#2022 dc philly

[jerzwriter]

Tobias took his friend Casey to see his hometown of Washington, DC, all decked out for the holidays; then, she showed him how her hometown of Philadelphia did it. Now, they make one pitstop on the way back home and decide what city does it best... and wrestle with what they mean to each other.

Book: Open Heart Characters: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 2,400 (sorry) A/N: This series is a rewrite of a fic I originally wrote in 2022. But, as I fill in the gaps in my Tobias/Casey headcanon, I needed to make some adjustments - and wanted to make some improvements. I haven't tagged my full list for the other parts, but I'm going to do so here because this is the part that had the most alternation - and will lead us back to the question: "So how did they actually end up together?"

Thank you to anyone who has read this - it really means so much to me! :)

Series Masterlist | Tobias x Casey Masterlist Masterlist

“Last stop!” Tobias jumped out of his Jaguar, eagerly tossing the keys to the valet. There was no denying he was as excited about the last minute addition to their itinerary as Casey, perhaps even more so.

As she gingerly stepped out the passenger side, her enthusiasm was diminished, and concern was written all over her face. “Are you sure this is a good idea? The traffic was worse than we anticipated, and you have to be at work early tomorrow.”

“No worries,” Tobias chuckled. “I can sleep when I’m dead.”

Unamused, she stood her ground. “Well, I’d like to keep you around for a while, and you need your rest! So we’re not staying too long, all right?”

“Whatever you say, ma’am,” he nodded, and she couldn’t help but crack a smile when he animatedly gestured toward the street that would lead them to their next adventure.

The cold air and aroma of roasted chestnuts mingled with jingling bells and car horns blaring at tourists who blocked intersections made it clear... it was Christmastime in New York City. Casey was mesmerized, stopping at every store window to peruse the holiday displays. She was so enchanted that she didn’t notice the minor miracle that had taken place; Tobias Carrick was... quiet.

While his mouth had stopped moving, his mind was in overdrive. Amid the joyful chaos, he could focus on only one thing: fighting the visceral urge to take Casey’s hand in his, and not out of fear of becoming separated. His internal debate was relentless... would it be so wrong? Friends do hold hands sometimes, especially in crowds like this. It would make sense. Perfect sense. It wasn’t like he was leaning to kiss her. Not that they hadn’t done that recently. They had! Less than a month ago, they declared they’d be friends with kissing benefits. Of course, it hadn’t happened again, and if it did, Casey would have to initiate it, not him; fortunately, his rambling thoughts came to a halt along with the rest of him when he walked directly into a light post.

Casey turned around, startled, but began to laugh once she realized he was OK. “You OK there?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” he recovered. “Just a little... disorientated.”

In desperate need of a distraction and wishing to prevent further injury, Tobias started a conversation to occupy his mind for the rest of their walk.

“So tell me, how did you manage to attend NYU for four years, yet you never saw this tree?”

“Well,” she shrugged. “I had intended to but never made it. Christmastime is also final exam time, and you know me, I had to get straight A’s, so my mind wasn’t fully on the holidays until I finished the last exam... then I was usually on a train home to Philly.”

He shook his head with a chortle. “Didn’t anyone tell you all work and no play is bad for you? Man... you really needed an influence like me in your life  back then, kid.”

“Oh, that’s probably the last thing I needed,” she laughed. “And I managed to have a lot of fun in college. I saw the Bryant Park Tree. Of course the Washington Square Park tree and I were very well acquainted. I just never saw this tree.”

“Well, as much as I am surprised, I’m kind of glad you didn’t... this way, we get to see it for the first time together.”

Casey gave Tobias a side glance; it was now her turn to fight off visceral urges, but she merely gave him a tender smile. “I am, too.”

Then, with the turn of a corner, there it stood, towering above them in all its glory: the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

“Holy shit!” Tobias exclaimed as Casey gasped in awe. “That thing is huge! It’s twice as big as I thought it would be.”

Casey playfully nudged his side with a giggle. “That’s what she said.”

“Really, Casey?” He mocked. “Really? It’s Christmastime.”

“Well, I’m not going to stop being a smartass just because of that,” she winked. “That wouldn’t be fun at all.”

After a moment, it was Casey who made the final determination.

“Well, I hate to admit it, but that guy was right.  I think this Christmas tree is the winner. It beats Philly, and it definitely beats DC!”  

“I’m so glad you said it,” Tobias chuckled.  “I’m done conceding loss on this trip! I just wish we could see it at night.  Can you imagine how beautiful it must be then?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. But we can’t stay that late today. Maybe we can come see it again next year.”

Next year.  Those words from her lips took his breath away. Mere months ago, they didn’t know if Casey would survive to see this Christmas, much less next. Yet here she was, full of vitality and right at his side... smiling. Next year. She was thinking ahead, and she was including him in her plans. He wasn’t one for Christmas lore; he sure felt like that red-suited, white-bearded old man had dropped a present right into his lap. But as he felt a swell of promise rising inside him, he also felt something else: fear.

He promised he wouldn’t let this happen. Yet here he was... the happily confirmed bachelor was smitten; he couldn’t even deny it anymore. So he made a new promise: to keep his feelings to himself. Casey had made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t ready for any romantic entanglements, and even if she were, he didn’t know if she’d want those entanglements to include him. He had bungled their first chance together badly. He knew how much it had hurt to lose her and didn’t want to face that again. He was lucky to be in her life at all. Friendship was plenty, he convinced himself. Still, as he watched the tree lights flickering on her beaming face, his heart filled with a warmth previously unknown, and he had to wonder... if the time came, would he be able to watch her fall in love with someone else, knowing how much he already loved her so?

“Well, we’ve declared a winner,” Casey said. “We should start heading back to Boston.”

But Tobias had an impish glint in his eyes. “We could.... unless…”

“Unless what?”

“I have always wanted to take a carriage ride through Central Park... and how often will we be in New York. What do you say?”

Casey turned to him, and he could just see the little angel and devil battling over her shoulders. In the end, he was delighted that the devil won.

“You!” she said with a gentle shove. “Leave it to you to find something impossible to say no to!”

“Well,” he smirked, “that is kind of my specialty.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard,” she laughed. “Now, let’s go!”

As much as Casey insisted they make haste, that didn’t prevent her from having a lengthy conversation with Joel, the carriage driver, and she refused to step foot inside until she was satisfied.

“No, Ma’am, I promise you, George here is very well cared for. It’s not like it used to be.  He only rides through a special route in Central Park. It’s perfectly safe.”

Petting George’s beautiful mane, Casey continued her cross-examination. “And what about at the end of the day?” She demanded. “How do you get him back to his stables?”

“In a trailer attached to my truck that I drive very carefully.  Would you like to run my license?”

“Please, don’t give her any ideas! She just might,” Tobias laughed.

“Ma’am,  George, here is family to me. I assure you, he’s the most spoiled horse in the City.  I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“OK,” she nodded. “Then we can take the ride, but can I feed him a carrot first?”  

“You sure can,” the driver smiled.

When she was done, Tobias helped Casey step into the carriage. “You’re incredible,” he smiled. “You know that, right?”

“Really? Incredible in a good way or a bad way?”

Tobias’s eyes crinkled as the driver gave them a blanket to help keep them warm.

“In the very best way.”

“Thank God for this blanket,” Casey said with a shiver. “I didn’t realize how cold it was until we sat down.”

“I did,” Tobias laughed. “In fact, I’m thinking about striking a deal with Joel so we can keep this thing for the walk back to the car.”

While they were seated closely together, Casey eyed the tiny gap between them with caution.

“Well, if you’re that cold, we could huddle together. You know... for warmth.”  

“We could,” he replied nonchalantly. “Anything to stave off frostbite, right?”

“Right,” she smiled, sliding closer to him.

Tobias cautiously lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, pleading with the universe for the gesture not to upset her, and the universe delivered. Casey nuzzled her head into his shoulder.  He didn’t think this trip could get better, and just like that, it did. 

The clip-clopping of George’s hooves cut through the crisp air, providing the soundtrack as the carriage meandered gentle curves through the park. About halfway through, delicate snowflakes began to fall, and Tobias and Casey agreed this was better than anything they had ever seen on screen. They were approaching the end of the ride when Casey looked up and nervously giggled.

“Yes,” Tobias asked with a raised brow.

She pointed to a small sprig of mistletoe dangling between the red fringe that lined the carriage’s hood; it would have been easy to miss. Biting her lower lip, she turned away. The scene was too perfect, the moment was too ideal, but should she take the chance? Not allowing herself to give it further thought, she turned to Tobias with abandon.

“So... remember that day back in Cambridge? When I asked if we could kiss... you know... with no strings attached... and you said we could be friends with kissing benefits?”

“I do,” he smiled mischievously.

“Well, we are under the mistletoe, and this is such a special day.  Don’t feel obligated... you don’t have to... but if you want, I thought maybe we could.... mmmhhhh.”

Just like last time, she didn’t get to complete her sentence. Tobias’s soft lips were upon hers, his hand gently cupping her cheek as her arms wrapped around his neck. The kiss was sweet, warm, filled with a tenderness that each longed for but was afraid to claim as their own. This time, when the kiss broke, Casey was unwilling to let it end, pulling him back for one more.

When they silently parted, a blushing Casey diverted her eyes, and perhaps because he wasn’t ready to face the moment either, Tobias pulled her close against his chest, placing a loving kiss atop her head. They remained like that for the rest of the ride, each with a million thoughts swirling in their heads, but not a single word could make its way to their lips.

“Well, this is it, kids!” Joel yelled as he hopped off the carriage. “Did you enjoy yourselves?”

“Yes,” Casey said almost too quickly. “It was... it was beautiful!”

Tobias shook Joel’s hand, slipping him a tip, before he and Casey began their trek back to the car. The usual easiness between them was replaced with an awkward silence punctuated by small talk about the frigid temperatures and how they could no longer feel their toes. But each attempt to quell the discomfort faded too quickly, and quiet was upon them again. Finally, Casey grabbed Tobias’s wrist.

“T, wait a second,” she insisted, tugging him to face her.

“Is everything OK?” he asked.

“Yes... It’s more than OK. This weekend was just magical. It was more than anything I could have imagined, and I will always treasure the memories I made with you.”

“I’m going to do the same,” he smiled.

“I just hope,” she nervously chewed at her lip. “I hope I didn’t ruin things.”

“Ruin things?” he asked, with a creased brow. “Casey, you couldn’t ruin things if you tried.”

Looking up from under her lashes, she gave a tantalizing little smirk. “Wanna bet? The kiss on the carriage... I... I just got overwhelmed; everything was so beautiful, it was so romantic, and then the mistletoe was there, and I...I....”

“Casey, Casey...” he said, taking her hands. “It’s all right. Everything’s fine.”  

“It... it is.”

“Sure,” he comforted. “Look, it doesn’t have to mean anything.”

He watched as the relief that just settled on her features turned into something different, something that looked like hurt, and he was quick to recover.

“Let me correct that. Of course, it means something. Everything with you is very special... because it’s with you. That was a beautiful moment, and I’m glad we got to share it together, but it doesn’t have to mean any more than you want it to. I know where you are right now, and I respect that. We can just leave that tender moment alone.”

“You know... I am feeling better every day,” she insisted. “On this trip, for the first time since the attack, I felt like my old self again. In fact, I went two whole days without even thinking about it.”

“I could tell,” he smiled. “And it was beautiful to see.”

“But, I’m still not... I’m just... still not...”

“Casey,” he whispered. “It’s OK. I promise you...it’s OK.”  

“Good,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

“But maybe,” he stalled, already kicking himself for what he was about to say. “Maybe we should hold of on that friends with kissing benefits stuff. You know? I don’t want it to confuse you, and I really don’t want it to hurt what we’ve built between us.”

“Well, I don’t see how they could hurt,” she faltered. “But... but... maybe you’re right, at least for now. But hug... hugs are still allowed, right?”

“Oh, hugs are always allowed,” he grinned, pulling her into one of the tightest ones he could offer.  

“Good,” she sighed with relief. “Because I always need those.”

Then, the two friends stood in the middle of the busy street as the cold wind blew. The sounds that made up the City's symphony- laughter, arguments, honking horns, and sirens blaring in the distance surrounded them. But Casey and Tobias didn’t recall that they were on an island of nearly two million people, for there were only two who mattered, and right now, they were clinging to the moment for as long as time would allow.

“Come on,” Casey smiled, taking his hand. “We need to get you home to Boston.”

“You got it,” he nodded. “But I have a feeling we’ll be back to visit.”

“I think so, too. Oh, and Tobias?”

“Yes?”

“I know it’s early, but... Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Casey,” he smiled, tenderly bopping her nose. “Merry Christmas.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Will tag others in reblog.

[thankyouforthememoriesworld]

🔎 loved reading about Azzi's approach this time with the Curry team. I hope Carl releases a highlight video when she comes back. Three hours of lifting is insane but I imagine that includes warming up and cooling down for at least 30 minutes. Sounds like she was doing that 4 times a week with 2 active recovery days and 1 completely off day. Pretty standard stuff for an athlete. Wonder if she kept that up on the cruise lol

I want to know if they did some sort of correction to her gait or something because the idea of mastering walking is interesting to me. I know an older article talked about a hip syndrome she had. Oftentimes, the way you compensate for one injury and shifting your weight leads to another and another. Feels like this was a major course correction and hard reset, which I love to hear. Also crazy that she was going to Vancouver and Calgary and San Francisco and Philly and DC. It actually sounds like Hudy wasn't involved much other than keeping her on track but even that sounded like Morgan did it.

I also think maybe she has changed her diet because she was asked during her round table how gluten-free was going, and she laughed and said she ate a bagel and would regret it later. Her following that random oats cooking IG and other cooking IGs makes sense. I imagine the sweet tooth she is means she definitely is suffering gluten-free, but baking with oat flour works out well (I do it all the time). Wonder if she worked with Susan Borchardt, who revamped Sue's career. I know Paige mentioned her workouts with Susan over the summer.

I was thinking the exact same thing, Carl must have so much footage of her rehab and I'd love to see 2 hours of it. Given Paige's and Azzi's dedication and discipline, they probably tried to maintain her workout routine 🤣.

Hudy and the sports medicine team have been trying to reduce the asymmetry and gait dysfunction in Azzi since the 2022 season; but I'm so glad she went through the entire process with Carl and his team of specialists. She toured the whole country to ensure a complete reboot 🦿.

Is that what the journalist asked? I could only hear the answer because of the crappy sound 🙃(the sound and video are so bad every year). Changing her diet is a good idea and will help keep her body as healthy as possible. Susan was present at DAWG's 2023 class, so she may have given her a few tips.

[betterskatethannever]

2022 best of

best parts

Nick Matthews - Venture x Uprise / Nike x HUF

Mason Coletti - RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO . Deep Fried Pescado

Eddie Cernicky - Deep Fried Pescado . RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO

Tiago Lemos - Primitive DEFINE.

Gustav Tønnesen - SOUR SOLUTION III

Leonardo Bodelazzi - Leozinho

Juan Virues - Hotel Blue pro ‘penthouse suite’

Cyrus & Max - Limosine Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Diego Todd - Hockey X

Braden Hoban - emerica Emerge

Tristan Funkhouser - Baker 420 . Deep Fried x Baker

Nyjah Huston - Need That . Shine On . “DISRUPTION”

Tyshawn Jones - “Play Dead” . KINGDOM COME . ‘The General’

Carlos Ribeiro - Primitive DEFINE.

Gilbert Crockett - DENIM CAR

Grant Taylor - Fantastic Voyage

Will Marshall - Alltimers You Deserve It

Lucien Clarke - LAUST IN TRANSLATION

Shaun Paul - DC ‘NorthUnda’

Noah Nayef - April

Elijah Odom - Alltimers You Deserve It . Andrew RASCAL

Brian Reid - Brian, Brandon & Will . DGK Zeitgeist

Shin Sanbongi - adidas

Jordan Trahan - Ace ‘Fais Low Low’

Bobby de Keyzer - Bobby

Brian Delatorre - Live & Direct

Vincent Milou - SOLO: You Changed

Jaakko Ojanen - Manana . E.S.P. vol. 2

Ryan Lay - DR in Color . Sci-Fi Fantasy

Myles Willard - Bones Bearings . ”Myles and The Machine”

Will Mazzari - Brian, Brandon & Will . DGK Zeitgeist

Marcello Campanello - Maxallure pro

Heitor da Silva - Vice Versa Love

Jake Wooten - Big Sky

Felipe Gustavo - CODE

Ishod Wair - REAL

Ish Cepeda - AD ASTRA

Louie Lopez - As You Wish . “Honor Roll” . FA, Again & Again

Danny Renaud - Brass Tacks

Silas Baxter-Neal - Portland Public Skating 3 . Burrow

Brian Delatorre - Habitat Live & Direct

Keiran Zimmerman - Jenny x Emerica

best full-lengths

Polar - Sounds Like You Guys Are Crushing It

Antihero - Fantastic Voyage

GX1000 - RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO

The Sour Solution III

Primitive - DEFINE.

Hockey X

Supreme - “Play Dead”

Alltimers - You Deserve It

Shake Junt - Shrimp Blunt

Bronze TV Channel 56

Element - E.S.P. vol. 2

Deep Fried - Pescado

Cafe - TENOR

Rassvet - “I Missed You”

Homies - Fun Raiser

DGK - Zeitgeist

Plan B - CODE

Emerica - EMPOWER

Bleach USA - “SPIKE”

Foundation - Splendor

best breakout parts

Vince Guzaldo - Bleach USA “SPIKE” . Immortality Research

Davide Holzknecht - Baglady. Pack Light . Hélas

Arthur Ribeiro - Vento Bravo

Blake Norris - FULLER HOUSE

Alan Bell - be honest

Johnny Cumaoglu - Mind How You Go

Joe Campos - Hockey X

Brian O’Dwyer - She’s Cheating

Shane Farber - CONS One-Star Pro x RIDING A HORSE NAKED

Jake Yanko - “MOSQUITO”

Christoph Friedmann - LOBBY DREAMS

Donovan Wildfong - Glue ‘wick & spit’

Marley Humphrey - “DIME BAG”

Jason Nam - carousel

Sam Fairweather - Indy Raw Ams

Shogo Zama - MAGENTAPES

best women’s parts

Breana Geering - Spitifre

Nelly Morville - Limosine Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Mariah Duran - Thunder

Adrianne Sloboh - Krux

Mami Tezuka - Blood Wizard “Destiny”

Nicole Hause - REAL

Reese Nelson - Birdhouse welcome

best independents

Tim Savage - Brian, Brandon & Will

Fritte Söderström - Jante 5:33 x Jante 11:00

Tor Ström - Is This The Place?

Gray Area: Push Button to Destroy the World

Mettz Quest 2 (nyc)

Eryk Burton - THE TALE OF A TOXIC KING (nyc)

Harry Bergenfield - She’s Cheating (Philly)

Nicolas Marti - be honest (nyc)

Neema Joorabchi - limp x okay then (nyc)

Jeff Cecere - Mind How You Go (nyc)

Felix Soto - “ANGEL” (LA)

Calvin Millar - THE SQUAD (Austin)

Emilio Dufour - MAL CIUDADANO (Uruguay)

My Favorite Things - 31 (Helsinki)

Andrew Meyer - flinch (Philly VX)

Widdip - RIDING A HORSE NAKED (ATL)

Viktor Kretsis - Down Low (Manchester)

gang international - WITH ALL DUE (DC)

Chris Mulhern - [untitled] 006 (Philly)

Leando Chocho - HANDYCAPS_2

Tyler Bamdas - V3

Alex Doyle - CLUB BANGERS 3 (Vancouver)

Portland Public Skating 3

DUPLEX 3 (West Palm Beach FL)

HITTIT 3 (Kopenhagen)

Tristan Warren - MONEY TIME (LA)

Zach Fuller - FULLER HOUSE (SF)

Get Lesta - Darling (UK)

James Morley - GOD BLESS (Toronto)

andres garcia - MILO (LA)

James Cruikshank - SENSIBLES (Paris)

Brian Hunter - SLANG (Long Beach)

Daniel Dent - faith in bro (LA)

best promo / medium-length / squad

Limosine - Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Free x Vans - Full Circle

The Union Square Video

Game On - Mark Suciu SOTY Trip

Chocolate - Upper Cruster

Primitive x Independent

Austin Bristow - LAUST IN TRANSLATION

eS Terminal 002

Bronze x DC What If God Said

Pangea Jeans - POCKET DIAL

adidas - The Sky Ain’t Falling

Pass~Port Nike

Internet Birthday ep.1

Thunder: Pleather Jacket

SCREWLOOSE - EXILE

Last Resort AB - Alv’s Angels

Thrasher Germany Vacation

RACKZ Gallery - Pandora

adidas Australia - Light Years

Sunday Hardware - LUV YA LOTS x x

Baglady - Pack Light

HUF x Thrasher Brazil

Sk8land Skateshop - Veinte

Cowtown - TWENTY FIVE

Am Scramble 2021

Girl - ‘Desesh Mode’ Euro Tour

CPH OPEN 2021

Poolroom - RUNNER UP

Brick & Mortar - Autumn

Maxallure “INT CIRCLE” . “Beautiful Thoughts”

Dime comp vol 7 - Alexis Lacroix

SLP - KARI

Vans - Scandis

Kadence - DAIS

WKND - BOTTLE NECK SEWAGE . Street Fighters 2 . Alan Gelfand High

WORBLE III: Rough & Tough

Tree skateshop x Delivxry Buenos Aires - TREENIDAD

THE VIOLET PROMO

Stussy - Car Pool

Frog x Thunder

another massive year in skateboarding. hope things are good in your world. tell your friends you love em & let’s persevere to make 2023 even better

extended youtube playlist here

[naritaren]

Lance is on the Philly card for the NJPW show! Full release:

We are just over one month away from our return to Washington DC for Capital Collision, and Collision in Philadelphia the very next night. Appropriately for the seat of US government in DC, Los Ingobernables De Japon will be making their presence felt at Capital Collision, and in Philadelphia too!

Current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA will be a part of both DC and Philadelphia events. For Naito and SANADA, this makes their first trips to the United States since 2019, and all three LIJ members are sure to make a mark.

Also at both events will be El Desperado. Having been a force in 2022 at STRONG’s High Alert, Music City Mayhem and Forbidden Door, El Desperado is now back in the US and representing Strong Style. What does one third of the current NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag team Champions have up his sleeve?

In Philadelphia is El Desperado’s former Suzuki-Gun brother in Lance Archer. Making his first appearance in an NJPW ring since World Tag League, the Murderhawk Monster will be showing that even in the home of immortal hardcore legends in Philly, ‘everybody dies’.

With plenty more huge stars set for both events, you have to be a part of the action this April!

Capital Collision/ Collision in Philadelphia confirmed lineup to date:

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada (April 15 Capital Collision only)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi

STRONG Openweight Champion KENTA

Tetsuya Naito

SANADA

Will Ospreay

Tomohiro Ishii

Hiroshi Tanahashi

El Desperado

Lance Archer (April 16 Collision in Philadelphia only)

Fred Rosser

[liugeaux]

MLB Expansion: Why Am I Obsessed With It?

The World Series ended last week and the Rangers became the 25th MLB team to win the coveted championship. This leaves the Rockies, Brewers, Mariners, Padres, and Rays as the only teams without a "ring". (Fun fact: 1922 was the first year teams were awarded rings after winning the Series) This was just the 3rd time in MLB history that 2 expansion-era teams faced off for the title, with the other 2 being 2015 and 2019. Without a second thought this seems, at best, like a nifty little stat, but looking deeper, it's borderline amazing it took so long for two expansion teams to play each other in the Fall Classic.

First, let's define "Expansion" team. It's any team added to the league AFTER the first 16 teams. Here are those original teams.

Original 16 MLB Teams and the year they joined MLB

Chicago Cubs - 1876

Atlanta Braves - 1876

Pittsburgh Pirates - 1887

Philadelphia Phillies - 1883

San Francisco Giants - 1883

Cincinnati Reds - 1890

Los Angeles Dodgers - 1890

St. Louis Cardinals - 1892

Baltimore Orioles - 1901

Boston Red Sox - 1901

Chicago White Sox - 1901

Cleveland Guardians - 1901

Detroit Tigers - 1901

Minnesota Twins - 1901

Oakland Athletics - 1901

New York Yankees - 1903

Sure, some of these teams have moved and/or changed names a few times, but as official franchise lineage goes, these are the original Major League teams.

In a short 27 years, baseball exploded to 16 teams. Originally, they were clustered in the east, only stretching as far as St. Louis. Those teams, battled it out for 57 years before any others joined the fray. Most measurements will tell you, to this day, that these 16 teams are still the more popular of the franchises. It's hard to compete with the popularity of the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Braves, Cubs and Red Sox.

With the rise of commercial air travel, the success of the Braves' move to Milwaukee, and the ousting of the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast, it was clear Baseball could handle teams in smaller markets all over the US. In 1961 MLB started growing by adding a second Los Angeles-based team, the Angels, and the Senators in Washington DC. The latter moved to Dallas in 1972 to become today's Rangers.

This kicked off a 37-year expansion that saw 14 teams added to the league. Teams popped up everywhere, from the southernmost tip of Florida to Canada to Seattle.

14 Expansion Era Teams and the year they joined MLB

Los Angeles Angels - 1961

Texas Rangers - 1961

Houston Astros - 1962

New York Mets - 1962

Kansas City Royals - 1969

Milwaukee Brewers - 1969

San Diego Padres - 1969

Washington Nationals - 1969

Seattle Mariners - 1977

Toronto Blue Jays - 1977

Colorado Rockies - 1993

Miami Marlins - 1993

Arizona Diamondbacks - 1998

Tampa Bay Rays - 1998

The league nearly doubled in size which, mathematically, made it harder to win a World Series. In 1969, the Mets were the first expansion team to win a title, but for the most part, the expansion teams were absent from the Series altogether. For most new teams, success did not come quickly. In fact, there have only been 14 expansion team champions since the start of the expansion era (1961). Here they are.

Expansion teams that have won a World Series

1969 - Mets 1985 - Royals 1986 - Mets 1992 - Blue Jays 1993 - Blue Jays 1997 - Marlins 2001 - Diamondbacks 2002 - Angels 2003 - Marlins 2015 - Royals 2017 - Astros 2019 - Nationals 2022 - Astros 2023 - Rangers

In 62 years of expansion, only 14 of those years have been won by new teams. If you spread the numbers out and do some math, during the expansion era (1961-2023), the original 16 teams together have had 976 eligible "campaigns" for a World Series, while expansion teams have only had 652 (that's counting each team per year they were in the league, minus the '94 strike year.) That's a 3/2 ratio for the expansion teams during the expansion era. Of course, since the new teams trickled in over the years, that stat is on a sliding scale, but I still feel like they should have had more success, faster.

For a better sample we'll need to look at all the Series played since 1998 (once all the teams were included.) That's 26 years of baseball with a 30-team level playing field. Theoretically, with true parity, 47% of the teams in the series should be expansion teams, and those teams should win 47% of the time. Let's see if that happened.

'98-'23 saw 20 expansion teams play in the World Series. That's 38%, about 9% away from true parity. That period also had 8 expansion World Series champs. That's 31%, even farther from parity. So the phenomenon that brought me to this journey, (2015 the first all-expansion team World Series) is starting to make a little more sense, but it still blows my mind that it took SO long.

I guess, given that most of the newer teams are from smaller markets with smaller fan bases and thus have a smaller cash flow, they can't afford to go out and buy who they need to fill the holes in their lineups like a bigger market can. A hard salary cap could really help in this dept. The bigger markets are also natural tiebreakers themselves. Would you rather make 20 million and play in Tampa, or make 20 million and play in LA?

If we only focus on recent memory, the last 10 years, the expansion teams have been done much better. 12 of the last 20 teams to make the World Series have been from the new batch, and they've won half of them.

More Fun Facts: The Mets and the Astros are tied for the position of most successful expansion franchises as they've both been to 5 Series and Won 2. The Marlins and the Blue Jays won both of the Series they played in, but have only made it to 2 each.

Here's where I dedicate a paragraph to the Phillies. They have been in the league since 1883 and have only won 2 championships. The only other original team to win just 2 World Series is the Guardians, but they joined the league 18 years after the Phillies. The Phils have been historically bad for a long time. If it hasn't been obvious that I'm a Braves fan, this should be the tipping point. :)

I don't think I'm trying to make a point here, maybe MLB should have a hard salary cap, or expansion teams should have found a way to be better, faster. I mean, how can you happily be a Padres, Brewers, or Mariners fan? 45+ years of failure has to create resentment towards the team and baseball as a sport. Hell, if the Braves go 2 years without winning their division, I get antsy.

Regardless of all of this, I'm just fascinated by MLB history. Seeing all these teams start trickling in through the later half of the 20th century, find their footing, and then win a World Series is like watching a child being born, grow, and become an adult. The circle of life.

[loveisbraveandwild]

In my country nobody has been wearing masks since spring 2022, like I haven't seen anyone with a mask in over a year. Also, it's no longer possible to test for covid here, all locations closed a while ago. And there are no rules anymore for when you have to stay at home when you feel ill etc. Life has gone back to normal, precovid.

yeah thats how it is pretty much everywhere in the states. there are maybe a few thousand people in the major cities ive been to in the last month (dc, nyc, philly, and boston) who still wear masks on transit

[musicarenagh]

Slot Releases a Jaw Dropping Album Titles it 'Limbo' Slot is the by-product of Abby Chapple and Max Detrich, for a long time the duo always wanted to make music but couldn’t find the perfect time to do that, but in 2022, they finally decided to make it happen and since then the duo has never looked back as this was something they always wanted to do. Since the inception of Slot the band currently has two singles, and one music video, but this is not what they are limited to. Recently the band has compiled and released their debut album titled Limbo. In a year of being active, Slot has been chipping away at the Mid-Atlantic, playing Richmond, Philly, NYC, Wilmington, DE, DC, at MACROCK, and numerous times in their hometown. " Limbo " is the first album by Baltimore, MD duet Slot, it's actually difficult to believe the band comprises only two people, their music sounds nothing like coming from a two-piece. Their sound is rather loud and energetic, rowdy, riotous a mixture of hard rock and punk, and alternative pop with breathtaking lyricism. Abby Chapple is in charge of the Vocals while Max Detrich takes control of the Bass and Drum Machine. I think Slot is able to pull off Limbo smoothly thanks to the synergy between the duo, the passionate bond they share together, you could feel the joy of producing together through Abby’s raging vocals. With influences ranging from Daisy Chainsaw to Primus to Sneaks, Lambo is a dancey, pop, and industrial-inspired take on punk. People have commented that guitarist Max's riffs resemble The Jesus Lizard. Limbo comprises 9 songs and spans over 22 minutes 41 seconds, the songs are explosive and addictive, in a matter of seconds you catch the fever and jam all day to it Listen to Limbo below Follow Slot on Spotify Bandcamp Youtube Instagram Songkick

[doverjazzghost]

wow it's the 2022 new year's post' [[MORE]] 2022 really sucked. It was the worst year for me in a while. I was seriously ill 3 separate times and I was even hospitalized for covid for a day. Also I was in a car accident :( all of that compounded and made me really backslide on my mental health which made doing things a lot more difficult. my goals from the 2021 post: -learn how to relax more and just do things for the sake of doing them instead of a goal uhhhh not really! I still can't really relax and have to be goal oriented in stuff that I do -edit and finish finish my novel no! I really fell off on this. I started a first edit read through last winter and just got tired and didn't finish it RIP -(if possible) start going to cons/doing cosplay more consistently I am actually doing this one! I finished like 4 cosplays this year and I am going to Magfest next weekend and probably Colossalcon East in the fall. -(if possible) take more time off to travel no! Travel still makes me really uncomfortable (covid and anxiety-wise). This past year, I think I've been to, like, DC, Philly, and Western Maryland but that's it . . . .I had plans to go to MA but those got covid'd. But I did use all my PTO this year at least -make some long term goals no!! I still have no idea what I'm doing even tho this year sucked, I still have some stuff to be grateful for: -I am still in a relationship with my beautiful gf!! -I made a lot of new friends! Especially people from my orchestra! -I started arranging music and finished my first symphonic arrangement -I started DMing and kept a campaign going for 6 months and I am better at DMing I think -I am still working out! I kind of have ab lines even when I'm not flexing! -I have done 2 live concerts (including 1 with a solo) and I didn't die! -My job doesn't make me want to fucking kill myself lmao -my pie and cake placed at the state fair -I learned how to crochet! goals for 2023 that hopefully I can actually manifest lol: -have a symphonic arrangement I've made be performed live -actually do it, actually travel this time -go back to working on my anxiety and agoraphobia -finish this Dnd campaign lol -be more proactive in reaching out to people -focus on craftsmanship in the things that I make happy new bear everyone ᕦʕ •`ᴥ•´ʔᕤ

[jerzwriter]

Tobias took his friend Casey to his hometown of Washington, DC, to show her how they did the holidays. She was impressed, but now it was time to show him how it was really done in her hometown of Philadelphia. As they spend time surrounded by Christmas magic, will they be able to keep their promise to be "just friends?"

Book: Open Heart Characters: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 1,700 A/N: This is an altered version of a fic I wrote in 2022... but as I'm finally filling in the gaps of my Tobias/Casey headcanon, I needed to make some changes. If you're following the HC, this story would take place after Part Two: With a Capitol T. Part three will be about the last leg of their trip, and the epilogue will follow. I originally posted these as one ridiculously long fic... crazy town. lol I'm also in the process of updating my Tobias/Casey masterlist to make this a little less confusing... for me, more than you! lol. Thanks to anyone who checks this out!

Series Masterlist | Tobias x Casey Masterlist Masterlist

The day after their DC adventure, they slept in a bit. Casey had assured Tobias that while there was plenty to see during the day, the real Christmas magic in Philly took place at night, so a little more sleep wasn't just doable—she encouraged it!

When they arrived, she immetiately treated him to her favorite bagels to start the day, then it was time for a daylight stroll through Christmas Village.  Tobias was duly impressed. The tiny shops had an old-world charm, right in the middle of a bustling city, but Casey told him...

“You haven’t seen anything yet! Just wait until tonight!"

Philadelphia’s City Hall was a grand structure that was breathtaking no matter the time of year, but like everything else, during the holidays, it was spectacular. Surrounded by a cornucopia of holiday treats, it couldn't help but bring out the child in them. Casey was eager to ice skate, but Tobias passed. Still, he was happy to watch her twirl. He had no problem joining her on the Ferris wheel, taking in the sights of the City from high above, before they headed to Macy’s for the Christmas Light Show. Not one to pass up a chance to shop, Tobias spent a little more time there than Casey had budgeted for, but the good thing? By the time they left, darkness had fallen upon the City of Brotherly Love, and Tobias stood in awe in the center of it. Casey was one hundred percent right. As beautiful as it had been during the day, nothing could compare to now. 

It felt like they had stepped into a Christmas movie, with the aroma of roasted chestnuts filling the air as carolers sang Christmas songs nearby. There were plenty of harried shoppers pushing through the crowds, but for every one of them, there seemed to be a dozen others who were casually strolling around, soaking in the wonders of the season. Laughing families with tired toddlers in strollers or sitting atop their father’s shoulders, coworkers giggling over mulled cider, and couples – couples of every age strolled by hand in hand, often stopping to take a picture in front of the iconic LOVE sculpture. Tobias closed his eyes and took in a long breath - it truly was Christmastime. This was a feeling he was certain was only a part of his past. Sure, he had enjoyed holiday parties, happy hours with friends, and the like, but this... this was different, and he wanted to commit every second to memory.

“Excuse me,” a young woman's voice interrupted Tobias from his reverie. “Would you mind taking our picture?" She asked, motioning to the gentleman by her side. "Selfies are great and all, but they only go so far.”

“'I'd be delighted,” he smiled, removing a gove to better grasp her phone. He took one picture, then another, and egged them on a bit before snapping the third. "Oh, come on, give her a little kiss! On the count of three! One, two...” Snap!

The couple thanked him profusely before walking away, and he found himself unsettled by the emotion welling up inside him... was that... envy? His mind began to wander, and he could almost picture walking through the city clutching Casey’s hand; she'd stop them in their tracks to reach up and kiss his cheek, walking arm in arm; an older couple would stop them to declare how they remind them of themselves when they were younger. It was a picture that was as enticing as it was terrifying, but he couldn't shake the image if he wanted to, and in reality, he didn't want to. But a tap on his shoulder from none other than the subject daydream brought him back to reality, and he only hoped she couldn't read his mind.

“Ready to head to City Hall again?” she asked, handing him a pretzel purchased from a street vendor. "You’ll see; it’s a different world once the sun goes down.”

“Lead the way, princess,” he smiled, fighting the visceral urge to take her hand. “Lead the way.”

~~~~~

“OK,” he admitted as the imposing historic building awash in colorful lights came into their view, “and it is not easy for me to do... but you win. Christmas in Philly is pretty amazing.”

“Yey!!” she squealed, jumping up and down like a child who had just won a treasured prize. She had Tobias mesmerized, and her eyes landed on him; he was smiling. Not any smile, but that smile that made his dimples stand out, where his eyes crinkled, and then she'd just melt. She quickly looked away. She had to. She may have been loathe to admit it, but she was well aware of the effect that smile had on her, and no. There was no way she was going there.  “And you haven’t even seen the tree lit up at night yet,” she said, attempting self-distraction. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!”

“Wait, you’re not gonna gloat?”

“No,” she smiled. “I’m just so happy to see you experiencing this all for the first time... to share it with you. I wanted you to feel the magic, too.”

“Oh, trust me, Casey, I feel it. This is something I'll never forget."

They arrived at the Town Hall tree, and once again, Tobias was forced to surrender. “Wow! OK. I’m giving up completely... your tree wins.”

“Ha!��� she yelled, nudging his shoulder with hers. “I told you so!”

“Hey, what happened to no gloating!”

She looked up at him with a devilish glint. “Can you just give me this, Carrick?"

He hoped his eyes would not betray him. I would give you anything, he thought but settled with saying, "Sure. You can have this."

“Thank you! I mean, it is the greatest Christmas tree in the world, so..."

“Yeah, no,” a booming voice shouted out from behind, bursting the little bubble they had created

Casey turned around with a cocked brow and hand on her hip. Her Philly attitude is on full display. “Excuse me?” she challenged.

“I mean, this is nice and all, but if you want to see the best in the world, ya gonna have to head to New York."

Crossing her arms in defiance, she glared at the entirely too-tall stranger. "I don’t believe you.”

“Have you ever seen it?”

“Uhm, no... not in person.”

“Then you can’t judge, can you?" The man smirked. "I’m a New Yorker. TRUST me on this.”  

“Well, if it’s so great... what are you doing here?”

“Ehh… my wife is from Philly,” he shrugged. “I have to indulge her every now and again.”

“Well, how kind of you,” Casey replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hey,” the man chuckled jovially, “Happy wife, happy life.  And, while New York may have the best Christmas tree, I will concede Philly has the best women!” He slapped Tobias on the shoulder with such force he had to stop himself from stumbling forward. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”

Casey and Tobias turned to each other, deer caught in the headlights. Casey’s wit seemed to drain from her, along with the color on her face, as Tobias turned back to the man, trying to recover.

“While I don’t disagree with you, she’s not my wife... not even my girlfriend... we’re just friends.”

Casey didn't understand the way her throat clenched or why her eyes filled with water at his words, but the man took a long look at her, then Tobias, and smiled. "“Well, I’d get to work on that if I were you, pal. Capiche? Happy Holidays, you two.”

Casey’s cheeks were redder than the bows adorning the massive tree, and it had nothing to do with the cold. Unable to look at Tobias, she peered down at her Uggs as if they had an answer. Wiggling her toes in the soft fleece, she struggled for something to say. But as she looked away, Tobias's eyes never left her. He could have been honest about his feelings, or he could have uttered any of the dozen bad jokes he had at the ready to defuse the situation, but he couldn't do either. Honesty wasn't an option, but neither was lying about his true feelings. There was a wall of fire burning between them, but neither would risk getting burned.

“I have an idea,” he said, attempting to put them both at ease.

“What’s that?” Casey asked gratefully.

“Let’s put this ‘greatest Christmas tree of all’ thing to rest once and for all.  What do you say we swing by New York on the way home tomorrow.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t joke about things like this.”

Casey bit her lip as she smiled. “I’d love to!”

“So we have a plan for tomorrow! But what do you want for the rest of the night?”

“Let’s take a ride down 13th Street. You have to see those lights! They don't call it the Miracle on 13th Street for nothing! Then... cookies and a movie at the hotel? If we’re adding New York to the itinerary, we should probably rest up.”

“If medicine doesn’t work out for you, you have a career as a cruise director, kid,” he grinned. “Let’s go.”

An hour later, they sat on the couch in their hotel room, a bowl of popcorn and a plateful of cookies within reach as they watched “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Exhausted, Casey had to lie down, placing her feet on Tobias’s lap. Unsure how to react, he rested his hand atop her ankle and exhaled when she didn't balk.

Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. That's right, that's right!

The movie concluded and delivered a lump the size of coal in TObias's throat. “You know, I am man enough to admit... that damn line gets me every time.”

But Casey didn’t answer; she had fallen fast asleep.  With a tender smile, Tobias slipped off the couch to retrieve a blanket. There was no sense waking her. After tucking it around her, he leaned over to place the most delicate kiss atop her head.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he whispered before heading to bed. "Sweet dreams."

~~~~~

Casey was absolutely giddy when she hopped into Tobias’s car the next morning.

“I can’t believe we’re going to New York, too! This has been the greatest trip,” she enthused. “It really feels like Christmas, doesn’t it, T?”

“It sure does,” he softly smiled.

“How long is the drive?” She asked

“Once we’re on the NJ Turnpike, we’re looking about two hours.”

“Great!” she beamed. “That gives us plenty of time for holiday music!”

They made it ten minutes before Mariah Carey belted out of the surround sound in Tobias's car. (Can one really go longer than that without hearing Mariah during this season?) Casey amped up the volume, and then it happened! Her voice may have been off-key; her “seat dancing” technique was nothing anyone would ever wish to emulate, but she grabbed her empty coffee cup as an improvised microphone and gave one hell of a performance for her imaginary crowd. Meanwhile, her live audience of one was grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing I need Don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree I don’t need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace Santa Claus won’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true All I want for Christmas is yoooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu.”

“You’re gonna give Mariah a run for her money,” Tobias chuckled. 

“Really,” Casey winced. “I’m pretty sure she’d tell me to keep my day job…. Well, once I’m back at my day job."

“Hey! You’re getting closer every day,” he reassured. “You’ll be back to Ethan driving you bonkers in no time.”

“Hmm. When you put it that way it sounds odd to say I hope so, but I do hope so. Still, until then, I have a gig in this car and I take my obligations very seriously!"

She looked up at him with an endearing smile. "Don't worry! I promise to buy you a huge bottle of Advil as soon as we hit the City!”

“No need,” he laughed, pointing to his glove compartment. “There are some in there, but I don’t need them.”

“Good,” Casey smiled. “Next up, Santa Claus is Coming to Town!”

She began singing the song, a la Bruce Springsteen, but she had no idea how much Tobias agreed. Seeing Casey this happy? Santa was not coming to town, he had already arrived and delivered the greatest gift he had ever received.

Final stop coming up: New York! 🍎

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging Tobias Stans only - @alj4890 @kyra75 @coffeeheartaddict2 @brycesgirl @icecoffee90 @storyofmychoices

[stonewallsposts]

2022 Road Trip: DC Philly Day 10

Oct 9 Sunday

Travel day, but not until later.

We pack up in the morning, check our luggage at the hotel, then travel south to the Italian market 9th Street.

We continue south to sample the classic battle of cheesesteaks between Pat’s and Geno’s.

I like Pat’s, Shell preferred Geno’s. I should state for the record, that, as far as cheesesteaks go, I liked Pat's better than Geno's. That said, I've not been impressed by any of the three cheesesteaks I tried. I certainly wouldn't order them on my own. Sorry Philly. I don't think you're favorite food is all that great. Then we headed back to the Italian market to Philly Cannoli King to get cannoli. The dude running the place was clearly invested in producing a good product. But.... on the service scale from Indifferent to Surly, he was in the Bothered-by-our-Presence range. Cannoli were good though.

With a couple of hours to kill before heading to the airport, (next time I’m going to schedule an earlier flight home, since you typically have to be cleared outta the hotels by 11 we went to the Museum of the American Revolution.

We chose museums because they have bathrooms available AND usually a café where you can get water or snacks.

Then we went to the National Constitution Center.

While there, one of the guys mentioned Elfreth Alley, the oldest continually inhabited street in the US. So we stopped there before leaving,

then grabbed our stuff from the hotel and headed to the airport.

PHL has one of the greatest boarding gate areas I’ve ever seen: banks of tables, each outfitted with tablets, where you can charge phones, and order food that will be brought directly to the table. They had a decent restaurant right next to our gate (B8 for the record), so we each got a skirt steak with chimichurri, fries, and I got a Guinness (from Independence Prime, for the record). All while keeping track of the Galaxy game AND charging my phone, AND sitting in a decently comfortable chair.

We got back to LA around 10pm, and home by 11. Tired but knowing we had a good trip. Except for the hurricane part.

Since I had already technically been to New Jersey, having stayed in Newark during our first visit to NY, I added 4 states and DC to my map of states visited.

The next planned trip would be New England and then the remaining Midwest states, and a trip to Canada in the bargain.

[hshouse]

Holy shit you paid $700?????? Jesus christ! And HSHQ silent about giving the fans an explanation or plan or something? Well you SHOULD be upset

Hi bby,

That’s not me! I have 5 tickets I think (??) (phoenix, nyc 1/2/3, harryween yeah) so who knows what that adds up to

[behindthesefangirleyes]

Louis performing at The Met Philly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (February 15, 2022) (11)

Instagram Post: mattdinnadgemusic (February 16, 2022)

���Washington was a big one with @louist91 and the guys! 📸 @joshuahalling - The Anthem, Washington”

[louistomlinsoncouk]

Headline Wembley Arena Show Announced For April 2022

New Postponed World Tour Dates Confirmed For Spring 2022

Louis Tomlinson today announces that he is partnering with BMG to release his second album globally.

Recording is already underway for the record, and Louis joins a roster at BMG that includes KSI, Craig David, Richard Ashcroft, The Prodigy and Kylie Minogue.

Louis says: "I’m very excited to start the next part of my journey with BMG.”

Jamie Nelson VP A&R at BMG UK says: "We are delighted to welcome Louis to BMG. He is already busy working on new music, and we are excited to join him on the next phase of his extraordinary career."

Louis also announces today the first wave of new 2022 dates for his postponed World Tour in UK, Europe, USA and Australia, including a brand new date at London's Wembley Arena. This show replaces Louis's two sold out London shows at The Roundhouse, and tickets will be transferred to the new venue.

Louis's first show at Wembley Arena will take place on April 22nd 2022, and extra tickets for the gig go on sale on Friday 14th May at 9am BST.

After postponing his 2020 world tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Louis will now finally get back on the road with his first solo tour, which is already completely sold out. The new dates are listed below. Further international rescheduled dates will be announced at a later date.

Last year, Louis released his million selling smash debut solo album 'Walls' which hit Top 3 in the UK and Top 10 in the USA. A lyrically personal album that proved he had found his feet as a solo artist, the album produced a clutch of acclaimed singles including the emotive first release Two of Us, the raucous Kill My Mind, the reflective We Made It.

In 2019 Louis headlined the Coca-Cola music festival in Madrid to an audience of 25,000 people, and performed to 65,000 fans at Premios Telehit in the Foro Sol stadium in Mexico City. Louis picked up the Best Song Award at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards for 'Two Of Us', which has so far hit over 100 million streams on Spotify alone.

In 2018 Louis won an iHeart Award for 'Best Solo Breakout', and an EMA Award for 'Best UK & Ireland Act' in 2017. He was ranked No.5 on Billboard’s emerging artists of 2018 and has over 60 million combined followers on social media. Last year he won 'Artist Of The Summer' in Philly radio station 96.5 TDY's annual awards.

In December 2020, Louis hosted one of the biggest live stream concert events of 2020, selling over 160,000 tickets to fans in over 100 countries and raising funds for several important charities. As a member of One Direction, Louis has sold over 100 million records. Overall Louis’ solo music has garnered over a BILLION streams.

Louis Tomlinson Tour Dates 2022

NORTH AMERICA

1st Feb South Side Ballroom, Dallas, TX

2nd Feb ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX - SOLD OUT

3rd Feb Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX - SOLD OUT

5th Feb The Pageant, St Louis, MO - SOLD OUT

7th Feb Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta, GA - SOLD OUT

8th Feb Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - SOLD OUT

10th Feb Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - SOLD OUT

11th Feb Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY - SOLD OUT

12th Feb The Anthem, Washington DC - SOLD OUT

14th Feb Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA - SOLD OUT

15th Feb The Met, Philadelphia, PA - SOLD OUT

17th Feb House Of Blues Boston, Boston, MA - SOLD OUT

19th Feb REBEL, Toronto, ON - SOLD OUT

20th Feb The Fillmore, Detroit, MI - SOLD OUT

21st Feb Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, Indianapolis, IN - SOLD OUT

23rd Feb The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL - SOLD OUT

24th Feb The Fillmore Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN - SOLD OUT

26th Feb Uptown, Kansas City, MO - NEW SHOW

28th Feb Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

1st Mar UCUU Center, Orem, UT - NEW VENUE

3rd Mar Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA - SOLD OUT

4th Mar Roseland, Portland, OR - NEW VENUE - SOLD OUT

6th Mar Orpheum, Vancouver, BC - SOLD OUT

7th Mar Roseland, Portland, OR - NEW SHOW

10th Mar Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA - SOLD OUT

12th Mar Performance Venue at Hollywood Park, Los Angeles, CA - NEW SHOW

UK & EUROPE

23rd Mar Valsheimilið, Reykjavik, Iceland

25th Mar Arenan Fryshuset, Stockholm, Sweden - SOLD OUT

27th Mar Spektrum, Oslo, Norway - NEW VENUE

28th Mar Forum Black Box, Copenhagen, Denmark – NEW SHOW

30th Mar Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany - SOLD OUT

31st Mar Forum Karlin, Prague, Czech Republic - SOLD OUT

2nd Apr AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands - SOLD OUT

3rd Apr Palladium, Cologne, Germany – NEW SHOW

5th Apr L’Olympia, Paris, France - SOLD OUT

6th Apr L’Olympia, Paris, France - SOLD OUT

8th Apr Lorenzini District, Milan, Italy - NEW VENUE

9th Apr Halle 622, Zurich, Switzerland - SOLD OUT

11th Apr Gasometer, Vienna, Austria - SOLD OUT

13th Apr Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland – NEW VENUE  

14th Apr MTP5, Poznan, Poland – NEW SHOW

16th Apr Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium – NEW SHOW

18th Apr O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, UK – SOLD OUT

19th Apr O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK – SOLD OUT

20th Apr O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK – NEW SHOW

22nd Apr SSE Arena Wembley, London, UK – NEW VENUE

23rd Apr Doncaster Dome, Doncaster, UK – SOLD OUT

20th Jul Fortitude Hall, Brisbane, Australia – NEW SHOW

22nd Jul Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia – SOLD OUT

25th Jul Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, Australia – NEW VENUE

29th Jul HBF Stadium, Perth, Australia – NEW SHOW

[jlf23tumble]

I was tagged by one of my very faves, @alienfuckeronmain, to give ten songs on repeat--thank you, friend, you know I love it! This is kind of tough because repeat is subjective, but I’m trying to be more methodical about it, thanks to Liv and Kim’s 100 albums of the year challenge, so here are 10 faves from 10 albums from 2022 (so far!) that are high on my list, plus the vibes I’ve ranked them with in longer form than my current spreadsheet:

1. Wet Leg, Ur Mom. Shoplifting packs of gum from your local Tesco meets Debenham’s shoe department in Leeds

2. Bloc Party, The Girls Are Fighting. ‘08 indie sleaze-adjacent aesthetic on tiktok

3. Rosalia, CUUUUUUuuuuuute (sp?). Spotify playlist curated by 6.5 air signs that is regularly skipped through by 2.5 fire signs

4. Florence avec le Machine, Dream Girl Evil. Vengeful disco bog ladies of the canyon

5. Orville Peck, Daytona Sand. Stopping for snacks at the Flying J truckstop on the way back from Vegas

6. The Linda Lindas, Remember. PURE TEENAGE JOY ABOUT CATS (low-key anger about homework)

7. Stromae, Sante. Bus stop next to the coolest French club in Havana

8. Wiz Khalifa et al., Everyday. East coast roadtrip DC to NYC, lengthy stayover in Philly

9. Lucius, Tears in Reverse. Night-time harbor cruise lady BeeGees cover band

10. Harry Styles, Little Freak. A day-time yacht-rock-themed cruise’s vaguely vengeful diss track

I’ll tag @scottspack, @kerasines, @setsailtomorrow, @clothlog, @lithographarry, @sir-transcelot, and anyone else who’s so inclined!

[independentartistbuzz]

Indie 5-0 with Cold Weather Company

Cold Weather Company defines themselves and their music by seizing the opportunities life has to offer. Their story started that way, as a chance meeting on a park bench while attending Rutgers University. Each member of the band, of which there are three, comprising of Brian Curry, Jeff Petescia, and Steve Shimchick, brings their own styles and influences to the group. Across their vast discography, they constantly push the limits of their music and build onto their genre.

The New Jersey-based alternative folk band released their fourth full length EP, Coalescence, in October. On Saturday, February 12th, Cold Weather Company will be doing a virtual concert and Q&A on the livestream platform Volume.com. We got the chance to speak with them before then about their album, what to expect from their virtual concert, and what’s next.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in to this edition of Indie 5-0:  

What can viewers expect when we tune into the livestream on February 12, 2022?

We’ll be back at 2Trax Studios, one of Deko Entertainment’s HQ’s. We first performed there in January of 2021 and are excited to return and debut some new tracks as well as feature more of our album “Coalescence.” We’ll also be having a Q&A and mix in a few extra surprises, so it should be a great day.

You are signed to Deko - what made you decide to choose that label?

We developed a friendship that eventually led to an introduction to the Deko team during 2020. They saw what we had built ourselves for seven years and provided an opportunity for a partnership, and we are grateful for that offering. The Deko team respects our brand, creative approaches, and ultimately lets us continue to do things our way, while being there to provide support, contribute from another perspective, and offer their industry expertise. 

You've had a lot of milestones to celebrate lately with the release of your most recent LP "Coalescence," your 4th. What makes this album different from your past projects?

This album’s writing process began in the middle of 2019 but we finished recording in 2021 due to the pandemic. This extra time allowed us to experiment and incorporate new sounds and elements, and take time to stitch together a more cohesive sonic and visual narrative. “Coalescence” unites our history as a band while also incorporating personal experiences and drawing inspiration from experiences of those in the Cold Weather Collective—a growing, global community of artists, friends, listeners, and overall creative folks we’ve been so fortunate to meet and learn from.

Congrats on celebrating the 7-year anniversary of your debut album “Somewhere New.” Do you have the 7-year itch?

Thank you! It’s certainly exciting to look back over the years and all of the moments since we released “Somewhere New.” We feel we’ve grown so much as a band since that release (which was just about a year after we formed). We’ll surely play a couple favorites from that album as a trio during the livestream, and, when we play full-band, we like to bring older songs that weren’t recorded with drums or bass to life in new ways.

Regarding the 7-year itch, we’d actually say that at this stage in our career, we’re more excited and motivated than ever. We’ve built a strong brotherly foundation with respect and belief in the pursuit at the core. The last few years have been difficult for the world, but it’s been invigorating to find new ways to use music to connect with others and continue that pursuit. We have a lot on the way as live shows reopen, and we’re grateful for our online community who’s stuck with us through livestreams and virtual open mics. We’re always thinking about the next opportunity we can pursue.

Are you getting back out on the road anytime soon or are you keeping close to home with the pandemic still in full force in NYC?

We’re working on setting up as many shows as possible over the coming months, focusing on getting back to some more local stops like Boston, DC, and Philly. Our aim is to set up some more extensive touring in the summer and fall as outdoor shows become more available, and we’d love to play internationally as soon as we can. We’ll hope to see you at a venue soon!

Their virtual concert can be found here: https://volume.com/t/1Fz6nw/

Be sure to check it out!

Find Cold Weather Company via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Apple Music // Bandsintown

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(▶︎ Outside | Daniel Sohnから)

Outside by Daniel Sohn

recorded in my bedroom and friends' houses in DC/MD/NY/Philly 2019-22クレジット2022年10月7日リリース written, produced, recorded, and mixed by me mastered by Max Gowan cover art by Carly Thaw Sean Power – electric bass, key bass (7), guitar solo (7) Joe Scialdone – drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), programming (7), vocoder (7) Cat Ashley – vocals (1), bgvs (3, 4, 7, 10) Madeline Kay – vocals (2, 10), bgvs (3, 4, 5, 6, 8) Jackson Bedbury – vocals (6, 10), bgvs (2, 4, 5, 8) Thomas Rice – vocals (8, 10), bgvs (2, 4, 5, 7) Molly Moore – bgvs (4) Vyette Tiya – vocals (5) Eliott Seppa – fretless bass (1) Ben Siciliano – saxophones (3, 4, 6, 9) Mike Carson – trombone (6, 8, 10) Robbie Green – synth (10)