Him And Michael Tonkin Partners In Pain

this was originally written in a reblog but i decided it needed its own post

literally begging everyone to watch an interview given by baby lance, whether it be 11 year old ferrari junior lance or 18 year old williams rookie lance and understand that he wasn’t always this way, always this reserved and closed off and unexpressive. the media has beaten him black and blue and scrutinised every little thing he says and used any excuse they can to say that he is clearly a spoilt brat who will never amount to anything.

he gives them nothing because they can't make anything out of nothing. but of course they do it anyway, they make him out to be someone who thinks he's 'above it all' 'tired of the sport' 'entitled little shit' when in reality he loves F1 with all he has and hides himself in a protective shell of quiet indifference to try to avoid media scrutinisation.

mark webber once said (in his book) that fernando alonso was a very shy and reserved person in reality. yet when he teamed up with lance, he took on the brunt of the media duties specifically because he knew lance struggled with them.

lance isn't spoilt, entitled, or bored of f1 because he doesn’t express much in press conferences. he's simply incredibly introverted and has been worn down over the years by the constant scrutinisation he has been subjected to by the media.

the emotional rollercoaster huascar brazoban just went on

nasty say gex strollonso reblog if you agree

As someone very new to f1 I simply do not understand how the drivers resist giving yuki tsunoda a Lil pat on the head upon seeing him

I KNOW MY MAN HIT EVERY NOTE

Sean Manea sings along to “My Girl” as Francisco Lindor comes up to the plate.

tim hill NEEDS to start a music career with other lefty sidearmers so he can call the band The Sidewinding Southpaws and release a hit single called “Chin Music” that becomes the yankees’ OMG

do we think nando calls lance his strulobitch

if brett baty isn’t the starting second baseman this year i will cry. yes he has an unholy ops in spring training but more importantly let the baty/alvarez plotline continue

i only care about Them

Rogers, who has worked as the catcher for all of Skubal's starts, jogged to the mound at Globe Life Field to examine his batterymate. He investigated by poking just beneath Skubal's eye with his left index finger, and then, for no reason in particular, he slapped Skubal softly on the other side of his face with his right hand.

"I gave him a little love tap there," Rogers said.

Skubal couldn't help but smile.

"He's a beauty," Skubal said.

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"I think we have a better relationship off the field than we do on the field," said Skubal, who spent two weeks with Rogers at the alternate site before making his MLB debut in August 2020. "That's not to say we don't get along on the field. It's just, that's how close I am with that guy."

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Before every game, Skubal and Rogers complete the USA TODAY crossword puzzle as part of their individual pregame routines.

...

Skubal has improved significantly at the USA TODAY crossword, thanks to lessons learned from Alexander and Rogers along the way, but he still asks Rogers for help.

"I'd say, every other day I need good help," Skubal said, "but some other days I can get it. Today, I got it by myself. Typically, if you can get going and get some clues, it helps you out. If you get stuck in one area, and then you get one word, it'll unlock like 15 words. He'll help me get the one. He's like, 'OK, this is the one that will unlock the puzzle.' And then I'll be able to do a lot of it."

Skubal and Rogers also exchange at least one text message every single day, whether the Tigers are in spring training, the regular season or the offseason.

It's because Skubal and Rogers play Wordle, a web-based game in which players have six attempts to guess a daily five-letter word that's the same for all players. They have texted each other their results every day for the past two years. There's usually lively banter between them, especially if someone doesn't get the word within the allotted six guesses.

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Skubal had talked about getting Rogers a gift at the end of last season for catching every pitch of his incredible campaign, much like Justin Verlander would buy a watch for his catcher after throwing a no-hitter. Before the follow-up season begins, Skubal delivered in his usual low-key fashion.

“He got a nice little gift on his wrist, a nice Rolex,” Skubal said Friday. “I just gave it to him the first day I saw him here.”

Actually, two watches.

As a left-handed pitcher with a 100+ mph fastball and a nasty changeup and slider, Skubal is arguably one of one. The watch he gave Rogers is one of two, with Skubal buying the other for himself.

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The gift is a reflection of that trust. Since then, Rogers has been trying to find occasions to wear the watch, which he joked might be the most expensive thing he owns.

“I’ve been [in] ragged shorts and a t-shirt wearing it,” he said. “I’m wearing it every day. I just got engaged and we got engagement pictures, so I got to wear it last night and show it off a little bit -- hopefully not taking away from her ring. …

“But again, it means a lot to me, so I’m going to try to wear it as much as I can.”

(source one) (source two)

baseball :)