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diazsdimples · 6 months

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Inspiration Saturday!!

I did a bad thing and started a new fic, which will be known as the Musician AU. Basically, Eddie, Hen & Chim are all players in the L.A Philharmonic, Bobby is the conductor, and Buck joins them for one concert as a new hot shot cello soloist. Eddie immediately falls head over heels for the man and him and Buck fuck nasty in many many backstage rooms. This is gonna be a long snippet sorry, I'm scared it's too niche lmao

Tagged by @callmenewbie @wildlife4life @loserdiaz @thewolvesof1998, thank you guys!

Eddie gets to his chair and takes a moment to fully appreciate that it’s his. He’s not played first horn for a while, let alone while being the principal, and he’s pretty hyped. He takes a moment to unpack his horn, slotting the slides carefully into place and pressing the valves up and down to make sure they don’t need any grease. He’s so focused on it that he doesn’t hear Hen sneaking up to his side, clarinet in hand, and almost jumps out of his skin when she speaks.

“So, have you seen our new soloist yet?” she asks, leaning casually against his music stand and Eddie lets out a startled yelp.

“Not yet” he responds once his heart rate has gone back to normal.

Hen picks at something in her teeth. “Apparently, he’s very good, Tracy and Jeff can’t stop talking about him. It’s getting on my nerves”.

“Makes sense that he’s good, you don’t solo with the L.A Phil if you’re shit” Eddie jokes and Hen sends him a flat look.

“You know what I mean” she responds dryly. “Was the youngest in his class at Juilliard and did a stint playing in New Zealand with the NZSO before moving back to New York and playing with the New York Phil”.

Eddie can’t help but be impressed; the New York Philharmonic isn’t easy to get into and from what he’s heard, the NZSO are no slouches either. “He must be alright then”.

“You talking about Wonder-Boy Buckley? More than alright from what I hear”. Chimney is slouching towards them, weaving his way through the chairs and music stands from where he usually sits as principal trumpet. “Cathy says he’s hot. You’d better not let him distract you, Eddie”.

Eddie rolls his eyes playfully at Chimney as he sets his music out on the stand. “I have excellent impulse control, thank you. Haven’t had a random hookup in almost a year, even though Joel’s been repeatedly trying to jump my bones”.

“He does that with everyone, don’t feel special” Chimney replies, and he pats Eddie on the back.

“Why do they call him Wonder-Boy Buckley by the way?” Eddie asks. “Buckley’s a weird name, isn’t it?”

“Buckley is his surname; his first name is Evan” Hen explains while Chimney blows into his trumpet to warm it up. “And he’s Wonder-Boy because he’s so young and hot”

Eddie scoffs at this. Wonder-Boy Buckley sounds like a bit of a prick, honestly.

“Ready for your big moment? First movement of the concerto has a pretty big horn solo, and Bobby is expecting big things from you”. Chimney is looking at him with big eyes and if Eddie didn’t know him better, he’d think the guy was actually concerned.

Eddie won’t lie, he is pretty nervous about it. The cello solo and the horn have a few moments in the piece where it’s just them playing and it’s damn high and fucking difficult. Eddie’s done it in concert before, but that was with a much more minor orchestra and not in front of an audience of 2000+ people. However, Chimney and Hen under no circumstances are allowed to know he’s nervous so he shrugs nonchalantly and says, “yeah, I’ve been practicing it loads and think I’ve got it all sorted. Unless the soloist is truly as hot as you say, I’m pretty sure nothing will throw me”.

It seems the gods are listening to Eddie and laughing at him, because at that very moment, an extremely attractive young man walks into the auditorium with a cello strapped to his back and all Eddie can think is fuck, he’s really fucking hot.

“Oh look, there he is” Chimney says, perking up and Hen’s eyes flit across the auditorium, coming to rest on the man and her jaw drops.

“Holy shit, he’s hot. And I like girls”

“How’s our resident dick-expert doing” Chimney nudges Eddie teasingly and Eddie’s currently making a conscious effort not to drool.

“Yeah he’s – uh – he’s not bad”.

Not bad? Eddie is convinced this is the hottest man he’s ever seen in his life. His muscles bulge as he swings the cello case off his back and sets it on the ground and he flicks his head up to talk to Bobby, his blond curls flouncing delightfully as he does so. Even from here, Eddie can see how his eyes are a piercing blue and he can’t help but notice the way they crinkle as he smiles at Bobby, flashing a set of perfect, white teeth. He’s got some sort of mark around his eyebrow, maybe a piercing? Eddie can’t quite tell from this distance but man, it’s got him feeling things he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Hen and Chimney are sharing a knowing look and Eddie firmly ignores them, instead picking up his horn and beginning to blow some warm air into it. Terry, Amy, Sophie and Grant, his fellow horn players, have all turned up and are setting up, striking up idle conversation with one another as they wait for Bobby to give the order to tune up and start practicing. Hen pats Eddie on the back before returning to her chair and Chimney wiggles his eyebrows as he retreats, flicking his tongue around his mouthpiece suggestively.

(No pressure) tagging @theotherbuckley @eddiebabygirldiaz @wikiangela @fionaswhvre @smilingbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @fruitandbubbles @watchyourbuck @incorrect9-1-1 @knightlywonders @housewifebuck @monsterrae1 @evanbegins @cal-daisies-and-briars @thosetwofirefighters @disasterbuckdiaz @spagheddiediaz @malewifediaz @shitouttabuck @jeeyuns

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castielli · 2 years

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How to request:

Send your request featuring the character you want, the plot (+ANGST, FLUFF…) and anything I need to know about the reader.

MASTERLISTS:

MOVIES/TV SHOWS

KDRAMA/KPOP

OCs PROFILE:

@nathan-ocs

Fandoms I write for under the cut!

——————————————

NCIS

Timothy McGee

Jimmy Palmer

Nicholas Torres

CRIMINAL MINDS

Spencer Reid

Penelope Garcia (platonic🫶)

Luke Alvez

CALL OF DUTY (MW/WWII)

John Price

Soap MacTavish

Ghost Riley

Gaz Garrick

Alex Keller

Alejandro Vargas

Phillip Graves

Vladimir Makarov

Rudy Parra

Red Daniels

William Pierson

Joseph Turner

Robert Zussman

Frank Aiello

Drew Stiles

SHAMELESS

Ian Gallagher

Carl Gallagher

Lip Gallagher

Mickey Milkovich

Kevin Ball

THE WALKING DEAD (+TELLTALE GAME)

Rick Grimes

Daryl Dixon

Glenn Rhee

Negan Smith

Shane Walsh

Lee Everett

Kenny

Doug

Mark

STRANGER THINGS

Steve Harrington

Billy Hargrove

Robin Buckley (platonic)

Eddie Munson

Jim Hopper

Jonathan Byers

Peter/001

Jason Carver

Dimitri

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (I still need to finish the last season😊)

Viktor Hargreeves

Klaus Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves

Number Five

Luther Hargreeves

Ben Hargreeves

SUPERNATURAL

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

Castiel

Crowley

Bobby (platonic)

Chuck

NOW YOU SEE ME

Jack Wilder

J. Daniel Atlas

Merritt McKinney

Dylan Rhodes

Chase McKinney

MARVEL (Avengers/X-men)

Wanda Maximoff

Tony Stark

Bruce Banner

Thor Odinson

Loki Laufeyson

Steve Rogers

Stephen Strange

Peter Parker (Tom/Andrew/Tobey)

Clint Barton

Deadpool

Bucky Barnes

Sam Wilson

Peter Quill

Quentin Beck/Mysterio

Eddie Brock/Venom

Druig

Ikaris

Charles Xavier

Erik Lehnsherr

Peter Maximoff

Wolverine

Scott Summers

Hank McCoy

Bobby Drake

Alex Summers

Phil Coulson

Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockey

Scott Lang

Pietro Maximoff

Mobius M. Mobius

Matt Murdock

Shang-chi

STAR WARS

Anakin Skywalker

Luke Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Kylo Ren

Poe Dameron

Finn

TEEN WOLF

Stiles Stilinski

Scott McCall

Derek Hale

Isaac Lahey

Jackson Whittemore

Peter Hale

Theo Raeken

Liam Dunbar

Jordan Parrish

Mason Hewitt

Danny Mahealani

Aiden Steiner

Ethan Steiner

Corey Bryant

THE BOYS IN THE BAND

Bernard

Harold

Hank

Donald

Cowboy

Alan McCarthy

Michael

Larry

Emory

WHITE COLLAR

Neal Caffrey

Peter Burke

Mozzie (platonic)

Clinton Jones

DIVERGENT

Peter

Caleb Prior

Four

HARRY POTTER

Neville Longbottom

Sirius Black

Cedric Diggory

Seamus Finnigan

Viktor Krum

Remus Lupin

Draco Malfoy

Tom Riddle

Charlie Weasley

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Percy Weasley

Ron Weasley

Oliver Wood

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen)

Newt Scamander

Credence Barebone

Theseus Scamander

Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law)

HUNGER GAMES

Peeta Mellark

Coriolanus Snow

Sejanus Plinth

MAZE RUNNER

Newt

Thomas

Gally

Minho

911 (and LONE STAR)

Evan Buckley (Buck)

Howie Han (Chimney)

Bobby Nash

Eddie Diaz

TK Strand

Carlos Reyes

Paul Strickland

Owen Strand

Jud Ryder

Mateo Chavez

RIVERDALE

Jughead Jones

FP Jones

Archie Andrews

Hiram Lodge

Sweet Pea

Fangs

Kevin Keller

Reggie Mantle

Chic

Moose Mason

BROOKLYN99

Jake Peralta

Terry Jeffords

All the others (platonic only)

CHRISTIAN BALE

Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)

Bruce Wayne (Batman)

PEDRO PASCAL

Joel Miller (TLOU)

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

Javi Gutierrez (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent)

Javier Peña (Narcos)

Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones)

Agent Whiskey (Kingsman)

Silva (Strange Way of Life)

Francisco Morales (Triple Frontier)

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes)

Dieter Bravo (The Bubble)

DETROIT BECOME HUMAN

Connor

RK900

Hank

Markus

Luther

Simon

Gavin

Josh

BARBIE

Ken (Ryan)

Ken (Simu)

Allan

SHERLOCK

Sherlock Holmes

John Watson

Jim Moriarty

Mycroft Holmes

FNAF (movie)

Mike Schmidt

Steve Raglan

SUITS

Harvey Specter

Mike Ross

LA CASA DE PAPEL

El Profesor

Berlín

Palermo

Denver

Río

I WON’T WRITE:

-Smut (for anyone)

-R*pe

-Female readers/GN readers

-Suic*de

-inc*st

-Crossdressing

-Romantic/Suggestive stories for underage characters (only platonic, basically)

If the character you wanted to request is not on the list, you can try and ask me anyways.

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because-i-am-barely-even-human · 2 years

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I've seen a lot of fics where Buck is an honorary little brother/son of Steve McGrarrett, but I don't really see any resemblance between them except that both of them were SEALs (or in Buck's case, almost SEAL) and they have a tendency to dive into the danger, because they know they have needed skillset (much to Danny's and Eddie's chagrin).

So, I would really love to see the story where Buck is actually related to Danny.

Danny be like 44 years old, if Buck is 28.

Buck is not a Buckley, but a Williams in this one.

Buck and Maddie don't have big age gap.

AU: Buck is Danny Williams' biological son

***

Buck is actually Danny Williams' son. He was born when Danny was in high school (16-17 years old). Buck did not grew up with Buckleys, they are just his distant relatives, but he was close with Maddie like she was his sister, so that's what he was telling everyone when people asked about her.

Buck despises Phillip and Margaret after seeing the way they treated Maddie (basically ignored her) during the years she still lived with them. And because they looked at him weird and sometimes tried a little bit too much to make him stay in their house and often call him Danny. He thought they were confusing him with his dad, but that wasn't the case here. Maddie told him what really was going on when she heard about this.

And then they told Danno about this clownery, he gave Phil and Marge a signature Williams lecture (everyone and their neighbour heard his yelling), and from then on Buck and Maddie only saw each other at Williams' house or in public places, never at Buckleys' again. Then Danny and Buck moved to New Jersey and Maddie ran away to live with them. So no Doug happened under Danno's watchful cop eye.

***

The 118 never had a chance to cross paths with Danny despite Buck's numerous hospital visits, they were always too late to catch him. Evan never really talked about his dad, so the only thing they know is that he grew up with a single parent and that he's from New Jersey.

Buck just likes to keep some things close to chest.

They assumed that he had a strained relationship with his father.

Imagine the team's surprise when they see an explosive short blond with a tall military like guy in Buck's hospital room caringly yelling at Buck with Eddie and Christopher sitting in the background watching them like a ping-pong match.

So, Buck's life wasn't tragic like in canon, which means he doesn't have abandonment issues at all, 'cuz Danno is a kick-ass dad 🔥

----

This is a ficlet but I don't mind if someone wanted to expand it into a full-fledged fic, with dialogues and lots of funny scenes. Just give me credit for the idea and link to this post.

----

If someone's interested in writing this, please tag me when you're done.

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missmitchieg · 3 years

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9-1-1: A Helpful Guide For New Fans

Athena Nash:

- Played by: Angela Basset

- LAPD Police Sergeant but like coooooool

- Has a lot of best friends in the LGBT community

- Almost died once, it was wild

- Badass but an angel at the same time

- When she walks into a room, BO$$ by Fifth Harmony just starts playing in the background

- B O S S

- The Brain Cell of her household tbh

- Married a gay guy once, is still besties with him

- Then married a white guy but he's cool, too

- Great humor

Michael Grant:

- Played by: Rockmond Dunbar

- The gay guy Athena married

- Formerly an architect

- Currently President of HOA

- Visits her often

- Sweetheart

- Had a brain tumor for a while but he's fine now

- Has a sweet Doctor boyfriend and they're really happy and cute

Bobby Nash:

- Played by: Peter Krause

- The white guy Athena married

- Is friends with Michael and Michael's boyfriend

- Once solved a crime with Michael and his boyfriend and it was wild and entertaining as hell

- Captain of the LAFD

- Recovering alcoholic

- Probably listens to Michael Bolton and Phil Collins

- Actual nice guy

- Just really loves his wife

Harry Grant:

- Played by: Marcanthonee Reis

- Athena's son

- Nice kid

- Likes video games

May Grant:

- Played by: Corinne Massiah

- Athena's daughter

- Awesome

- Was bullied for no reason

- Just as badass as mama

- Previously considered majoring in pre-law, maybe journalism

- Ended up becoming a 911 dispatcher

Henrietta Wilson:

- Played by: Aisha Hinds

- Lesbian

- Has a dog named Paisley

- Athena's best friend

- Prefers the name Hen

- Firefighter & paramedic of the LAFD

- Was a lifeguard one summer as a kid

- Got shot by accident once

- Has a son named Denny

- Has an adorable foster daughter named Nia

Howie Han:

- Played by: Kenneth Choi

- Korean

- Karaoke King

- Firefighter & paramedic for the LAFD

- Everyone calls him Chimney/Chim, the story of why has not been told

- Doesn't have a great relationship with his dad

- Sweetheart

- Hen's best friend

- The first one to be nice to Hen when she joined the 118

- Baby on the way

- Has pretty bad luck sometimes

- Almost died

Madeline Buckley-Han:

- Played by: Jennifer Love Hewitt

- Introduced in s2

- Prefers to be called Maddie

- AN ANGEL

- Deserves SO MUCH BETTER

- 911 dispatcher

- Former nurse

- In therapy

- Karaoke Queen

- GARBAGE parents

- Seriously, they hate her

- Killed her abusive ex, it. was. awesome.

- Needs a hug and some coffee

- Dating Chimney, is having his daughter

Evan Buckley:

:- Played by: Oliver Stark

- Maddie's little brother

- Loves Chim for Maddie

- Firefighter

- Everyone calls him Buck/Buckaroo

- Chaotic Bisexual

- Also an angel

- A self sacrificing, reckless dumbass, but a brave, angelic, self sacrificing, reckless dumbass

- Has run into a burning building to save one last person on multiple occasions

- Seriously, the amount of times he has gotten hurt/almost died

- Just wants to be useful and needed and wanted

- Traveled a lot

- Sent Maddie a million postcards from his travels, she kept all of them

- Human personification of a golden retriever

- ADHD

- On blood thinners

- Has Issues

- Seriously, C H A O S

- His leg got crushed by a fire truck once

- Also in therapy

- Seriously, GARBAGE parents

- Parents hate him in a slightly different way than Maddie

- Needs a hug SO BAD OH MY GOD

- Sees Bobby and Athena as his parents because they kinda are tbh

- Bobby and Athena love him

- Has a massive crush on his best friend

- Is raising said best friend's kid with him

- According to his crush, he's "kinda obsessed with natural disasters"

- A Christmas elf once told him he and his crush/basically boyfriend have an adorable son and he thanked her, it was cute AF

Edmundo Diaz:

- Played by: Ryan Guzman

- Introduced in s2

- LAFD Firefighter

- Former army medic

- Everyone calls him Eddie

- Has PTSD

- Is the best friend Buck has a massive crush on

- Good thing the crush is mutual lol

- Had an illegal underground cage fighting phase

- Broke a guy's nose while in said phase

- Switched to counseling

- Yelled at Buck in the middle of a grocery store about not being around and missing him once (and it was funny AF)

- This was after telling Buck to "suck it up" when he had problems

#9-1-1 #athena nash #bobby nash #may grant #harry grant #michael grant #hen wilson #chimney han #evan buckley #maddie buckley-han #eddie diaz

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andrewuttaro · 5 years

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New Look Sabres: GM 64 - PIT

We, as Buffalo Sabres fans, have reached the point in the season where we shout down those who give updates on the playoff race. Eight points back on a playoff spot with less then twenty games to go is the point at which it came this season. The outlook gets too bleak at a certain point and we all switch over to Draft Talk. Late February was that moment for us this season. I will spare you the petty optimism of recapping how farther along in the season that bleakness threshold is than in most recent years and just say that as I have accepted this reality, I’ve seen a new silver lining. Not to brag, but I got a question of mine answered on the 31 Thoughts Podcast (2/28/19 in case your interested) and the answer industry insider Elliotte Friedman gave me was actually pretty satisfactory. And that my friends, is what we call a tease. The breakdown of that and the greater considerations of this team right now is coming up after the recap so stick with me. It maybe hard to talk trash when you feel like trash about your team but here it goes: Pittsburgh, your greed is absurd. Two Stanley Cups in three years and you’re panicking that you don’t look too hot in the fourth year. Us Sabres fans are wrapping up our rebuild at the speed of smell and a playoff victory over you narcs would be the morale boost you dream of. This series would probably be a boring defensive slog in spite of the names Crosby, Malkin, Eichel and Skinner but when the Sabres make you slog they’re at their best. Buffalo would relish ushering in the end of the Penguins Era and welcoming back the scores of Western New York hockey fans who bolted your way in the late 2000s. Sabres in 6! Now back to tonight’s matchup: a stunningly fun matchup for the far side of the bleakness threshold!

The first goal of this game felt really special. Obviously, it wasn’t special because of who scored it: Jack Eichel has scored many goals and will score many more. It was a play that materialized because of a turnover but get this… NOT a Sabres turnover. Imagine that, right? Jack scores his 23rd goal of the season after a turnover and a lay up from #23. Jack sniped it high over Matt Murray’s shoulder. This game had kinetic pacing. The possession was all over the place but this time it was fun chaotic possession. Brian Duff mentioned before the game the amount of roster turnover the Penguins have gone through. Obviously that team takes making the playoffs quite a bit more seriously at the present moment and their fight for the last spot mobilized Jim Rutherford to trade like a madman. One of these such guys, someone I was surprised to discover is now playing for Pittsburgh, was Nick Bjugstad. He got the puck in front of the Sabres net from another new Penguin, Juuso Riikola, and shot it far side on Linus Ullmark. In spite of Pittsburgh’s domination in shots and faceoffs the Sabres would score next when Conor Sheary flipped the puck in via a pass from Kyle Okposo. I always enjoy a goal against a former team and it wouldn’t be Sheary’s last tally of the night.

The middle period was the home team trying to calm down the game a little bit and take control. It worked for most of the period. It was a Matt Hunwick interference call on Sidney Crosby that gave Patric Hornqvist the powerplay opportunity to even it. It was the same kind of situation that put the Penguins ahead on yet another powerplay a little over a minute later when the Pittsburgh Captain himself scored. It was 3-2 going into the third and the basic stats of this game make you think this has to be over. Pittsburgh was laying it on and let’s just be real: has luck been on the Sabres side lately? Nonetheless it’s a 60-minute game and the final frame would be instrumental. As the period went on the Sabres narrowed the shot gap and would outshoot the opposition. There were several instances you think Buffalo was about to get the equalizer. Evan Rodrigues was beating down the door. Jeff Skinner got a saucy shot from point blank when Murray was out of the way. A diving defender is who saved it and it looked like that Penguin grabbed it with his glove on the line. It wasn’t reviewed and this game went to the final three minutes 3-2. Then a shot came ringing down from the blue line straight down the center and past the visiting netminder. It looked like Sheary could have redirected it in… but no, this goal goes to the new kid. Brandon Montour got credit for his first goal as a Sabre in his first game in Buffalo. It was exuberant and I grabbed my seat in the final minutes of play just waiting for the response. It didn’t come. For the first time in a hot… month and a half(?) … I felt fully into this game as went into OT. It looked like they could win it. There was no shortage of heart-stopping drama in the extra period. A puck almost ended it for the Penguins off some dude’s forehead. Rasmus Ristolainen made some confounding moves. Just as it started to look like it might go to the shootout the former Penguin Conor Sheary saw Phil Kessel lazily skating in front of Murray. Screening and out of position Kessel opened the window for Sheary to shoot through. Goal. 4-3 Sabres win it in overtime! Or did they? There was a challenge for offsides that the broadcast never showed any relevant footage on; you know, because we’re not allowed happiness as Sabres fans, right now? The challenge failed and the victory held up. Funny thing, going to OT gave the Pens one point, that was enough for them to knock the Hurricanes out of the last remaining playoff spot for now. Small victories, right?

So how about what I teased at the start: I asked the 31 Thoughts Podcast: How do the Sabres recover from having such a great start before missing the playoffs for the eighth straight year? Friedge responded as bluntly as my question was asked. He said the best anecdote is probably making sure it doesn’t become a ninth straight year out. Friedge also mentioned the promising core and the massive step forward Jack Eichel has taken before every Insider’s mandatory cautionary statement about making sure you keep Jeff Skinner. Folks, the optimistic line (the line I always take) post-bleakness threshold is that this is a development year. We’re overcooking the upcoming stars in Rochester and elsewhere to build up to what must be the first season the Jason Botterill regime puts the emphasis on the NHL club next year. I know next year is the almost a religious chant in this City by now but optimists like me have to believe 2019-2020 is the first season the Front Office here is actually going to demand a playoff berth. Yea, it’s an awfully convenient explanation post-bleakness threshold but the Montour trade and what expiring deals will demand is a busy Draft and Free Agency will make this conclusion widely accepted by the time your reading the Offseason Retrospective in late August or Early September. It’s painful to consider how it will be another season without a Post-Season in April considering how certain that seemed in November but the excuse that Botts is still healing the sins of the Tim Murray Era works for about another season. As Friedge said, the worst answer is probably the best answer: if you fail at something eight times that you have to achieve the best route is to ask yourself how is it not going to be nine times?

Yea, that might be the biggest question mark I’ve ever typed. I think that’s the question Botts is asking himself right now. Nonetheless, with another game against Toronto tomorrow I’m sure we’ll have some vitriolic hate driving us to not mope. I know I am guilty of it too: moping because we’re over that bleakness threshold and there was so much hope a few short months ago. Well, I’m tired of it. For real this time: I’m not going to count the burdens and disappointments on this organization like some kind of masochist. This can be fun, even when the playoffs are likely out of reach now, this watching Sabres games thing can be fun. They proved it to us tonight. Like, share and comment on this blog. Tell me if I’m being too optimistic. Tell me I’m high on the fumes of this win. Tell me I’m a crazy Sabres fan. I’m not going to stop tweeting about soccer but that doesn’t mean I’m done with these Sabres yet and neither should you be, no matter which side of the bleakness threshold we’re on. Did I coin a new term tonight? I don’t know, the only thing that matters right now is if this win can get stacked with another one tomorrow. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Seeing all the Bald for Bucks stuff at this game brings me back to when I went Bald for Bucks in college. It’s a great cause for cancer charities and I recommend you donating even if you don’t want to shave the flowing lochs.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician who is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues".

Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and by age 17 was playing the guitar and the harmonica, emulating local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson. He was recorded in Mississippi by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941. In 1943, he moved to Chicago to become a full-time, professional musician. In 1946, he recorded his first records for Columbia Records and then for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.

In the early 1950s, Muddy Waters and his band—Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elgin Evans on drums and Otis Spann on piano—recorded several blues classics, some with bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon. These songs included "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "I'm Ready". In 1958, he traveled to England, laying the foundations of the subsequent blues boom there. His performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 was recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960.

Muddy Waters' influence was tremendous, not just on blues and rhythm and blues but on rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz, and country music. His use of amplification is often cited as the link between Delta blues and rock and roll.

Early life

Muddy Waters birthplace and date is not conclusively known. He stated that he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi in 1915, but it is believed he was actually most likely born in Jug's Corner, in neighboring Issaquena County in 1913. Recent research has uncovered documentation showing that in the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, he reported his birth year as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes, and musicians' union card. A 1955 interview in the Chicago Defender is the earliest he claimed 1915 as his year of birth, which he continued to use in interviews from that point onward. The 1920 census lists him as five years old as of March 6, 1920, suggesting that his birth year may have been 1914. The Social Security Death Index, relying on the Social Security card application submitted after his move to Chicago in the mid-1940s, lists him as being born April 4, 1913. His gravestone gives his birth year as 1915.

Muddy Waters' grandmother, Della Grant, raised him after his mother died shortly after his birth. Grant gave him the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby Deer Creek. "Waters" was added years later, as he began to play harmonica and perform locally in his early teens. The remains of the cabin on Stovall Plantation where Waters lived in his youth are now at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

He had his first introduction to music in church: "I used to belong to church. I was a good Baptist, singing in the church. So I got all of my good moaning and trembling going on for me right out of church," he recalled. By the time, he was 17, he had purchased his first guitar. "I sold the last horse that we had. Made about fifteen dollars for him, gave my grandmother seven dollars and fifty cents, I kept seven-fifty and paid about two-fifty for that guitar. It was a Stella. The people ordered them from Sears-Roebuck in Chicago." He started playing his songs in joints nearby his hometown, mostly in a plantation owned by Colonel William Howard Stovall.

Career

Early career

In August 1941, Alan Lomax went to Stovall, Mississippi, on behalf of the Library of Congress to record various country blues musicians. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy recalled in Rolling Stone, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Man, you don't know how I felt that Saturday afternoon when I heard that voice and it was my own voice. Later on he sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for twenty bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the jukebox. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it.'" Lomax came back in July 1942 to record Muddy again. Both sessions were eventually released as Down on Stovall's Plantation by Testament Records. The complete recordings were reissued on CD as Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings. The Historic 1941–42 Library of Congress Field Recordings by Chess Records in 1993 and remastered in 1997.

In 1943, Muddy headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. He lived with a relative for a short period while driving a truck and working in a factory by day and performing at night. Big Bill Broonzy, then one of the leading bluesmen in Chicago, had Muddy open his shows in the rowdy clubs where Broonzy played. This gave Muddy the opportunity to play in front of a large audience. In 1944, Muddy bought his first electric guitar and then he formed his first electric combo. He felt obliged to electrify his sound in Chicago as he stated "When I went into the clubs, the first thing I wanted was an amplifier. Couldn't nobody hear you with an acoustic." Muddy's sound reflected the optimism of postwar African Americans. Willie Dixon mentioned "There was quite a few people around singing the blues but most of them was singing all sad blues. Muddy was giving his blues a little pep."

Three years later in 1946, he recorded some songs for Mayo Williams at Columbia Records, but they were not released at the time. Later that year, he began recording for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess. In 1947, he played guitar with Sunnyland Slim on piano on the cuts "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae." These were also shelved, but in 1948, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home" became big hits, and his popularity in clubs began to take off. Soon after, Aristocrat changed its name to Chess Records, and Muddy's signature tune "Rollin' Stone" also became a hit that year.

Commercial success

Initially, the Chess brothers wouldn't allow Muddy to use his working band in the recording studio; instead, he was provided with a backing bass by Ernest "Big" Crawford or by musicians assembled specifically for the recording session, including "Baby Face" Leroy Foster and Johnny Jones. Gradually, Chess relented, and by September 1953, he was recording with one of the most acclaimed blues groups in history: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elga Edmonds (also known as Elgin Evans) on drums, and Otis Spann on piano. The band recorded a series of blues classics during the early 1950s, some with the help of bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", and "I'm Ready." These three were "the most macho songs in his repertoire", wrote Robert Palmer in Rolling Stone. "Muddy would never have composed anything so unsubtle. But they gave him a succession of showstoppers and an image, which were important for a bluesman trying to break out of the grind of local gigs into national prominence."

Along with his former harmonica player Little Walter Jacobs and recent southern transplant Howlin' Wolf, Muddy reigned over the early 1950s Chicago blues scene, his band becoming a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent. While Little Walter continued a collaborative relationship long after he left Muddy's band in 1952, appearing on most of Muddy's classic recordings in the 1950s, Muddy developed a long-running, generally good-natured rivalry with Wolf. The success of Muddy's ensemble paved the way for others in his group to break away and make their own solo careers. In 1952, Little Walter left when his single "Juke" became a hit, and in 1955, Rogers quit to work exclusively with his own band, which had been a sideline until that time. Although he continued working with Muddy's band, Otis Spann enjoyed a solo career and many releases under his own name beginning in the mid-1950s. Around that time, Muddy Waters scored hits with songs "Mannish Boy" and "Sugar Sweet" in 1955, followed by the R&B hits "Trouble No More," "Forty Days & Forty Nights", and "Don't Go No Farther" in 1956.

England

Muddy toured England in 1958 and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. His performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960, introduced a new generation to Muddy's sound.

Grammy

In 1971, a show at Mister Kelly's, an upmarket Chicago nightclub, was recorded and released, signalling both Muddy's return to form and the completion of his transfer to white audiences. In December, he took harpist Carey Bell and guitarist Sammy Lawhorn to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions, which featured Rory Gallagher, Mitch Mitchell, and Georgie Fame. Soon after, he won his first Grammy Award for They Call Me Muddy Waters, an album of old, but previously unreleased recordings. Another Grammy followed for London Sessions, and yet another one for his last LP on Chess Records: The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album, recorded in 1975 with his new guitarist Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, Paul Butterfield, and Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band.

The Super Blues Band

However, following his last big hit, "I'm Ready", in 1956, Muddy was put on the back shelf by Chess. In 1967, he joined forces with Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf to record the albums Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band, containing Chess blues standards. In 1972, he went back to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions with Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, and Mitch Mitchell, but their playing was not up to his standards. "These boys are top musicians, they can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. "But that ain't what I need to sell my people, it ain't the Muddy Waters sound. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man." Muddy's stated, "My blues look so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play."

Final shows

In 1981, Muddy Waters was invited to perform at ChicagoFest, the city's top outdoor music festival. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter, who had produced Waters' most recent albums, and played classics like "Mannish Boy", "Trouble No More", and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. This historic performance was made available on DVD in 2009 by Shout! Factory. Later that year, he performed live with the Rolling Stones at the Checkerboard Lounge; a DVD version of the performance was released in 2012.

In 1982, declining health dramatically curtailed his performance schedule. His last public performance took place when he sat in with Eric Clapton's band at a concert in Florida in the summer of 1982.

Personal life

Muddy Waters' longtime wife, Geneva, died of cancer on March 15, 1973. Gaining custody of some of his children, he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. Years later, Muddy travelled to Florida and met his future wife, 19-year-old Marva Jean Brooks, whom he nicknamed "Sunshine". Eric Clapton served as best man at their wedding in 1979.

His sons, Larry "Mud" Morganfield and Big Bill Morganfield, are also blues singers and musicians.

Death

Muddy Waters died in his sleep from heart failure, at his home in Westmont, Illinois, on April 30, 1983. Throngs of blues musicians and fans attended his funeral at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, to pay tribute to one of the true originals of the art form. John P. Hammond told Guitar World magazine, "Muddy was a master of just the right notes. It was profound guitar playing, deep and simple... more country blues transposed to the electric guitar, the kind of playing that enhanced the lyrics, gave profundity to the words themselves."

Legacy

Two years after his death, Chicago honored him by designating the one-block section between 900 and 1000 E. 43rd Street near his former home on the south side "Honorary Muddy Waters Drive". The Chicago suburb of Westmont, where Muddy lived the last decade of his life, named a section of Cass Avenue near his home "Honorary Muddy Waters Way". Following his death, fellow blues musician B.B. King told Guitar World, "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music". A Mississippi Blues Trail marker has been placed in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by the Mississippi Blues Commission designating the site of Muddy Waters' cabin.

His influence is tremendous, over a range of music genres: blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz, and country music. He also helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.

His 1958 tour of England marked possibly the first time amplified, modern urban blues was heard there, although on this tour he was the only one amplified. His backing was provided by the trad jazz group of the Englishman Chris Barber.

His use of amplification has been cited as "the technological missing link between Delta Blues and Rock 'N' Roll." This is underlined in a 1968 article in Rolling Stone magazine: “There was a difference between Muddy’s instrumental work and that of House and Johnson, however, and the crucial difference was the result of Waters’ use of the electric guitar on his Aristocrat sides; he had taken up the instrument shortly after moving to Chicago in 1943.”

The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone" (also known as "Catfish Blues", which was covered by Jimi Hendrix). Rolling Stone magazine took its name from the same song. Hendrix recalled that "the first guitar player I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". The band Cream covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream, as Eric Clapton was a big fan of Muddy Waters when he was growing up, and his music influenced Clapton's music career. The song was also covered by Canned Heat at the Monterey Pop Festival and later adapted by Bob Dylan on his album Modern Times. One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", is lyrically based on the Muddy Waters hit "You Need Love", written by Willie Dixon. Dixon wrote some of Muddy Waters' songs, including "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (a big radio hit for Etta James, as well as the 1970s rock band Foghat), "Hoochie Coochie Man", which the Allman Brothers Band covered (the song was also covered by Humble Pie, Steppenwolf, and Fear), "Trouble No More" and "I'm Ready". In 1993, Paul Rodgers released the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, on which he covered a number of Muddy Waters songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" in collaboration with a number of guitarists, including Gary Moore, Brian May and Jeff Beck.

Angus Young, of the rock group AC/DC, has cited Muddy Waters as one of his influences. The AC/DC song title "You Shook Me All Night Long" came from lyrics of the Muddy Waters song "You Shook Me", written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental, which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962. Led Zeppelin also covered it on their debut album.

Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan Martin Scorsese's movies, including The Color of Money, Goodfellas, and Casino. Muddy Waters' 1970s recording of his mid-'50s hit "Mannish Boy" (also known as "I'm a Man") was used in the films Goodfellas, Better Off Dead, Risky Business, and the rockumentary The Last Waltz.

The song "Come Together" by the Beatles mentions Muddy Waters: "He roller coaster/he got Muddy Waters."

Van Morrison's song "Cleaning Windows", on his album Beautiful Vision (1982), includes the lyric "Muddy Waters singin', I'm a Rolling Stone".

In 2008, actor Jeffrey Wright portrayed Muddy Waters in the film Cadillac Records, about Chess Records and its recording artists. Another 2008 film about Leonard Chess and Chess Records, Who Do You Love, also covers Muddy's time at Chess Records.

In the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked (retitled Pirate Radio in the U.S) about pirate radio in the UK, the cryptic message that late-night DJ Bob gives to Carl to give to Carl's mother is "Muddy Waters rocks".

In 1990, the television series Doogie Howser, M.D. featured an episode called "Doogie Sings the Blues" with the main character, Blind Otis Lemon, based on Muddy Waters, with references to his influence on the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, along with the performance of "Got My Mojo Working" by Blind Otis Lemon. He is also referred to as the original "Hoochie Coochie Man".

Awards and recognition

Grammy AwardsRock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed four songs of Muddy Waters among the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

The Blues Foundation AwardsInductions

U.S. Postage Stamp

Discography

Studio albums

Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy (1960)

Folk Singer (1964)

Brass and the Blues (1966)

Electric Mud (1968)

After the Rain (1969)

Fathers and Sons (1969)

The London Muddy Waters Sessions (1970)

Can't Get No Grindin' (1973)

"Unk" in Funk (1974)

The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album (1975)

Hard Again (1977)

I'm Ready (1978)

King Bee (1981)

Wikipedia

#Muddy Waters #04-04 #04-30

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flauntpage · 6 years

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Your 2018 NFL Broadcast Teams

FOX and CBS put out a couple of press releases this week letting us know who we will have the distinction of listening to during the 2018 NFL season.

I assume a significant number of y’all probably turn the broadcast volume down and instead listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick on 94 WIP, but if not, here are your crews for the coming year:

FOX:

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews

Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver

Kenny Albert, Rondé Barber and various reporters

Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake or Peter Schrager

Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin

Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth and Jennifer Hale

Other Play-by-Play Announcers: Sam Rosen, Dan Hellie, Brian Custer and Kevin Kugler

Other Analysts: Cris Carter, Greg Jennings, Brady Quinn and Jeff Fisher

Other Reporters: Shane Bacon, Tiki Barber, Karyn Bryant, Doug Gottlieb, Sarah Kustok and Sara Walsh.

I don’t really have any issues with Buck or Aikman. Burkhardt is pretty good. Jeff Fisher can explain what it’s like to be a 7-9 team.

Dick Stockton and Mark Schlereth didn’t have a great Eagles outing last season, continually referring to Alshon Jeffery as Alshon “Jefferies” and talking about the C.S. Lewis fantasy world of Narnia during the broadcast.

FOX also has the Thursday night games this year:

“As previously announced, Buck, Aikman, Andrews, reporter Kristina Pink and FOX NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira comprise the NFL’s Thursday Night Football presented by Bud Light broadcast team. The fivesome will call Thursday Night Football games broadcast on FOX and simulcast via NFL Network between Weeks 4-15 (excluding Thanksgiving night). The games also will be streamed on Amazon Prime and distributed in Spanish on FOX Deportes.”

It looks like the talent for “FOX NFL Sunday” is going to remain the same: Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan with Jay Glazer and Rob Riggle. The 11 a.m. FOX Kickoff show will be hosted by Charissa Thompson and feature Tony Gonzalez, Michael Vick, Colin Cowturd, Dave Wannstedt, Cooper Manning, and Pete Schrager.

The Eagles have 10 games on FOX this year, playing every game from week 2 to week 7 on the network, so we’re gonna get a bunch of the crews listed above.

Here are the CBS teams:

Jim Nantz/Tony Romo//Tracy Wolfson

Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts//Evan Washburn

Greg Gumbel/Trent Green/Bruce Arians//Melanie Collins

Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon//Steve Tasker

Andrew Catalon/James Lofton

Spero Dedes/Adam Archuleta

Tom McCarthy/Steve Beuerlein

Beth Mowins/Jay Feely

Bruce Arians, huh?

Bruce Arians will be the color analyst for CBS for the Steelers' opener in Cleveland. So the Steelers' last three offensive coordinators will be in one building. #Steelers #dkps

— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) August 22, 2018

Eagle is a pro. Nantz is okay but I always get the impression that he would rather be talking about golf. I thought Romo was at least very interesting last year in the way he identified plays pre-snap.

Nantz, Romo, and Wolfson are the top group, so they call the best game of each week. The Eagles only have one game on CBS this year, which is week 16 against the Texans.

Similar to FOX, it looks like the talent for “The NFL Today” pregame show remains mostly the same:

“This season marks THE NFL TODAY’s 51st year. Host James Brown anchors the show alongside Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Phil Simms and Nate Burleson from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Steratore serves as NFL rules analyst, and Jason La Canfora continues to serve as the ‘NFL Insider.'”

Burleson has been pretty good on GMFB.

CBS also gets the Super Bowl this year, which means all of the poor souls at Eyewitness News will be forced to come in on a Sunday night and assemble the PERFECT newscast, which won’t air until 90 minutes after the game. Les Moonves will follow the Super Bowl with some shitty new CBS drama, then your local news will begin at something like 11:45 p.m.

Here’s how the Birds’ schedule breaks down for TV purposes:

Ten games on FOX, one on CBS, one on ESPN (Monday Night Football), three prime time games on NBC, and the London game on the NFL Network.

I can’t imagine that flex scheduling affects the Eagles at all this year. That pair of marquee Sunday night matchups against Dallas and Los Angeles will undoubtedly be the most interesting games of those respective weekends, unless the Birds inexplicably bomb this year. We’re looking at Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels for those games, plus the home opener. The Monday night game will be called by ESPN’s new crew of Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters.

The post Your 2018 NFL Broadcast Teams appeared first on Crossing Broad.

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sending-the-message · 7 years

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The Girls of Green Meadow by Pippinacious

Once upon a time, my hometown decided it wanted to try and get its name on the map. It was the height of the real estate bubble and people were buying, developers were building, and our small city was looking forward to a sudden and steady growth spurt.

The thing about bubbles, though, is that they have a tendency to burst.

When the market crashed, a ripple effect followed. All those eager new homeowners looking forward to their gated communities and McMansions disappeared. With the money gone, the builders followed suit, taking with them all their promises of revitalization for our tired area. The jobs that had been promised to all the local contractors dried up and many, including my dad, were left scrambling for work.

The only sign that any progress might have been made were a few plotted out neighborhoods, some little more than cleared land with spray painted lines running across the ground, while others boasted a few almost-complete homes. All that had been left to do was slap up some paint inside and sign the paperwork for it to be somebody’s home.

Regardless of how far along they were, each development had been given some “high class” sounding name to set them apart from the rest of us, non-association member peasants: Deer Run, High Creek, Maple Terrace. The one closest to me, set back behind a line of thick hedges, was Green Meadow.

It was one of the “What Could Have Been” neighborhoods, with a few paved streets and a handful of houses that had been so close to being finished. After construction halted, they'd simply been left behind; large empty shells of two-story dreams that weren't going to come true. With no one to claim them, they sat, vacant and unsupervised.

It was awesome for me and my friends, a bunch of teenaged boys with too much time and not enough to fill it.

It wasn't hard to get into the houses. The locks were a joke, more for show than security, and my best buddy Evan was able to pick most of them. Those that he couldn't just had us going around to the back of the house to break windows so we could climb in. You would think we'd get bored running between the half dozen empty buildings, each almost identical to the last, but we found ways to keep ourselves entertained.

Mostly it was just me, Evan, and Buck, but sometimes Evan’s older brother, Phil, would bring a few guys around to hang. They were (mostly) friendly, showed us skateboarding tricks in the cement basins that would have been in-ground pools, even let us have a few sips of the cheap beers they sometimes brought. At fourteen, nothing was cooler than having those seventeen and eighteen year olds around.

Green Meadow became our summer escape, one we thought that everybody else had forgotten about.

Until the girls started showing up.

July had hit us hot and heavy, so we'd started going over to Green in the early evening, when the houses didn't quite feel like ovens. It was just me and Evan that night, Buck had gone away to camp, and we were sitting in one of the upstairs windows, firing his paintball gun at some beer cans we'd set up in the driveway. It was Evan’s turn and he was taking his time, painstakingly lining up each shot only to miss and then demand a redo, and I was getting bored.

My gaze wandered idly from the paint splattered driveway, followed a crack in the pavement across the street, to the house across the way. It looked dark inside from where we were standing, same as all the others.

So when I realized someone was looking back from one of the second story windows, I recoiled slightly with a soft gasp.

From what I could make out in the dusky light, it was a girl, younger than us, with oddly chopped, uneven hair that hung limply around her face. Her pale features contrasted sharply with the shadows around her. We stared at each other, both completely still, until I'd shaken my surprise enough to nudge Evan, who'd been too distracted with his shooting to notice .

“Knock it off, Russ,” he said, “it'll be your turn whe-”

“Dude, look!” I cut him off with a jab to his shoulder and pointed across the way.

But the little girl was gone.

“Stop trying to creep me out,” he said.

“She's gotta still be in there,” I replied, already heading towards the stairs. “Let's go look. Maybe she's lost or something.”

Evan groaned, but followed. “If this is some kind of trick, I'm going to shoot you in the balls.”

“No, man, I swear! She was looking right at us.”

We called out as soon as we got inside, letting the girl know that we wanted to help her. With the evening fast turning to night, an inky blackness was starting to settle over the house, making it seem almost unfamiliar. Still, thoughts of my own little sister, half my age and still afraid of the dark, made me creep forward. I wouldn't want her left, alone and afraid, in this kind of place.

Evan hesitated in the entryway, but when I hissed that he was a chicken over my shoulder, he followed.

Our footsteps sounded all too loud in the otherwise still and silent house. The further in we went, the faster my heart beat, until I could feel it pounding in my chest. I tried to tell myself that there was nothing to be afraid of, but every creak of the stairs as we ascended was like a protest aimed at that very thought. Behind me, Evan stuck close, at least letting me know I wasn't alone in my nervousness.

We stood at the second floor landing, peering down the hall towards the room where I thought I'd seen the girl.

“Hello?” I could barely bring my voice above a whisper.

Downstairs, a door slammed somewhere in the house.

That was all it took for me and Evan to turn tail and scramble back down the steps. We practically tripped over each other in our desperate flight out the front door and didn't stop running until we'd cleared Green Meadow completely and were standing under a streetlight on the sidewalk leading home.

“What was that?” Evan asked breathlessly.

I could only shrug.

“M-maybe the wind,” he said.

“Or the girl. Could have run out when we were upstairs.”

“Maybe,” he agreed doubtfully. I wasn't sure he even believed she'd been there at all, but he didn't seem to want to argue the point.

We parted ways and went home, where I slept with a flashlight next to my pillow.

We made excuses to ourselves, to each other, and to Phil and his friends about why we didn't want to go back to Green for a while. While neither Evan nor myself would admit we'd been scared out loud, whenever we considered going back, we were reminded of the darkness and that slamming door.

It wasn't until Phil offered to let us set off some firecrackers he had in one of the unfinished pools that we went back. There was just something about fire and explosions that we couldn't pass up.

With Phil and his friends there, it was easy to forget that we'd ever been afraid and we enjoyed a few hours of lighting bottle rockets and bike riding along the pool’s edges. We hardly even noticed when the sun started to go down. One by one, Phil’s friends started to leave, until it was only the three of us left.

“We should get going,” Phil said to Evan. “Mom’ll kill me if you're out late.”

“Fine,” Evan said, but not before he'd set off another firecracker.

We left the mess of burned up papers and wrappings behind and crossed between houses to get to the road. Phil was talking to us about something, but I found my attention slipping from him and turning to that house, the one I'd seen the girl in. Unconsciously, my eyes flicked up to the window where I'd seen her last.

She was there again, once more looking out at me with that blank, colorless expression. This time, though, she wasn't alone.

A second girl, this one a bit closer to me in age, was standing behind her. She had a similar haircut, jagged and short, but instead of watching us go by impassively, she was scowling.

As we walked passed the house, the front door swung open.

All three of us froze for a moment, unsure of how to react, until Phil started to laugh. I couldn't help but think it sounded uneasy, but joined along, anyway.

“Door probably wasn't latched,” he said, trying to play off his fright.

“Yeah,” Evan was quick to agree, but I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was; that this was the same house with the little girl.

Before I could tell them to look up, Phil was ushering us along again, reminding Evan that their mom was waiting. I glanced back just once, just long enough to see the little girl still standing in the window. Just long enough to see the older one in the front doorway, her mouth open and twisted all too wide in a silent, angry scream.

She lifted her hand and pointed at me.

I didn't tell the guys what I'd seen. One because I wasn't sure what it really was and, two, because I didn't want Phil to think I was a big baby. They must have been able to tell I was freaked out, though, because they walked me all the way home before doubling back towards their own place.

I hurried inside and tried to make it up to my room before my parents noticed, but Mom caught me halfway up the steps.

“Whoa, slow down, Russ,” she said, “I want to talk to you.”

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” I replied, hoping she'd just let me go. I was still shaken by what I'd seen and just wanted to hole up in my room and watch TV until I forgot about it.

“It'll only take a minute,” she said. “I don't want you staying out after dark anymore. Some kids have gone mis-”

“Ok, fine, sure, I gotta go!” I insisted and dashed the rest of the way upstairs before she could argue.

I heard her sigh, the put upon sound of a teen’s mother, but she didn't follow.

My plan had been to keep myself distracted with light and noise until I fell asleep. Seeing the little girl by herself had been unsettling enough on its own, but there was something about the other one and the way she'd pointed after me that really got under my skin. I buried myself under my comforter and swore I wouldn't go back to Green Meadow for a while.

I was able to drift off after a couple hours, my thoughts clouded with the bright, colorful nonsense of Dragonball Z.

My room was dark when I was wrenched into wakefulness some time later. The lights I'd left on, the TV, my computer screen, all switched off. A tingling, icy sweat beaded along my forehead and I tried to sit up, tried to move at all, but my body was unresponsive I remained stretched out on my back, unable to do anything but roll my eyes wildly around in their sockets. I couldn't even scream.

Something moved in the far corner of my room. My eyes, so wide that they ached, swiveled instinctively towards it.

The older girl was standing there, rigid and straight and still scowling. She took a stiff step forward, and then another, and then I blinked. She was at my bedside, one hand poised over my neck. I made a muffled gurgling sound in the back of my throat that was supposed to be a scream. Her fingers, icy and hard, pressed against my flesh.

I wasn't in my room anymore. I wasn't myself anymore. I was in a dark place, terrified, my mouth gagged. Someone was dragging me. Every time I struggled, I was hit. In my face, in my side, they didn't care. I knew that, I felt it; they didn't care, and it scared me most of all.

The blindfold covering my eyes slipped just a little, but enough. I could tell I was in a big house, unfinished and empty, but not much else. He had me by the hair, that tall boy who I'd thought was so cute, the one who said he'd give me a ride home when he saw me walking down the sidewalk after I'd finished my shift at work. I'd only been in his car for a minute before he'd struck me on my head.

He didn't care that I couldn't catch my footing on the stairs, he didn't care that I was crying, he didn't care that I was pulling weakly away.

He didn't care.

The fear and pain that followed, the violation of my body, the things he did, I had never known that someone could be so cruel. I was barely conscious, barely comprehending, and he was leaning over me, hacking away at my hair with a dull knife already covered in my blood. Out of everything he had done, that was what made me want to ask him why. He had defiled me already, why did he have to disfigure me, too?

I watched him take handfuls of my shorn hair and shove it in his jacket pockets. A trophy.

He had some trouble hauling me up the attic ladder, but he was persistent. There was a box there, a big ice chest that must have been more difficult than me to drag up there. He let me drop to the floor while he undid the padlock and pulled it open.

There was already a girl inside, no more than eight or nine. Her eyes were glassy, her lips blue, and there was a smell even with all the ice.

Don't put me in there, I tried to beg with my eyes, don't put me on top of the dead girl. I'm alive, I'm still alive.

He lifted me up and dumped me in that ice box on top of that child and he closed the lid. Outside, the lock snapped into place.

I'm alive, even my thoughts sounded like whispers in the black and the cold, I'm alive.

And then I wasn't.

I gasped for air, my eyes coming into focus once more. I was back in my room, I was myself again. The girl was still standing over me, still scowling, but now tears shined in her eyes. Her hand fell away from my throat.

She was gone.

I woke my parents up with my screaming. Amidst all my babbling and hysterical sobbing, I was able to get out only a single phrase.

“Phil, it was Phil!”

Police worked quickly after we called them. They found the girls, seven year old Sue MacBride and nineteen year old Olivia Harwell, exactly where I told them they'd be. Locked in an ice chest in the attic of one of the unfinished houses in Green Meadow.

Sue had been killed about a week before Olivia.

Despite his attempts to clean up after himself, Phil had left behind more than enough evidence to convict, but nothing quite so damning as the strands of hair that were found carefully tucked between the pages of a book on the shelf in his room.

When asked how I'd known it was him, I made up something about having seen Olivia in his car the night she vanished and putting two and two together after seeing her picture on the news. I claimed I found the ice chest when playing in the house, but didn't think much of it until later. They seemed to believe me readily enough, and over time, it got easier to tell the lie.

I didn't see Evan much after that, and when I did, he was withdrawn, sometimes angry with me, but mostly just sad. We never spoke about the little girl. We never talked about the night we'd gone into that house looking for her, not knowing that Phil had killed her there just the night before. His family moved away during Phil’s trial.

I only went back to Green Meadow once, right before they planned to knock all those empty houses down, and I stood outside the place where Sue and Olivia had died. I looked up into the window where I had first seen them, the window of the room he'd brutalized them in, where they had been trapped even after death.

I looked up at it and I smiled, a sad, but grateful expression, because there was no one looking back at me.

#reddit #nosleep #scary #story

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derededicto · 7 years

Text

200 60s Albums

60′s lists are making the rounds right now, so I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring. As usual, the choices reflect my obsessions and my limitations. This list is more canonist than I’d prefer but I’m no crate digger. (And before you get too excited, know this: it’s, like, 50% jazz.)

The 5th Dimension – The Age of Aquarias

13th Floor Elevators – Easter Everywhere

Albert Ayler – Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village

Albert Ayler – New York Eye & Ear Control

Al Green – Green is Blues

AMM – AMMusic

Andrew Hill – Black Fire

Andrew Hill – Point of Departure

Anita O'Day & Carl Tjader – Time for Two

Archie Shepp – Four for Trane

Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man

Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul

Art Ensemble of Chicago – People in Sorrow

Art Ensemble of Chicago – A Jackson in Your House

Art Pepper – Smack Up

B.B. King – Live at the Regal

The Band – The Band

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys -- Wild Honey

The Beatles – Rubber Soul

The Beatles – Please Please Me

The Beatles – Magical Myster Tour (US L.P. version)

Beroff, etc. – Messiean: Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills

Bill Evans Trio – Waltz for Debby

Bill Evans – Portrait in Jazz

Blue Cheer – Outside Inside

Bob Dylan – Another Side of Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited

Bobbie Gentry – Ode to Billie Joe

Bobby Hutcherson – Components

Booker T. & the Mgs – Green Onions

Buck Owens & His Buckaroos – Carnegie Hall Concert

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – Hoodoo Man Blues

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Can – Monster Movie

Cannonball Adderley – Sextet in New York

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Safe as Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica

Caetano Veloso – Caetano Veloso

Cecil Taylor – Unit Structures

Cecil Taylor – Conquistador!

Charles Mingus – The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus – The Great Concert of Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus – Oh Yeah!

Chuck Berry – St. Louis to Liverpool

Coleman Hawkins – Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy & The Poor Boys

Dexter Gordon – Go!

Dionne Warwick – Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls

Dionne Warwick – Golden Hits

Dolly Parton – Just Because I'm a Woman

Don Cherry – Symphony for Improvisers

Donald Byrd – A New Perspective

Don Ellis – Electric Bath

The Doors – The Doors

Duke Ellington – Far East Suite

Duke Ellington - ...And His Mother Called Him Bill

Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach – Money Jungle

Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

Ella Fitzgerald – Ella in Berlin

Ella Fitzgerald – Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook

Elvis Presley – From Elvis in Memphis

Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad & the Ugly

Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch

Eric Dolphy – Live at the Five Spot

Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief

Flamin' Groovies – Supersnazz

The Four Tops - Reach Out

The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace of Sin

The Fugs – First Album

Frank Sinatra – Sinatra at the Sands

Frank Sinatra – Nice 'n' Easy

Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention – We're Only In It For The Money

Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention – Uncle Meat

Freddie Hubbard – Hub-Tones

Funkadelic – Funkadelic

Gerry Mulligan & Ben Webster – Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster

George Russell – Ezz-Thetic

George Solti, Vienna Philharmonic et al. – Das Ring Des Niebelungen

Glenn Gould – Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Bk 1

Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, et al. – Topicalia our Panis et Circencis

Godz – 2

Grachan Moncur III – Evolution

Grand Funk Railroad – Grand Funk

Grant Green – Grantstand

Grateful Dead – Aoxomoxoa

Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – s/t

Gyorgy Ligeti – Requiem/Lontano/Continuum [Bour, Orchestre Du Sudwestfunk]

Hank Mobley – Soul Station

Harry Partch – The World of Harry Partch

Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles

Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage

Holy Modal Rounders – 1

Holy Modal Rounders – The Moray Ell Eats the Holy Modal Rounders

Horace Silver – Songs of my Father

Howlin' Wolf – Howlin' Wolf

Hungarian String Quartet – Barktok: Six String Quartets

Iannis Xenakis – Metastasis/Pithopakta/Eonta (Simonovic, Ensemble Instrumental De Musique...)

Incredible String Band – The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul

Joao Gilberto & Stan Getz – Getz & Gilberto

James Brown – Sex Machine

James Brown – Live at the Apollo

Jackie Mclean – Destination...Out!

Jackie Mclean – One Step Beyond

Jacques Brel – Ces Gens-La

Jaki Byard – Jaki Byard Experience

Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at Star Club, Hamburg

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

Jimmy Giuffre – Free Fall

Jimmy Rushing – Rushing Lullabyes

Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack

Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz – Getz/Gilberto

Joe Harriot – Abstract

John Fahey – The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death

John Coltrane – Live at the Village Vanguard

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme

Johnny Cash – Orange Blossom Special

Johnny Hartman – John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

Joseph Jarman – Song For

Karl Bohm, Nilsson, Windgassen, et al. – Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Hymnen

Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gielen/Kagel – Gruppen fur 3 Orchester

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Mikrophonie I&II

Kenny Burell – Midnight Blue

The Kinks – Something Else By The Kinks

Laura Nyro – Eli & The Thirteenth Confessions

Larry Young – Unity

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II

Lee Konitz – Motion

Lee Konitz – The Lee Konitz Duets

Lee Morgan – Searching for the New Land

Lennie Tristano – The New Tristano

Leonard Cohen – The Songs of Leonard Cohen

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington – The Great Summit

Luciano Berio/Swingle Singers/New York Philharmonic – Sinfonia

Magic Sam – West Side Soul

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Dance Party

The MC5 – Kick Out the Jams

Merle Haggard & The Strangers – Pride In What I Am

Merle Haggard & The Strangers – Same Train, A Different Time

The Meters – The Meters

Miles Davis – Miles Smiles

Miles Davis – In a Silent Way

Miles Davis – Nefertiti

The Millenium – Begin

Mississippi John Hurt – The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt

Moby Grape – Moby Grape

The Monkees – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, LTD

Morton Subotnik – Silver Apples from the Moon

Muddy Waters – Live at Newport

Nat King Cole – Wild is Love

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

New York Art Quartet feat. Amiri Baraka – New York Art Quartet

Noah Howard -- The Black Ark

Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Ornette Coleman – This Is Our Music

Ornette Coleman – At the Golden Circle

Os Mutantes – Os Mutantes

Otis Redding – Otis Blue

Patty Waters – College Tour

Peter Brotzmann – Machine Gun

Pharoah Sanders – Karma

Randy Newman – Randy Newman

Ray Charles – The Genius Sings the Blues

Ray Charles – Modern Sounds In Country and Western

Red Krayola – The Parable of Arable Land

The Rollings Stones – Between the Buttons [UK Edition]

The Rolling Stones – Beggar's Banquet

Rod Stewart – The Rod Stewart Album

Roscoe Mitchell Sextet – Sound

Roger Miller – The Return of Roger Miller

Sam Rivers – Fuschia Swing Song

Scott Walker – Scott 4

Serge Gainsbourg – Initials B.B.

The Shaggs – Philosophy of the World

Sly & The Family Stone – Stand

The Soft Machine – The Soft Machine

The Sonics – Here are the Sonics!!!

Sonny Rollins – The Bridge

Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins – Sonny Meets Hawk

Sonny Simmons – Music of the Spheres

Sonny & Linda Sharrock – Black Woman

Stan Getz – Focus

Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf – The Second

The Stooges – The Stooges

Sun Ra – Atlantis

Sun Ra – The Magic City

Terry Riley – A Rainbow In Curved Air

The United States of America – The United States of America

Vanilla Fudge – Vanilla Fudge

The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground

Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil

The Weavers – Weaver's Almanac

Wes Montgomery – Smokin' at the Half Note

Wilson Pickett – The Exciting Wilson Pickett

The Who – The Who Sell Out

The Zombies – Begin Here

VA – A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

VA – Anthology of American Folk Music

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itsiotrecords-blog · 7 years

Link

http://ift.tt/2uDjoL2

Who doesn’t know all about the 140 character goodness of Twitter these days? Originally, the 140 character limit was designed to allow users to send a single “tweet” through a single SMS text message. With over 300 million active monthly Twitter users, it’s hard to imagine a time when people weren’t using this social media giant! If we zap back into reality though, the service has only been a part of our lives for just over a decade. This has us all remembering a time when celebrities, politicians and billionaires were just discovering Twitter. At first, it was just a fun little pop sensation that kept them all current, but soon they realized that it was a powerful requirement to staying relevant! So in researching some of the most active celebrities and Twitter users these days, it is interesting that just like every person’s first words as a baby, we each get one shot at our first tweet! Some make the most of it, tweeting a profound statement or making a hilarious entry, while others have a very anti-climactic debut to the twitter-verse. Amazingly, there is one instance where someone has thousands of followers despite not having ever sent a tweet! While sifting through countless celebrity accounts, I have identified 15 of the best, funniest and most interesting “first tweets” put out to the world.

#1 Donald Trump Way back in 2009, when Donald Trump was some ordinary celebrity billionaire with a reality television series, he (or rather his people) decided to try this Twitter thing. Over 33 million followers, a Presidential election and daily news media discussion concerning his personal tweeting later and The Donald has so much social media power that the mere mention of a company or industry in a single tweet can create a change in the stock market! But waaaay back in 2009 when it all started for him, his epic first tweet was asking people to tune in to watch “him” do the David Letterman Top Ten list. At that point, other people obviously handled his tweeting for him. He wasn’t even a candidate at that point, but perhaps his old tweeting habits would serve him better than the personal touches he has added now.

#2 Katy Perry With over 100.5 million Twitter followers, Katy Perry is the number one account with the most followers in the world. That is such an amazingly impressive number that she could literally stop performing and recording music and just work her Twitter presence and still generate millions of dollars every year! But the monster that is her Twitter following all got started back on February 20, 2009 when she decided to tweet out that she had just arrived in Berlin and that she was feeling better (she was apparently a little under the weather). She also excitedly acknowledged her new Twitter presence and called herself a “follower.” Well Katy, with over 100 million “followers” to your account, we think the tables have turned. Who is the follower now Miss Perry?

#3 Cashmeousside Girl Danielle Bregoli, more commonly known as “Cashmeousside Girl” is known for her terrible behavior toward…well, everyone! She rocked the world when she went on Dr. Phil and showed off. Since then, she’s become one of the most viral memes of all time, has been on a variety of web shows and commands (and gets) big bucks to make personal appearances and say her famous catchphrase “cashmeousside, how bou dat?” But this has all been at the age of 13 when she was young and dumb. She’s now at the mature age of 14 and seems to be growing up. So what was her first tweet almost five long months ago? It doesn’t make much sense to anyone that doesn’t know what on earth she’s talking about. Calling some girl a hoe and referring to a butt pad. Way to keep your twitter entrance classy Danielle.

#4 Justin Bieber While Katy Perry is solidly in first place when it comes to Twitter followers, Justin Bieber is at an impressive second place. Bieber has had his ups and downs as a celebrity, going from cute kid singing his heart out on YouTube to international sensation, to self-absorbed douchebag celebrity to back on top and a little more classy. Through it all, his loyal fans (Beliebers) have kept the faith in him. His Twitter following has climbed and climbed since his first tweet in May of 2009. His first tweet was nothing ceremonial, except to promote “One Time” on his myspace page. If he knew then that his Twitter following would be as substantial as it has become, he likely would have said something more clever. But then again… this is Justin Bieber we’re talking about.

#5 Kris Jenner March 10, 2009 is a day that will live in infamy. Why? Because it’s the day Kris Jenner announced herself to the Twitter world and confessed that she invited all of her kids to join Twitter as well. I wonder if Kris realized the Pandora’s Box she was opening with those invites?! Truthfully, they probably would have found Twitter anyway, as it has obviously become a force that just couldn’t be stopped. Kris has managed to keep her fame and fame of her children going well past the typical fifteen minutes they deserve. She is still a hot reality star and a household name that most everyone recognizes. So sure enough, she’s been tweeting up a storm ever since that fateful day and hasn’t looked back. Thanks for nothing Kris.

#6 Kim Kardashian West One of those kids Kris Jenner invited to Twitter was her oldest daughter Kim Kardashian West. We all have come to know and tolerate Kim for so many different reasons. She is best known as being famous for being famous. Kim has done modeling, but it was the reality television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians that really made her “career” take off. So what was Kim’s first tweet and when? Well, it was a whole 11 days after her mother’s invitation to join (I guess she had to do some research) and Kim said to the world that she was on Twitter and while there were some fakes, this was the real one. A likely story for any posers out there. Of course, this was before Twitter had “verified” accounts.

#7 Oprah In April of 2009, her royal highness, Oprah Winfrey herself graced the Twitter world with her presence for the first time! Oprah today has one of the most followed accounts on the whole platform, but at the time, she very humbly said hello and acknowledged that she was a little late to the Twitter party by saying that she was feeling “really 21st century.” Oprah also said hello to the “Twitters.” This has us really wondering…considering that the term for those using Twitter tends to be questionable. Universally though, we are pretty sure that the term “Twitters” never took off. Tweeps, Tweeple and others have picked up some steam, but there isn’t just one word for users of the site. Sorry Oprah, but you don’t get to claim that one.

#8 John Cleese Some of the funniest things ever said didn’t actually use a whole lot of words, or require an extensive setup. John Cleese is known for his work with “Monty Python” and he has had a very prosperous and successful acting career. He is also one of the funniest British actors of his generation. He is also 77 years old, leaving us to think that perhaps he may not have the most to say on Twitter. True, his account isn’t at the top of the most followed list, but he does have 5.5 million followers. His first tweet was way back in December of 2007 when the platform was still very new. His profound entry into the world of Twitter was to say “ i am still alive” (all in lowercase with no punctuation). Nuff said I suppose John. Well done.

#9 CNN CNN has among the highest followings on Twitter. They have embraced the notion of using social media to expand their mission of delivering information and breaking news beautifully. Coming into the world of Twitter in early 2007 was a brilliant early move and they have reaped the rewards of being the news source with the highest following. So what amazing statement did they make as their first mark on the world of social media via Twitter? It was to announce the death of Anna Nicole Smith at age 39. While this was truly a sad event that no one would mock, it does seem somewhat odd that this is the first thing CNN decided to post. Either way, welcome to the tweeting world CNN, we’re glad you were one of the first to the party.

#10 Conan O’Brien Spending years as NBC’s show after the Tonight Show, Conan O’Brien established himself as funny, personable and one of the greats in late night television. Conan briefly took the reins of The Tonight Show but was quickly let go. Not one to run away with his tail between his legs, Conan went over to TBS and introduced their first step into late night. His show Conan has been extremely popular and well received by fans. Conan has been on Twitter for awhile now and looking back to his first tweet, we are not at all disappointed to see how funny he was from the beginning. He tweeted that he interviewed a squirrel in his backyard and then threw to commercial. This was in early 2010 in between his work at NBC and TBS. I think he was trying to tell us something with this tweet.

#11 Bill Clinton Former President of the United States Bill Clinton really needs to introduction. He spent eight years living in The White House and sincerely believed that he would be living there for four more at least. Bill didn’t have the luxury or burden (depending upon how you look at it) of Twitter during his two terms, but he did decide to join the party in April of 2013. He was a little late, but decided to get on board anyway. I guess he figured he’d better get all setup with social media before the 2016 election. Stephen Colbert gets the honor of being the topic of his first tweet. Clinton asked if he was sane? Then he said that he was cool. He even added a hashtag at the end of the tweet…#cgiu. Look at you being all modern Bill!

#12 Evan Spiegel Evan Spiegel is known as the youngest billionaire in the world. He is the CEO and co-founder of Snapchat. Sure, all these social media platforms are kind of indirectly competing with one another, but they still all use each of the other’s platform (even if it’s a secret account). Evan Spiegel has a verified Twitter account, meaning that it is the REAL him. He only has 58,000 followers though, which seems insanely low for such a high profile guy. He joined Twitter in 2010, so what gives? Well, you may notice that he has never…not once sent a tweet! Evan apparently has nothing to tweet about…but plenty to snapchat about I guess. It is kind of interesting though that 58,000 people follow an account that says absolutely nothing. The silence is deafening.

#13 Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most respected comedians in the world. Heck…at this point, he is one of the most respected comedians in history! He has carved out his place in history for sure. Best known for his “show about nothing” called Seinfeld back in the 90s, when Jerry speaks, everyone listens. So in 2013, when he opted to join Twitter, he said “hello Tweetarians” (that’s a new one) and acknowledged that this could be his last tweet. Well thankfully, it wasn’t his last tweet. He has tweeted out nearly 1,500 times and is followed by almost 5 million people! Surely he realized quickly that this was a pretty great way to communicate with fans and promote the work he does. Good thinking Jerry and we’re glad you decided to stick around.

#14 Kate Upton Model and actress Kate Upton may get the award for most hilarious first tweet. We have got to give her a lot of credit for coming up with something so witty to introduce herself to the world of Twitter. Back in October of 2010, she tweeted out: “I am trying to figure out how to make the background a picture of my boobs.” While this is surely something many slack jawed gawkers would absolutely love (anyone that has seen Kate Upton will get the point), Twitter wouldn’t stand for it I’m sure. She now has a couple of million followers, which clearly indicates that she doesn’t take building her social media presence all that seriously. Either way…she has a verified account and a few thousand tweets under her belt.

#15 First Tweet Ever…Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter) We really couldn’t have a list like this without posting the first official tweet ever sent out into the vast expanse of the Twitter-verse. Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter established his account, @jack in March of 2006. What did he say you may ask? “Just setting up my twttr.” That’s kind of a let down when it comes to a historic event like the first tweet. Heck…he didn’t even spell out the word “Twitter.” He wasn’t even close to the 140 character limit! To paraphrase Forrest Gump: “If I had known that would be the first tweet I sent the world…I’d have thought of something better to say.” Nevertheless, when you need a conversation starter, here is a little nugget of information for you…the first tweet in history.

Source: TheRichest

#IoTRecords

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eighty8tray-blog · 7 years

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NBA Mock Draft 2017

NBA FINAL MOCK DRAFT 2017

Trevon Cheatham

1)Philadelphia 76ers

Markelle Fultz

Other Potential Draftees:

None

Why? Can play with the ball in his hands, or off the ball. Perfect compliment to the Ben Simmons experience that the 76ers fans and people who've never questioned #TheProcess have been waiting to see.

2)Los Angeles Lakers

Lonzo Ball

Other Potential Draftees:

De'Aaron Fox

Why? "Lonzo Ball will be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers" and that's the bottom line because Triple BS is here to stand because LAVAR BALL SAID SO. It's also a great fit because of his playmaking and pass first mentality, in which coach Luke Walton is all for.

3)Boston Celtic

Jayson Tatum

Other Potential Draftees:

Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac

Why? The Celtics drafted Jaylen Brown last year and drafting Josh Jackson would be a little repetitive. Jayson Tatum can come in and score 12-15 as a rookie and take some of the scoring load off the 5'9 IT.

4)Phoenix Suns

Josh Jackson

Other Potential Draftees:

De'Aaron Fox, Dennis Smith Jr.

Why? Perfect fit alongside Devin Booker & Chriss. TJ Warren and Josh Jackson can switch offense for defense and would work together in small ball lineups.

5)Sacramento Kings

De'Aaron Fox

Other Potential Draftees:

Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum

Why? Everything points to this kid being a star in this league. Well almost everything. His jumper still needs work (try telling that to Lonzo Ball) but should come along with more gym time. Mike Conley at worst, John Wall at best only the Kings can mess this one up if he fell in their lap.

6)Orlando Magic

Jonathan Isaac

Other Potential Draftees:

Dennis Smith Jr, Lauri Markkanen

Why? Greek Freak. Thon Maker. Those names alone are the reason why the Orlando Magic call Isaac's name if still on the board under new GM John Hammond. Tall, lanky, athletic. Check. Check. Check.

7)Minnesota Timberwolves

Lauri Markkanen

Other Potential Draftees:

Jonathan Isaac, Malik Monk

Why? If I had to predict the first trade of the draft it would be in this slot. Thibbs is known for his defense but the best players at this pick are not his preference. Monk & Markkanen will bring offense to the table right away, but that's not exactly the problem with the Wolves. If they stand though I guess you can't go wrong with either one.

8)New York Knicks

Frank Ntilikina

Other Potential Draftees:

Malik Monk, Dennis Smith Jr.

Why? Because stars who break out for a career high 6 made field goals in the playoffs (overseas) are rare finds in the draft you know. Phil Jackson is stubborn about forcing the Knicks to play the triangle, and this guy is tall and can play defense overseas apparently. Knicks fans should be hoping the Mavericks leap frog their team so the Knicks can draft a superior talent in Dennis Smith Jr. 　

9)Dallas Mavericks

Dennis Smith Jr.

Other Potential Draftees:

Frank Ntilikina, Lauri Markkanen

Why? Yogi Ferrell, Seth Curry just ain't it. Role players at the point will only get you so far in today's NBA. Mavericks will get the steal of the draft if Smith Jr falls into their lap at 9. Rick Carslisle is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and will get everything out of this kid.

10)Sacramento Kings

Zach Collins

Other Potential Draftees:

Malik Monk, Harry Giles, Justin Jackson

Why? Best big available. Malik Monk might be too redundant to Buddy Hield to draft even with his Kentucky ties with #5 pick De'Aaron Fox. In only 17 minutes per game you Zach Collins revealed he is everything an big man needs to be in today's NBA.

11)Charlotte Hornets

Malik Monk

Other Potential Draftees:

Luke Kennard, Donovan Mitchell

Why? Every time MKG shoots a jumper a tear flows from Chuck Hayes free throws technique. Malik Monk is instant offense. Would work well with Kemba & Batum facilitating and providing him with good looks to make up for his so-so ball handling skills.

12)Detroit Pistons

Donovan Mitchell

Other Potential Draftees:

Luke Kennard, John Collins

Why? Ish Smith is a career backup, yet he started plenty of games last season for the Pistons while Reggie Jackson struggled to return to form after his surgery. Mitchell at worse is a capable defender, whom improved his outside shooting and has a chance at developing into a quality starter down the road.

13)Denver Nuggets

John Collins

Other Potential Draftees:

Bam Adebayo, Harry Giles

Why? The Nuggets need to find a athletic big to run along with Nikola Jokic. Collins judging from the workouts look the part of a finisher with the potential to spread the court, and protect the rim.

14)Miami Heat

TJ Leaf

Other Potential Draftees:

Justin Jackson, Harry Giles

Why? Defense is a question mark so putting him with one of the best defensive centers only makes sense. Luke Babbitt received plenty of playing time for the Heat last year and Leaf can easily replace him.

15)Portland Trailblazers

Bam Adebayo

Other Potential Draftees:

Harry Giles, Justin Jackson

Why? Ed Davis and Noah Vonleh are solid but aren't getting any better. Bam didn't get to show off too much in his lone year in Lexington but future may be brigther than Coach Cal may have let loose.

16)Chicago Bulls

Luke Kennard

Other Potential Draftees:

Josh Jackson, Terrance Ferguson, Jarret Allen

Why? Jimmy Butler, D.Wade & Rondo need space. Kennard may be the best shooter in this draft and the Bulls need to give into Fred Hoiberg's system and help him spread the floor.

17) Milwaukee Bucks

Harry Giles

Other Potential Draftees:

Bam Adebayo, Justin Patton

Why? Bucks have had success shooting for the stars and the moon in recent drafts and they will hope to strike again. Knee surgeries and lack of production drops Giles out of the lottery, but was one of the top prospects coming out of high school.

18)Indiana Pacers

Justin Jackson

Other Potential Draftees:

Tyler London, Terrance Ferguson

Why? Somebody is going to have to score the ball when PG13 packs his bags and heads home, or wherever he ends up before he goes home.

19)Atlanta Hawks

Justin Patton

Other Potential Draftees:

O.G Anunoby, Terrance Ferguson

Why? They let go of Dwight Howard and Paul Milsap is likely next to go. Somebody is going to need to occupy those minutes.

20)Portland Trailblazers

Isaiah Hartenstein

Other Potential Draftees:

Kyle Kuzma, Justin Patton

Why? With three draft picks in the first round the Trailblazers are likely to spend one on a player they can stash and bring over in a couple years.

21)Oklahoma City Thunder

Terrance Ferguson

Other Potential Draftees:

Justin Jackson, Harry Giles

Why? Opted to play in Australia rather than going to college and struggled. Still was highly touted coming out of high school and the Thunder hope he can regain his shooting stroke and grow into the running mate MVP Westbrook needs.

22)Brooklyn Nets

DJ Wilson

Other Potential Draftees:

O.G Anunoby, Tony Bradley

Why? Brooklyn will be paying 9 million for Trevor Booker again this year, a player who is solid but doesn't thread the needle. In DJ Wilson Nets hope to find his replacement and a player who can develop into a high end role player.

23)Toronto Raptors

Jonah Bolden

Other Potential Draftees:

Tony Bradley, Tyler London

Why? Patrick Patterson and Serge Ibaka are both free agents, and Masai Uijiri isn't afraid to take a flyer on a prospect who may turn out to be the next Greek Freak, but more than likely to be the next Bruno Caboclo.

24)Utah Jazz

Jarrett Allen

Other Potential Draftees:

Kyle Kuzma, Jawaun Evans

Why? Derrick Favors is a free agent, and his athleticism seems to be on the way. Finding a cheap replacement who can spell the Stifel Tower for short minutes should be answer here.

25)Orlando Magic

Frank Jackson

Other Potential Draftees:

Jonah Bolden, Tyler London

Why? Magic passed on drafting a PG with their sixth pick so look for them to pick up one here with their second first round pick.

26)Portland Trailblazers

Tyler London

Other Potential Draftees:

Derrick White, Tony Bradley

Why? Blazers need more shooting from their front court. Mo Harkless & Aminu are not that. Blazers draft Tyler hoping he can develop into a low ceiling Chandler Parsons.

27)Los Angeles Lakers

Derrick White

Other Potential Draftees:

Ivan Rabb, Ike Anigbogu

Why? With Nick Young and D'Angelo both on their way out the Lakers need to find players to fill out their guard rotation. A senior who can do more than one thing is a good way to start.

28)Los Angeles Lakers

Jordan Bell

Other Potential Draftees:

Josh Hart, Wesley Iwundu

Why? Tarik Black has done all he can to prove he's a NBA player, but now it's time to find his replacement. There's no question what Jordan Bell's role will be.. defense and rebounding. Another local kid, and if all things fail you can at least say Magic has made a couple So Cal natives dream come true.

29)San Antonio Spurs

Josh Hart

Other Potential Draftees:

Derrick White, Wesley Iwundu

Why? Danny Green on the trading block with his replacement on the way. Everything about Josh Hart game, demeanor screams Spurs player. Or they will draft a player no one ever heard of, stash him, and wait for him to be the perfect system player.

30)Utah Jazz

Kyle Kuzma

Other Potential Draftees:

Frank Mason, Semi Ojeleye

Why? Gordon Hayward and Joe Ingles are both free agents and the Jazz may be on the lookout for a potential replacement.

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geektified · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.geektified.com/2017/05/30/the-raw-expose-the-how-to-destroy-bayleys-character-in-five-easy-steps-edition-5-29-2017/

The Raw Exposé: The How To Destroy Bayley's Character in Five Easy Steps Edition (5-29-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. This is the go-home show for Extreme Rules which happens to fall on Memorial Day this year. This is a double whammy for WWE because holiday shows traditionally pull low ratings. The company was smart enough to announce a Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins a week in advance. Did the double main event save the show from falling into the abyss? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

The opening segment of Raw was pretty blah, but the latest edition of Miz TV set up an impromptu Six Man Tag Team match featuring The Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose and The Hardy Boyz which took place after the commercial break.

Dean Ambrose and The Hardy Boyz defeated The Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro when Jeff Hardy pinned Miz with a Swanton Bomb. The match was solid as Miz isolated Ambrose from his team midway through the match. Jeff eventually made the hot tag and cleaned house.

The ending featured a parade of finishes when Jeff nailed Sheamus with a Twist of Fate only for Cesaro to counter with a European Uppercut. Ambrose dropped The Swiss Superman with Dirty Deeds before taking out The Celtic Warrior with a tope on the outside. This allowed Matt to hit the Twist of Fate on Miz which set up the finish.

The babyfaces gained momentum heading into Extreme Rules while the heels have to come with a new strategy to conquer their foes come Sunday.

Someone has dirt on Kurt Angle and Corey Graves is acting as his crisis manager to keep the so-called “truth” at bay. What an interesting turn of events…

Elias Samson defeated Zac Evans with a Swinging Neckbreaker. The match was short and inoffensive for the most part.

The Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt was very good as Joe squeaked out the win in nefarious fashion. The match started off slow, but things picked up after the commercial break. Bálor overcame a 2-on-1 beat down and made a gutsy babyface comeback when he ran wild on Joe and Wyatt. He nailed Joe with a running knee and laid out Wyatt with a dropkick into the barricade. Joe suffered a similar fate as the fans chanted “This Is Awesome.”

During the closing moments of the match, Wyatt laid out Joe with Sister Abigail which allowed Bálor to capitalize by hitting Wyatt with a Slingblade followed by a running dropkick in the corner. He capped things off with the Coup De Grace, but Samoa Joe broke up the pin and tossed Bálor head first into the second turnbuckle which allowed him to pick up the win over Wyatt.

All three men worked hard and put on a very good match for the Greensboro crowd. Bálor didn’t get pinned, but Wyatt was made to look like a chump once again after talking a big game prior to the Triple Threat bout. Somebody had to lose and I guess the Eater of Worlds was the odd man out. Does this telegraph a win for him come Sunday? We shall find out soon enough.

Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar with the Phoenix Splash in a quick match. Sasha Banks provided the assist when she took out Alicia Fox at ringside. I figured Banks would win the battle because she was wearing tennis shoes while Fox wore high heel boots which prevented her from getting too physical. Friendly tip: Wear appropriate shoes when it comes to kicking ass. This is also known as the Trish Stratus Rule after the Hall of Famer made a surprise appearance at the Elimination Chamber PPV in 2011 and had a clumsy brawl with Laycool while wearing high heel boots.

***Jump the video ahead to 6:13 in order to see the Shoe Faux Pas***

This concludes the fashion portion of The Raw Exposé. We now return to regularly scheduled blogging.

Swann vs. Dar was a nice way to promote the Mixed Tag Team match featuring Swann and Banks vs. Dar and Fox at Extreme Rules on Sunday. My crystal ball was right on the money. Yay me!

Big Cass was a bit defensive as he proclaimed his innocence to Corey Graves about not attacking Enzo Amore backstage last week. Hmm…

Titus O’Neil picked up the win over Kalisto when he pinned him with a roll-up while grabbing a handful of tights. The match was pretty nondescript for the most part.

Alexa Bliss tried her best, but her dynamic personality and mic skills couldn’t save Bayley: This Is Your Life. The segment died a thousand deaths times as the fans booed and chanted “Delete, Delete, Delete” throughout. The script was dreadful and the acting from Mrs. Flapper, Tracy, and Phil made things even worse. It was tough to watch and I felt bad for Bliss who tried to turn chicken shit into chicken salad.

Bayley came out and got the jump on Bliss, but the Raw Women’s Champion turned the tables by hitting her in the back with a Kendo Stick. Bayley sold the shot beautifully which plays into their Kendo Stick on a Pole match at Extreme Rules. WWE is playing it smart by having Bayley get her revenge at the PPV instead of giving it away on free television. That’s the only saving grace from this horror of a segment.

Enzo Amore was assaulted in another backstage attack. Big Cass blamed The Revival, but Kurt Angle shot down that theory because he told them to leave the building. Cass’ defensiveness makes him the prime suspect in my estimation.

Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher defeated TJP and Neville when Aries made Neville tap out to The Last Chancery after the Cruiserweight Champion failed to hit the Red Arrow which led to the submission finish. The match was decent, but it was slotted in the 10:00 P.M. Lull Period of Death. Gallagher’s prolonged sell job didn’t help matters either, but it did lead up to an exciting finish once Aries made the hot tag.

Roman Reigns defeated Seth Rollins with a Spear in an excellent main event match. Reigns and Rollins know each other very well and their in-ring chemistry was on full display as they worked their asses off to put on a show for the fans.

The action was hard-hitting and physical throughout. Reigns targeted Rollins’ ribs when he hit the Drive By early on. Rollins did a nice job selling the injury as he tried to counter Reigns’ smash mouth offense. There were several great spots in the match including Reigns nailing Rollins with a Superman Punch in midair and Rollins dropping Reigns with a rare Turnbuckle Powerbomb only for Reigns to counter with another Superman Punch. That sequence popped the crowd as the drama ramped up down the stretch.

Reigns was about to hit Rollins with another Drive By, but Rollins rammed Reigns into the steel steps instead.

Rollins pulled off a beauty Frog Splash onto Reigns for a near fall. He went back to the top rope and tried to finish him off with the Phoenix Splash, but Reigns rolled out of the air which allowed Rollins to roll out of the move midflight.

Reigns went for the Spear, but Rollins cut him off with a knee to the face. Reigns countered with a stiff right hand only for Rollins to respond with an Enzuigiri. Rollins went for his jumping high knee finisher when Reigns nailed him with a Spear for the win.

Raw went off the air with Reigns posing on the top turnbuckle while Rollins was licking his wounds in the ring.

Reigns vs. Rollins was one of the better television matches of the year. This matchup still has legs if WWE doesn’t run it into the ground by booking them in a series of matches without any sense of purpose. Tonight bucked that trend in the best possible way and I am looking forward to the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules match on Sunday because it promises to be special if it’s booked properly.

Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent. It’s very apparent that WWE tried to stretch time by having a super long opening segment that took up much of the first hour. With the roster not at full strength due to several wrestlers being on the shelf, killing time by any means necessary is the way to go these days.

The first couple of hours zipped by until the disastrous Alexa Bliss-Bayley segment that kicked off the third hour. The Cruiserweight Tag Team match that followed didn’t help matters, but the main event saved the show from falling off a cliff.

The Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins carried the show from a wrestling standpoint. Both bouts placed extra shine on the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules Match in a strong way. This could be a Match of the Year Contender when it’s all said and done. The talent is good enough to pull it off, but the execution is key. We shall see how it all plays out soon enough.

The rest of the Extreme Rules card looks solid as each match had a final hard sell heading into the PPV. Positioning and timing will tell the true story, but this event has the makings of being a very good show if everything falls into place. The last two brand exclusive PPVs have been disappointing. Let’s hope WWE can make reverse that trend come Sunday. Fingers crossed!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!

#Alexa Bliss #Bayley #Bray Wyatt #Cesaro #Dean Ambrose #Extreme Rules #Finn Balor #Monday Night Raw #Roman Reigns #Samoa Joe #Seth Rollins #Sheamus #The Hardy Boyz #The Miz #WWE #WWE Universe

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junker-town · 7 years

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NBA mock draft 2017: Lonzo Ball to the Lakers is destiny

LaVar Ball called his shot. Now Lonzo Ball appears on his way to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are going to meet in the NBA Finals for the third straight year. For everyone else, the only hope that exists comes in the form of June’s NBA draft.

If you can’t win now, you might as well build for the future. Every draft class has quality players lying somewhere, and this one is no different. With a strong top 10 leading the way, this class is full of players who won’t only contribute, but will also make the league a brighter, more lively place. NBA fans will love De’Aaron Fox’s speed, Malik Monk’s flamethrower shooting ability, Lonzo Ball’s sixth sense for passing, and Markelle Fultz’s creativity off the dribble.

With the lottery complete and the Finals only a formality, it’s time to get serious about draft season. This is a fun class of players with a group of intriguing teams near the top waiting to select them. Let’s mock.

1. Boston Celtics - Markelle Fultz, G, Washington

Think of Fultz as a bigger Kyrie Irving. He’s an acrobat at the rim, he can stroke jumpers off the dribble and has no problem splitting a trap in the pick-and-roll. He also won’t be the same defensive liability Irving often is because of his size. Fultz has two inches of height, six inches of wingspan, and probably 20 pounds in weight on Kyrie at the same age. The Celtics need to hold onto this pick, draft Fultz, and benefit from employing one of the game’s next great guards for the foreseeable future.

2. Los Angeles Lakers - Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA

LaVar Ball spoke it into existence. Magic Johnson knew it would happen. Lonzo Ball is the heavy favorite to be drafted No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, and it feels like destiny.

There will be plenty of speculation about the Lakers potentially picking De’Aaron Fox or Josh Jackson, but Ball has a sizable edge given his local ties, “Showtime” flair, and superior three-point shooting ability. Lonzo helped transform UCLA from a sub-.500 team to one of the country’s best in just one year. It might not happen as quickly for the Lakers, but they can expect the same result eventually so long as everyone buys into their roles.

3. Philadelphia 76ers - Josh Jackson, SG, Kansas

As I wrote last week, this is where the draft gets interesting. Philadelphia will have its choice at a ton of talented players, but no one feels like a perfect fit. The more I think about it, the more it feels like Josh Jackson has to be the pick.

Jackson’s jump shooting ability is the big question mark, but he brings so much else to the table. He’s a quick-twitch athlete who can defend multiple positions, create plays for his teammates and score both in transition and as a slasher. Philly will need to find shooters at point guard and on the opposite wing. Until then, a core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jackson should do just fine.

4. Phoenix Suns - Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke

Tatum is gong to score in the NBA. The question is if he’ll be able to develop as a passer and playmaker to achieve his full potential as an offensive weapon.

Pairing Tatum with Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe would give Phoenix a ton of offensive firepower. If last year’s lottery picks, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, come along, Phoenix could emerge as a force in a few years.

5. Sacramento Kings - De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky

Fox to the Kings at the fifth pick is the perfect storm of value, fit, and talent. He is exactly what Sacramento needs: a lightning-quick point guard who attacks opponents on both ends and projects to be the future face of the franchise. Buddy Hield’s knockdown shooting is a perfect complement to Fox’s game at the off-guard. The Kings still have a long way to go in their rebuild post-Boogie Cousins, but taking Fox with this pick would be a great start.

6. Orlando Magic - Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky

The Magic could really do anything with this pick. They could try to upgrade at point guard with Dennis Smith Jr. They could draft the player with the highest defensive upside in Jonathan Isaac. They could add shooting in the front court with Lauri Markkanen. In the end, the Magic just need star power and Monk is the chance to offer exactly that.

When Monk gets hot, he offers deep shooting range and elite athleticism. Orlando already has Mario Hezonja and Evan Fournier as options at the two, but adding another shooter and scorer never hurts. Maybe Orlando’s rebuild will end some day.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jonathan Isaac, F, Florida State

It’s easy to see Isaac as this year’s Brandon Ingram: wing skills in a 6’10 frame complete with a developing three-point shot. That isn’t quite right. Ingram needs his jump shot to thrive, while Isaac uses it to complement his tremendous defensive ability. With quick feet and good length, Isaac looks like the rare four that can protect the rim and defend the perimeter. If he fully commits himself into being a great and valuable defender between Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, he has the physical tools to get there. Whatever he develops offensively is just gravy.

8. New York Knicks - Frank Ntilikina, G, France

Phil Jackson has been adamant about bringing back the triangle offense, which is why the Knicks’ reported interest in Ntilikina makes a lot of sense. A point guard in the triangle needs to be big and have shooting ability, and Ntilikina checks both boxes. Still only 18 years old, the Knicks would be wise to give him plenty of time to grow into the job. Surely that will go well.

9. Dallas Mavericks - Dennis Smith Jr., PG, NC State

Smith has rare explosion for a point guard. He’s at his best attacking the defense downhill where he can get to the rim and make athletic plays at the basket. A little small and will face questions about his ability to be a natural distributor, but there won’t be many point guards stronger and faster. This draft must be stacked within the top 10 if Dennis Smith Jr. is slipping to No. 9.

10. Sacramento Kings - Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona

What a coup this would be for the Kings. First adding a brilliant lead guard in De’Aaron Fox, then adding a player who complements his skill set perfectly in 7-foot marksman Lauri Markannen. Markkanen is an elite shooter at 7 feet tall, one with a super quick release and range beyond the three-point line. He’s an ideal pick-and-pop partner for Fox and someone who would provide critical spacing in the front court.

11. Charlotte Hornets - Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina

Michael Jordan must know all about Justin Jackson after he led North Carolina to back-to-back Final Four appearances, including a national title this past season. Jackson made major strides as a three-point shooter this season, but he does his best work around the basket with his floater. This would give the Hornets more lineup flexibility and a player with local connections.

12. Detroit Pistons - Donovan Mitchell, G, Louisville

The Pistons seriously considered moving Reggie Jackson last season. Mitchell isn’t a natural replacement, but he has some of the same qualities Stan Van Gundy looks for a guard. Namely: length and athleticism. Mitchell should be able to carve out a role defensively while his shooting and secondary creation ability continues to develop. Think of him as Victor Oladipo with a better handle.

13. Denver Nuggets - OG Anunoby, F, Indiana

The Nuggets’ No. 1 objective this offseason should be finding a strong defensive presence next to Nikola Jokic. That requires a power forward with great foot speed, long arms, and the ability to both defend the perimeter and protect the rim. If the Nuggets could trade up for Isaac, that would be ideal. Anunoby is the next best thing. He has the ability to defend potentially every position on the floor if he can get healthy after tearing his ACL in January. His offense remains a work in progress.

14. Miami Heat - Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga

It’s going to be fascinating to see where all of the big men in this draft land. There appears to be more supply than demand at the position in this first round. Regardless, Collins will be safe as a skilled five man who flashed some shot blocking ability as a freshman at Gonzaga. If the refs would have let him play in the national title game, the ‘Zags may have been champs.

15. Portland Trail Blazers - Jarrett Allen, C, Texas

The Blazers found a major upgrade at center when they acquired Jusuf Nurkic at mid-season. Allen would offer them a different dimension up front: faster, longer, and more projectable defensively. He didn’t make a huge impression for an 11-win Texas team as a freshman, but his physical tools are undeniable.

16. Chicago Bulls - Terrance Ferguson, SG, Adelaide (NBL)

The Bulls need athletes and shooters around Jimmy Butler. Ferguson counts as both. He reminds me of Magic guard Terrence Ferguson: great position size, a smooth shooting stroke, and explosive leaping ability, only it hasn’t all clicked yet. Ferguson would be wise to focus his gifts on the defensive end of the floor early in his career.

17. Milwaukee Bucks - Hamidou Diallo, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks like swinging for the fences in the first round and Diallo is this year’s lottery ticket. He posted the second-best vertical leap ever (44.5 inches) and has great length for a shooting guard. He essentially jumped from high school to the NBA, so he needs skill refinement, but that bet appears to have worked out OK for the Bucks with Thon Maker. Why not try it again?

18. Indiana Pacers - D.J. Wilson, F, Michigan

Wilson could be a diamond in the rough in this draft. He always had an intriguing combination of length, shooting touch, and shot blocking, but he finally put it all together during the last month of the season. He has all the tools to be the modern four the Pacers have been looking for.

19. Atlanta Hawks - Justin Patton, C, Creighton

Patton was a late bloomer who is still only scratching the surface of his potential. He has quick hands and fast feet, with a nice touch around the basket. He even drained eight of the 15 three-pointers he took this year. The Hawks are in position to groom a young big man behind Dwight Howard, and Patton would be a tremendous value here.

20. Portland Trail Blazers - Harry Giles, C, Duke

The most likely landing spots for Giles are the teams with multiple first-round picks. No one is better equipped to take a gamble on him than the Blazers, a team that enters draft night with three selections in round one. Giles was once the top recruit in the country before multiple knee injuries took a toll on his production at Duke. If he can regain his old form, this could be a home run pick for Portland.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder - Luke Kennard, SG, Duke

Kennard is a cold-blooded scorer who fills it up from three-point range and finds ways to finish around the basket. He would give OKC some spacing for Russell Westbrook, another scoring option when Westrook is out, and some potential to grow into a pick-and-roll ball handler.

22. Brooklyn Nets - T.J. Leaf, PF, UCLA

The Nets could use another shooter after trading Bojan Bogdanović at the deadline. Leaf answers the call there. Brooklyn would afford him plenty of time to get stronger and gain his bearings as a scorer by the time they’re ready to win.

23. Toronto Raptors - Rodions Kurucs, F, Latvia

A potential draft-and-stash pick on the wing, Kurucs is a 6’8 forward with some perimeter skills.

24. Utah Jazz - Semi Ojeleye, F, SMU

Ojeleye committed to Duke out of high school, but didn’t become a star until he transferred to SMU. A supremely jacked three-level scorer, Ojeleye would give the Jazz another bucket-getter on the wing and additional lineup flexibility.

25. Orlando Magic - Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA

He’s like Bismack Biyombo, only a lot cheaper.

26. Portland Trail Blazers - Wesley Iwundu, SF, Kansas State

Iwundu is a big wing who can handle, pass, and defend, but needs to grow as a shooter. If his jump shot fully comes around, he’s going to be a good player.

27. Brooklyn Nets - Derrick White, SG, Colorado

White is the surprise story of draft season after a breakout D1 debut season at Colorado. The former DII guard can shoot, pass, and handle the ball, and also tested well athletically. He’s a great story and a good player.

28. Los Angeles Lakers - Jonathan Jeanne, C, France

A 7’2 French centerwho could develop into a rim protector down the low. The Lakers need to find interior defense with this pick.

29. San Antonio Spurs - John Collins, PF, Wake Forest

Good scorer and rebounder who struggles defensively and doesn’t have much shooting range. He’s essentially a bigger, younger David Lee, which is a great value at this spot.

30. Utah Jazz - Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Germany

A massive big man who does a little bit of everything and is working to develop his face-up jumper. He could be an eventual replacement for Derrick Favors.

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