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greensparty · 1 year ago

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Album Reviews: Chris Shiflett / Duff McKagan / The Rolling Stones

This week I got to review new solo albums from members of two of my favorite bands as well as the newest album from one of my favorite legendary bands!

Chris Shiflett Lost at Sea

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Guitarist Chris Shiflett has to be the hardest working man in music. When I say hardest-working musician, I mean it: In addition to his “day job” as the guitarist for Foo Fighters, he is the host of the Walking the Floor podcast, just started a vodcast Shred with Shifty and he is an accomplished solo artist as well. Although he has been with Foo Fighters since 1999, Shiflett has roots in the punk world from his work with No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Since joining FF, he has also explored side projects including Jackson United and The Dead Peasants. His 2017 album West Coast Town had some solid tunes and the title track made my Best Songs of 2017 list. In 2019 he released Hard Lessons (read my review here) and I included it on my Best Albums of 2019 list. With his solo albums he has explored his passion for country, but rock finds its way in quite often. In July 2018, I was lucky enough to see Shiflett do an intimate acoustic concert at City Winery in Boston (read my concert review here) only a night before he played Fenway Park with Foo Fighters (both shows tied for my #1 Concert of 2018). Seeing both shows in one weekend was super exciting to see his musical range of bringing it at a stadium rock show as well as a smaller club show. Now only a few months after Foo Fighters' newest album But Here We Are and I saw them at Boston Calling, Shiflett is releasing his newest solo album Lost at Sea on Blue Elan Records this week.

me with Chris Shiflett at his City Winery Boston show on 7/20/2018 (I met him previously at the band's in-store at HMV in NYC on 11/1/1999 shortly after he joined)

It goes without saying, he knows his stuff with guitar. These side and solo projects show him letting loose in ways he can't with Foo Fighters (they have done acoustic songs but not country). I'm by no means the biggest country fan, but I can certainly appreciate the genre when it's really good and Shiflett truly has a passion for old school country. He recorded the album in Nashville with superstar producer Jaren Johnston. But as always, his rock side comes out in doses here and there. There's also a sense of humor that comes out on these songs too. I'm looking forward to seeing Foo Fighters at Fenway Park next Summer and I can only hope that Shiflett slips in an acoustic show of these Lost at Sea songs the night before, similar to what he did in 2018.

For info on Lost at Sea

3.5 out of 5 stars

Duff McKagan Lighthouse

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I've always found Duff McKagan to be an interesting musical figure in that he’s always had one foot into the alt-rock world from his Seattle roots in the 80s pre-dating the grunge explosion and one foot in the metal world from the L.A. Sunset scene with Guns N' Roses in the 80s. When he was only a teen in the early 80s he played in numerous Seattle bands including The Fastbacks and The Living (read my 2021 profile of the band when they reissued their album). When he moved to L.A. he began playing bass and eventually joined GNR, becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet from the late 80s to the early 90s. Duff even sang lead vocals on "So Fine" on Use Your Illusion II (read my review of the 2022 Use Your Illusion box set). I was lucky enough to see them in Sept. 1992 when they co-headlined Foxborough Stadium with Metallica. What a show that was! He has also played in a number of super groups, but he's no stranger to alt-rock: he has played with members of Jane's Addiction, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, and many many more. For a profile of McKagan check out the 2016 documentary It’s So Easy and Other Lies (read my interview with the doc director Christopher Duddy here). In addition to GNR, Neurotic Outsiders, Velvet Revolver and too many to fit into this space, Duff has also released a few solo albums since 1993. This week sees the release of his third official solo album Lighthouse (4th if you count the unreleased 1999 album Beautiful Disease).

With this new solo album, he recorded it in his Seattle home studio. Since Duff has a ton of musician friends, there are some notable appearances including GNR bandmate Slash, Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell, and Iggy Pop. I wouldn't say the album is bad by any means, but there's nothing that really jumps out the way that 2019's "Tenderness" (off the album of that same name) did. It's cool that Duff is evolving as a songwriter, singer and all around musician, but I wished it would have more face-melters. But this is a grower, where each time you listen you notice more and it gets better. Ask me for my rating a few months from now and it might be higher!

For info on Duff McKagan

3 out of 5 stars

The Rolling Stones Hackney Diamonds

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This marks a historic achievement in the history of this blog! You see, I've had the pleasure of reviewing reissues, live and compilation albums from The Rolling Stones, including Live at El Mocambo, A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach, Steel Wheels Live, On Air, Beggars Banquet, Their Satanic Majesties Request, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, Let It Bleed, Goats Head Soup and Tattoo You. But this marks the very first time I've gotten to review a new studio album from The Stones. Their 26th U.S. studio album Hackney Diamonds drops today. It is their first album since 2016's Blue and Lonesome (which I named my #4 Album of 2016). That blues covers album was their best since the 70s IMHO. But if we're talking original albums written by the Glimmer Twins of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, this is their first original album since 2005's A Bigger Bang. But it also marks their first album since the 2021 death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts, who actually recorded two songs for this album before he died (sessions began in 2019).

In a way it's kind of fitting that I reviewed all three albums in one review this week. Chris Shiflett and Foo Fighters have opened for The Rolling Stones and the band backed up Mick Jagger when he was on SNL in 2012. Duff McKagan and Guns N' Roses opened for The Rolling Stones in 1989. But I digress. In addition to the bond of Jagger, Richards, and Ronnie Wood, there's the tracks that Charlie Watts plays on as well as his touring replacement Steve Jordan (Stones fans know him for his work with Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos) and bassist Darryl Jones, who has been touring with the band since 1993. There's guest appearances from Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Sir Paul McCartney (Sir Paul and Jagger have had a playful rivalry in the press over the years, but there's nothing but respect both have for each other), and most impressive of all is an appearance from former Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who left the band in 1992. There are some serious bangers on this album! My goodness - something has lit a fire under them to make an album this good when all members are in their 70s or 80s. Co-producer Andrew Watt (who produced Eddie Vedder's excellent solo album Earthling) also co-wrote a few songs with Jagger and Richards. There is a chance I'm just blown away by a new Stones album that is better than expected and in a few years I won't be as blown away, but I will say this: I stand by Blue and Lonesome being their best album since the 70s, but if we're talking original studio albums, this is their best album since 1981's Tattoo You. It's like a full circle album of the band re-visiting blues, hard rock, disco and R&B. The guest stars definitely are a treat, but it's that sense of a band 60+ years into their career making a rocker of an album reminding fans what we loved about them to begin with. Amen!

For info on Hackney Diamonds

4.5 out of 5 stars

#chris shiflett #duff mckagan #the rolling stones #album reviews #foo fighters #guns n roses #mick jagger #keith richards #ronnie wood #paul mccartney #elton john #stevie wonder #lady gaga #andrew watt #music nerd

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theycallmebecca · 3 years ago

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Could we maybe get a part 2 to The Set Up? Maybe Andy x Reader go to a football party or tailgate hosted by the friends that set them up and they’re a little smug because they knew it would work out all along.

I love this idea, nonny. Here's a quick one that I've been mentally writing in my head since I saw this request a few weeks ago.

For anyone who missed the original, it's called The Fenway Set Up.

Also sticking with my Boston sports themed titles. I would have gone with Gillette Stadium.. but it just doesn't roll of the tongue as well... anyway, on to the drabble!

Title: The Foxborough Bet

Pairing: Andy Barber x female reader

Rating: PG

Warnings: n/a

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

"So how did you two meet?" one of the other tailgaters asked you and Andy.

"We met at Fenway this summer," Andy said, one arm around your shoulders and the other holding a beer. "She saved me from a broken nose."

"I caught a fly ball," you added, seeing the confusion on the woman's face. "It was coming right for him."

"It was an instant connection," Andy stated before changing the subject. "So what do you do?"

As Andy and the woman talked about their jobs, you glanced back at your best friend who was standing nearby. From the way she was squeezing the life out of her croissant, she had heard you and Andy telling another person at the tailgate party that the two of you had been brought together by a foul ball at Fenway.

She was so close to exploding and that's exactly what you wanted. And best of all, Andy had know clue that she was this close and, therefore, you were absolutely going to win the bet before he even had a chance to start.

Seeing another friend, you excused yourself from the law conversation and made your way over. You gave your friend a hug and then started catching up.

It took a few minutes of catching up before she asked, "So, rumor has it you're seeing someone."

"Rumors are right this time," you laughed and gestured to Andy. "I met him at a Red Sox game a few months ago. If it weren't for me he's perfect face would have been smashed by a baseball."

"WE SET YOU UP!" your best friend exclaimed, unable to hold it in anymore.

Her shout had quieted all the other conversations and everyone turned to look at her, including Andy.

"What was that?" you asked her.

"We fucking set you and Andy up!" she repeated. "It wasn't a fucking foul ball. We did it. Me and my husband. Yours and Andy's best friends. And we deserve some motherfucking credit!"

You had to bite down on your lip to keep from bursting out in laughter as she huffed. Meanwhile, Andy looked between the two of you before he swore under his breath.

"We hadn't started yet!" he exclaimed. "You said at the game."

"We are at the game," you told him. "We're just tailgating before it. I win."

"You cheated," Andy stated with a glare.

"You... you knew?!" your best friend asked.

"Of course we knew," you replied. "It was obvious once we started talking."

"But, but, but," she repeated.

Laughing, you made your way over to her and gave her a big hug. "We waited for you guys to say something, but you didn't and then we decided to see how long it took you to take credit," you told her.

"I hate you," she replied.

"No, you love me," you stated with a grin. "Besides, I got a super hot boyfriend because of your meddling."

The two of you glanced over to where Andy and his best friend were standing watching to make sure everything was ok.

"They're lucky they have us," she said.

"Yes they are," you said with a laugh.

"Did you really save him from a baseball?" someone asked.

"Yup and my catch was shown on TV a few times," you stated.

It had been shown more than a few times and had even gone national, much to Andy’s chagrin, but you had made it all up to him after your first date.

#theycallmebecca #theycallmebeccawrites #Andy Barber #Andy Barber fanfiction #Andy Barber fanfic #Andy Barber fan fiction #Andy Barber x you #Andy Barber x reader #Andy Barber x y/n #Becca writes drabbles

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rosemaryreaper · 2 years ago

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Chapter 1 of “Case by Case” is posted

The first chapter is up on AO3! There are five chapters total (not Mad Witch length chapters, I promise), which I’ll be posting over the next few days, partly to avoid spamming subscribers with emails, mostly because it’s 1 am and I need to go to bed.

Link to Chapter 1 here (4845 words)

AO3 Summary: It is 2279, eight years before the Sole Survivor leaves Vault 111 and three years before Diamond City's Anti-Ghoul Decree. Missing person cases are piling up faster than the overworked Detective Nick Valentine can handle, including the disappearances of two of Diamond City's own residents. A chance encounter with a pickpocket, however, leads to an unexpected opportunity...and a new friendship.

What have I learned from this? I have no desire to write any kind of noir and despite hours of research couldn’t bring myself to commit to it. Nick Valentine is still one of the most difficult characters to write well. Did I try? Yes. Did I succeed? No. Did I have fun? Yes. So here you go.

Chapter 1 Preview:

Diamond City, the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth, was not what it once was. But neither was Detective Nick Valentine.

Nick had vivid memories, two hundred-year-old flashes that didn’t belong to him, of when the stadium had been called Fenway Park. It had been a symbol of Boston then, home to America’s beloved pastime. It had been a place of ball games and concerts, long lines and packed bodies, and enough noise to wake a sleeping behemoth. He had attended a game once, the Nick that wasn’t him. Every time he walked through the main gate, he involuntarily recalled summer heat, Nuka-Cola infused sweet onions, spilled clam chowder, and a woman’s laughter. He didn’t have a clue which teams had been playing or who had won. The woman’s laughter tended to drown everything else out. That, and memories of food he couldn’t eat.

As had most things, Fenway had died with Nick. There were no more ball games and concerts. No more long lines at the gate. Instead, there was Diamond City, a settlement that had literally been built up from the ashes. By pre-War standards, it was a shantytown: a haphazard collection of leaning houses cobbled together from scraps and arranged around a small nuclear reactor. By today’s standards, it was a goddamn paradise. By Nick’s standards, it was the love of his life.

Nick loved Diamond City because it was the first thing in the hundred or so years since he had been built that belonged to him and him alone. There were no foreign memories here, not like with Fenway. When he had walked up to the gate that first time and a dozen guards had trained their guns on him, that memory was all him.

Diamond City hadn’t always loved Nick back. Their relationship was complicated and ever-changing, just like the city itself. The eyes that followed him, the furtive, distrustful glances, hadn’t gone away in the decades he’d lived here, but they had allowed him to build a life for himself. From Handyman Nick to Detective Valentine in a matter of months, people sought his help when they were in trouble, whether or not they would admit it. The guards nodded to him when he walked through the gate now rather than sounding the alarm. It had taken time, but he had earned, if not Diamond City’s love, at least its tentative respect.

But nothing was going to grow simpler anytime soon. Not by a long shot. There had been an odd tension in the air lately, the kind that caused people to whisper behind their hands when they saw him and startle when he approached them from behind. Despite this new trend in behavior, business hadn’t slowed. If anything, it had doubled, while the stack of closed cases on his desk remained concerningly the same height. Today, as Nick walked through the gate empty-handed for far from the first time these past few months, he wondered what the future held. For far from the first time, he came up with nothing good.

#i never thought i would finish this fic #i love nick but he's such a challenge to write #fallout 4 fanfic #nick valentine #ellie perkins

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et-lesailes · 5 years ago

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safe place

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 3500 waow

summary: while clubbing in boston, you happen to see your favorite actor, none other than chris evans himself. unfortunately, his anxiety seems to be acting up again, and you can tell. you have a plan to help him out, and even though you know fully well you could embarrass yourself, you’ve gotta try it for him.

themes: this is just pretty chill n fluffy, highlights struggles with anxiety as well!

taglist: @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @chalamet-evans , @world-of-losers , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 , @tanyam93 , @bval-1, @wonderwinchester , @little-miss-exo, @poerebel , @pining-and-tired , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit, @a-distantdreamer, @malthestorytellerblog, @rainbowkisses31, @jbug491writinghelp, @quaiderade

note: yeah kinda had sudden muse for this out of nowhere hence the longer word count, and i really luv discussing mental health so i thought it could be kind of interesting to talk about anxiety in this one. tbh i feel like it’s a lot of rambling so i apologize in advance! hope you all like it though!

It had been a while since you had been out with your girlfriends, but now that everyone was back home in Boston for at least some of the summer, it was a good chance to catch up with the friends you had made back in high school and reminisce on all of the good times. You had remained in Boston for work along with a couple of others, but everyone else had moved to all different parts of the country-- it seemed like a miracle in itself that everyone was able to make it back at the same time, but you had also all planned for this. To take the same week off from work, summer classes, whatever it was everyone was doing-- all to go back home and reconvene as one big group.

It was Friday night, and you were ready to hit the clubs. You inspected yourself in the mirror of your apartment where everyone had decided to gather to get ready, smiling satisfied at what you saw. A typical LBD was perfect for a night like this-- yes, it was cliche, but you didn’t care. You looked good. It was just the right amount of revealing, showcasing cleavage and legs that managed to look slightly lengthier thanks to the shoes you had picked for the night, and you had actually decided to do your hair for once. “Whew! You look sexy!” your friend Delia complimented, and you shot her a little grin. “Thanks, Del. So do you, red is really your color.”

After taking at least a couple more shots, you were all ready to go. Piling into an UberXL, you made your way deeper into the city where the best nightlife was, reveling in just the perfect amount of buzz and feeling ready for anything. You had been planning on dancing with a few guys tonight, maybe getting a little action in, but nothing serious. You definitely had not been expecting on meeting him.

_____________

As a group of young women, it was rather easy to get access to VIP. Besides, a majority of you had been brought up in Boston; by now, you knew people, had connections. You were currently lounging on a plush leather couch with a fifteen dollar drink in your hand, deciding to worry about the consequences the next day. Most of your friends were off dancing with other people they had befriended in the club, so it was just you and a couple others chilling, drinking, and talking-- and then you suddenly felt a rough nudge to your arm. “Ouch. Gabby, what the hell?” You wrinkled your nose though you were mostly exaggerating, looking to her with more amusement than anything. “What?” However, you were far more intrigued upon seeing the shock upon her face as she was staring at something a little further away. You followed her gaze, only seeing a crowd of people and iPhone camera flashes in the next couch area a few feet away. “What?” you repeated yourself, craning your neck trying to see what the big deal was. You could see a Red Sox cap sticking out from the center, but that was not anything interesting considering you were literally 3 miles away from Fenway.

And then the figure with the cap moved slightly, and you almost spit out your drink.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Gabby seemed to have found her voice again, her eyes widening. “That’s Chris fuckin’ Evans. Oh my God, should we go say hi?” You still had your eyes on him, unable to help it-- God, he was even more gorgeous in person. You were about to agree instantly, the awe practically taking over your inebriated mind. Of course you wanted to say hi. You had loved Marvel for years now, and Captain America was your favorite Avenger. Not only that, but you had taken a liking to Chris’ acting because of his Marvel movies, which had encouraged you to watch several others. Living in Boston, it had always been a hope of yours that you would somehow run into him, but you never imagined it would actually happen. And now here he was, standing about five feet away from you-- sure, he was surrounded by girls, but you and Gabby could totally squeeze through.

But then you stopped to actually look at him. Not in the fangirling, celebrity idolizing way, but just to actually look at him. You could see on his face that he looked a little tired. Like his smile was forced. It did not seem disrespectful to you, but more so that he was… overwhelmed. He was still taking pictures with every single girl around him, even making effort in having conversation, but you caught every single sign. The frequent looking around, eyes not focused on one thing or one person. How he’d take off his hat and run his hand through his hair, but practically every ten seconds. The slight inward tug of his bottom lip, and while he made it look sexy, it was obvious he was not doing it to be seductive. You had listened to interviews of Chris speaking of his anxiety, and considering you had faced it before and had friends who did as well, it was hard not to see the signs. Now, if anything, you were getting a little pissed at these clubbers surrounding him, even though you were almost quite literally going to be one yourself.

“He seems a little on edge right now,” you noted, frowning slightly. “Maybe we should wait a bit, yeah? It’s not like VIP’s that crowded anyways, so hopefully once those girls leave him alone we can have a chance to just say hi or something.” Gabby sighed loudly but nodded her head. “Okay, okay, fine. But I’m gonna head downstairs to tell the girls. You stay here and keep an eye on him!”

“Wait--” you started to say, not wanting her to spread the news, but she was already leaving in a tipsy fit of giggles and excitement. You sighed and looked back towards him. He seemed even worse than before, and it had only been five seconds.

And then an idea came to you, and you nibbled on your lower lip wondering if you could really be that drunk or if this was just actually a brilliant plan. No. No, no. It was crazy. Absolutely insane, really, and you would look like a total idiot if it didn’t work. Which it most likely wouldn’t.

And so you downed the rest of your drink, barely fazed by the bitter taste of alcohol at this point as you stood up, taking a deep breath. Walking right over, you called out as loudly and confidently as possible over the music. “Chris? Chris! Chris, is that you? Oh my God, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you last! I can’t believe you’re back in town, this is great!”

Everyone immediately turned around to look at you, and you prayed that your cheeks weren’t burning. God, what had you done? How drunk could you be? Part of you wanted to simply turn around and run away, it wasn’t like you’d ever see him again. But you watched his reaction, hoping your own expression was visible enough to him to show that you were very clearly hinting at him to go along with it. At least, if anything, this pressure was helping in somewhat distracting you from how damn handsome he looked up close. How was it possible that the camera didn’t do him justice when he looked so hot in all of his photos?

Yeah, maybe you still were a little caught up in how handsome he was.

He seemed a little confused for a second, but suddenly, the corner of his lips tugged upwards. Your heart raced faster. Was he about to laugh at you, humiliate you in front of his fangirls? Or was your plan working? “Holy shit,” he stated, lightly pushing himself through the small crowd to step closer to you. “I didn’t know you were still in town, that’s crazy! Fuck, how long has it been? A year? Two? I’m so happy to see you!” You could not believe it; there were at least a million thoughts running through your mind right now. He actually went along with it. He’s standing right in front of me now. He’s smiling at me, having a direct conversation with me. And he swore, oh God, he sounds so hot swearing…

You snapped yourself back to reality. This was not about meeting your idol at the moment, this was about helping someone with what could turn into a straight up panic attack if this kept on any longer. You smiled back at him brightly before looking around at everyone, clearing your throat. He might have had to be polite because he had an image to protect, but you did not. “Excuse me, can you please leave us alone? Chris is one of my friends and I’d like to be able to catch up with him. And I’m pretty sure half of you aren’t even supposed to be up here…” you commented with a raised eyebrow, eyes glancing towards the lack of VIP wristbands on their arms. There was a lot of scoffing, huffing, and bitchy glares, but they eventually turned away, all furiously typing away on their phones most likely posting photos on every social media site possible.

You exhaled just as he did, looking up at him and clearing your throat. “I can, uh, leave you alone if you want. I swear I didn’t just do this to be able to talk to you too, I just noticed you looked a little… stressed.” You paused before quickly adding, “Not that I don’t want to talk to you. I mean, fuck, I love your shit, you know? I think you’re a great actor. But you shouldn’t be swarmed by fans or anything. So, yeah, I can leave.” After that word vomit, you decided the only proper way to do said leaving was flinging yourself off the balcony. But instead, he just smiled wider as he looked down at you, shaking his head. “No, no. Of course not. I really appreciate what you did for me back there, trust me.” He tilted his head, seeming curious. “Did I really look stressed?” You blinked but nodded truthfully, biting your lip. “It just looked like a typical bout of anxiety to me, if we’re being honest,” you told him, then wondered if that was somehow offensive. “I mean, I know just because you mentioned having it doesn’t mean you’re just always some anxious person, and I’m not trying to assume anything either but I’ve also had experiences with it too so it’s kind of easier to catch signs, you know? But if I was wrong then I’m really so-”

“You weren’t wrong,” he cut you off, but he was still smiling kindly at you. Damn, his eyes are beautiful. “Yeah, I was definitely feeling a little crowded back there. So thank you. Really. What’s your name? Can I buy you a drink?” You looked up at him somewhat shocked. “Me? Oh, please, you really don’t have to do that,” you shook your head, not wanting him to feel obliged to you in any means whatsoever, even though a drink would Chris Evans would probably be all you needed to die happy. “I’m sure you have friends waiting on you or something, really, it’s okay. I genuinely just wanted to help.” He raised an eyebrow, slightly stepping closer and it was taking you everything not to creepily deeply inhale from how good his cologne smelt. “And I genuinely want to buy you a drink,” he spoke with an amused grin, eyes twinkling even more than before. “Please. Or if you don’t drink, I can at least get you a--”

“Oh I drink.” You cut him off way too fast, then realized afterwards. “Okay, but like, I don’t mean I’m an alcoholic or anything, I just--” you finally just sighed loudly, looking down for a few seconds before looking up at him, silently cursing your brain for not allowing you to sober up at least a little. Despite the fact that it was solely your fault for having decided to chug a freaking vodka sour. “Okay, yes. Let’s do this. But-- unfortunately my friend is about to bring my entire horde of friends up here, so let’s try a different bar in this club.” He was laughing as he listened to you, but it did not feel mean or embarrassing; he simply seemed like he was actually having a fun time with you, almost as if he were a friend. He then blinked, curious and slightly confused. “In this club? Is there another one, besides the VIP one and the general one downstairs?” You laughed softly, nodding your head. “You gotta come back to Boston more! They just opened a rooftop one upstairs that’s way less crowded, but it’s pretty exclusive.” You raised a brow, continuing, “But I’m pretty sure we won’t have any problem getting in...” He chuckled and it was a deep rumble of heaven, but you forced yourself not to be annoying or even more triggering towards his anxiety. “Well, that would have been nice to know earlier, but I’m glad I at least get to know it from you. Lead the way….” he trailed off, waiting for a name to use. You giggled lightly at the slight flirtation, in disbelief that it was even happening but of course introduced yourself, lightly taking his outstretched arm and walking towards the staircase to the roof.

_____________

“Sebastian said that to you? Oh my God, that’s hilarious.” You laughed upon listening to a story he was telling you from a drunken night he, Sebastian Stan, and Anthony Mackie had shared in LA, a beam spread across your entire face. “You guys seem like such cute friends.” He laughed and nodded his head fondly, looking out towards the view. “Eh, they’re alright, I suppose,” he spoke playfully, and you giggled for the hundredth time within that hour, looking out towards the city lights yourself.

The two of you had been chatting away, the peaceful nighttime air and breeze definitely helping you in sobering up a little more. Not that you had been absolutely trashed before, but you wanted to be as present in this moment as possible. You knew something like this would never happen again, but you were trying not to think about that. You loved that he was also asking you questions about yourself, and seemed sincerely interested, at that. He was so easy to converse with, so relaxed and thoughtful, you felt bad knowing what his anxiety could do to such a kindhearted person like him. You were sure he would have loved to be like this with all of his fans, but he had even explained to you himself that it was difficult for him to be in front of big crowds. “I know that seems kinda ridiculous coming from a Hollywood actor,” he said with a sigh, chuckling lightly, “but I can’t control it, ya know? I wish I could.” You nodded sympathetically, unable to even imagine what it would be like having to deal with such conflict in his current occupation.

“But what about you?” he asked, surprising you again even though he had shown genuine interest in you and your life this entire time. “You said you’ve dealt with anxiety before, too?” You nodded with a sigh, taking a sip of your drink. “It used to be pretty bad for me in high school. I guess high school’s just a rough time in general, though,” you said with a laugh, shrugging your shoulders. “I still get attacks every now and then, but I’ve learned how to cope with it much better. Definitely better than hormonal, puberty ridden me, anyways,” you chuckled. He laughed too and you tried to ignore how adorable the sound as well as his face was when he did so. “Mm. Definitely don’t wanna reminisce on those days,” he playfully shuddered before tilting his head with interest. “How do you cope with it?” You could not believe Chris Evans was here asking you for advice, but you pondered this over. “I guess this is common sense and easier said than done, but I think I’m just a lot better at being able to mentally step back from a situation and think it through more logically when I’m feeling anxious. I just go through a rundown in my head and remind myself that it’s okay. It also helps distracting myself from it by talking to friends, like to call my best friend if I’m feeling down or weird about something.” You told him, barely biting your lip-- you had never really talked about such topics with any guys before, and it was crazy how it felt so comfortable with a celebrity.

“Yeah? Well maybe next time you could call me, too?” he asked, and you were practically baffled. “Like, on my cell phone?” you asked rather dumbly, then closed your eyes as you rubbed your forehead. “Okay, yeah. Duh. My cell phone. It’s not like I own a landline. Who really does anymore, besides old people. But I mean--” you stopped and collected your thoughts briefly before looking up at him. “You’d really feel comfortable giving me your phone number? And you actually want to… talk?” He laughed again, even tilting his head back slightly before nodding with a wide smile. “Yeah. I mean, hell yeah, I do. I’ve had a lot of fun talking to you tonight.” He slid his phone out of his pocket, unlocking and handing it to you with a hopeful grin. You slowly smiled, nodding and taking it from him to input your number. Much to your delight, when handing it back he went straight to sending you a message, looking to you as he arched an eyebrow playfully. “You have my number now, right? You didn’t give me a fake one?” You blinked before laughing loudly, taking your phone out of your little crossbody bag. “Why the hell would I give you, of all people, a fake number?” You waved your phone at him to show him that the message had come up on the device, then looked down at it to save his number. You had assumed he just sent a “hi” or an emoji, something simple-- but you paused as your eyes scanned the words on your screen.

“Go on a date with me.”

You stared at it somewhat dumbfounded before looking up at him, knowing your cheeks were slightly red. “A-a date?” you asked; sure, the two of you had been hitting it off and flirting a little, but you had kept reminding yourself throughout the conversation that he was a celebrity. He probably had tons of girls in his life, you were someone who could just be an acquaintance. If that. But now he wanted to take you out on an actual date?

“I’m in Boston for the next few months. And I know that’s not permanent, but I really, really liked talking to you tonight, and.. I want to see if this works. Please.” You almost didn’t reply due to being too shocked that he was begging you to date him, but you quickly cleared your throat. “I’d… yeah, I’d really like that.” You admitted, feeling excited and terrified all at once. But that was how dating should feel, right? “But, um, how does this… work? Do you, like, not want me to tell anyone…? Do I not save your number at all, in case anyone hacks into my phone? Or should I just save you as a fake--”

“Okay, okay, don’t go all secret agent on me.” He interrupted you with a loud laugh, eyes twinkling fondly as he gazed down at you. “Honestly… I trust you. Call it a gut instinct, but I do. So tell whoever you’d like, or don’t. The only thing I’m more worried about is your own privacy, because it most likely won’t be respected if we’re not careful about this. But when it comes to people knowing about me taking you out, that’s fine with me. I’m allowed to have a love life, aren’t I?” he said with a smile, then glanced down at his phone. “Oh, shit. I need to go, my brother’s waiting for me. And I’m sure your friends are, too.” He looked at you and chuckled softly, probably at the disappointed face you wore. “Hey. Text me tonight, alright? Promise.” You smiled at that, arching an eyebrow playfully, teasing, “Wow, you’re already pretty needy, huh? Yikes, what am I agreeing to here?” He blinked before scoffing, though clearly amused. “You know what? Yeah, I am. And it’s your fault.”

He suddenly took a light hold of your waist, gently pulling you closer to him and leaned down. You widened your eyes slightly but did not move away, looking up into his beautiful blue orbs instead silently confirming that you were alright with what was about to happen.

You would remember that kiss for the rest of your damn life-- you were sure of it.

#chris evans x reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans imagine #chris evans fic #chris evans x you #mental health

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theawkwardterrier · 5 years ago

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things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 39

AO3 link here

He’s gotten pretty settled in with his coworkers at Stark Industries a month into the job, and it’s absolutely stunningly hot, like the air’s drenched, woolen, nearly physical as it fills every little space, but Bucky finds himself going out for lunch. That happens to him sometimes, the need to not be around people, forced to make conversation, to joke and be fine. Because sometimes, still, he isn’t fine; he came home with a weight on his shoulders that can be lighter certain days and heavier others but which is always there, and he’s trying, still, to be okay with that.

He usually eats on the later side, so the afternoon concert is already nearing its close though the music is still apparent from the spot he’s chosen. The file he’s brought with him is only a prop. He keeps it open on the bench beside him but doesn’t really look at it, staring around instead as he unwraps the sandwich he bought.

He’ll try to remember to call Steve tonight, because his best friend made him promise to phone when he feels like this, but he already feels a little guilty about it. He knows that Steve’s got his back, the same way he’ll always have Steve’s, but the Carters are working on adopting their little girl next month - Rose is her name, Steve said - and he can tell that the two of them are stretched pretty thin so he doesn’t want to add on. He has an appointment with his shrink next week, and he could probably make it sooner if he needed it, but this feels like the sort of thing he should be able to handle by himself.

Despite the time that’s passed - six years since Steve and Peggy brought him back, more than ten since whatever happened down in that lab - he hasn’t quite grown used to the ways in which he came home different. If anything, he’s reached a point of annoyance with himself that he’s had all this time and all this help, and nevertheless can find himself overcome by something as simple as a crowd, a noisy room. He remembers by now being the life of the party, ready with a quick remark, lighting girls’ cigarettes with a flick of his wrist and a flash of a grin. He remembers following Steve’s good-hearted, hairbrained schemes throughout their childhood, coming up with schemes of his own, talking their way out of trouble with teachers or the cops on the beat (even if he had to rest his whole weight on Steve’s toes to keep his big mouth closed). But that doesn’t feel like him anymore, and it grates on him that he can’t figure out how to make it be.

He shakes his head at himself, picking a couple of fallen scraps of roast beef from the sandwich wrappings before balling up the wax paper. If he still feels like this at the end of the day, he has the number that Charlie Gibbs gave him before he left Washington, the one answered by a man Charlie describes as “someone who saw a thing or two over there” and who can gather more like them to drink a beer and talk things over if they need to.

In the meantime, there’s still fifteen minutes before he has to get back to the office, and he tips his face upward, limbs sprawling out a little in relaxation as he soaks in the sun. It always makes him feel sort of stupid to have these sorts of moments, the overwhelming of his mind, during the summer, as if the sunshine and freedom should drive them away. But the warmth feels so good, too, that he tries not to think about that, tries to just lean back and enjoy.

When he brings his chin down again, his gaze catches on the bench across the plaza from his. The woman there - one hand holding open a book, the other her own sandwich, a thumb that he can’t quite track wiping away a drip of mustard from the corner of her mouth - is familiar. He stares awkwardly for a moment, trying to place her. She glances up as she tries to flip a page with a thumb (he assumes her clean one) and gives a slight raise of her sandwich in his direction in recognition.

He can picture, like a photograph, the smile he might have given her before the war, cocky, glinting sideways and a bit suggestive. Now he settles for a nod and a tip of his hat, tucks his hands in his pockets and starts walking back.

It’s only as he pushes through the glass doors into the Stark Industries building that he remembers where he’s seen her before: lab coat and safety glasses on, silky dark hair (longer than was truly fashionable) pinned back, in one of the labs during his tour of the building. “The chem fellas, for what they’re worth,” said the guy showing him around, swaggering onward with barely a glance. But Bucky had looked back, caught a glimpse of a raised middle finger.

He sort of wants to ask her whether it was for the “fellas” when she was clearly standing right there, or if she just feels that strongly about chemistry.

She’s there again the next day, sitting on the same bench, holding a different book, Frances Parkinson Keyes’s The Royal Box. He’s actually read this one at Peggy’s recommendation, but he doesn’t say anything, just touches the brim of his hat when he stands. She’s wearing a hat today too, a wide tan straw thing that shades her face, and she touches her brim back at him.

He finds himself grinning as he stuff his hands into his pockets and starts heading back.

He’s actually feeling better on the third day after a night out with Charlie Gibbs’s friends (well, they might even be his friends at this point) and an invitation from Becca to come over to her place for dinner Saturday. He’d wondered when he moved back if being around his family, especially the new generation and their energy, might be too much. But it’s actually invigorating to be around them, to be used as a climbing structure, given random hugs and sticky kisses to his cheeks. He never laughs as hard as he does when Jimmy tells some story about the indignations of his school day or Baby falls unconsciously into an impression of her grandmother. And the youngest is nearly four months now, and Becca swears he smiles all the time, so that’ll be nice to see.

So there’s no real reason he strolls out into the July heat instead of staying in his office, no reason his feet lead him once again to Bryant Park. No reason he stops for only a second, then keeps walking over when he sees a familiar figure sitting not on her regular bench, which is empty across the path, but instead on his.

“I thought that if we were going to keep meeting like this, we should at least know each other’s names,” she says, squinting up past him as he stands over her. Her voice is even, confident, but not strictly businesslike; there’s a smile at the edge of her words. She extends her hand to him. “Layla Mansour.”

He shakes, sits down beside her. “Bucky Barnes.”

“Really?” she says, so dubiously that he actually laughs.

“It’s the name I’ve got.”

“I seriously doubt it,” she says, “but there’ll be time for me to figure out the truth later.” And with that she unwraps her sandwich and takes a bite.

Three weeks later, Peggy requests that Howard send over a chemical engineer and a mechanical engineer to SHIELD headquarters at Camp Lehigh. Bucky’s an easy pick for the mechie considering they won’t even have to go through any extra security rigamarole, and when he hears they’re looking for someone else, he knows right away who to recommend.

Bucky’s never learned to drive, never had to and at some point decided he never really wanted to, so he’s particularly impressed by the ease with which Layla directs the borrowed Stark Industries sedan. She brought gloves with her, a crisp pair, white with bleach, but they’re draped over her handbag in the backseat. Her fingers on the wheel are not long, but they’re easily capable, with short, even nails.

“Where are you from?” he asks like clearing his throat, because he has the feeling that staring at her hands is not an entirely normal thing to do, and because he realizes that he actually doesn’t know. They’ve been talking over lunch for weeks now, but it’s been about preferred sandwich spots and the best things on the menu there, about work, and about her endless books. (She brings a new one nearly every day, and he has no idea how she’s able to read them all. Her library card gets more of a workout than anyone else’s he knows.)

Her mouth tucks in at the corners for just a second, then she says, too brightly even for her, “My grandparents were from Syria. Well, I suppose it would probably be Lebanon now, though, what with the borders shifting and all. And at the time that whole area the Ottoman Empire, but...Now you have the general idea of it, I imagine.”

“Oh,” he says. “No.” Not that he hasn’t noticed her dark, dark hair and intense eyes, but… “I meant, not too many people learn to drive in the city. And um—” He glances out the window, taps a finger on his knee, tries not to mumble. “You have a little bit of an accent. Only sometimes. You drop your r’s, and you’re the only person I’ve ever heard pronounce the number four the way that you do.”

A laugh startles out of her. “I’m from just outside of Boston. Watertown.”

“Don’t know it,” he says, shrugging, turning over in his head the way she says it: Watatown, Watuhtown. “The only thing I know about Boston is the Red Sox.”

Again, he’s impressed as she manages to execute a smooth turn off the main street even while eyeing him sharply. “Be careful what you say. I might live in New York now, but I’ve been going to games at Fenway since I was a kid.”

Bucky lifts his hands in defense. “Hey, they might not be here anymore, but I’m still for the Dodgers. We can hate on the Yanks together.”

“Excellent,” she says, with a grin. “That’s all I ever need,” and she pulls up to the guardhouse at the edge of the base.

He’d expected to be directed to whichever scientist they’d be working with, but Peggy’s actually there to greet them herself.

“We’re honored,” Bucky says, leaning to kiss her cheek.

“You had better be,” she responds. “Good to see you, Barnes.”

“You too, Carter.” He hasn’t seen them in probably a month and the reason why is written in the exhausted lines of her face. It strikes Bucky as a little odd that he hasn’t gotten to meet his friends’ child yet, doesn’t even know what she looks like, but it’s easy to tell how overwhelmed all the Carters are - perhaps the newest one most of all - so it just hasn’t been the right time. They hadn’t even made it into the city for Bucky’s mother’s Labor Day dinner, and Bucky knows how Steve feels about Labor Day and Winifred Barnes. That same exhaustion from Peggy’s face is obvious in Steve’s voice when they talk on the phone these days, catching up late at night when Steve has a minute between cleaning up whatever messes Rose had made during the day. Bucky hadn’t thought Steve could get tired like that since the serum, but apparently kids really do a number on you, or maybe it’s just Rose.

As evidence, when Peggy turns to introduce herself to Layla, Bucky spots a small patch of oatmeal dried onto the shoulder of her blouse. It’s just a little thing, the cream of it blending into her shirt anyway, but it’s large on Peggy Carter; he doesn’t know that he’s ever found her so disheveled, and he’s seen her in the middle of battle and during the frigid center of the winter and after days without a real bath. He’ll point it out to her later - hopefully she’ll have enough brainpower to care.

Still, when she puts out a hand and says, “Peggy Carter,” it’s with that familiar firmness.

“Dr. Layla Mansour.” He can see that Peggy appreciates that she doesn’t shy away from using the title she’s earned, or from shaking back with an equally firm hand. “What can we help with?”

Bucky likes that, himself. Still, when Steve calls that night and waits a whole five minutes before asking casually about Bucky’s new friend that Peggy told him about, Bucky pretends not to know what he’s talking about.

“We just eat lunch together sometimes,” he deflects, and decides he’ll overlook the way Steve’s “hmmm” sounds knowing and just a bit suggestive.

And they do eat lunch together, two or three times a week, sometimes more. As the autumn grows cooler, glancing quickly around before they bring up their favorite and least favorite colleagues, the projects that they’re working on, what they’re most excited about starting next. Inside the newly opened diner down the street during the winter, talking about what brought them to the careers they have now, finding out that Layla went to CCNY too but only for her PhD and a couple years ahead of Bucky - they never came across each other there.

(“Lucky thing we met each other now,” she says around the bite of chocolate cake she is pretending she hasn’t just stolen from him. He smiles, sideways and then more, and echoes, “Lucky thing.”)

They continue into the spring, eating as they walk beside each other in the blossoming warmth, trading stories about how things were for them growing up, about their families, about how home doesn’t feel quite the same when you come back all grown up. Hearing her talk about Ted Williams and Jackie Jensen, her hands flying as if she might snag a baseball out of the air at any moment while he grins at her side, he actually has to hold himself back from gaining some affection for the Red Sox.

(Once, in May, he asks her about her weekend plans and she says briefly that her mother's set her up with a date, the son of a friend of a friend, before turning to toss her bread crust to a couple of squirrels. He doesn't ask more, or mention that the few times his own mother has urged him to go out with nice girls from church or the daughters of her sewing circle friends, he's walked away thinking that somehow they were perfectly nice and normal and somehow not quite right. The next week, she tells him, a bit pointedly, that she's going to see 12 Angry Men over the weekend with some of the other girls from her rooming house.)

He brings her to Steve and Peggy’s for dinner in July. Though he’d seen her not even two weeks ago, at the barbecue that was allegedly for Independence Day (Steve was meant to have a different birthday now), Rosie drags him into the house as soon as they arrive, then squints at Layla, coming through the door behind him.

“Who is that?” she asks, not quietly. “Who are you?”

“We told you that Miss Layla would be coming,” Steve says, striding over, drying his hands on a towel. “Be polite, Rose.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Rose.” Layla steps forward, puts out a hand, doesn’t waver as she is eyed suspiciously and for a nearly uncomfortably long time. Finally, Rose shakes briefly before darting back off into the dining room.

Steve sighs. “Sorry about that,” he says. “I’m certainly happy to finally meet you.” His polite smile turns somewhat more broader and more youthful, teasing, as he catches Bucky’s glare that means don’t say something like—

“Bucky talks about you all the time,” Steve finishes angelically.

Layla looks over her shoulder at Bucky. “All the time, hmm, James?”

Her hair, normally worn back, is down around her face for dinner, set and curled up at the bottom. Bucky shrugs. “Maybe once or twice. He can’t count very well.”

“Perhaps you should move this conversation toward the table,” Peggy calls. “I think Rose is about to dig into this delicious meal herself, and I might join her.”

Steve and Bucky, mannered as they are, both gesture Layla ahead of them. Once she’s passed, Bucky punches Steve in the shoulder, hard enough that it might even bruise.

All the time? he mouths. Jackass.

Steve tucks his hand in his pockets, raising an eyebrow and mouthing back James?, grinning as they walk in together.

They don’t leave until nearly eleven, after they’ve eaten Steve’s delicious dinner (seriously, when did Steve learn to cook? Bucky can remember when he could practically only boil water, though that might have been because there was barely more in the house than that) and the absurdly rich chocolate mousse tart he made for dessert, after Rose had tucked herself into the chair in the living room where she could still listen to them and fallen asleep, after Steve’s told half a dozen stories to embarrass Bucky and Bucky had given just as good back and Peggy had topped them both.

Layla’s laugh is even lower than her speaking voice, Bucky’s noticed. He can recognize the start of it now, when it’s still a barely audible chuckle, and it makes him smile.

It’s a good night. He’s feeling good, even as he shifts the muscles of his back and shoulder a little. The arm isn’t as heavy as most, and it supports itself pretty well, has control nearly the way a flesh and blood one would, doesn’t just hang from his sleeve as a placeholder - Howard actually started a medical technology division after he worked with it. Still, when he wears it for this long, the discomfort becomes more and more obvious in the later hours.

“You can take it off, if you’d like,” says Layla.

He hadn’t even realized she’d noticed that little movement. Honestly, he hadn’t even realized she’d noticed the arm at all, which is stupid - she’s got two perfectly good eyes, she sees him nearly every day, but she’s never stared or asked prying questions or even looked purposefully away, making unwavering eye contact the way some people do to avoid seeming rude.

There had been that first day they were working at Lehigh, when one of the others on the team was walking across the lab to show them a delicate instrument, holding it carefully and eyeing Bucky’s hand where it was visible past his shirt cuff. “You sure you can handle this?” he’d said, like Bucky was going to thank him for his concern, before he’d crashed to the ground right as he passed where Layla was standing. Even Bucky’s eyes hadn’t tracked her foot flicking out across the floor, just catching the very end of the movement as she set it innocently back where it had been. “Goodness,” she’d said, tilting her head in pity. “Are you certain that you can handle it?” But that’s the only acknowledgement that she’s ever given.

“I’m fine,” he tells her now. “It’s fine.”

She makes a low hmmm sort of sound. “Maybe,” she says. “But it’s also fine to sometimes not be fine.”

“Not for me, it isn’t,” he says, the words out before he can check them. He’s been doing pretty well in the months that he’s known her, talking to Steve and Peggy and the shrink and guys who served, spending time with his family, getting good sleep when he can and taking long walks in the night air when, however increasingly rarely, the nightmares mean he can’t. He doesn’t take time off from work if he can help it, and he’s mostly been able to help it. But he knows that his healing is a slow process, inches and years, that he has to do his best to keep a good face through it all.

He doesn’t know how to explain that to her, really, to tell her that the version of him that she’s spending time with...it hasn’t been a show, but it hasn’t been all of him, either.

“All of us,” she says with conviction, as if she can read his mind, as if she already knows, as if he’s already told her everything and she doesn’t care. “All people are allowed to not be fine sometimes. And you count in that too, whatever you might think of yourself.”

And as she drives them back, soft darkness and the sounds of crickets around them, he tries to let himself believe her.

She gets promoted late in October, which she’s proud of but also finds irritating - it means a lot of extra paperwork and administrative duties. They don’t get to eat lunch together as often now that she has a heavier schedule of meetings. He takes to staying a couple hours later, turning up by her desk around 7 to make sure that she wraps up for the day. They usually go out to supper together after, sometimes even a picture if there’s something good playing.

One frigid night in February, Bucky holds Layla’s coat out for her, trying to douse his nerves by listening to her complain grouchily once again about how the new position means that she’s down to reading a book every two days or even every three.

“The librarians probably have you in their prayers,” says Bucky once again as they wave to their favorite waitress and head toward the door. Before Layla can push it open, Bucky puts a hand to her arm.

“Wait,” he says. “I just wanted to—Well, it’s Valentine’s and you’ve been working hard so I—Here.” He pulls from his coat pocket the little pink case, watches her pop it open to examine the pink rose inside nestled amidst baby’s breath and a sprig of greenery. She’s practical, doesn’t really go for elaborate things, but he’s seen the little flashes of prettiness in the glint of jeweled pins and flowered clips when she has her hair pulled back or up, the various necklaces he’s only caught glimpses of, hidden as they are beneath the necklines of her dresses and blouses. He thought she would like this, and he doesn’t tuck his head but instead watches as she smiles, removes the flower and takes in the scent, runs a gentle finger over the petals.

“Thank you,” she says, tucking it back inside and closing the little case with care. “It’s lovely.”

“I’m glad,” he says, letting out a quiet little breath. He’d searched around during his lunch hour for something remaining at the florist in good shape and kept it in one of the cool rooms at work, waiting for the right chance to give it to her. Feeling lighter, he reaches for the door, only to have her stop him this time, a hand on his forearm.

“Are you ever,” she says, “going to ask me on an actual date?”

“Oh.” For all the nights he lay with his hands behind his head and imagined saying those words, he finds that he can’t manage them now, not right away. He almost wants to look away, to gather his head, but he breathes deeply, watches the calm in her brown eyes, the patience there.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he finally says. “Fair Game’s at the Longacre; we can see if there are tickets. Or West Side Story, if you’d rather. Or The Music Man - that’s supposed to be good too, if they’re not sold out.”

“Marian the Librarian?” He can hear that sound, the very beginning of her laughter. “I’ll see if I’m available.”

“You will, huh?”

“I think I can probably make the time,” she says archly. “For you.” And she holds out a hand to him, waiting as he secures his fingers gently between hers, before opening the door.

More chapters here

#things left behind fic #Bucky Barnes #Steve Rogers #Peggy Carter #oof home stretch for this fic

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asthecrushgoes · 5 years ago

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Longer Than I Thought - part 1

GIF

Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 1,094

A/N: This is the first thing I’ve posted on here, so let me know what you think or if there are any discrepancies or mistakes! So in this, 5SOS isn’t famous (they are a band though) and it’s based in Boston, because why not :). It’s going to be a six part series.. 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

“The next train to Oak Grove will arrive in 15 minutes.”

Calum groaned to himself as he stepped onto the platform. He watched the Orange Line train that he just missed pull away from the station as he leaned against a nearby wall to catch his breath. He had just sprinted from band practice at Luke’s place near Fenway to the Green Line to get off at Park St. to run to connect to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing in order to get back to his place in Somerville to catch his landlord before said landlord went off to his night job as a bartender and Calum’s rent check would be late again.

Calum glanced at his watch: 4:52. The platform was already crowded and when the nearby businesses let out at 5:00, the trains would be packed. Calum just prayed that there would be no issues or delays and he could make it back in time. Not likely.

Being in a band that barely made enough to cover the cost of performing meant Calum had to scramble like this before the first of every month, trying to piece pennies together to cover his half of the rent.

Ashton, his roommate and drummer in the band, usually did the same thing, but this month Ashton had lucked into a film crew gig for a friend-of-a-friend who was an aspiring actress. Ashton had said the short film about a lost love was complete shit, but he got paid, so he didn’t care. Calum on the other hand, spent a few days dog sitting for their downstairs neighbor, but was still scrounging at the last second.

These two, and the rest of the band, weren’t like their local friends, who had wealthy parents paying rent, or buying groceries, or funding some gap year. Calum, Ashton, Luke and Michael had moved to Boston from Australia with the hope of finding a better industry here. Boston was an underrated music city with a huge appreciation for local bands and live music. Bands like Boston or the Mighty Mighty Bostones got their start in this city, obviously, and who could forget Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. But other bands like Boys Like Girls, the Pixies, Dropkick Murphys, New Kids on the Block, and even Aerosmith got their start in Boston.

So, when their band, 5 Seconds of Summer, decided to fully pursue music, they settled on Boston as their target location. It’s a small city with less competition and an amazing, and frankly underappreciated, arts culture.

“The next train to Oak Grove is now arriving.”

Calum was jostled by impatient commuters as he stood at the front of the crowd trying to push their way onto this next train. The doors opened and, after the stream of people exited the car, Calum stepped onto the train, grabbing onto a nearby pole for support. Various professionals in business suits, young workers in slacks and blouses, college students their university paraphernalia, and other random stragglers filed in behind Calum, taking up all available space.

This is why I don’t ride the T at rush hour, Calum thought. Only five stops, he reminded himself. He glanced around the car, seeing mostly annoyed Bostonians, eyes glued to their phones, actively trying to avoid as much human interaction as possible. One guy in the corner seat was yelling loudly into his phone about some missing file.

Then he saw her.

There was no question that at the other end of the subway car was Faye. Calum would know that crazy messy bun anywhere. She always put her hair up when commuting home from work and, when she used to come straight to Calum’s, he always loved the way she’d take it out, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten it because she knew Calum liked when she wore her hair down.

Not today.

Today, Calum was completely captivated by her bun. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, even when the train lurched and they proceeded towards State St. But at that second, Faye grabbed onto the torso of the guy standing in front of her, the two laughing as her eyes widened from her clumsiness. She said something to him that Calum wished he was close enough to hear. He knew it was probably a new boyfriend, but he couldn’t dismiss the small sliver of hope that it wasn’t. I mean, he wasn't sure it was a boyfriend; they didn’t kiss or anything.

Calum would be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to figure out some sort of path to that side of the train. A way to maneuver through the crowd, jostling between work bags, backpacks, and random, outstretched limbs, just in the hope that Faye might see him.

They hadn’t spoken in six months. Not since she walked out and Calum didn’t do anything. He didn’t call. He meant to call. He wanted to call. Now it was too late.

It didn’t matter that she was the only thing Calum thought about. That every girl at the bar, or random hookup, or blind date his friends set him up with, could only compare to Faye.

He had tried to get over Faye. He really did. The weekend after the break-up, Calum brought home a stranger from the bar. He doesn’t remember her name; honestly, he wasn’t sure he ever knew that girl’s name.

But it didn’t work.

The next morning, when that girl was still in his bed, all he could think about was Faye. How that girl’s touch didn’t feel like Faye’s, how her lips didn’t move like Faye’s, how she didn’t respond to Calum in the same way. Calum couldn’t shake the memories of his nights with Faye. Even now. It was taking him a lot longer to get over her than he thought.

“Now approaching Assembly.”

The doors opened and Faye and the guy exited the train. It was at that moment that Calum realized he had missed his stop. He was too lost in thought over seeing Faye. He rushed past the people now filing onto the train, pushing, elbowing through the crowd.

Spinning around on the platform, he tried to catch a glimpse of her, but she had disappeared. He knew the way to her apartment--he could walk there right now if he wanted to--but following her down the street is a lot different than casually running into her on the train.

So, Calum reluctantly set off towards his own apartment, forced to take the long way home.

---

Next part preview: “Calum had never felt like his life was a movie as much as he had in that moment.”

---

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

#5sos #5 seconds of summer #5sos imagine #5sos fic #calum hood #calum 5sos #calum x oc #calum imagine #calum fic #5sos fanfic

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skeletonscribbles · 7 years ago

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hey so I love all the New York/Cali/etc. Reddie stuff but personally (and biased-ly) you all are missing out on the PRIMO NEW ENGLAND CONTENT you could be exploring

consider: -regular trips to Acadia & every time Richie’s like “can’t wait to see a BEAR” (they never see a bear) -also at Acadia - Bev tricks them into taking one of the trails that you have to lowk actually rock climb up; Eddie cries -”I saw a moose once” “No you fucking didn’t, Bill”

-”I HATE SUMMER PEOPLE” even though Derry’s Not on the ocean so technically, when they go to the beach, they are the summer people....

-Class trip every year to the Portland Head Light...Ben loves it but everyone else is just excited to get food in downtown Portland

-Summer trips to New Hampshire! Storyland! Santa’s Village! Lots of comparing Eddie to elves, lots of injuries caused by flailing Eddie limbs for unrelated reasons -”Hey Eds the Old Man on the Mountain looks kinda like your mom after I--” “You can’t even see him any more, Richie, he fucking crumbled!” “Exactly.” “What does that even mean????”

-ALL OF THEM ARE CANONICALLY RED SOX FANS which means that also canonically, there’s a 97% chance that Richie’s been kicked out of Fenway Park. Also Bill cries in 2004 when they win the world series for the first time

-Losers in Boston!!! Making Stan take a picture with the Make Way For Ducklings statue, much to his great annoyance!

-Mike and Ben having THE BEST time in the Museum of Science...with Bev spending the whole time racing the track thing upstairs (running over little kids), Richie bullying Eddie into touching the (dirty) baby chicks in the human body exhibit (& looking extensively at any and all displays with genitals, obv), and Stan watching, satisfied, as Stoic Leader Bill loses his FUCKING SHIT at the lightning show

-Trips to Sturbridge Village, Plymouth Plantation, and Mystic Seaport that are mostly just Mike asking question after question and (at the Seaport specifically) somebody probably ending up in the water, and not on purpose

-Ben making friends with the beluga whales at the Mystic Aquarium!

-Vermont winters! Skiing! (Mike’s a pro!) Ben and Jerry’s!

-and of course if you’re doing a modern AU...everyone’s got a regular Dunkin’ order and an Opinion About Tom Brady

so yeah! I love New England and my heart really wants the Losers to have enjoyed some classic New England childhood things. If you’re from the northeast/have opinions about the northeast, feel free to add!

#losers club #new england #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #bill denbrough #stanley uris #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #it 2017 #stephen king's it #reddie #if ya squint #i had a great childhood in new england and god damn if i don't want them to have good childhoods in new england too #anyway even if you're like 'wtf is this' consider this a reference for Places In New England The Losers Might Have Traveled To #thanks have a nice day

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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Danny Ainge isn’t listening if he doesn’t hear racism around the Boston Celtics

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Celtics’ lead decision-maker made some tone-deaf and disingenuous comments about Kyrie Irving’s pleas to keep racism out of his return to Boston.

Kyrie Irving said he hoped he didn’t hear racist remarks when his Brooklyn Nets go on the road to face the Boston Celtics for Game 3 of their first round series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Irving played two seasons in Boston, and left as a free agent to sign with the Nets in the summer of 2019.

“It’s not my first time being an opponent in Boston,” Irving said. “I’m just looking forward to competing with my teammates. Hopefully we can keep it strictly basketball, there’s no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling shit from the crowd. But even if it is, it’s part of the nature of the game and we just need to focus on what we can control.”

When asked a follow up on if he’s experienced “it” in Boston, Irving put his hands up and shrugged. You can watch his full comments here:

Kyrie Irving on returning to Boston for Game 3 "Hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball. There's no belligerence or any racism going on, or subtle racism. People yelling s**t from the crowd."#Celtics @NBC10Boston @RaulNBCBoston pic.twitter.com/jNT5hiSUwf

— Craig Kolodny (@NBCBostonCraig) May 26, 2021

When Celtics GM Danny Ainge was asked about Irving’s comment, he said he had never heard of any racist incidents in Boston during his 26 years with the team.

“I think that we take those kind of things seriously,” Ainge said during a radio interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I never heard any of that, from any player that I’ve ever played with in my 26 years in Boston. I never heard that before from Kyrie, and I talked to him quite a bit. So, I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter. We’re just playing basketball. Players can say what they want.”

Hours after Ainge’s comments, veteran Celtics guard Marcus Smart said that he has experienced racism in Boston.

Marcus Smart on if he's heard Boston fans make racist comments: "Yeah, I've heard it. I've hard a couple of things. It's hard to hear that and then have them support us as players. It's kind of sad and sickening."

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) May 27, 2021

Anyone who pays close attention to professional sports has heard stories about racism in Boston. Bill Russell, who led the Celtics to 11 championships as the greatest player in franchise history, has detailed the racism he experienced in Boston in books and interviews since his playing days. Russell described Boston as a “flea market of racism” in 1979 memoir, “Second Wind.’’ His home in the Boston suburb of Reading was once broken into and vandalized with racist graffiti. Russell even requested his No. 6 jersey be retired in a private ceremony in 1972 because he believed the fans wouldn’t respect his accomplishments because he was Black.

Today’s athletes have also detailed their experience of facing racism in Boston. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones faced racist heckling from fans at Fenway Park in 2017. A fan in Boston was banned from the stadium for making a racist remark to DeMarcus Cousins in 2019. Smart detailed his experience with racism in Boston in an article on The Players Tribune in 2020:

But the incident that has stuck with me the most, and that’s had the biggest impact on me, occurred a few years back after a victory at the Garden.

I was pulling out of the arena parking lot when I saw a white woman with her five- or six-year-old son crossing against the light right as the cars were starting to come at them. I had my windows down and realized something bad was about to happen, so I yelled to her, politely, that she needed to hurry and get out of the street so the two of them wouldn’t get hurt.

The woman was wearing an Isaiah Thomas number 4 Celts jersey. And there were all these other Celtics fans around who were at the game. I figured she’d be cool.

Nope.

She swung her head around and it was….

“F*** you, you f***ing n-word!!!!”

What Kyrie Irving faced his first time in Boston with the Nets

In 2019, Irving missed a game against the Celtics in Boston, but the fans still heckled him. There were “Kyrie sucks” chants in the building and posters around the arena calling him a coward.

“Kyrie Sucks” chants at the TD Garden pic.twitter.com/iN0nOAxodE

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 28, 2019

These fliers are posted on poles across the street from TD Garden. Kyrie Irving will not play tonight in Boston. pic.twitter.com/csk2mC3cuI

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) November 27, 2019

Irving also posted message on Instagram after the game:

Ainge saying he’s never heard examples of racism toward Celtics players in Boston is a remarkably disingenuous and tone deaf response to Irving’s statement. Russell’s experience should be at the forefront of the minds of everyone in the organization. Did Ainge simply ignore Smart’s Players’ Tribune story? Has he never connected enough with his players to have honest conversations about their experiences?

Of course, racism isn’t unique to Boston. It happens all over the country and all over the world. As Bomani Jones noted on Twitter, people have a way of feeling the racism in Boston more than other cities. Certainly Danny Ainge should have heard about that by now.

There have been some ugly incidents in the last week since fans have been allowed to re-enter arenas. A Knicks fan spit at Trae Young. A 76ers fan poured his popcorn on Russell Westbrook. Several Utah Jazz fans made abusive comments to Ja Morant’s parents.

Irving’s worries are legitimate when he plays in Boston. Instead of burying his head in the sand, it’s time for Ainge to listen to his players and ask what he can do to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

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greensparty · 5 months ago

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youtube

Happy 82nd Birthday Sir Paul McCartney

In a week of celebrations (Father's Day, Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, Summer beginning), today is a special day because on June 18, 1942, Sir James Paul McCartney better known to the world as Paul McCartney was born!

You could say I've written quite a bit about him on this site (read here) and his former bandmates The Beatles (read here). I’ve gotten to cover his 2021 documentary series McCartney 3, 2, 1, I saw him live at Citi Field in 2009 and Fenway Park in 2022, and earlier this year I got to cover the 50th anniversary of the classic album Band on the Run from Paul McCartney and Wings, and just last week I got to review the long lost live album One Hand Clapping.

For his 82nd birthday I thought I'd share one of my favorite solo music videos from him. 1989's "My Brave Face" off of Flowers in the Dirt was quite popular on VH1 and MTV that year. The video shows a Japanese collector of Sir Paul who turns out to be a thief, but throughout the video tons of archival footage and memorabilia are featured.

#paul mccartney #celeb birthdays #on this day in history #Youtube

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bostonboy · 4 years ago

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Freeze Your Brain | In Conversation with Cooper Anderson

Sit down with our Westerburg High ‘cool guy’ and find out all the gossip from inside Heathers: The Musical, now running at The Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles.

_____________________________

Firstly, I have to ask, what’s your favourite number in the musical?

Without a question, I gotta choose Seventeen. It’s a phenomenal number. I get to stand on stage and watch Brie crush it. I just chime in every now and then with a few lines but she owns that song. [Oh yeah, she’s incredible as Veronica Sawyer] Right? It- It’s just so good. I’m a sucker for good harmonies and my job is easy, I’ve just got to keep up with Brie during that scene--- Honestly, I have the most fun on that song because there’s plenty of big belt notes which I love to hit. I just love the energy this scene creates. Veronica has such hope for this poor guy and is just like “dude come on, let’s just go be teenagers,” but yeah, JD isn’t that easy to deal with.

What was your audition process like?

Uh, well, heh. This has been sort of in the works for a long while. I took some time off earlier this year and well- uh. I got a call from my agent who was so excited that I barely caught the beginning of her sentence. She was just like “Cooper, you have to take this role, it’s incredible.” I should probably point out she’s a huge fan of the musical anyway. [So you took the role for your agent?] Ha, well, somewhat? I mean I’d been debating what to do once I returned to Hollywood. I’ve dabbled here, there and everywhere and when she said that I sort of just stopped and was considering it like .... yeah, yeah y’know what? I really f-in miss theatre. It’s such a rush. So I did a few sort of readthroughs with our amazing director to see if we had anything to work with here. [Turns out you did] Hah! Fortunately for me, yeah. So we were sat there with this amazing show, my dumb ass and a great director. I had some friends in theatre who I could recommend for other roles but we were stuck on Veronica. I’ve always been a huge believer of just putting open calls out and seeing what oppourtunities you can give to people. [Were you at the auditions?] Yeah, yeah I wasn’t there for the first ring of initial casting. I actually had a meeting that morning in the building across the street, our director text me and was saying how well it was going, so I just dropped by. Spent six hours there reading lines with all these amazingly talented women and there was just something about Brie, so we got our Veronica.

Now the musical centres around high school, what were your high school years like? Where did you attend? Were you the jock or the cool kid?

Hell no. Man you’re opening old wounds, haha. I grew up in Newton near to Boston. I went to Fenway High School. I wasn’t tall enough for football so I definitely wasn’t a jock. I did play soccer when I was in kindergarten but I wasn’t really into sports. I was the guy that was either in band or in the music rooms or drama department. I was already becoming established in the industry at that age, which was really weird. My Mom kept me in a public high school and I was told I had to manage both my career and school life. I was more the drama and music nerd, that’s where my love was in school.

Did you have a nickname in High School?

Yeah, Little Man. I was really short as a kid and had a loud mouth. Some of the seniors dubbed this little asshole with that name when he was trying to square up to them. Thankfully they just accepted me as a source of humour rather than throwing my ass in a locker. Which I saw plenty of growing up.

How has it been playing JD? How would you describe him?

Absolutely fucking insane. He’s so much fun to play. I go full psychopath in Meant to be Yours. Listen to Jamie Muscato- who by the way is incredible on the cast album, then think how much fun I get to have with that number. [Oh I know, you looked like you were having a blast] You saw it? That makes me so unbelieveably happy. It’s just a lot of screaming and gasping for breath, by the end I’m clawing for breath on the floor. I think it’s such a beautiful representation of the chaos in this poor kid’s mind. Dont get me wrong, he’s an absolute maniac but also he’s just been dealt such a bad hand in life. He lost his Mom, he’s got no friends, he’s been to like ten high schools, his father is good for nothing. Then the love of his life just walked out on him. He’s having a pure mental breakdown in this scene and the composers Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy really nailed that. [You have a lot of fun with all the energy of that song] Yeah he goes quick, slow, I also love how the beat runs and I can just play with it. Our conductor is a legend, he let’s me run that scene at my own pace.

How has backstage life been at The Dolby Theatre?

Nothing but smiles and good vibes. I won’t have it any other way. The cast know the drill by now, I call by every person before show time, I’m always one of the earliest on the call sheet. It’s jsut good to go by all the dressing rooms, see my friends. I love calling in a makeup, they- heh. Fun fact, I’m incredibly ticklish so even though I have the least amount of make up in the entire cast, I’m a nightmare to put in the chair. Another fun fact, they have to airbrush my tattoos so when my coat rides up my wrists, it doesn’t show them. I’m used to that, I played Elder Price who has short-sleeved shirts. I just can’t cope so I have a set time, they get me done in twenty minutes then practically throw me out of there as fast as they can. Wardrobe are great too. I just go in and complain that I’m too hot in that coat all the time. I request if JD can have a summer vaction look as we are in Los Angeles. That request hasn’t been fulfilled quite yet. It’s just fun, everyone get along. Most of the time I’m in my room on the PlayStation or I’m doing my best to irritate Brie.

You have ten seconds to plug whatever you want.

Only ten? Wow, okay. No pressure. Please check out two charities I hold really dear to my heart. St Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Mind. They’re both incredible charities that do amazing things. There’s more information on my website if you forget those names between now and then- look I’m well aware this is over ten seconds- can you guys link them below or something? You can? Awesome. Yeah. That’s all I got then. Thank you for having me.

----- Catch Cooper Anderson playing JD in Heathers: The Musical -----

#[interview]

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theycallmebecca · 7 years ago

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Drabble: The Pitcher

Some of you know that my fellow baseball nerd @sian22redux and I made a wager on the series between her Cleveland Indians vs my Boston Red Sox. The first series, my team won and she wrote me a story (with two more parts still to come!) called He Followed Me Home. Well in the second series... my team lost so here I am making good on my end of the wager.

Her prompt for me was: Chris is a hotshot pitcher for team of your choice. He gets hurt and meets a trainer on staff. She figures out to rehab him when no one else could. Sparks fly.

I admit I kind of went a slightly different way with the prompt, but the jist of it is still there. So here you go @sian22redux! I hope you like it!

(Manip was done by the amazing @heather-lynn @heather-lynn-manips)

Title: The Pitcher

Pairing: Chris Evans x reader

Genre: Alternate Universe, Chris is a MLB pitcher

Rating: G

Warnings: n/a

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

You sit in the stands with your six-month-old son asleep in the baby carrier strapped to your chest. Your three-year-old daughter clings to your side as she stands in her own seat as your husband takes the mound.

"GO DADDY!" your daughter shouts as she spots her dad on the field. The family members of the other players laugh as she wildly waves her arms in the air trying to get your husband's attention.

You know he can't actually see the three of you in the stands, but he knows where to look and he taps the brim of his hat three times. To most people, that's just a nervous tick, but you know it stands for three words "I love you" and he's done it at the start of every game he's pitched since the two of you had started dating.

"He saw us, mommy!" your little girl exclaims, recognizing the sign. Turning to her captive audience, she says, "That's my daddy. He's the pincher."

"He's the pitcher," you correct your daughter with a smile as those around you giggle at the mistake. "Pitcher." She parrots you and then wraps her arms around your neck and gives you a slobbery kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, sweet girl." You wrap your arm around her waist and hold her to your body.

At three, your daughter doesn't understand the game that you and her dad love, but someday you know she will. After all, if it hadn't been for the game of baseball, you never would have met Chris Evans, the right handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and your daughter nor your son would exist.

6 Years Earlier

You had known going into a male dominated career would have its challenges, but you had pushed on with one dream in mind: to work for the Boston Red Sox's sports medicine team. You'd practically grown up in Fenway park, attending nearly every single home game with your dad, who had been a beat writer for one of the local papers, and you had dreamed of working there every day.

That dream had come true the summer after you graduated with your master's degree in sports medicine. Having spent the three summers previous interning in other sports medicine program throughout New England, you had applied for an internship with the Red Sox as a long shot, not thinking you'd actually get the job. But you had.

Your first week at Fenway Park had been a quiet one since the team was away on a road trip. In addition to taking the employee version of the ballpark tour, which took you to parts of the ballpark that the general public didn't get to see, you'd spent most of your first day signing paperwork that included a non-disclosure agreement and a strict no fraternization agreement. The rest of that first week had been spent shadowing the other staff as they worked with the players that hadn't gone on the road trip due to injuries.

The night before the team was due back, you'd stayed up late to watch them take on the Oakland Athletics in California and Chris had been the starting pitcher. Everything had been going well for him until the first pitch in the third inning. You'd known immediately that something was wrong with his arm and, sure enough, he'd been taken out of the game after talking to the training staff that was in California with the team.

You'd used your team provided tablet to rewatch the injury and the pitches Chris had done in the innings prior to that. Nothing had stood out to you until you watched video of Chris walking to the mound in the third inning. He'd been rubbing at the back of his neck and it had reminded you of a similar injury you'd helped treat the summer before.

Upon arriving at the ballpark the next morning, you'd gone straight to the office of your supervisor and had presented your findings as well as what you had experienced with the similar injury the year before. You had secretly hoped that you'd be given the opportunity to be part of rehab program for Chris, but you'd been shocked when you'd been given the lead on it with Chris's approval.

For the first couple of days, your supervisor had monitored you closely as you worked with Chris to set up his rehab schedule, but eventually it had been just you and Chris working together. As you had worked, the two of you had talked and gotten to know more about each other. You'd already known that Chris, like you, had grown up in the Boston suburbs, after all it had been huge news when the Red Sox had drafted him out of college, but you'd gotten to know the man behind the hot shot pitcher. And the more you'd gotten to see the man he truly was, the more you'd started to develop feelings for him.

It wasn't until after your last rehab session with Chris that he'd confessed that he had feelings for you, but you'd both known that, while you both worked for the Red Sox organization, you couldn't be more than friends. So friends the two of you had become, though you'd both known that you wanted more than that.

Which was why, when the Red Sox offered you a contract for the next year a week before your internship ended, you'd turned them down. Yes, working for the Red Sox had been your dream and you had loved every minute of it when you'd been a part of it. But you had a new dream, one in which Chris was a starring role and that dream couldn't have happened if you'd taken the job with the Red Sox.

Your first date with Chris had been the day after the Red Sox's season had ended and you'd known you were going to marry him after that first kiss. To make things even more sickenly cute, he had admitted feeling the same way after that kiss the night he'd proposed to you.

During the baseball season that followed, you'd gone to work for a local sports medicine practice while Chris had pitched the best season of his career, to date. The two of you married during the short break following the All-Star Game and had started your happily ever after.

#chris evans #chris evans fanfic #theycallmebecca #beccaheartschrisevans #becca writes drabbles #sian22redux

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biofunmy · 5 years ago

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The Clock Turns Back to 1983 as a Yastrzemski Homers at Fenway

BOSTON — Forty-four years ago, Carl Yastrzemski ended one of the most electrifying World Series in baseball history with a flyout to center field at Fenway Park. A little higher and farther, and Yastrzemski would have tied Game 7 with the Cincinnati Reds. He never returned to the World Series.

The year the Red Sox finally won it, 2004, was painful for Yastrzemski: His only son, Mike, a former minor leaguer, died that September of a heart attack after hip surgery. Only 43 years old, he had left behind a son, also named Mike.

On Tuesday, Mike Yastrzemski did something his father never could, and that his grandfather desperately wanted to do on that October night in 1975. He played a major league game at Fenway and hit a home run into the center-field bleachers.

“I just had to take a second and understand what was going on and appreciate that moment and not take it for granted,” said Yastrzemski, who later added a double. “So I made sure to kind of keep my head up and look around and just soak it all in.”

The fans applauded politely but did not give Yastrzemski, 29, a curtain call. He plays for the San Francisco Giants, after all, and they would beat the Red Sox, 7-6, in 15 innings. But even in this record-breaking season for homers in Major League Baseball, the blast — on a 96-mile-an-hour fastball from Nathan Eovaldi — resonated. It was the first by a Yastrzemski in Boston since 1983.

That was the last of Carl Yastrzemski’s 23 seasons, all for Boston. Nobody has ever played as many games for one franchise as Yastrzemski did for the Red Sox — 3,308. By the time he was 29 — Mike’s age now — Carl had played more than 1,200 games. He was closing in on his third batting title and a place in the Hall of Fame.

“When I turned 23, that was kind of the big, shocking moment — that for my entire life he had shown up at Fenway Park every day,” Mike Yastrzemski said. “That kind of blew my mind — I can’t picture 23 years’ worth of Major League Baseball experience. That’s when that really set in, when I started to see the magnitude of his effect on this city.”

Grandfather and grandson roamed left field on Tuesday afternoon, in the shadow of the Green Monster, where Carl spent so many summers and Mike patrolled for the first time in the majors on Tuesday. Carl visited the Giants’ clubhouse, too, but planned to leave Fenway before the game to watch at home.

Yastrzemski almost never sees games in person, even when he throws a ceremonial first pitch at the World Series. But he stays up late to watch every Giants broadcast, he said, and he does plan to be here on Wednesday.

“The only way I can compare it to anything would be if I compare it to the ’67 season,” he said of seeing his grandson at Fenway. “That’s what it means to me, him being here.”

That is quite a statement: The 1967 season cemented Yastrzemski as a superstar. He won baseball’s triple crown and led the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox to the World Series, reviving the baseball passion of this region.

It captivated a young fan from Wolfeboro, N.H., named Tim Corbin, who eventually became the baseball coach at Vanderbilt. As he recruited Mike Yastrzemski — who played in high school at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Mass. — Corbin could not shake the echoes of his childhood idol.

“When I looked at Mike, I was trying to evaluate him as if he was Mike Smith, just take away the last name,” Corbin said. “But there was a lot of him that I saw and said, ‘That’s his grandfather.’ He’s got his grandfather’s edge. That’s a Yastrzemski fire; he has that in him.”

In 2011, the young Yastrzemski helped lead the Commodores to their first trip to Omaha for the College World Series. He turned down a $300,000 offer from the Seattle Mariners after his junior year, fulfilling a pledge to his late father to earn his college degree. He did so the next year — majoring in crime in society — and joined the Baltimore Orioles as a 14th-round draft choice.

For six years, Yastrzemski languished in their farm system, playing in major league spring training games but never the real thing. Traded in March to the Giants, he found his power in the minors and earned a promotion in May. He is hitting .266 and is the first Giants rookie with 20 homers since Dave Kingman in 1972.

“Those pitches where he’s doing damage now, before he was just trying to hit liners in the gap or make solid contact,” said Giants pitcher Tyler Beede, who roomed with Yastrzemski at Vanderbilt. “Now he’s trying to actually do damage and drive the ball out of the ballpark. I’m sure he’s adapted his swing and tried to add a little launch angle to it, too.

“But I tell you what, he’s also one of the most sound defenders you’ll ever see. There will be fly balls hit to him and I know it’s going to be a difficult play, but sometimes I don’t even turn around because I know he’s going to catch it.”

Yastrzemski has started at all three outfield spots, but there was no question where Manager Bruce Bochy would put him on Tuesday. Bochy said Yastrzemski had impressed him in all areas — defense, base running, power — and Corbin, who has 15 former players in the majors this season, called him one of the best leaders he had ever coached.

The major leagues, he said, is where Yastrzemski belongs.

“I felt like if he got up there, he’s going to stay,” Corbin said. “He’s too good in the clubhouse, he’s too good on the field, and he treats every day the same way. He will never, ever, ever lose his innocence.”

No matter how the rest of his story unfolds, the purity of Yastrzemski’s moment on Tuesday — a grandson trotting in royal family footsteps — will be an indelible memory on the sparkling green of old Fenway.

Sahred From Source link Sports

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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Data experts and Klopp’s charisma turn Liverpool into kings of Europe

In the canteen at Liverpool the training ground in Melwood, two tables stand next to each other. At one, sit the players and coaches. Mo Salah munches breakfast alongside Jordan Henderson and Jurgen Klopp .

At the other, a group of non-descript people tuck into their morning poached eggs. They look nothing like the superstars their backs are pressed against. Yet the work of these geniuses, housed in a white office, a few strides down the corridor from the cafeteria, has helped gain Knock an edge in their pursuit of European glory.

They are known as the 'laptop guys' and without these individuals trawling through data, analysis and theorizing, Liverpool could have been left clinging to hopes of reclining the glories of former years.

Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final of the Champions League on Saturday night

They are led by Ian Graham, the club's director of research. His bond with Klopp was forged early on when he provided the new Liverpool manager with an analysis of two defeats from his time at Borussia Dortmund.

"You saw it! We destroyed them, "blurted Klopp. Graham explained he had not seen the game, he had simply analyzed the underlying data. It had been Graham, too, whose statistical model had scrutinized Klopp's under-performing Dortmund side in a 2014-15 season that saw the German club in the relegation zone.

His conclusion was that Dortmund had leg unlucky instead of incompetent. Liverpool were looking for a manager to replace Brendan Rodgers. Graham knew Klopp was their man.

When Klopp decided he needed a rest after Dortmund in the summer of 2015, Liverpool did not look elsewhere. They waited until the German was ready and brought him in the following October.

Tim Waskett works next to Graham. Waskett studied astrophysics before life as a football analyst. Then there’s Dafydd Steele, a maths graduate and former junior chess champion.

Perhaps the most fascinating member of the team is Will Spearman, one of the more recent additions. A Texan son of a professor, Spearman studied for a PhD in high-energy physics at Harvard before going on to work at CERN, searching for the Higgs boson particle. It was his dissertation that first provided a width for the "God Particle."

A lot of credit has to go to the 'laptop guys' behind the scenes, who are crunching the numbers

Here is a man who spent years searching for the most minute measurement in physics, now trying to give Liverpool an advantage, no matter how small. His insight has proved crucial.

Of course, these boffins do not take all of the credit, but Liverpool have embraced the marginal gains more than any other club. It was Klopp who hired Thomas Gronnemark to coach his team's throw-ins.

The analytics of Graham's team helped not only with Klopp's appointment and tactical observations that the manager may want to pass on to his team, but also with the transfer scouting that helped Liverpool thrive.

Graham's formula, among many things, looks not simply at percentage of completed passes but at whether each pass makes a player leaves his team more or less likely to score a goal because of it. It is through this that Graham urged the club to sign Naby Keita.

Liverpool's early transfer policy based on statistics and resale value did have flaws. The £ 16million purchase of Mario Balotelli in 2014 was hailed by the renowned Swiss CIES Football Observatory as the best value-for-money signing of that year, but turned out to be a disaster.

However, Liverpool have made three astonishing signings under Fenway that have been laid for their current success.

Luis Suarez was signed as damaged goods from Ajax in 2011 and turned out to be a superstar, almost single-handedly turning Liverpool into genuine title contenders

More recently, Mo Salah was signed from Roma for £ 34m in 2017 and has been the Premier League's top scorer for two seasons.

It was also such an analysis that encouraged the club to sign Philippe Coutinho for £ 8.5m in 2013. They sold him to Barcelona for £ 145m last year. The profit helped bring in Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, who have tasks Liverpool to the next level. How far this club has come in less than a decade. Forty-eight hours after buying Liverpool in October 2010, John W Henry and Tom Werner watched their new club lose 2-0 at Everton to stay rooted in the relegation zone.

As owners of baseball's Boston Red Sox, Henry and the Fenway Sports Group value the importance of harmony and smooth running off the pitch. Liverpool have it now.

The football side of affairs is run by sporting director Michael Edwards, who has been working at Anfield since 2011 for Portsmouth and Tottenham. Edwards heads a team of data and analyst specialists, with Klopp very much involved.

Sporting director Michael Edwards heads a team of data and analyst specialists

When Klopp arrived in 2015, he had a very good idea of what he wanted, with Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum signed the following summer. In time, Klopp has begun to admire and appreciate the input of Edwards's team – it was they who convinced the German that Salah was ready for the Premier League.

Chief executive Peter Moore is from Liverpool and a boyhood Red but has an American-based business background. Regarding his predecessor Ian Ayre got involved in football and commercial work, there is a clear division now. Moore concentrates on sponsorship, ticketing and finance, rather than recruitment.

Both men report to Fenway's 'man in England' Mike Gordon, who is based in London.

Key to Liverpool's revival has been the redevelopment of Anfield that could lead to a final capacity of 61,000. Not just the stage but the whole area has been transformed to give fans an experience akin to watching a major sports event across the Atlantic.

Liverpool's owners never pretended to know it all. "If they made mistakes, they listened, worked it out and fixed them," says a source.

Klopp is eager to praise his staff as well. Or 36-year-old assistant coach Pep Lijnders, he says: "I could write a book about him, about his influence, his optimism and his lively presence."

Besides the data, Klopp still relies on his old friend from Mainz, assistant manager Peter Krawietz, who is nicknamed 'The Eye' for his ability to spot a potential signing and also strengths and weaknesses or opponents.

A leading agent says: 'A lot of clubs go fishing for players. You always feel you're one of a number. Liverpool seem clearer about what they want. If they speak to you, they genuinely want to do a deal. "

Jurgen Klopp relations on Peter Krawietz, who is nicknamed 'The Eye' as he can spot a signing

The tactic may not always work in the short term but over several years, it's been a key to Liverpool's success. The best example is Van Dijk. Every phone-in show and pundit was screaming at Klopp to sign a center back after he missed out on the Dutchman in the summer of 2017.

Liverpool ignored the clamor and eventually got their man in the January 2018 window, even paying a premium fee.

The impact of Van Dijk has been extraordinary and gives an insight that Klopp will not panic buy or accept second order.

Liverpool have also been ruthless when they have needed to be. Rodgers, who gallantly led them to a thrilling second place in the 2014 Premier League title race, was fired barely a year later, his fate decided before he took the team into a final Merseyside derby at Goodison. Rodgers himself had given the job in 2012 after Henry had fired Kenny Dalglish, despite "The King" reaching two cup finals.

There has been no room for sentiment. Players such as Roberto Firmino, who fitted the Klopp philosophy, were signed before he arrived.

Liverpool also proved to be tough negotiators in the transfer market. Besides squeezing Barcelona for the huge Coutinho fee, they also successfully heroed out for £ 26m for defender Mamadou Sakho when there was no hope of him playing again under Klopp.

Crystal Palace ended up coughing up after Liverpool made it clear they would stick Sakho in the reserves for another year rather than accept a penny less.

It is a high risk strategy but it has allowed the club to gain maximum revenue for players which has been re-invested. Since 2014, Liverpool have assembled a world-class team at a net spend of £ 164m. In contrast, Chelsea have spent £ 205m, Arsenal £ 261m, Manchester United £ 488m and Manchester City £ 570m.

When Henry with the media soon after his takeover, he earnestly wrote down the words 'pass and move' on a notepad when a local hack tried to explain the philosophy of Liverpool's teamwork, dating back to Bill Shankly.

It was a sham on Henry's part, he already thought he knew best and had already lined up Damien Comolli as sporting director, the appointment confirmed three weeks later. Comolli was later sacked with a mixed record – Suarez and Jordan Henderson were signed under his watch but so, too, £ 35m Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing – and an imported communications director, Jen Chang from America, left in disgrace after he threatened a supporter.

To Henry's credit – and that of FSG president Gordon who was the company's eyes and ears in the UK – they worked hard to adapt their New England philosophy to a part of England with its own characteristics so unique it is sometimes dubbed "The People's Republic of Merseyside."

Dalglish, arguably the greatest figure in the club's history, was brought back into the fold as a club ambassador. Full-time appointments were made to liaise with supporters and fans' groups, both local and international.

There will always be the odd conflict between a hard-headed business and a community asset like Liverpool – local residents are currently unhappy the club are selling the famed Melwood training ground to property developers – but no club tries to engage harder with their fans than Liverpool.

No club tried to engage harder with their fans than Liverpool, with plenty of local heroes

Trent Alexander-Arnold's young local hero is active in supporting important campaigns such as reducing gang involvement in nearby schools.

What for the future, then? Can Liverpool be bigger than Manchester United? Can they become English football's driving force again?

United and Liverpool are traditionally English football's biggest and best-supported clubs – at home and all over the planet.

If Liverpool can build on this season while United continued to miss out on the Champions League, the balance of power could swing back again after years of dominance at Old Trafford.

Premier League research from 2017 put Liverpool's global support at 1.1billion.

Their social media audience is 66 million and they have 288 official supporters' clubs in 94 different countries.

While they are not ready yet to take United in pure figures, Liverpool believe their fan base is more active than at any other club.

Ultimately, their continued growth depends on what Klopp and his players manage to do on the pitch.

So far, they are delivering in spectacular fashion.

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#Data experts and Klopp’s charisma turn Liverpool into kings of Europe"

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thegloober · 6 years ago

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Zagorje Croatia, a Super Romantic Place to See in the World

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Don’t have time to read this now? Click here and I will email you a PDF version.

For a beautiful day trip from Zagreb, take a drive northwards about an hour to the Zagorje region of Croatia. The area is full of rolling hills and vineyards, small quaint homes, medieval burgs, and castles. The best sights to see in this area are the city of Varaždin and Trakošćan castle. As you probably know when traveling, Keith and I often like to take private tours. Taking a private tour allows us a chance to get to know a local, the guide. We also like having enough time to ask all our questions, and we like having the option to stay longer or less at a particular place.

Zico Tours, Varaždin + Trakošćan Castle

The private tour we took to the Zagorje region, Varaždin and the Trakošćan Castle, provided by Zico Tours was fantastic. Our private guide, Dijana, met us at our hotel. She had an SUV and driver waiting. While our driver concentrated on the road our guide, Dijana, began informing us about the area we were going to visit.

Trakošćan, a True Fairy Tale Castle

First up on our agenda, Zico Tours took us to the 13-century Trakošćan castle. Trakošćan castle perched on a hill overlooking a park and forest is a fine example of a fairy tale like fortification. In the eighteen hundreds, the owners and residents renovated the castle developing the romantic park setting around the perimeter. In 1944 the owners were forced to emigrate to Austria. Soon after that, the castle became nationalized and is still owned by the Croatian government today. Today it is a museum available to tour with a knights room, hunting room, music room and more. All of the weapons housed in the museum were those used by the residents of the castle or their help. The piano from the first half of the 19th century located in the music room is extremely valuable.

Touring the castle is interesting and not to be missed, but the real jewel is seeing the castle from across the lake. Originally the castle had, Romanesque features but in the mid-19th century, restoration of the castle took place in the neo-Gothic style. The beauty of the castle today took shape in the 1800’s. Keith and I have traveled a lot and have seen our fair share of castles. The view of Trakošćan castle sitting up on the hill, across the small lake, surrounded by stately green trees is a real treat. This part of the Zagorje area makes you feel as though you are in fairy tale land. The setting is so romantic, idyllic and picturesque you will want to take photos there for hours. In fact, we have this picture below made into a piece of art for our living room.

830+ Year Old City of Varaždin in Zagorje

Next up we visited the very old yet very beautiful city of Varaždin. Because Varaždin is so charming and filled with Baroque architecture, it is often called little Vienna. This city dating back to the 12th century was home to some of Croatia’s wealthiest and also many artists. In the late 1700’s it was even the capital of Croatia.

Our first stop was in the old town where there is a real castle, complete with a drawbridge that leads directly into the main square. Varaždin is also a college town. Many people visit this lively destination for art exhibits, music, and flowers. Walking around the town, you truly feel like you are reliving a by-gone era. The architecture is stunning, the streets and walkways are artfully laid out with a sense of purpose as well as beauty. Everywhere you look, there is something picturesque to enjoy.

Guilds from Many Years Ago Exist Today

Varaždin is like an outdoor museum, for instance, between buildings we saw small niches with beautifully carved figures. Many shops had old signboards like a mermaid, which our guide told us represented exotic imports back in time, spread over a Chocolate shop. On the side of a building, we saw an iron man which Dijana said meant it was a blacksmith’s shop and today is a hardware store. We also saw this cute turtle hanging outside a shop, and that Dijana said stood for a grocery store.

In Varaždin there are all these little surprises. While walking along some of the side streets, we came across what we think is a sundial painted on the outside of a wall. Varaždin is not just a tourist city; it is very much a lived in a city with a vibe that only college towns have. Varaždin is such an amazing city that the New York Times voted it one of 52 Places to visit in its 2014 list.

Where the Angels Sleep

When people think of Croatia, they think of Dubrovnik and Split. But the inland city, in the Zagorje region, of Varaždin is one of the most well preserved and picturesque cities in the country. It is also the city where the angels sleep. Over thirty years ago a local artist, Željko Prstec began painting motifs of Baroque angels under the banner of “Varaždin: the City where Angels Sleep.” Since this time others have joined in to make Varaždin the city of angels. If you have a keen eye as you walk the streets and visit restaurants and shops, you will see that these fairy tale like angels are everywhere.

A Street Organ and Authentic Croatian Food

For lunch, our guide suggested Verglec restaurant. This restaurant was a real treat. The restaurant takes its name from the barrel organ, an example of which sits at the entrance. A barrel organ or street organ as you may be more familiar with is a mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and racks of pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and beautifully decorated. Wooden barrels inside the organ contain encoded pieces of music. The basic principle is the same as a traditional pipe organ, but rather than an organist playing, the barrel organ plays once a person turns a crank. Of course, with something so cool as this I had to try playing!

Once I was able to drag myself away from the barrel organ, we sat at our table. We sat in a section of outdoor tables on a patio with climbing roses. We ordered some wine and perused the menu.

Dijana said that Verglec is known for having the most authentic Croatian food in Zagorje. For this tour, our driver was Dijana’s husband, a well known Zagreb artist. I asked him what people of the Zagoje region would have eaten regularly 50 years ago, and he told me cabbage and pasta. As kids, he ate it all the time. I would never have put those two things together, but that is what I ordered. The dish came, and it did not look spectacular, but one bite changed all of that. It was delicious. I could see why this was a popular dish. It was simple, cost-effective and the seasoning used on this brought all the flavors together. Everyone at the table voted it the best dish of lunch.

Possibly Europe’s Oldest Town Hall

After lunch, we walked around Varaždin some more. Dominating the central square of Varaždin is possibly Europe’s oldest town hall. This once old stone house was given to the people of Varaždin in 1523 and has been the town hall ever since. The coat of arms displayed proudly above the door depicts the city in the hands of angels! There used to be a market in front of the town hall, but today it is filled with summer terraces offering a bite to eat or a coffee.

Varaždin Catherdral

In the 17th century, the Jesuits built this beautiful baroque church, St Mary’s Assumption, but is today Varaždin Cathedral.

There’s the square of Traditional Craftsmen

We saw hats and crafts in the square of traditional artisans.

The Same for Centuries

Gajeva Street is a popular pedestrian promenade. The baroque facades of the many Varaždin buildings lining the street are spectacular. The front side of the many townhomes of Varaždin’s old streets are the same as they were a few centuries ago.

Zagorje offers so much to see and do while in Croatia. It is like a trip into fairytale land with its beautiful castles and fortresses. The lovely maintained baroque architecture of Varaždin will charm you. Then there is the gastronomy of Zagorje known for its aroma, rich tastes, and home to some authentic Croatian food. To experience a true Croatian holiday, you must visit Zagorje! And be sure to do it with a great tour by Zico Tours.

Check out our 4 minute video of the castles

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flauntpage · 6 years ago

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Five Things to Know About the First-Place Phillies as August Begins

The Phillies stopped their four-game skid last night with an important 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park behind an outstanding pitching performance from Jake Arrieta.

They open the month of August clinging to a half-game lead in the National League East. Can they stay in front of the upstart Braves and underachieving Nationals? Let’s take a look at some things you need to know as the Phillies gear up for a late-summer postseason push.

1. The Phillies added All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos ahead of yesterday’s trade deadline

Matt Klentak told reporters yesterday that Ramos won’t return from his left hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since July 14 until at least mid-August. Even when he does return, there’s no guarantee that Ramos will return to his pre-injury form after more than a month on the shelf.

Still, taking a low-cost chance on the 30 year old for his offense seems worth it.

Consider this: Phillies catchers have combined for a .312 OBP and .702 OPS this season with 11 homers. They’ve also struck out in 35.9% percent of their 449 plate appearances. Ramos, meanwhile, has a .346 OBP and .834 OPS with 14 homers while striking out in only 19.4% of his 315 plate appearance. He gets on base more frequently, hits for more power, and strikes out less.

Defensively, the 13 passed balls allowed by Phillies catchers are more than any other team in the National League. The 58 wild pitches they have been on the receiving end of are the second-most. Ramos, meanwhile, has allowed six passed balls and has been on the receiving end of 23 wild pitches this season. That’s not a marked improvement.

In terms of limiting damage on the base paths, Phillies catchers have thrown out 24 of 92 base stealers (26.1%), which is a bit below the MLB average of 28%. Unsurprisingly, Jorge Alfaro has been better than league average on this front, stopping 18 of 57 attempts (31.6%):

Jorge Alfaro vs. Trea Turner is a dream matchup of arm vs. legs.

Tonight, @_JorgeAlfaro11 won the battle with this 92.5 mph throw and 1.77-second pop time!

That is: – The hardest CS throw by a catcher in #statcast history – The 2nd-fastest pop time on a CS throw since 2015 pic.twitter.com/iM8YwWXjOa

— #Statcast (@statcast) July 1, 2018

It’s also unsurprising that Andrew Knapp has struggled, as he’s thrown out only six of 35 base stealers (17.1%). This throw didn’t come on one of those attempts – because it was ball four:

kevinmcguire: Andrew Knapp throwing to second on ball four is indefensible, although Tom McCarthy tried. Comcast Sports Network Philadelphia MLB Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies https://t.co/WsUZy4LlRA pic.twitter.com/9HXTkMYz6M

— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) July 25, 2018

Ramos, meanwhile, has eliminated seven of 32 base runners (21.9%). While he’s more experienced and perhaps “more smooth” behind the plate than Alfaro, and most certainly a defensive upgrade over Knapp, Ramos is not a classic “defensive minded” catcher. This acquisition was about adding experience and solidifying the position, but more than anything, it’s a low-risk flyer that could provide a big offensive payoff come September.

Oh, and one thing more thing on Knapp. Despite assumptions to the contrary, he may not be destined for Lehigh Valley after all. He’s hitting only .233 with a .689 OPS this season, but he’s shown significant improvement in recent weeks. Since June 20, Knapp has hit .283 with a .918 OPS that’s driven by a .550 slugging percentage. While I don’t expect him to log many innings behind the dish over the season’s final month, if he can maintain his recent production, his bat can be valuable to Gabe Kapler late in games down the stretch. Bet you didn’t think you would be reading that take this season.

2. How about Maikel Franco?

The Phillies once-forgotten third baseman reached base four times last night and leads the team with a .278 batting average after a blistering month of July in which he slashed .330/.378/.593. His K% dropped to a season-best 11.2% in 98 July plate appearances, and his hard-hit % has incrementally increased every month this season:

Crushed it.

Maikel Franco hammers a pitch up in the zone to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/LU6GFu6FRe

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 10, 2018

Franco is doing more damage against fastballs, cutters, and sinkers this season, and I think a lot of that has to do with his increased commitment to hitting the ball the other way. He’s hitting .345 on balls raked to the opposite field this season, which is a 59-point increase over his .286 average on such balls a season ago. He’s also hitting .262 on grounders, which is a 98-point increase from his .164 average in 2017 on such balls. His improved offensive performance has been absolutely critical to the Phillies’ ability to ascend and hold on to first-place.

3. I don’t think anybody would argue that the Phillies’ defense has been consistently tough to watch this season

The latest example came Monday night on this play that directly contributed to wrecking a virtuoso performance by Aaron Nola:

It’s not too late… #BeBold #OdubelHerrera pic.twitter.com/7TOiNQhuH6

— Mr. Matt (@matt_m19) July 31, 2018

The analytics support what your eyes have probably been telling you. Perhaps you saw this tweet on Monday from Sports Info Solutions:

Most Defensive Runs Saved – Teams Brewers 98 Diamondbacks 95 Cubs 51 Braves 50 Yankees 42

Fewest Defensive Runs Saved- Teams Phillies -88 Orioles -68 Mets -58 Pirates -53

— Sports Info Solutions (@SportsInfo_SIS) July 30, 2018

According to FanGraphs, which also tracks defensive runs saved, the Phillies have graded negatively at every single position. The numbers are egregiously poor in left field (-18), at shortstop (-11), third base (-11), and catcher (-10).

Mark Simon (@markasimonsays) of Sports Info Solutions told me through a series of messages yesterday that the primary issues include:

The team has struggled getting outs on groundballs and line drives when they shift.

Throwing has been an issue, as no individual players throw the ball well to first relative to the rest of the league.

Rhys Hoskins rates poorly on balls hit to the deepest and shallowest parts of the field, and runners often take extra bases on balls hit to him.

Andrew Knapp struggles to block and get called strikes.

It’s worth mentioning the addition of Asdrubal Cabrera most certainly won’t help. He’s accounted for a brutal -18 DRS at second base this season and will likely spend some time playing short stop, which is obviously a more difficult position to field. That’s a tough assignment for an aging and well below average defensive infielder.

If the defense doesn’t improve, and it’s hard to imagine it will, the Phillies will desperately need more consistency from an offense that has some individual productive players, but often feels disjointed as it shuts down for prolonged stretches.

And now for two more additional quick notes:

4. Seranthony Dominguez has held the opposition scoreless in four of his first five appearances since the All-Star break

His lone blemish came last Monday when he earned the loss against the Dodgers after a shaky ninth inning in which he was tagged for two runs while recording only one out.

But I do have one concern with Dominguez – he’s been wild. In those five appearances, Dominguez allowed seven walks and also hit a batter, which is a drastic jump when you consider he issued only one walk over his first 16 appearances to start the season. Obviously, he is pure electricity and has the stuff to overcome his control issues as we saw during both of his appearances against the Red Sox, but this is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

5. And, finally, there is Rhys Hoskins

The dude is unreal. Since participating in the home run derby, Hoskins has been out of his mind. He’s hitting .327 with a 1.309 OPS, 7 HR, 6 2B, 9 BB, and 14 RBI in 49 plate appearances to start the second half. He’s not there yet, but he’s turning into a star before our eyes.

Be sure to check out Crossed Up: A Phillies Podcast for more on the Red Sox series, the team’s trade deadline acquisitions, and more.

The post Five Things to Know About the First-Place Phillies as August Begins appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Five Things to Know About the First-Place Phillies as August Begins published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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