .333 (7 for 21) with one home run over his last six games.
Cooling Off: Minnesota's two biggest hitters, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau , have fallen on hard times lately, with Mauer batting .200 (4 for 20) over his last six games and Morneau batting .136 (3 for 22) over his last six. You'd never bench either of them, though.
Injury Concerns: Nick Punto has missed four straight games with a rib injury, but the slap hitter gets only semi-regular playing time and doesn't matter outside of deeper AL-only leagues. Matt Tolbert has started in his absence.
Platoon Possibilities: The Twins face all right-handed pitchers this week, not that their lineup consistently changes against lefties.
Lineup Changes: None.
N.Y. Mets
Schedule: @MIL3, @PIT1, @PHI3
Heating Up: Nobody stands out as playing exceptionally well right now.
Cooling Off: Ryan Church , who looked like he was getting back on track earlier in June, is back to struggling, batting .167 (4 for 24) over his last seven games. Leave him for NL-only leagues.
Injury Concerns: Too many to count, but nobody's on the verge of returning soon.
Platoon Possibilities: The Mets face three left-handed pitchers this week, which means Daniel Murphy will miss at least three games. Their outfield is such a mess, though, that no player stands out as someone who'll start exclusively against lefties.
Lineup Changes: With all the injuries to their outfield, the Mets have had to promote prospects Nick Evans and Fernando Martinez from the minor leagues, though neither has gotten regular starts. Fortunately, Gary Sheffield managed to avoid a DL stint despite continued soreness in his knee, so you can bet the Mets will lean on him as much as his body allows.
N.Y. Yankees
Schedule: SEA3, TOR3
Heating Up: Alex Rodriguez seems back on track after taking last weekend off. He's batting .429 (6 for 14) with two home runs over his last four games and is an obvious must-start.
Cooling Off: Jorge Posada is batting only .176 (6 for 34) over his last 10 games, but he might've gotten back on track with a home run Saturday. You wouldn't sit him regardless.
Injury Concerns: An illness is going around the Yankee clubhouse, starting with Chien-Ming Wang , Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera and moving on to Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon . It must not be that bad, though, since the former three have already returned. Continue to use Jeter and Damon as you normally would.
Platoon Possibilities: The Yankees face four left-handers this week, but they don't have any lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: Brett Gardner made a statement with a five-hit game Friday, which might give him a chance to get at-bats over Melky Cabrera . With Damon out, though, both players have started in the outfield, making the distribution of at-bats between them still a bit of a mystery.
Oakland Athletics
Schedule: DET3, @CLE3
Heating Up: Kurt Suzuki is starting to heat back up again, homering in two of his last three games. Orlando Cabrera has a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .342 (13 for 38).
Cooling Off: Jack Cust 's batting average has dipped below .230, making him hard to use even in Rotisserie leagues. He's batting .194 (6 for 31) over his last eight games.
Injury Concerns: Mark Ellis , out since April with a calf injury, will return to the lineup Sunday and immediately become the everyday second baseman. He wasn't hitting well before the injury, and even at his best, he's barely viable in mixed leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Athletics face one left-handed pitcher this week, but they don't have any clear lefty-righty platoons with Ellis coming back because ...
Lineup Changes: ... Adam Kennedy will remain an everyday player, but the kind that bounces from position to position. He'll play mostly first and third base, which will cut into the playing time of Nomar Garciaparra , Jack Hannahan and Bobby Crosby , not that any had any real Fantasy appeal.
Philadelphia Phillies
Schedule: @ATL3, NYM3
Heating Up: Jayson Werth has gotten back on the right side of streaky, going 4 for 4 with two home runs Saturday. He's batting .444 (8 for 18) with three home runs over his last five games and deserves to start in all leagues.
Cooling Off: Shane Victorino , coming off an 11-game hitting streak during which he had multiple hits in six games, has gone 1 for 14 over his last four games. He remains too valuable to sit.
Injury Concerns: Raul Ibanez , one of the hottest players in baseball at the time of his groin injury, could come off the DL on Friday. That gives him only half a week to accumulate stats, though, so you'll probably want to keep him reserved in mixed leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Phillies face only one left-handed pitcher this week, though it's a good one in Johan Santana . They don't presently have any lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: Manager Charlie Manuel has taken a David Ortiz approach with Jimmy Rollins , hoping rest will bring him out of his slump. Rollins sat out for a third straight game Saturday, but you have to think he won't miss more than a game or two more, if even that. For all of his struggles this year, he still ranks 13th among shortstops in standard Head-to-Head scoring, so you might as well keep him active in Fantasy in case he comes around. Eric Bruntlett -- an offensive liability in his own right -- has started in place of Rollins.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Schedule: CHC3, NYM1, @FLA3
Heating Up: Adam LaRoche is batting .400 (8 for 20) with two home runs over his last five games. He's notoriously streaky, but he's worth a look right now. Nyjer Morgan has gotten back on track after a rough May and beginning of June, batting .458 (11 for 24) over his last six games. He should start in all Rotisserie leagues.
Cooling Off: Andy LaRoche has only two hits in his last five games, batting .118 (2 for 17). He was hot in May, but he's not worth using in mixed leagues right now.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Pirates face only two left-handers this week. Delwyn Young looks like the platoon partner for left-handed-hitting Brandon Moss , not Steve Pearce . None of these players matter in mixed leagues.
Lineup Changes: None.
San Diego Padres
Schedule: HOU4, LAD3
Heating Up: Kevin Kouzmanoff has six home runs in June and is batting .278 for the month, making him a viable stopgap in mixed leagues while he remains hot. Everth Cabrera , a 22-year-old who has gotten regular playing time at shortstop lately, is batting .333 (9 for 27) in eight games since returning from the minors, but he doesn't figure to make an impact outside of NL-only leagues.
Cooling Off: After going 2 for 5 in his return from the DL on Tuesday, Scott Hairston is 0 for 15. He'll have some appeal in mixed leagues when he gets hot again, but you can bench him for now.
Injury Concerns: Nick Hundley , on the DL with a bruised wrist, could return as early as Thursday. He has done little offensively this season, though, and doesn't matter outside of NL-only leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Padres face three left-handers this week, but they don't have any clear lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: Hairston returned from his biceps injury and immediately went back to hitting third, ahead of Adrian Gonzalez . Rookie Kyle Blanks , who has started mostly at designated hitter this week, figures to get regular at-bats in left field when the team returns to NL parks.
San Francisco Giants
Schedule: @STL4, HOU3
Heating Up: Pablo Sandoval hit two home runs Saturday, giving him three in his last two games, and is beginning to look more and more like a legitimate middle-of-the-order hitter and must-start Fantasy option. He's batting .414 (12 for 29) over his last eight games.
Cooling Off: The struggles haven't subsided for cleanup hitter Bengie Molina , who's batting .105 (2 for 19) over his last five games and .220 since April. Still, his RBI opportunities alone make him a must-start Fantasy option at such a weak position.
Injury Concerns: Rich Aurilia went on the bereavement list Saturday, which means the Giants have one less player to platoon with Travis Ishikawa .
Platoon Possibilities: The Giants don't face any left-handed pitchers this week, so Ishikawa should get a full week of at-bats, making him a viable option in NL-only leagues. Same goes for Nate Schierholtz .
Lineup Changes: Fred Lewis hasn't started a game since Monday, meaning Schierholtz and Andres Torres have effectively taken over as an outfield platoon. Both deserve looks in deeper NL-only leagues, Schierholtz especially. Juan Uribe started at second base Saturday and might continue to do so since Matt Downs , the intended replacement for Emmanuel Burriss , is hitting only .207.
Seattle Mariners
Schedule: @NYY3, @BOS3
Heating Up: Ichiro Suzuki is sizzling even for his normally hot self, having no fewer than two hits in any of his last seven games. He's batting .594 (19 for 32) during that stretch. Franklin Gutierrez has begun to show some signs of his potential, batting .361 (13 for 36) with three home runs over his last nine games, but he remains just an AL-only option. Russell Branyan has hit safely in eight straight games with four home runs during that stretch.
Cooling Off: No one stands out as significantly underperforming.
Injury Concerns: Adrian Beltre hasn't officially gone on the DL yet, but he plans to have surgery to remove bone spurs from his left shoulder and will miss at least a month. You'll want to reserve him, obviously. The Mariners don't have an obvious choice to replace him at third base, especially with Yuniesky Betancourt already sidelined. They could get creative and move Russell Branyan to third, allowing prospect Mike Carp to play first, but that might just be wishful thinking. Michael Morse could also come up from the minors to man third.
Platoon Possibilities: The Mariners face three left-handed pitchers this week, meaning Ken Griffey will likely lose three starts to Mike Sweeney .
Lineup Changes: Other than the expected Beltre shakeup, none.
St. Louis Cardinals
Schedule: SF4, @CIN3
Heating Up: Skip Schumaker has gotten to start against left-handers a little more lately and is batting .422 (19 for 45) over his last 12 games. Albert Pujols is the hottest player in baseball just about every week and has five home runs over his last eight games.
Cooling Off: Colby Rasmus has cooled off after swinging a hot stick early in June, batting .083 (2 for 24) over his last seven games. Ryan Ludwick has yet to play up to his capabilities since returning from the DL in late May, batting .165 (14 for 85). Neither player qualifies as a must-start.
Injury Concerns: Brendan Ryan , who has emerged as the team's everyday shortstop in recent weeks, missed a second straight game Saturday with a sore right wrist. He received a cortisone injection Friday morning and will likely return sometime next week. You wouldn't use him outside of NL-only leagues, though.
Platoon Possibilities: The Cardinals face two left-handed pitchers this week, but their platoon situations have become less clear with the injury to Ryan. Schumaker will most likely sit for those games in favor of Tyler Greene , but he's probably still worth starting in NL-only leagues.
Lineup Changes: Mark DeRosa comes over in a deal with the Indians and most likely assumes the everyday job at third base. He remains a must-start in all leagues and is a must-add in mixed leagues. Ludwick has drawn the short straw lately in the four-man outfield rotation with Rasmus, Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan , sitting two of the last four games. If he heats up, he'll probably play every day again, but you might want to sit him for now in mixed leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays
Schedule: @TOR3, @TEX3
Heating Up: Melvin Upton continues to make up for lost time, batting .395 (15 for 38) with a homer and three steals over his last nine games. Keep him active in all leagues. Carl Crawford is batting .440 (11 for 25) over his last six games and remains a must-start.
Cooling Off: Ben Zobrist has slowed down a bit after bursting onto the scene in early June, batting .139 (5 for 36) over his last 10 games. He has two home runs during that stretch, though, and remains a must-start.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Rays face three left-handed pitchers this week and still have Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler platooning in right field. Kapler will get the three starts against lefties, and Gross will get the three against righties.
Lineup Changes: None.
Texas Rangers
Schedule: LAA3, TB3
Heating Up: Ian Kinsler has a batting average of right around .250 since April, but he's starting to get back on track, batting .341 (15 for 44) with three home runs and five stolen bases over his last 11 games. He remained the top second baseman in Fantasy even with the sub-par batting average, so you obviously want him starting. Chris Davis has homered in two of his last three games and is batting .545 (6 for 11) during that stretch. That's not enough of a streak for you to start him, though, if you're not already.
Cooling Off: Nelson Cruz has struggled for most of June after a sizzling May, batting .130 (7 for 54) over his last 14 games. He's kind of in Alfonso Soriano territory, though: You know as soon as you bench him, he'll go off with five home runs. Andruw Jones has seemingly fallen into some old habits, batting just .178 (8 for 45) in June. He's hardly worth using even in AL-only leagues right now.
Injury Concerns: Josh Hamilton feels like he's well ahead of schedule as he works his way back from abdominal surgery and plans to return by this weekend. Just to guard against a setback, you should probably keep him reserved in mixed leagues -- he is pushing the envelope a bit, after all -- but in AL-only leagues, why not take a shot?
Platoon Possibilities: The Rangers face two left-handed pitchers this week, which likely means two starts for Jones. Depending on when Hamilton returns, he'll either sub for David Murphy or Hank Blalock .
Lineup Changes: None.
Toronto Blue Jays
Schedule: TB3, @NYY3
Heating Up: Scott Rolen got a day off Saturday, but he's riding a 15-game hitting streak during which he's batting .429 (27 for 63) with two home runs. He's not much of a power hitter anymore, but he's worth starting in all leagues when he's hitting this well. Vernon Wells has underachieved all season, but he's starting to come around now, batting .327 (16 for 49) with two home runs and two stolen bases over his last 11 games. Keep him active.
Cooling Off: Alex Rios was hot in the middle of June, but he's batting only .077 (1 for 13) over his last four games. He still hasn't played his best this season, but he's a must-start.
Injury Concerns: The Blue Jays planned to put Rod Barajas on the DL after he strained his hamstring Friday, but he woke up feeling better Saturday. They'll hold off for now, but Barajas is still too risky to use this week outside of AL-only leagues.
Platoon Possibilities: The Blue Jays don't face a single left-handed pitcher this week, meaning streaky Lyle Overbay should get to play a full week. He's worth a flier if you need a stopgap. Also, Russ Adams figures to start over Jose Bautista .
Lineup Changes: Adams has emerged as the team's designated hitter against right-handed pitchers, moving Adam Lind to left field. Lind returns to DH against lefties, with Bautista manning left. Adams failed as a middle infielder earlier in his career, so you can't expect him to do much at DH. Leave him for AL-only leagues.
Washington Nationals
Schedule: @FLA3, ATL3
Heating Up: Cristian Guzman has a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .426 (20 for 47). He has multiple hits in eight of the 10 games. Willie Harris has gotten hot with regular playing time, batting .290 (9 for 31) with two homers and two steals over his last eight games. Josh Bard has seemingly become the everyday catcher with his performance of late. He's batting .357 (10 for 28) over his last six games.
Cooling Off: Nick Johnson is hitless in his last 12 at-bats and sat out with a bruised shin recently. He appears healthy now, but consider benching him if you have viable alternatives in mixed leagues.
Injury Concerns: None.
Platoon Possibilities: The Nationals face one left-handed pitcher this week, but they don't have any lefty-righty platoons.
Lineup Changes: Harris has begun playing regularly of late, stealing at-bats from the Josh Willingham - Austin Kearns platoon as well as Elijah Dukes . He has the least ability of the bunch, so ignore him outside of NL-only leagues.
You can e-mail us your Fantasy Baseball hitting questions to email@example.com. Be sure to put Hitting Planner in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.
Prospects: Acuna best of what's left
Are there any potential call-ups still worth stashing in 2017? Maybe not, but Scott White looks...
Waivers: Hoskins quickly pays off
After a slow start, Rhys Hoskins is performing exactly as hoped, according to Scott White....
Sizing up 16 two-faced pitchers
So many pitchers who we thought we had figured out did an about-face this weekend, leaving...
Waivers: Rosario, Pirela hot options
It's understandable if you don't believe Eddie Rosario and Jose Pirela can keep this up forever,...
Harper diagnosis still hurts in Fantasy
The fact Bryce Harper only has a bone bruise in his left knee is undoubtedly good news, but...
Top 10 sleeper hitters for Week 20
Seven games at Coors Field is one of the many reasons there are no shortage of sleeper hitters...


text:
Ranch Potato Casserole
READY IN: 1hr 15mins
Recipe by KimmieOH
This is a great potato recipe.
Top Review by Phoenix 0880
These are great! Was told tonight "you make the best potatoes" I added a bit more ranch then sour cream for a bit of a stronger ranch flavour
See Discussion:10 Reviews
Ingredients Nutrition
- 6 -8 medium red potatoes
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream
- 1⁄2 cup ranch dressing
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1⁄2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes
- 1⁄4 cup melted butter
Directions See How It's Made
- Cook potatoes with skins on until tender.
- Mix sour cream, salad dressing and cheese.
- Quarter potatoes and place in a 9x13-inch pan, pour sour cream mixture over potatoes, mix well.
- Mix corn flakes, cheese and butter, sprinkle over casserole.
- Bake 350°F for 40 - 45 minutes.


text:
BASEBALL; Blue Jays and Orioles To Square Off Tonight
By The Associated Press
Published: September 29, 1989
Cito Gaston, manager of Toronto, and Frank Robinson, manager of Baltimore, were both early believers. Now they get to test their faith as the Blue Jays and the Orioles prepare to settle the American League East in a three-game weekend series. It begins tonight at the Skydome in Toronto with the Blue Jays one game ahead.
''You know, I feel good for all of us,'' said Gaston, who took over the Blue Jays with a 12-24 record when Jimy Williams was dismissed. ''Coming out of spring training, I thought we had a good ball club but we didn't play well. But I just had a thought that they would.''
Robinson also got the feeling in spring training, despite the fact that the Orioles lost 107 games - 101 under Robinson - the year before.
''I liked the direction the ball club was headed,'' Robinson said. ''We made some moves and I was excited about coming back. Last year wasn't as bad as it seemed. The players tried and the effort was there.'' Gaining Momentum
On Wednesday night, both clubs used a combination of power and pitching to give themselves momentum heading into the weekend.
Toronto got a three-run homer from Kelly Gruber and seven and two-thirds innings of four-hit pitching from Dave Stieb while beating the Tigers, 8-1, in Detroit. The Orioles got a three-run homer from Mickey Tettleton and six and one-third innings of five-hit pitching from Bob Milacki in a 4-0 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Both teams were off yesterday. Jeff Ballard (18-8) will start the series tonight for Baltimore and Todd Stottlemyre (7-7) will pitch for Toronto.
''It would be good to even up the score Friday, put the pressure on them,'' Milacki said.
If Toronto sweeps the series or wins two of the three games, the Blue Jays win the division; if the Orioles win two of three, the teams will be tied with 88 victories and the title will be decided in a one-game playoff in Baltimore on Monday. If the Orioles sweep, they win the division.
''I'd rather be in Toronto's position, but I'll take where we are because I know about five other clubs that would like to be where we are,'' Robinson said. The Blue Jays have a 44-34 record at home this season; the Orioles have played .500 ball on the road, 39-39. Excitement by the Bay
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 28 (AP) -Fans ecstatic over the San Francisco Giants' and Oakland Athletics' winning division titles are looking forward to an even bigger thrill: a Bay Bridge World Series.
''It would be the ultimate baseball experience of a lifetime,'' said Bobby London, who has season tickets for both teams. ''You cannot ask for anything more.''
But not every fan will be so lucky. Hours before the Giants uncorked the champagne to celebrate winning the National League Western Division title, fans jammed phone lines Wednesday night to snap up the 6,000 remaining playoff tickets within three hours.
The 2,000 remaining A's playoff tickets went just as fast yesterday, the day after Oakland won its second straight American League Western Division title by beating the Texas Rangers, 5-0.
Both Bay area teams now face four-of-seven-game series against Eastern Division winners for the right to go to the World Series. The Athletics will face either Toronto or Baltimore starting in Oakland on Tuesday.
The Giants, who lost their third straight game to the Dodgers on Wednesday, 1-0, still clinched the National League West because the second-place San Diego Padres lost to the Cincinnati Reds in 13 innings, 2-1. The Giants meet the Cubs on Wednesday in Chicago.
Giant fans were not disturbed by the team's backing in to the division championship. ''It might take a bit of the sweetness out of winning, but they have had a great year, and they deserve to be champs,'' said one fan, Joe Herzog.
Mayor Art Agnos declared Thursday San Francisco Giants Day. ''They have given all of us a season to remember,'' he said. Stewart Wins 21st
OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 28 (AP) -Dave Stewart, making his final start before the playoffs, pitched five shutout innings and earned his 21st victory today as the Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 5-3. Stewart (21-9) matched his career high for victories, set last season. His 62 victories over the last three seasons are the most by any pitcher in the majors during that time.
Ruben Sierra of Texas hit his 29th homer of the season in the ninth.
Tony LaRussa, the Athletics' manager, after his team clinched the American League West title Wednesday night in Oakland (Associated Press)


text:
In an perfect world, as a developer, I should be able to:
Furthermore, I want my application and all of its related infrastructure components to *just work*, and require NO maintenance. -- Randall Degges
- Run a single command to deploy my application into production.
- Run a single command to automatically scale up (or scale down) my application.
- Instantly add services to my infrastructure that my application needs (memcached, redis,postgresql, etc.).
- Have full access to logs and metrics for all parts of my infrastructure, so that I can find problems and fix them based on facts, not assumptions.
Degges admits that a lot of the problem isn't centered on Django but the fact that he's working with so many technologies, services, and libraries to make a Django stack do what he wants. Such is life in open source land.
Source: http://rdegges.com/devops-django-part-1-goals


text:
9 Installation
10 FAQs
How do I Account for Public Holidays Without Modifying the CSV?
How do I find out what version of an extension I have?
The Extension Exports a Blank CSV
Do i need a new license if I am running multiple stores/websites under 1 license?
Where are the dates stored for orders?
7 Examples
Specific Date Examples
Non Delivery Day Examples
Price Based
CSV Upload returns to Magento Dashboard
Specific Day Based Examples
25 Configuration
Sorting Options
Configuring Shipping Groups
Filtering Based on Customer Groups
CSV Management
Filtering Based on Weight Range
19 Troubleshooting
Known OneStepCheckout (OSC) Issues
CSV Based Extension Troubleshooting Guide
Troubleshooting Guide
View Errors on a Completely Blank Page
CSV Related Issues
Latest Articles
The Extension Exports a Blank CSVabout 7 months ago FAQs
View Errors on a Completely Blank Pageabout 2 years ago Troubleshooting
How do I Account for Public Holidays Without Modifying the CSV?about 2 years ago FAQs
CSV Based Extension Troubleshooting Guideabout 3 years ago Troubleshooting
Sorting Optionsabout 3 years ago Configuration
Latest Responses
No post to display.


text:
The Painting@Hobbeez Club promotes painting among school children. The Club activities are coordinated by Bangalore-based Sandy, who is truly passionate about Painting and is a willing and enthusiastic teacher.
The Club conducts an annual contest for children, who have to create original Paintings. The contest is held during the annual festival of Christmas. The contest is conducted online – the child creates the Painting, takes a picture of the Painting, adds a Selfie to it and mails it to firstname.lastname@example.com
Painting helps a child in two ways: one, it helps the child to concentrate and increases the attention span. Two, it helps the student with spatial and design skills. It is quite common among some of our young members to create about 10 new paintings in a year.
As part of its activities, the Club provides kits to children who enroll with the club. Contests bring out the best in school children, The best designs are selected and auctioned. Funds generated from such activities are then donated to a good cause, such as building an art room in a government school.
We encourage schools to compete with other schools over the net!
The Club maintains a large inventory of famous paintings over the years. Such paintings are shared with the children with the intent of helping them appreciate some of the classic paintings by famous painters. Painters include Van Gogh, Raja Ravi Varma, M F Hussain, Picasso, and about 100 others.
In India:
Membership Fee for the READING@Hobbeez Club:
Annual: Rs 1,990
Lifetime: Rs 9,990
(fee likely to be revised, based on rupee value vis-à-vis the US Dollar)
If you are interested, please send an email to email@example.com
In USA:
Membership Fee for the READING@Hobbeez Club:
Annual: $ 40
Lifetime: $ 200
If you are interested, please send an email to email@example.com


text:
Would you like to be a member of our research panel? Join here - there's (nearly) always a great incentive offered for your views.
24 weeks-Still can't eat much. GP thinks I am ok(7 Posts)
cluelessfirsttimer1 Sat 23-Apr-16 15:55:02
malin100 Sat 23-Apr-16 23:21:39
kiki22 Sun 24-Apr-16 09:12:08
kiki22 Sun 24-Apr-16 09:15:18
NoMudNoLotus Sun 24-Apr-16 09:21:06
mais Sun 24-Apr-16 09:25:55
NoMudNoLotus Sun 24-Apr-16 09:26:01
Join the discussion
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join in the discussion, get discounts, win prizes and lots more.Register now
Already registered with Mumsnet? Log in to leave your comment or alternatively, sign in with Facebook or Google.
Please login first.


text:
pbdDMAT (0.4-2)
'pbdR' Distributed Matrix Methods.
A set of classes for managing distributed matrices, and a collection of methods for computing linear algebra and statistics. Computation is handled mostly by routines from the 'pbdBASE' package, which itself relies on the 'ScaLAPACK' and 'PBLAS' numerical libraries for distributed computing.
Drew Schmidt
Author(s): Drew Schmidt [aut, cre], Wei-Chen Chen [aut], George Ostrouchov [aut], Pragneshkumar Patel [aut], ZhaoKang Wang [ctb], Michael Lawrence [ctb], R Core team [ctb] (some wrappers taken from the base and stats packages)
License: GPL (>= 2)
Uses: pbdBASE, pbdMPI
Reverse depends: pmclust
Released 10 months ago.
7 previous versions
- pbdDMAT_0.4-0. Released over 1 year ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.2-3. Released over 3 years ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.2-2. Released about 4 years ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.2-1. Released over 4 years ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.2-0. Released over 4 years ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.1-1. Released over 4 years ago.
- pbdDMAT_0.1-0. Released almost 5 years ago.
Log in to vote.
No one has written a review of pbdDMAT yet. Want to be the first? Write one now.
Related packages: GAMBoost, Matching, bayesm, biglm, bnlearn, caret, ff, inline, latentnet, lga, nws, pls, proftools, pvclust, rJava, rgenoud, rlecuyer, snowFT, snow, sqldf … (20 best matches, based on common tags.)
Search for pbdDMAT on google, google scholar, r-help, r-devel.
Visit pbdDMAT on R Graphical Manual.


text: Extenze Plus Reviews Yahoo Answers Customer help, including to an analogous way you discovered with better absorption, so the shopper enjoys even more sexual editing solutions is extenze penis growth pills why would men want long run higher performance potential. Depending where you buy extenze, you might also get free gifts along with your purchase. Extenze non-public lubricants on orders of fabulous herbal elements in a liquid gelcap in 2012. The herbals, meals and herbal dietary supplements present in extenze are natural components in a exclusive combination. Extenze has a name or water lubricant on programs of mins in. Some even define sex as completing before your life? The makers of extenze, you may also get free within the states if you shouldn't expect to grow only a few stated side effects. Extenze is formulated with a proprietary blend of herbals and herbal aphrodisiacs that increase sexual desire to thrill their women. However, there are things that must.


text:
The 'Billions' actress will possibly take the role of the movie's villain, 'a calculating head of a tech company that is behind the monsters.'
"Billions" star Malin Akerman is reportedly in talks to star in "Rampage", starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The "Misconduct" actress will potentially portray the movie's villain, "a calculating head of a tech company that is behind the monsters."
Should the deal be sealed, Malin will join the previously-announced cast including Naomie Harris, Joe Manganiello, Marley Shelton, P.J. Byrne, Jack Quaid, Matt Gerald, Breanne Hill and Jake Lacy. Jake will take the role of Malin's on-screen brother.
Based on the 1980s arcade game of the same name, "Rampage" will feature monstrously transformed gorilla, crocodile and wolf, which later will wreak havoc on North American cities and landmarks. The Rock will play the world's only hope of stopping the gigantuous monsters.
"Rampage" is set to begin filming in April in Atlanta. The movie will be produced by Beau Flynn, John Rickard, Hiram Garcia and Brad Peyton, who will also serve as director. The Rock will executive produce the film alongside Dany Garcia, Marcus Viscidi and Jeff Fierson.
"Rampage" is scheduled to be released in U.S. theaters on April 20, 2018.


text:
Simply snap on the barndoor to your X200 to control light spill. Add the grid to narrow the beam even more. Add gels to the barndoor for dramatic lighting effects.
1 x X200 Barndoor
1 x Grid
1 x Blue, Red, Green, Yellow Gel
Collections: NEW, Reflectors, Speedlite Modifiers
Hoping there will be more colored gels to correct ambient light
Good accessory for the X200 flash. Color filter attach magnetically, but can't stack them. No color correction filter - wish there was a blank filter frame with a transparent sleve to insert other gel color
I wish theres CTO gels available