TL;DR: Man with too much time on his hands goes deep down the rabbit hole on a concept this sub already didn’t seem that enthusiastic about. If you really want to skip ahead, CTRL+F “verdict” and it’ll get you there.
Two days ago, u/MrPhillyj2wns made a post asking whether USL should launch a D1 league in order to compete in Concacaf. From the top voted replies, it appears this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
But I’ve been at home for eight weeks and I am terribly, terribly bored.
So, I present to you this overview of what the USL pyramid might look like if Jake Edwards got a head of steam and attempted to establish a USSF-sanctioned first division. This is by no means an endorsement of such a proposal or even a suggestion that USL SHOULD do such a thing. It is merely an examination of whether they COULD.
Welcome to the ~~Thunderdome~~ USL Premiership
First, there are some base-level assumptions we must make in this exercise, because it makes me feel more scientific and not like a guy who wrote this on Sunday while watching the Belarusian Premier League (Go BATE Borisov!).

All D1 teams must comply with known USSF requirements for D1 leagues (more on that later).
MLS, not liking this move, will immediately remove all directly-owned affiliate clubs from the USL structure (this does not include hybrid ownerships, like San Antonio FC – NYCFC). This removes all MLS2 teams but will not affect Colorado Springs, Reno, RGVFC and San Antonio.
The USL will attempt to maintain both the USL Championship and USL League One, with an eventual mind toward creating the pro/rel paradise that is promised in Relegations 3:16.
All of my research regarding facility size and ownership net worth is correct – this is probably the biggest leap of faith we have to make, since googling “NAME net worth” and “CITY richest people” doesn’t seem guaranteed to return accurate results.
The most a club can increase its available seating capacity to meet D1 requirements in a current stadium is no more than 1,500 seats (10% of the required 15,000). If they need to add more, they’ll need a new facility.
Let’s pretend that people are VERY willing to sell. It’s commonly acknowledged that the USL is a more financially feasible route to owning a soccer club than in MLS (c.f. MLS-Charlotte’s reported $325 million expansion fee) and the USSF has some very strict requirements for D1 sanctioning. It becomes pretty apparent when googling a lot of team’s owners that this requirement isn’t met, so let’s assume everyone that can’t sells to people who meet the requirements.

(Known) USSF D1 league requirements:
- League must have 12 teams to apply and 14 teams by year three
- Majority owner must have a net worth of $40 million, and the ownership group must have a total net worth of $70 million. The value of an owned stadium is not considered when calculating this value.
- Must have teams located in the Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones
- 75% of league’s teams must be based in markets with at a metro population of at least 1 million people.
- All league stadiums must have a capacity of at least 15,000
The ideal club candidate for the USL Premiership will meet the population and capacity requirements in its current ground, which will have a grass playing surface. Of the USL Championship’s 27 independent/hybrid affiliate clubs, I did not find one club that meets all these criteria as they currently stand.
Regarding turf fields, the USSF does not have a formal policy regarding the ideal playing surface but it is generally acknowledged that grass is superior to turf. 6 of 26 MLS stadiums utilize turf, or roughly 23% of stadiums. We’ll hold a similar restriction for our top flight, so 2-3 of our top flight clubs can have turf fields. Seem fair?
Capacity is going to be the biggest issue, since the disparity between current requirements for the second-tier (5,000) and the first tier (15,000) is a pretty massive gap. Nice club you have there, triple your capacity and you’re onto something. As a result, I have taken the liberty of relocating certain (read: nearly all) clubs to new grounds, trying my utmost to keep those clubs in their current markets and –importantly--, ensure they play on grass surfaces.
So, let’s do a case-by-case evaluation and see if we can put together 12-14 teams that meet the potential requirements, because what else do you have to do?
For each club’s breakdown, anything that represents a chance from what is currently true will be underlined.
Candidate: Birmingham Legion FC
Location (Metro population): Birmingham, Ala. (1,151,801)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Legion Field (FieldTurf, 71,594)
Potential owner: Stephens Family (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Birmingham has a pretty strong candidacy. Having ditched the 5,000-seater BBVA Field for Legion Field, which sits 2.4 miles away, they’ve tapped into the city’s soccer history. Legion Field hosted portions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 1996 Olympics, including a 3-1 U.S. loss to Argentina that saw 83,183 pack the house. The Harbert family seemed like strong ownership contenders, but since the death of matriarch Marguerite Harbert in 2015, it’s unclear where the wealth in the family is concentrated, so the Stephens seem like a better candidate. The only real knock that I can think of is that we really want to avoid having clubs play on turf, so I’d say they’re on the bubble of our platonic ideal USL Prem.
Candidate: Charleston Battery
Location (Metro population): Charleston, S.C. (713,000)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Johnson Hagood Stadium (Grass, ~14,700)
Potential owner: Anita Zucker (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Charleston’s candidacy isn’t looking great. Already disadvantaged due to its undersized metro population, a move across the Cooper River to Johnson Hagood Stadium is cutting it close in terms of capacity. The stadium, home to The Citadel’s football team, used to seat 21,000, before 9,300 seats on the eastern grandstand were torn down in 2017 to deal with lead paint that had been used in their construction. Renovation plans include adding 3,000 seats back in, which could hit 15,000 if they bumped it to 3,300, but throw in a required sale by HCFC, LLC (led by content-creation platform founder Rob Salvatore) to chemical magnate Anita Zucker, and you’ll see there’s a lot of ifs and ands in this proposal.
Candidate: Charlotte Independence
Location (Metro population): Charlotte, N.C. (2,569, 213)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Jerry Richardson Stadium (Turf, 15,314)
Potential owner: James Goodnight (reported net worth $9.1 billion)
Notes: Charlotte ticks a lot of the boxes. A move from the Sportsplex at Matthews to UNC-Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson stadium meets capacity requirements, but puts them on to the dreaded turf. Regrettably, nearby American Legion Memorial Stadium only seats 10,500, despite a grass playing surface. With a sizeable metro population (sixth-largest in the USL Championship) and a possible owner in software billionaire James Goodnight, you’ve got some options here. The biggest problem likely lies in direct competition for market share against a much better-funded MLS Charlotte side due to join the league in 2021.
Candidate: Hartford Athletic
Location (Metro population): Hartford, Conn. (1,214,295)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Pratt & Whitney Stadium (Grass, 38,066)
Potential owner: Ray Dalio (reported net worth $18.4 billion)
Notes: Okay, I cheated a bit here, having to relocate Hartford to Pratt & Whitney Stadium, which is technically in East Hartford, Conn. I don’t know enough about the area to know if there’s some kind of massive beef between the two cities, but the club has history there, having played seven games in 2019 while Dillon Stadium underwent renovations. If the group of local businessmen that currently own the club manage to attract Dalio to the table, we’re on to something.
Candidate: Indy Eleven
Location (Metro population): Indianapolis, Ind. (2,048,703)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lucas Oil Stadium (Turf, 62,421)
Potential owner: Jim Irsay (reported net worth of $3 billion)
Notes: Indy Eleven are a club that are SO CLOSE to being an ideal candidate – if it weren’t for Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf playing surface. Still, there’s a lot to like in this bid. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea what current owner and founder Ersal Ozdemir is worth, but it seems like there might be cause for concern. A sale to Irsay, who also owns the NFL Indianapolis (nee Baltimore) Colts, seems likely to keep the franchise there, rather than make a half-mile move to 14,230 capacity Victory Field where the AAA Indianapolis Indians play and expand from there.
Candidate: Louisville City FC
Location (Metro population): Louisville, Ky. (1,297,310)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lynn Family Stadium (Grass, 14,000, possibly expandable to 20,000)
Potential owner: Wayne Hughes (reported net worth $2.8 billion)
Notes: I’m stretching things a bit here. Lynn Family stadium is currently listed as having 11,700 capacity that’s expandable to 14,000, but they’ve said that the ground could hold as many as 20,000 with additional construction, which might be enough to grant them a temporary waiver from USSF. If the stadium is a no-go, then there’s always Cardinal Stadium, home to the University of Louisville’s football team, which seats 65,000 but is turf. Either way, it seems like a sale to someone like Public Storage founder Wayne Hughes will be necessary to ensure the club has enough capital.
Candidate: Memphis 901 FC
Location (Metro population): Memphis, Tenn. (1,348,260)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Liberty Bowl Stadium (Turf, 58,325)
Potential owner: Fred Smith (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Unfortunately for Memphis, AutoZone Park’s 10,000 seats won’t cut it at the D1 level. With its urban location, it would likely prove tough to renovate, as well. Liberty Bowl Stadium more than meets the need, but will involve the use of the dreaded turf. As far as an owner goes, FedEx founder Fred Smith seems like a good local option.
Candidate: Miami FC, “The”
Location (Metro population): Miami, Fla. (6,158,824)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Riccardo Silva Stadium (FieldTurf, 20,000)
Potential owner: Riccardo Silva (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: Well, well, well, Silva might get his wish for top-flight soccer, after all. He’s got the money, he’s got the metro, and his ground has the capacity. There is the nagging issue of the turf, though. Hard Rock Stadium might present a solution, including a capacity of 64,767 and a grass playing surface. It is worth noting, however, that this is the first profile where I didn’t have to find a new potential owner for a club.
Candidate: North Carolina FC
Location (Metro population): Durham, N.C. (1,214,516 in The Triangle)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Carter-Finley Stadium (Grass/Turf, 57,583)
Potential owner: Steve Malik (precise net worth unknown) / Dennis Gillings (reported net worth of $1.7 billion)
Notes: We have our first “relocation” in North Carolina FC, who were forced to trade Cary’s 10,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park for Carter-Finley Stadium in Durham, home of the NC State Wolfpack and 57,583 of their closest friends. The move is a whopping 3.1 miles, thanks to the close-knit hub that exists between Cary, Durham and Raleigh. Carter-Finley might be my favorite of the stadium moves in this exercise. The field is grass, but the sidelines are artificial turf. Weird, right? Either way, it was good enough for Juventus to play a friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara there in 2011. Maybe the move would be pushed for by new owner and medical magnate Dennis Gillings, whose British roots might inspire him to get involved in the Beautiful Game. Straight up, though, I couldn’t find a net worth for current owner Steve Malik, though he did sell his company MedFusion for $91 million in 2010, then bought it back for an undisclosed amount and sold it again for $43 million last November. I don’t know if Malik has the juice to meet D1 requirements, but I suspect he’s close.
Candidate: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Location (Metro population): Pittsburgh, Penn. (2,362,453)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Heinz Field (Grass, 64,450)
Potential owner: Henry Hillman (reported net worth $2.5 billion)
Notes: I don’t know a ton about the Riverhounds, but this move in particular feels like depriving a pretty blue-collar club from its roots. Highmark Stadium is a no-go from a seating perspective, but the Steelers’ home stadium at Heinz Field would more than meet the requirements and have a grass surface that was large enough to be sanctioned for a FIFA friendly between the U.S. WNT and Costa Rica in 2015. As for an owner, Tuffy Shallenberger (first ballot owner name HOF) doesn’t seem to fit the USSF bill, but legendary Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Hillman might. I’m sure you’re asking, why not the Rooney Family, if they’ll play at Heinz Field? I’ll tell you: I honestly can’t seem to pin down a value for the family. The Steelers are valued at a little over a billion and rumors persist that Dan Rooney is worth $500 million, but I’m not sure. I guess the Rooneys would work too, but it’s a definite departure from an owner in Shallenberger who was described by one journalist as a guy who “wears boots, jeans, a sweater and a trucker hat.”
Candidate: Saint Louis FC
Location (Metro population): St. Louis, Mo. (2,807,338)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Busch Stadium (Grass, 45,494)
Potential owner: William DeWitt Jr. (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Saint Louis has some weirdness in making the jump to D1. Current CEO Jim Kavanaugh is an owner of the MLS side that will begin play in 2022. The club’s current ground at West Community Stadium isn’t big enough, but perhaps a timely sale to Cardinals owner William DeWitt Jr. could see the club playing games at Busch Stadium, which has a well established history of hosting other sports like hockey, college football and soccer (most recently a U.S. WNT friendly against New Zealand in 2019). The competition with another MLS franchise wouldn’t be ideal, like Charlotte, but with a big enough population and cross marketing from the Cardinals, maybe there’s a winner here. Wacko idea: If Busch doesn’t pan out, send them to The Dome. Sure, it’s a 60k turf closed-in stadium, but we can go for that retro NASL feel and pay homage to our nation’s soccer history.
Candidate: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Location (Metro population): Tampa, Fla. (3,068,511)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Raymond James Stadium (Grass, 65,518)
Potential owner: Edward DeBartolo Jr. (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: This one makes me sad. Despite having never been there, I see Al Lang Stadium as an iconic part of the Rowdies experience. Current owner Bill Edwards proposed an expansion to 18,000 seats in 2016, but the move seems to have stalled out. Frustrated with the city’s lack of action, Edwards sells to one-time San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who uses his old NFL connections to secure a cushy lease at the home of the Buccaneers in Ray Jay, the site of a 3-1 thrashing of Antigua and Barbuda during the United States’ 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Breather. Hey, we finished the Eastern Conference teams. Why are you still reading this? Why am I still writing it? Time is a meaningless construct in 2020 my friends, we are adrift in the void, fueled only by brief flashes of what once was and what may yet still be.
Candidate: Austin Bold FC
Location (Metro population): Austin, Texas (2,168,316)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 95,594)
Potential owner: Michael Dell (reported net worth of $32.3 billion)
Notes: Anthony Precourt’s Austin FC has some unexpected competition and it comes in the form of tech magnate Michael Dell. Dell, were he to buy the club, would be one of the richest owners on our list and could flash his cash in the new first division. Would he have enough to convince Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (I’m not kidding, that’s its actual name) to go back to a grass surface, like it did from ’96-’08? That’s between Dell and nearly 100,000 UT football fans, but everything can be had for the right price.
Candidate: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Location (Metro population): Colorado Springs, Colo. (738,939)
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Falcon Stadium (FieldTurf, 46,692)
Potential owner: Charles Ergen (reported net worth $10.8 billion)
Notes: Welcome to Colorado Springs. We have hurdles. For the first time in 12 candidates, we’re back below the desired 1 million metro population mark. Colorado Springs actually plans to build a $35 million, 8,000 seat venue downtown that will be perfect for soccer, but in our timeline that’s 7,000 seats short. Enter Falcon Stadium, home of the Air Force Academy Falcons football team. Seems perfect except for the turf, right? Well, the tricky thing is that Falcon Stadium is technically on an active military base and is (I believe) government property. Challenges to getting in and out of the ground aside, the military tends to have a pretty grim view of government property being used by for-profit enterprises. Maybe Charles Ergen, founder and chairman of Dish Network, would be able to grease the right wheels, but you can go ahead and throw this into the “doubtful” category. It’s a shame, too. 6,035 feet of elevation is one hell of a home-field advantage.
Candidate: El Paso Locomotive FC
Location: El Paso, Texas
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Sun Bowl (FieldTurf, 51,500)
Potential owner: Paul Foster (reported net worth $1.7 billion)
Notes: God bless Texas. When compiling this list, I found so many of the theoretical stadium replacements were nearly serviceable by high school football fields. That’s insane, right? Anyway, Locomotive don’t have to settle for one of those, they’ve got the Sun Bowl, which had its capacity reduced in 2001 to a paltry 51,500 (from 52,000) specifically to accommodate soccer. Sure, it’s a turf surface, but what does new owner Paul Foster (who is only the 1,477th wealthiest man in the world, per Forbes) care, he’s got a team in a top league. Side note: Did you know that the Sun Bowl college football game is officially, through sponsorship, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl? Why is it not the Frosted Flakes Sun Bowl? Why is the cereal mascot the promotional name of the football game? What are you doing, Kellogg’s?
Candidate: Las Vegas Lights FC
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (2,227,053)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Allegiant Stadium (Grass, 61,000)
Potential owner: Sheldon Adelson (reported net worth $37.7 billion)
Notes: Sin City. You had to know that the club that once signed Freddy Adu because “why not” was going to go all out in our flashy hypothetical proposal. Thanks to my narrative control of this whole thing, they have. Adelson is the second-richest owner in the league and has decided to do everything first class. That includes using the new Raiders stadium in nearby unincorporated Paradise, Nevada, and spending boatloads on high profile transfers. Zlatan is coming back to the U.S., confirmed.
Candidate: New Mexico United
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Isotopes Park – officially Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park (Grass, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Maloof Family (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: New Mexico from its inception went deep on the community vibe, and I’ve tried to replicate that in this bid. The home field of Rio Grande Cr---I’m not typing out the whole thing—Isotopes Park falls just within the expansion rules we set to make it to 15,000 (weird, right?) and they’ve found a great local ownership group in the Lebanese-American Maloof (formerly Maalouf) family from Las Vegas. The only thing to worry about would be the metro population, but overall, this could be one of the gems of USL Prem.
Candidate: Oklahoma City Energy FC
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (1,396,445)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (Grass, 13,066)
Potential owner: Harold Hamm (reported net worth $14.2 billion)
Notes: There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow and it says it’s time to change stadiums and owners to make it to D1. A sale to oil magnate Harold Hamm would give the club the finances it needs, but Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home of the OKC Dodgers) actually falls outside of the boundary of what would meet capacity if 1,500 seats were added. Could the club pull off a move to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma – home of the Oklahoma Sooners? Maybe, but at 20 miles, this would be a reach.
Candidate: Orange County SC
Location: Irvine, Calif. (3,176, 000 in Orange County)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Angels Stadium of Anaheim (Grass, 43,250)
Potential owner: Arte Moreno (reported net worth $3.3 billion)
Notes: You’ll never convince me that Rangers didn’t choose to partner with Orange County based primarily on its name. Either way, a sale to MLB Angels owner Arte Moreno produces a fruitful partnership, with the owner choosing to play his newest club out of the existing Angels stadium in OC. Another baseball conversion, sure, but with a metro population of over 3 million and the closest thing this hypothetical league has to an LA market, who’s complaining?
Candidate: Phoenix Rising FC
Location: Phoenix, Ariz. (4,857,962)
Time zone: Arizona
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): State Farm Stadium (Grass, 63,400)
Potential owner: Ernest Garcia II (reported net worth $5.7 billion)
Notes: We’re keeping it local with new owner and used car guru Ernest Garcia II. His dad owned a liquor store and he dropped out of college, which is making me feel amazing about my life choices right now. Casino Arizona Field is great, but State Farm Stadium is a grass surface that hosted the 2019 Gold Cup semifinal, so it’s a clear winner. Throw in Phoenix’s massive metro population and this one looks like a lock.
Candidate: Reno 1868 FC
Location: Reno, Nev. (425,417)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Mackay Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: Nancy Walton Laurie (reported net worth $7.1 billion)
Notes: The Biggest Little City on Earth has some serious barriers to overcome, thanks to its low metro population. A sale to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and 1.6 mile-move to Mackay Stadium to split space with the University of Nevada, Reno makes this bid competitive, but the turf surface is another knock against it.
Candidate: Rio Grande Valley FC
Location: Edinburg, Texas (900,304)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): McAllen Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Alice Louise Walton (reported net worth $45 billion)
Notes: Yes, I have a second straight Walmart heiress on the list. She was the first thing that popped up when I googled “McAllen Texas richest people.” The family rivalry has spurred Walton to buy a club as well, moving them 10 miles to McAllen Memorial Stadium which, as I alluded to earlier, is a straight up high school football stadium with a full color scoreboard. Toss in an additional 1,500 seats and you’ve met the minimum, despite the turf playing surface.
Candidate: San Antonio FC
Location: San Antonio, Texas (2,550,960)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Alamodome (FieldTurf, 64,000)
Potential owner: Red McCombs (reported net worth $1.6 billion)
Notes: I wanted to keep SAFC in the Spurs family, since the franchise is valued at $1.8 billion. That said, I didn’t let the Rooneys own the Riverhounds based on the Steelers’ value and it felt wrong to change the rules, so bring on Clear Channel co-founder Red McCombs. Toyota Field isn’t viable in the first division, but for the Alamodome, which was built in 1993 in hopes of attracting an NFL franchise (and never did), San Antonio can finally claim having *a* national football league team in its town (contingent on your definition of football). Now if only we could do something about that turf…
Candidate: San Diego Loyal SC
Location: San Diego, Calif. (3,317,749)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): SDCCU Stadium (formerly Qualcomm) (Grass, 70,561)
Potential owner: Phil Mickelson (reported net worth $91 million)
Notes: Yes, golf’s Phil Mickelson. The existing ownership group didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to meet requirements, and Phil seemed to slot right in. As an athlete himself, he might be interesting in the new challenges of a top flight soccer team. Toss in a move to the former home of the chargers and you might have a basis for tremendous community support.
Candidate: FC Tulsa
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (991,561)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: George Kaiser ($10 billion)
Notes: I’m a fan of FC Tulsa’s rebrand, but if they want to make the first division, more changes are necessary. A sale to Tulsa native and one of the 100 richest men in the world George Kaiser means that funding is guaranteed. A move to Chapman Stadium would provide the necessary seats, despite the turf field. While the undersize population might be an issue at first glance, it’s hard to imagine U.S. Soccer not granting a waiver over a less than a 10k miss from the mark.
And that’s it! You made it. Those are all of the independent/hybrid affiliates in the USL Championship, which means that it’s time for our…
VERDICT: As an expert who has studied this issue for almost an entire day now, I am prepared to pronounce which USL Championships could be most ‘ready” for a jump to the USL Prem. A reminder that of the 27 clubs surveyed, 0 of them met our ideal criteria (proper ownership $, metro population, 15,000+ stadium with grass field).
Two of them, however, met almost all of those criteria: Indy Eleven and Miami FC. Those two clubs may use up two of our three available turf fields right from the outset, but the other factors they hit (particularly Silva’s ownership of Miami) makes them difficult, if not impossible to ignore for the top flight.
But who fill in the rest of the slots? Meet the entire 14-team USL Premier League:
Hartford Athletic
Indy Eleven
Louisville City FC
Miami FC
North Carolina FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saint Louis FC
San Antonio FC
New Mexico United
Phoenix Rising FC
Las Vegas Lights FC
Orange County SC
San Diego Loyal SC
Now, I shall provide my expert rationale for each club’s inclusion/exclusion, which can be roughly broken down into four categories.
Firm “yes”
Hartford Athletic: It’s a good market size with a solid stadium. With a decent investor and good community support, you’ve got potential here.
Indy Eleven: The turf at Lucas Oil Stadium is no reason to turn down a 62,421 venue and a metro population of over 2 million.
Louisville City FC: Why doesn’t the 2017 & 2018 USL Cup champion deserve a crack at the top flight? They have the market size, and with a bit of expansion have the stadium at their own SSS. LCFC, you’re in.
Miami FC, “The”: Our other blue-chip recruit on the basis of ownership value, market size and stadium capacity. Yes, that field is turf, but how could you snub Silva’s chance to claim victory as the first division 1 club soccer team to play in Miami?
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Pittsburgh sacrificed a lot to be here (according to my arbitrary calculations). Their market size and the potential boon of soccer at Heinz Field is an important inclusion to the league.
Saint Louis FC: Willie hears your “Busch League” jokes, Willie don’t care. A huge market size, combined with the absence of an NFL franchise creates opportunity. Competition with the MLS side, sure, but St. Louis has serious soccer history and we’re willing to bet it can support two clubs.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: With a huge population and a massive stadium waiting nearby, Tampa Bay seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up for the USL Prem.
Las Vegas Lights FC: Ostentatious, massive and well-financed, Las Vegas Lights FC is everything that the USL Premier League would need to assert that it didn’t intend to play second fiddle to MLS. Players will need to be kept on a short leash, but this is a hard market to pass up on.
Phoenix Rising FC: Huge population, big grass field available nearby and a solid history of success in recent years. No brainer.
San Diego Loyal SC: New club? Yes, massive population in a market that recently lost an absolutely huge sports presence? Also yes. This could be the USL Prem’s Seattle.
Cautious “yes”
New Mexico United: You have to take a chance on New Mexico United. The club set the league on fire with its social media presence and its weight in the community when it entered the league last season. The market may be slightly under USSF’s desired 1 million, but fervent support (and the ability to continue to use Isotopes Park) shouldn’t be discounted.
North Carolina FC: Carter-Finley’s mixed grass/turf surface is a barrier, to be sure, but the 57,000+ seats it offers (and being enough to offset other fully-turf offerings) is enough to put it in the black.
Orange County SC: It’s a top-tier club playing in a MLB stadium. I know it seems unlikely that USSF would approve something like that, but believe me when I say “it could happen.” Orange County is a massive market and California likely needs two clubs in the top flight.
San Antonio FC: Our third and only voluntary inclusion to the turf fields in the first division, we’re counting on San Antonio’s size and massive potential stadium to see it through.
Cautious “no”
Birmingham Legion FC: The town has solid soccer history and a huge potential venue, but the turf playing surface puts it on the outside looking in.
Memphis 901 FC: Like Birmingham, not much to dislike here outside of the turf playing surface at the larger playing venue.
Austin Bold FC: See the other two above.
FC Tulsa: Everything’s just a little bit off with this one. Market’s slightly too small, stadium has turf. Just not enough to put it over the top.
Firm “no”
Charleston Battery: Small metro and a small potential new stadium? It’s tough to say yes to the risk.
Charlotte Independence: A small new stadium and the possibility of having to compete with an organization that just paid over $300 million to join MLS means it’s best for this club to remain in the USL Championship.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: When a club’s best chance to meet a capacity requirement is to host games at a venue controlled by the military, that doesn’t speak well to a club’s chances.
El Paso Locomotive FC: An undersized market and a turf field that meets capacity requirements is the death knell for this one.
Oklahoma City Energy FC: Having to expand a baseball field to meet requirements is a bad start. Having to potentially play 20 miles away from your main market is even worse.
Reno 1868 FC: Population nearly a half-million short of the federation’s requirements AND a turf field at the hypothetical new stadium makes impossible to say yes to this bid.
Rio Grande Valley FC: All the seat expansions in the world can’t hide the fact that McAllen Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium through and through.
Here’s who’s left in the 11-team Championship:
Birmingham Legion FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
Memphis 901 FC
Austin Bold FC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
El Paso Locomotive FC
Oklahoma City Energy FC
Reno 1868 FC
Rio Grande Valley FC
FC Tulsa
With MLS folding the six affiliates it has in USL League One, the league is a little bit thin (especially considering USSF’s requirements for 8 teams for lower level leagues), but seems definitely able to expand up to the necessary numbers with Edwards’ allusions to five new additions this year:
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Forward Madison FC
Greenville Triumph SC
Union Omaha
Richmond Kickers
South Georgia Tormenta
FC Tucson
Format of Assorted Leagues – This (like everything in this post) is pure conjecture on my part, but here are my thoughts on how these leagues might function in a first year while waiting for additional expansion.
USL Premier – We’ll steal from the 12-team Scottish Premiership. Each club plays the other 11 clubs 3 times, with either one or two home matches against each side. When each club has played 33 matches, the top six and bottom six separate, with every club playing an additional five matches (against each other team in its group). The top club wins the league. The bottom club is automatically relegated. The second-bottom club will enter a two-legged playoff against someone (see below) from the championship playoffs.
USL Championship -- 11 clubs is a challenge to schedule for. How about every club plays everyone else three times (either one or two home matches against each side)? Top four clubs make the playoffs, which are decided by two-legged playoffs. The winner automatically goes up. I need feedback on the second part – is it better to have the runner-up from the playoffs face the second-bottom club from the Premiership, or should the winner of the third-place match-up get the chance to face them to keep drama going in both playoff series? As for relegation, we can clearly only send down the last place club while the third division is so small.
USL League One – While the league is so small, it doesn’t seem reasonable to have the clubs play as many matches as the higher divisions. Each club could play the other six clubs four times – twice at home and twice away – for a very equitable 24-match regular season, which would help restrict costs and still provide a chance to determine a clear winner. Whoever finishes top of the table goes up.
And there you have it, a hypothetical look at how the USL could build a D1 league right now. All it would take is a new stadium for almost the entire league and new owners for all but one of the 27 clubs, who wouldn’t feel that their property would be massively devalued if they got relegated.
Well that’s our show. I’m curious to see what you think of all of this, especially anything that you think I may have overlooked (I’m sure there’s plenty). Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and well.

18k off a 4k freeroll vs. $800 to $12 to $10k. My first time playing bacc vs. most recent.

My first time playing bacc vs my most recent time (EPIC POLL & INSANE STORY)

[SETLIST THREAD] 07/09/19 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Ticket time: 7:30 EST

Set One (8:10 - 9:32ish): ENERGY (11 min) -> WOOOOOAAAAAH WEEKAPAUG (9 min), The Moma Dance (9 min) > Lengthwise (1 min) -> Maze (10 min), Petrichor (18 min), Things People Do (3 min) > Sample in a Jar (6 min) > Bathtub Gin (17 min)

Set Two (10:21-11:45): Soul Panet (12 min) -> Wider (5 min) -> UNDERMIND (7 MIN), The Final Hurrah (9 min) > Beneath a Sea of Stars Pt. 1 (17 min), Ghost (11 min) -> WEEKAPAUG GROOVE (1 min) -> Birds of a Feather (13 min), Waste (6 min) > Golgi Apparatus (7 min)

Encore (11:46 - 12:08): AAAAAAHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAFOOOOOOOOOOAM (8 min), Contact (7 min), More (7 min)

Notes:

Energy was last played 8/4/13, 226 shows ago
I'm not nearly resourceful enough to find when the last standalone Weekapaug was so let's go with a while
But u/poopfacejohnson has informed me the last standalone Weekapaug was 12/2/03...wooooow
First Foam encore, last played 7/22/17, 79 shows ago

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I'm baaaaack! Who's ready for some hot, piping, northeast, casino Phish?! It's a pleasure to be joining you all again as your guide through the first show of one of the most hyped runs of the summer! Fun fact: Tonight marks Phish's first performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena which also just squeaks past St. Louis' Chaifetz Arena as the smallest venue of the tour with a capacity of 10,000.

Let's hear some opener calls for tonight! I'm gonna be going with the ever elusive ~~Colonel Forbin's Ascent~~ GLIDE to get the show kicked off.

I'm currently studying for an exam that I have tomorrow so I am going to be in and out of the thread until show time but I'm posting early again to encourage some friendly chatting, discussion, banter, jokes etc etc etc. I really enjoyed hearing everyone's favorite jams of the tour so far in my last thread so this time...let's hear your favorite show you've attended and why. My personal favorite that I have seen would have to be 7/28/17 AKA Double Chocolate night of the Baker's Dozen. This show contained EVERYTHING that I want at a Phish show...fun and wacky covers, YUGE jams, surprise bustouts and bizarre song placements. Also, it doesn't hurt that I've never heard anything louder than the crowd reaction to that Chalkdust Torture peak. Here's an awesome recording for you to check out for yourselves if you so desire, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHNZ-oVygDc (said peak is at 23:00).

Checkins: Elkridge, MD, Mohegan Sun, On the Way to Wisconsin, Tampa, FL, Winooski, VT, Birmingham, AL, Foxwoods Casino, Louisville, KY, Savannah, GA, Middletown, CT, New Hampshire, Palo Alto, CA, Eugene, OR, Syracuse, NY, Nashville, TN, Los Angeles, CA, New Haven, CT, East Lyme, CT, Frisco, TX, Littleton, CO, Ocean City, NJ, North Myrtle Beach, SC, Denver, CO, Guilford, CT, Portland, OR, Bronx, NY, Boston, MA, Gaithersburg, MD, The Woods of Maine, Tokyo, Japan ~~(WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER)~~, Pottstown, PA, Chicago, IL, Bend, OR, Nuevo Havo, CT, Seattle, WA, Franconia, NH, Boulder, CO, Canberra, Australia (WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER), Denver, CO, Frederick, MD, Johnson City, TN, Fort Wayne, IN, Granville, OH, Hartford, CT, Indianapolis, IN, Brooklyn, NY, Columbus, OH, Richmond, VA, Hampton, VA, Tulsa, OK, Olney, MD

Favorite Attended Shows:
u/scarletfire72 - 7/28/17
u/amazen55 - 8/5/17
u/jopnk - 6/30/19
u/sdcasurf01 - 8/7-8/09
u/ADriedUpGoliath - 8/1/17
u/mocksong - 12/30/17
u/spautrievas - 7/24/99
u/TuckHolladay - 10/30/10
u/pm_me_your_miletime - 3/6/09 or 7/22/17
u/TeaAndAche - 8/7/15 (today at least)
u/Flash_Gordon - 6/30/19
u/Gam1019 - 12/7/97
u/BrinxJob - 7/25/17
u/colonelphorbins - Big Cypress
u/Jammin_CO - 11/16/96
u/runawayBrian - 7/11/00
u/ButYourChainsOk - 10/31/10
u/wharf_rat88 - 6/21/19
u/gratefulbend - 8/14/15 and Magnaball
u/TheAnt06 - 8/14/09
u/Buehler-buehler - 12/30/97
u/voxangelikus - 12/29/18
u/runawayjim_617 - 12/30/18
u/massofparticles - 10/20/13
u/mrsEminomily - 7/6/19
u/binary_burn - 12/30/18
u/00000000000 - 8/4/17
u/Poster_Nutsack - Big Cypress
u/Bryanmahindrew - 6/14/19
u/elsneech - 8/14/09
u/Dierin - 7/11/00
u/bmault - 4/3/98
u/idsimon - 8/3/18
u/Your_Latex_Salesman - 7/18/99
u/REOpeenwagon - 9/6/15
u/Hukijiwa - 7/5/13, 8/22/15, 7/22/18
u/eleventhjam1969 - 12/29/18
u/headyhwak - 8/31/18
u/vguy72 - 12/6/96
u/JazzOdyssey - 12/5/09
u/bill-ward-rose - 12/31/93
u/kemnitz - 10/26/18
u/lechatblanc233s - 10/29/13
u/uuuhhhh - 11/27/98
u/CaptainJackRyan (Clancy fan?) - 8/5/17
u/cmmn518redux - 9/14/00
u/howluckyarewe - 8/12/10
u/fuckoka_gumbo - 7/30/17
u/sshore61 - 8/7/15 or 6/30/19
u/gsurberRVA - 3/1/03
u/elliescomet - 6/9/94
u/DarwinFox - 6/26/19
u/winnsanity - 9/6/15
u/87ofHarts - 7/30/17
u/Cletus_Van_Dam - 12/30/16
u/diginfinity - 11/17/97 or 12/6/96
u/carinisnutbag - 12/31/92
u/Tabooter024 - 12/16/99
u/unclejohnssocks - 8/31/12
u/Space-Antelope - 12/31/17

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Commentary from the Couch:

I've already spoken with Vegas for the degenerates among us and I've been told the pre-show Hee-Haw o/u line is set at 3 after a measly showing of 2 Hee-Haws at Fenway 2. Live lines to come.
Just finished off way more food than anyone should eat from my favorite Chinese joint! What're y'all feasting on tonight?
Finishing up AHS Asylum before the show, first time seeing this. Man this show is faaaaacked up but so good

SET ONE COMMENTARY

Right out of left field with that call there Troy
Let's hope for a little yam in this one!
HOLY SHIT THIS ONE'S GONNA GO
This is absolutely looking like its gonna be one of those shows
Surprised this only the second Maze of the summer! I'm still hunting one with Lengthwise
That pinterest line makes me seriously consider taking a header off of a high ledge
Love Sample! Bit of a resurgence after being somewhat of a rarity the past couple of years
We're all in this together!
I love Fish's new trigger pad with the gong and triangle sooooo much
Oh fuck yeah let's get weird with this Gin dudes

SET TWO COMMENTARY

I'll be totally honest, I was at the debut of Soul Planet and absolutely despised this song at the time. That being said, it's grown on me more than any of the other new songs I think
Really cool beat Fish is playing there with the triplet on the hi-hat
Wider, Debut. Definitely digging this one so far. When they did that second transition in the Soul Planet jam I was wondering if they were moving to something composed but didn't recognize it. How lucky we are!
OH JESUS THAT WAS SMOOTH
Final Hurrah is another one that has really grown on me. The faceepluntintorokk sample has always driven me nuts cause I really enjoy the song portion but I think I can look past that going forward
Oh man this takes me right back to the lawn on that beautiful night in Camden. By far my favorite debut of the summer
You know how sometimes a song was just SCREAMING to be played...yeah now's one of those times
Loving the big Birds this summer!
Love to see some Rambo Big Red!!
Seems like the shows have been trending towards the longer side side this tour...me likey

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THE SEXY MAN-O-METER
[ ] Standing
[ ] Raging
[ ] Perspiring
[ ] Crushing a sandwich
[ ] Porno-clav action
[ ] Glasses off
[ ] Faceplanting into rokk
[ ] Still Waiting
[ ] All alone
[ ] Melting
[ ] Summoning demons
[ ] Scanning pinterest *barf*
[ ] Sexy Fender Rhodes action
[X] Sobbing
-----------------
DON'T BE A DICK AND ASK FOR STREAM LINKS IN THE COMMENTS WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THIS POINT

Official Stream on Phish Radio: https://www.siriusxm.com/
Mixlrs won't be posted on here because, all together now, FUCK NUGS!!!
Be discrete when sharing mixlrs amongst yourselves

Let's have a great night folks!!!

Visitor's Guide to Detroit Red Wings hockey at Little Caesers Arena 2019-2020

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Detroit Red Wings season. This is the third version of this guide to help out visitors looking for some information from locals about Little Caesers Arena (LCA) and surrounding area in Detroit. I hope you find it helpful. Suggestions welcome!

Safety around the LCA as well as nearby Detroit city streets is very good. Detroit has a reputation of having high crime however in the 25+ years I've been going to games in downtown Detroit I've never felt threatened for my safety. Inside and outside the LCA main entrances are police as well as Olympia Security before, during, and after the game. The streets around the LCA and out to the restaurants and hotels are walkable. But like in any modern city don't go down the sketchy dark streets. Stay on the well-lit streets. Park in a structure or lot and not on a dark side street. Lock your car doors. Don't leave visible items inside the car. In other words don't be a victim.
A guided tour of the LCA is available by scheduling in advance on specific dates. Check the LCA tours webpage for more information on prices and scheduling.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, or at the LCA box office, or through a reseller like Stubhub or even Ticketmaster's Ticket Exchange. Join the mailing list and check out the Red Wings social media for short notice deals like student and military rush ticket pricing and Fan Packs. Be advised the special offers are typically for low demand games like weekdays. Friday and Saturday games especially near holidays or against Canadian teams are high demand and typically not going to have special offers. These games will most likely not have cheap seats even on the reseller market. Starting last season the LCA has changed to mobile tickets only so no more paper tickets. Check out the mobile ticketing guides for more information. There are mobile ticket assistance street teams at the main entrances if you have an issue onsite.
There is a promotional schedule of in-arena giveaways for specific home games. These giveaways are given to entrants at the door after ticket scan until supplies run out. You can get these even at the restaurants if you entered through their doors. If there is a giveaway item that you really want I recommend being at the doors as close to opening as possible. The longer after doors open the less likely you are to get them item.
Joe Louis Arena is activaly being torn down right now. It should be completed by the end of 2019, maybe sooner. If you want a last glimpse, head over to 19 Steve Yzerman Dr, Detroit, MI 48226.
There are a variety of hotels in Detroit ranging in prices from high at the Westin Book Cadillac to lower at the Holiday Inn Express next door to the Westin. Nearby casinos such as the Ilitch-owned Motor City Casino or MGM offer free shuttle to the LCA or short 8 block walk. Check out TripAdvisor Detroit hotels for additional lodging options. My hotel experience is very limited in Detroit because I have no reason to stay in them so post your hotel tips in the comments below.
The LCA has a variety food options (pizza, shawarma, burritos, salads, sammiches, pulled pork, grilled cheese, etc.) inside but they are all at a premium price. The free game day program at the LCA contains a map. In my experience the best bang for your buck is the chicken pita from The Coop. If you want a complete Ilitch experience then get a slice or whole pie of Little Caesars pizza. Detroit is a foodie town and there are many options to choose from outside the arena. If it is your first time to Detroit or haven't been there yet I recommend getting an iconic coney island hot dog from American or Lafayette PROTIP: Lafayette. Check out the /detroit sidebar for more Detroit restaurant suggestions. There are simply too many to list here so suggest your favorites in the comments below.
Harry’s Bar and Temple Bar are neighborhood bars that are within a 2 block walking distance to the LCA if you want to drink and hangout with fans before or after. The /detroit sidebar has more bar suggestions in and around the city. PROTIP: take the QLINE streetcar (US$1.50/3 hours) to the Canfield stop and quaff a few brews over crack fries at HopCat then take the QLINE south 2 stops (10 blocks) to the LCA stop at Sproat St. Got favorite bar in the area? Post in the comments below.
If you're rich and want convenience, park at the LCA VIP parking structure. It may be pricier (US$45 as of 2019-09-17) but it is a comfortable sheltered stroll to the LCA. If you are up for a short walk and would like to save a buck park at the MGM Casino or Motor City Casino for free. From there you can walk 8 blocks or take their free shuttle. The further away you park from the LCA the cheaper it is. Fox Theater is $35, the two Comerica Park structures off the I-75 service drive are both $30. There are also several surface lots nearby, some let you pay in advance. Check out the parking map Want to reserve a spot? Try Parkwhiz.com or their app. Some bars also have shuttles for free or a couple bucks. PROTIP: Nemo's has the best shuttle drivers. Early birds park for free on Temple, Woodward, and in Brush Park across Woodward from the LCA but be careful where you park because the police will write tickets if you park illegally. Ask me how I know. The parking situation is always evolving so post your tips in the comments below.
Coming from Canada? There is a Windsor tunnel bus US/CAN$5.00 one way from the bus terminal downtown Windsor (Chatham and Church) to Cass Ave. and the I-75 service drive next to the LCA. Getting through immigration takes a few minutes. Have your passport and don't be drunk. Check the link above for service times and details.
The LCA doors open 1.5 hours before puck drop. There are four sets of doors one at each corner. The Chevy Plaza at the southwest corner has a large screen that shows pre-game hype videos and on occasion the live game. Also on occasion, there are beebeverage stands in the plaza as well as picnic games (e.g. corn hole). You may have to pass through security to enter the Chevy Plaza but no ticket scan until you enter the arena doors. LCA restaurants will let you in even earlier with a ticket but access to the concourse is blocked off until all doors open. PROTIP: in cold weather prior to main doors opening either hang out at the Box Office (northeast corner) or the District Market entrance just south of the Box Office.
You can sort of watch the players arrive by car (and visitors by bus) into the parking structure off Clifford north of the I-75 service drive. Get there at least 2 hours before puck drop.
The best photos of the LCA exterior are from the east side of Woodward just north of the westbound I-75 service drive looking at the building from the southeast corner. Photo
Will Call tickets at the box office located at the northeast corner of the arena off Woodward Ave.
There is a strict bag size policy enforced at the door. I’ve seen some upset people turned away at the doors. Know before you go.
You will have to go through a metal detector and may be subject to extra screening to enter the LCA.
Free WIFI is available inside as well as outside of the arena.
There are free game day programs inside the LCA at the entrances. Grab one because it has an arena map with section numbers and vendor locations including where to get Detroit and Michigan beers. Sometimes there are interesting articles too.
The Team Store souvenir shop is in the southwest corner of the LCA. The authentic signed gear and memorabilia located in the east end of the store. There are also vendors scattered around the via and upper concourse selling souvenirs. PROTIP: the LCA prices are high for swag. Buy your gear ahead of time online or at Vintage Detroit in Detroit or FanaticU and Hockeytown Authentics out in the suburbs.
Friendly ushers are everywhere to help out and answer your questions. Most will take your photo for you if you ask politely.
During warmups, fans congregate around the glass. Players come out at 30 minutes before game time for warmups. PROTIP: I recommend watching the Red Wings shoot at the net during warmups from behind the net on the glass in section 102/103. Hearing the puck smack the glass inches from your face is neat. Same for aisle for 115/116 on the visiting team side behind the net. The ushers will let you down to the ice level for warmups even if you don’t have tickets in that section.
The sea of banners is gone but the retired jerseys and Stanley Cup Championship banners remain. They are not the originals which are now hanging in the practice rink below the main rink. You may not see them until after hype video because they are retractable. The banners share the ceiling with the Pistons banners on the other side. PROTIP: The best photo op for the Red Wing banners is in front of the Fox Sports Detroit broadcast desk at the top of section 219.
There is a nice mix of old and new artwork in the LCA. Take some time before the game to walk around the lower and upper level concourses to see the manholes, the Howe, Lindsay, Delvecchio statues from the Joe, the original Olympia sign, murals of Red Wing greats. Look for the Red Wing logo at the northeast corner lower concourse made of auto parts. There are multiple selfie and photo spots too like the Red Wings bench and Little Caesars spear. The LCA is shared with the Detroit Pistons basketball team so you will see artwork and displays featuring their greats as well.
Every seat at the LCA has a view of the ice. Some seats in the upper level (rows 6 and above between the red lines) have obstructed views of the center ice score board but there displays mounted behind the gondolas. The layout of the seats are steep especially in the upper bowl where there is less leg room than lower bowl. Sections, rows, and seats are on your ticket but navigation is based on portals. Check your ticket for your portal, go to that, then find your section/row/seat. Sit in your own seat. If you see seats that are still empty well into the first period then move to them. If someone asks you to move out of their seat just do it. Explore the arena to check out different seat views. PROTIP: go up to portals 78-82 to check out the vertigo inducing view down from the gondola.
Get to your seat 10 minutes before puck drop to see the pre-game hype video on the huge scoreboard and on-ice projection.
The LCA has a custom organ with in-house organists that play before the hype video, end of intermissions, and between plays. Lance Luce is recognizable in his red sequined jacket. To see the organ go to the upper concourse behind section 301.
Most Red Wings fans are friendly people and quite knowledgeable about their team and the sport. Strike up a conversation and you'll probably learn something new.
Cheer for your visiting team but don't be a dick about it.
DO NOT STAND UP OUT OF YOUR SEAT WHILE THE PUCK IS IN PLAY.
The LCA has a strict no smoking policy. There is no smoking inside or anywhere outside of the arena at any door. If you leave the LCA to smoke you will not be readmitted.
No, that's not the goal horn from the Joe. It is a recording of the Joe horn and to many people it sounds dull, flat, and disappointing. The horn sound is louder in the lower bowl but then again the speakers are louder in the lower bowl and have a lot more bass than the upper bowl. I have complained to no avail.
Don't leave early! If the Red Wings win the DJ will play Don't Stop Believing in the final seconds or right after the game ends for you and thousands of your friends to sing along. The arena DJ plays music from multiple genres from Motown to country to pop and is known to take suggestions. He can be reached on Twitter @thehockeyjockey.
There is no public accessible spot for athlete autographs. The best opportunity for autographs is an event created for that purpose such as the Season Ticket Holder Open House, Fan Day Open House, or charity events like Toast of Hockeytown, Charity Poker Tournaments, as well as autograph signing events posted on facebook.
Post-game ride share pickups are along the I-75 service drive southeast of the LCA. Shuttles will pick you up where they dropped you off.
Have fun and enjoy the game!

History of Clifton Hill Part 2: Boom Years

Thank you to everyone who read and commented on part 1, your feedback is much appreciated. If you haven't read part 1 or want to see the original poll that brought me here, scroll back in this sub or (if you're reading this in the future and it's long since buried) click on my profile and find them there in my posts.
By the 50s, it had become clear that using Clifton Hill as a series of budget, away from the falls tourist camps wasn't nearly as lucrative as the land could potentially be. Welland Securities opened the Quality Inn Fallsway where Dinosaur Adventure Golf now sits and the Park Motor Inn (later Venture then Comfort Inn) where Niagara Speedway now is. Clifton Touring Camp was torn down to make way for these, save for the snack bar where Wizard's Golf now is that was an original Zimmerman estate gate house. The guest house building and gardens of the estate that remained at this point were torn down, but the stable building was gutted, re-enforced and turned into the Welland Securities offices in the Park Motor Inn. This remained Welland Securities (now HOCO)'s offices until Comfort Inn was torn down in 2015 (and the nearly 150 year old stable building with it). Quality Inn featured a restaurant and nightclub in it's lobby building: the T-bird room. The T-bird hosted a variety of early rock and roll acts over the years until it's eventual transition into a Golden Griddle and Q-Balls Billiards Pub in the 70s. The hotel also featured 4 swimming pools: a large outdoor pool, an outdoor kiddie pool, an indoor pool and an indoor hot tub. The Park Motor Inn only featured a single outdoor pool and hot tub (area became an enclosed atrium in the 70s.) However, it featured a gift shop (where Kelsey's has been since the 80s), the Queen' Door Nightclub (became Rumors Nightclub in the 80s, now divided up into multiple things like the relocated Kelsey's bathrooms and Zombie Attack) and Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. Ripley's leased the land from Welland Securities. It was the second attraction in the Ripley company's popular chain of "Odditoriums", predated only by the original St. Augustine FL location. The Niagara Falls History Museum had opened a few blocks away in the early 1900s in the building currently occupied by the Bird Kingdom, but it was closer to a museum than a tourist attraction. Ripley's was the first real attraction to open up in Niagara.
Ripley's was a massive success, becoming Niagara's must visit location second only to the falls itself. It (along with Marilyn Monroe's breakthrough film "Niagara" in 1953) opened the floodgates, and by 1960, all the cabin courts had been demolished. In 1955, Charles Burland tore down his Niagara Falls Tourist Camp and bought all the land from the aforementioned field where Captain Jack's now is to Tussaud's. He tore down all the cabin courts on this land, building the Honeymoon City Motel (known as Travelodge since the early 2000s) in the place of Reinhard's Riverhurst Inn and his Niagara Falls Tourist Camp, a parking lot (now Castle Dracula) in the place of the Darling Cabins, and the Clifton Motor Inn (known as Thriftlodge since early 2000s) where Clifton Camp was. The Honeymoon City Motel had a restaurant where the Guinness museum now is, as well as the gift shop that's still there beside Guinness. Clifton Motor Inn had the Clifton Hill Family Restaurant in the old Camp Clifton restaurant building (still there), a "Bonanza" company shooting gallery (now replaced with a newer gallery) and the iconic Dairy Queen, which was then a Frostee Freeze. Burland responded to Ripley's in 1958 by opening the Life Museum in the former restaurant in the Honeymoon City and moving the restaurant a floor up (now Ruby Tuesday's.) The Life Museum was a bizarre attraction celebrating the life cycle from conception to death for both the male and female body, incredibly taboo for the time. Ripley's and the Life Museum would begin Clifton Hill's staple of bizarre attractions themed to the curious and macabre. In 1959 Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum had opened attached to the Foxhead Hotel where the building with the Pink Panther ride/former MGM attraction is now.
In 1960, 2 hotels opened between the Frostee Freeze and the old Victoria Ave. railway station at the top of the hill. These were the Clifton Motor Hotel (renamed the Pilgrim just 3 years later, now the building now occupied by Captian Jacks) and the Hilltop (the land now occupied by the Upside Down House.) With these hotels came Oneida Ln. running off Clifton Hill towards what's now Casino Niagara's Parking lot. Of course, in 1960, this was the parking lot for the Oneida Plate Factory that was the Casino Niagara building's original life. At the front of the factory between the 2 Falls Ave. hotels was the Antique Auto Museum, opened the same year, and a few years later in 1964 they would add a large observation tower sticking out the top as part of the factory tour, now the abandoned steel-plated tower that simply says "Casino". The Clifton Motor Hotel had a restaurant and gift shop on the main floor adjacent to the lobby as well as a pool on the third floor at the back of the building in a room with a glass ceiling. The Hilltop Motel's office was where Beavertails now is, and the motel contained a snack bar (now burger king), and 2 gift shops. One was in the current location of the Crystal Caves attraction. A fun history tidbit: this basement gift shop was leased out, and apparently a brother of the motel owner conspired with the gift shop operator in the mid 60s to run a bookie racket, but a Toronto investigator seemingly found out the jig fairly fast. This brother would mysteriously disappear years down the road in the 80s, which may or not have been related to his criminal activity nearly 20 years before. The other gift shop was what's now the first floolobby of the House of Frankenstein. The building was only one story at this point, seen here. The second story wouldn't be added until 1969, in a business move by local businessman Robert Dunham that would forever change the face of Niagara Falls, the world of animatronics, and the amusement industry as a whole. We'll cover that later in part 3.
Meanwhile, riding high on the success of Ripley's, Welland Securities leased more land to private companies for more attractions to be built starting in 1965. The first was a motel built between Quality Inn and the hill, the Cliffside. The Cliffside resided roughly where the employee parking space is now between Dinosaur Adventure Golf and the large cliff down to Victoria Park. It's driveway in off the hill was where the Great Canadian Midway now resides, as can be seen here. At the end of the motel farthest from the hill, it was adjacent to one of the wings of the Quality Inn. This often created confusion as to things like which lobby was who's, if guests from one were allowed to use the other's pool, etc. This confusion would end much later in 1989 when Welland Securities stopped leasing the land out and amalgamated the Cliffside into being part of the Quality Inn. Just down the hill from the driveway into the Cliffside was a small snack bar on land leased from Welland Securities by the same people as the Cliffside, with a miniature golf course on the roof.
Further up the hill, the last remaining gate house from the Zimmerman estate that was being used as a snack bar was torn down in 1965 to make way for a new attraction. Malcolm Howe leased the land from Welland Securities and would take 2 years to build a pivotal attraction: Movieland Wax Museum. Opened in 1966 in the building now occupied by Wizard's Golf and the Upper Canada Trading Co., the museum was on the main floor with a gift shop called Niagara Marketplace in the basement. All of the figures were sculpted by legendary halloween mask creator, artist Don Post at his Don Post Studios in Florida. Chances are, if you know anything about trick or treating from 1950 to the early 90s, you're familiar with a celluloid plastic mask created by Don Post. However, Post's artistic abilities went far beyond disposable plastic monsters. His team at the Florida factory, headed by sculptor Pat Newman, created 60 wax figures for the museum. The lobby was Egyptian themed, with two torches on either side of the door in to the white building and simulated Egyptian sandstone walls in the lobby. Beside the ticket booth in the lobby, just beside the entrance was Elizabeth Taylor dressed as Cleopatra from the 1963 film of the same name, with a cameraman and director filming her. The museum itself contained many stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball and Laurel and Hardy. The most impressive figure however was a 12 and half foot tall King Kong figure, the largest wax figure ever made at the time. The news article about his creation can be read here, however it incorrectly calls Movieland the "Hollywood Wax Museum". Noticeably absent from Movieland on opening day was a horror section. The notion of putting horror movie sections in wax museum hadn't caught on yet, with Tussaud's "Chamber of Horrors" being dedicated to torture methods and historical tyrants rather than film. This would later change and Movieland would receive a horror movie section as we'll cover in part 3.
To coincide with Movieland's opening, Howe also leased the land from Welland Securities just up the hill from the driveway into the Cliffside. On this land he constructed the 184 ft. tall Space Spiral Tower, built by Universal Design of Wildwood, New Jersey. The tower was half ride-half observation deck, with a large, circular, slowly spinning observation deck that rose up the tower that held 30 riders. This is exactly where the Fudge Factory now sits, as the store is circular because that was originally the loading area for the tower before it was demolished in 2006.
So by this point, the hill had gone from a budget, off the main strip camping and cabin area to a strip of motels and small attractions, with a large observation tower ride it's focal point. Motel strips like this could be found all throughout North America in the 60s, in tourist hot spots like Lake George, Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach. But a single attraction was about to usher in a wave of arcades, haunted houses and testaments to the weird that would make Clifton Hill unlike anything else on earth... And it would all be thanks to a young artist, beloved city engineer, avid horror fan and technology wizard who was about to change everything. Stay tuned for part 3!

Rise and Fall Part 8

Part 1
Part 7 (access to parts 1-6 in this link)
So it is 2014. I have had a miserable three years to say the least. Very little poker over the last two.
Its late spring or early summer 2014. I am working at a warehouse driving a forklift and doing some small shipments stuff for $10.75 an hour (rural Oklahoma). I am broke always. That money is barely enough to live on.
Its a shit job working with idiots. Theres an older lady who reads magazines that tell her that some celebrity on Big Bang Theory is the FIFTH! smartest person in the WORLLLLLD. Yet she fails to understand my argument that it is literally impossible and utterly retarded to even try and make such a precise statement. Have no fears though there were other celebs that were supposed to be some of the smartest people alive. There were some guys who had the creativity of a dish cloth. Guys you know would never do anything but work a job and sleep. Just drones. Lots and lots of drones. NPCs I guess works here.
The lower class working world have either been brow beaten into submission by life or dont have the intelligence to see how awful it is (or perhaps lack the intelligence to find a way out) I have more desire to live like tribal people in the Amazon than to work a bad job the rest of my life, at least the tribal man is free to act on his own intuition and instinct on his own schedule.
I am and will always be a risk taker. Though I am much less of one now than I used to be. It was suffocating being around so many people who just do enough at work to scrape by. Knowing their next 40 years will entail this. They had no interesting stories to tell and were just depressing in general. I felt bad for them honestly.
I work hard at work. I had zero desire to do this for my whole life but I worked hard hoping for promotion assuming I was going to be there a while. This job was through a temp service and I was as far as I know the only one offered a full time job (most were gone after 30-45 days). This happened as I quit though. Pay was still shit but I was going to get insurance for the first time in my life (33, never had insurance, havent been to a doctor since I was like 12 or 13. Knock on wood) (never get a flu shot, I havent had the flu since I was a kid and got the shots, you do you though)
So I am going to bed one night and a long time friend through live poker calls me and asks me what I am doing. I havent talked to him in a year or so (since dealing in St. Louis, he was the friend who got me that job) Nothing I tell him. He says he is going to be driving through in the AM and wants to talk to me because he has something for me. I say ok I tell him what time I go to work and he says thats about perfect, he is driving from Texas to St. Louis and would be crossing my path around then.
Morning comes and I meet him at a gas station off the highway and he just gives me 2500$. No questions asked. I can pay him when I have it or if never, dont sweat it. I havent played any poker in a while. Aside from the trip I dealt and one other isolated weekend I have played no live cash since 2011. I had played a couple MTTs (and scored a bit in one as in last post) but thats it.
He had been on a bit of a tear about then. Had a string of top 3s in a midwestern circuit. Just felt bad that I hadnt been playing. Its the single nicest gesture anyone aside from my parents has ever done for me. I cant explain what it meant that he randomly thought of me and sought me out to do this. It was a rare bright moment during that time. I dont remember exactly what I told him when he gave it to me but I thanked him repeatedly and he said “you would have done it for me”. Which is true, under certain situations. I am all for helping those who are working to help themselves, I assume had I been strung out still he would have not offered knowing it would buy drugs.
What I will add about this guy. Ive known him since 07. I was always the online killer, I came to live games to drink and fuck around. He was a live player, struggled a lot back then (live pokers a bitch when youre not crazy disciplined) with the pit. As long as I have known him I have never seen him do anyone wrong to anyone. He got himself in precarious situations in debt, but always made good. Probably the nicest guy I have ever met through poker (that plays for a living). It doesnt matter how long I go without seeing him he always shoots a message eventually to see how things are going and we usually have a phone call every 6~ months when one of us is on a long drive. In fact I hadnt talked to him in a month or so and he randomly texted me as I was writing this, he has had a bad week in a split up so I sent him this section in hopes it made him feel a bit better.
Ok now I can trash him for one story. Its 2010~. Were in St. Louis or KC I forget. We played a WSOP stop. Its Sunday were going home. He had a bad trip. Walking out to my truck I stick my hand in my pocket and find a 1k chip I forgot to cash in. Send him in and I will go get my truck and pick him up up front. I sit up front a good 10+ minutes (so with the walk to get my truck its 15+ hes been inside cashing this chip out). He comes back out and has no 1000$ for me. He just laughs and says I walked by an empty BJ table. Claims he lost it in one hand, but it did take a while. Never pressed him further but I probably should see if he recalls how that went down. Wouldnt shock me if he had doubled or tripled and got greedy haha. The pit was his leak. He gave me the 1000$ back not long after anyways and it was a good laugh (for me, he felt bad) on the drive home.
I finish out the work week with this 2500$ in my pocket (literally in my pocket at all times). Ive stayed off of actual opiates for about a year now so it wasnt burning via an addiction. I am strictly on methadone from this point forward. Only took five years to scrap that habit.
Friday rolls around and I go to play. It goes well. Saturday goes well. I resume work the next week. I have like 4500$ now in my pocket. Its actually in my pocket at all times still. For some reason it gives me a bit of motivation. It pleases me to have it after being broke for a while.
Next weekend rolls around. It goes well again. I have 5-6k after that weekend. Just playing 2-5nl iirc. Still it remains in my pocket, I touch it while walking around at work, it gives excitement looking forward to the next time I put it in play.
A few more weeks of working and I am still rebuilding. Finally I have 10k or so. I dont remember exactly when I paid him the 2500$ back, but I feel like it was rather quickly. Eventually I rent a small apartment near the casino and am playing again. Not exactly rolled very well. I have a huuuuuuuge leak that is preventing me from getting rolled. I am complacent as soon as I have 10-15k in my pocket. It allows me to sleep easier at night knowing I have money for life expenses. Stress melts away.
I have absolutely lost my grit, my fire, my ambition, my ruthlessness. Even at the tables I am a shell of what I once was in the sense of intuition and instinct. I am a passive reg when I used to be the killer. I run up 15k rolls playing 2-5nl and some 1-2 and I am content, I get up a few buy ins in a session and I shell up and play very passive taking low variance lines. So when I am fairly flush I barely play for a month or two. Get down to 5-6k left in my pocket and I am playing again (obviously praying for friendly variance, I am clearly under rolled). My collapse in 2011 was like a castration in poker. I am like a neutered dog, I still wake up and go to my dog bowl when hungry (the casino is the dog bowl), I still function but I am just not at the same energy level I once was. I fucking hate writing that, I have gotten better about logging hours as time has gone by but I am just not as hungry as I once was.
I remember back in 05-2010 the desire to have more money. The desire to build upon what I have done. Its gone though it seems and I cant restart it. Ive left out a lot of drug related stories. All the running and hustling to keep my addiction fed. All the withdrawals when I couldn’t feed it. The quitting methadone for pills a few times. I was only a year into the not chasing part, just staying on methadone (which makes you tired) and I was just now not working a shit job. Being able to lay in bed not stressing things, not worrying about things was just nice. Im still depressed overall, though it washes away when I have 15k to my name its still in the back of my mind what I squandered. Simply put I did not cope well with the situation. I still felt sorry for myself. I am not even the same person I was pre opiates. I have a shred of the confidence. Which is understandable in the poker scene. Its humbling to lose it all.
This continues for a couple years. I get myself into a couple binds clearly as I am allowing myself to drain off my money then playing games I have 10-15 buy ins for and of course it doesnt go great always. I have a plo game on Fridays for a while, and its unreal soft. Im pretty sure I went a year with less than 5 losses in that game. Its passive soft though, players dont bet their hands and pay me when I bet mine. I can cbet two pairs OOP and get flatted by wraps and flushdraws that brick and never bet, stuff like that.
I still never build a roll over 25k at any point. I am literally playing on Friday only most weeks. My hourly was good but I didnt put many hours in.
I play a few local tournaments (hpt/rungood/wpt) and never break through. Final tabled an HPT to get 7th or something. Final two tables in a hand full of others. I remember hands, I guess I will share a couple that ousted me late in a couple of these.
15~ left in a 700$ that pays 60k up top I am in bb with TT and a 30bb stack (healthy) a TAG older guy opens early 3x and I flat out of bb, he covers me.
T97r
I check he bets I raise he rips I call he has JJ and binks an 8 and board runs clean.
In another 700$ buy in that pays 50k up top with 13~ left I open QQ 2x in mid with 20bb stack and well known (In our area) MAWG spaz who runs puuuure in MTTs (hes aggro too which is a lot of it, you make youre own luck, he also plays every single MTT in the area and rebuys relentlessly trying to build a stack) in sb rips A7cc on me. Spikes Ace gg.
Fun hand histories huh!!?!!?!! I feel lame having shared such standard nonsense.
You have to win a few flips to break out of the last two tables though. Prob would make a difference if I had played more than 20~ of these over those years but I dont travel and I hate tourneys. Tourneys are not a waste of time when local but traveling playing smallish to mid buy ins (300-1k) is just unsustainable even with the fields being so soft. Just imagine how great cash games would be if there were no tournaments. Mmmmm. (Yes I know tournaments made poker what it is, just let me dream). I am not sure if anyone has ever posted a ton of volume in each live buy in and shared hourly but I would wager my hourly in 1-3nl would out do any 300-700$ buy in mtt hourly over considerable volume. If you add travel hotels etc its not even a debate which is better. Tournament pay scales have just flattened out so much over the years to the point it knocks profit off good players. Hell, just pay 5% of the field and give 1st half, they will fucking chop it anyways and itll be wise for chip leaders in these small buy ins where avg stack is 10bb.
So I am a lazy sack of shit after getting the ability to relax. Thats what happened here. I cant break out of it, I dont want to it seemed. I am more than content staying alive as long as I wasnt stressing about tomorrow. It is the running theme for 2-3 years at this point.
This one is short, I think I have two more after this one, maybe three. 2017 is where I will pick up on the next one.

Rise and Fall Part 7. Its long.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
This section is a bit erratic as I had to jump around a lot and it may not flow well. I almost didnt post it and instead did a short version, but it did the story no justice imo. The tail off in these posts are going to end with a lot of self reflection and things I have learned through all of this. I hope to keep the remainder to less than 3-4 parts but could genuinely make it 30-40 if I wanted to. This part (the bulk of it) is going to cover the least amount of actual time but its a pretty important juncture in my life.
I am about 3-4 weeks clean of opiates but I am still withdrawing badly, though no where near as bad as I was early on it was still bad. Could not sleep was always sore and achey sneezy runny nose etc etc. They say a month is what it takes to cold turkey but I was taking so much that it wasnt pacing well. One thing I realize in my current day and I will probably elaborate on it more later but taking oxy or opiates was only about the high for a month or two in the beginning. If you know anyone who struggles with it they arent taking it to get high, they are taking it to not hurt, taking it just to feel normal. Opiates are so unbelievably addicting its mind boggling to me. They are the most evil thing I have ever encountered.
I am driving to go play as I am trying to start playing live for income and I reach into my center console to grab some aspirin (it kinda helped the joint pain and physical pain of the withdraw) and I dump a few aspirin out and a little blue/green pill falls into my hand. As it turns out there were three 30s in that bottle. I remember this so vividly. I havent had an ounce of opiates since WSOP. Im 2-3 weeks from being clean of withdrawal and the worst is behind me, and I stumble onto these. I clench them in my hands for the rest of the drive to the casino. I even call my dad to tell him to try and get motivation to rid of them. He told me to throw them out the window obviously. Its why they were clenched in my hand. I rolled down the window and just hang my hand unable to open it. I cant bring myself to get rid of them. I remember laughing at it. A weird thing about being on oxy/heroin then getting clean is the emotions, despite being in pain from withdrawal I was laughing again, I hadnt laughed in a while. Emotions are strong when you havent felt them in a long time, whether it be anger or joy or sadness it is overwhelming. Anyhow I convince myself that I can handle doing 3 more and be fine. So I crush one up and blow it. I go into the casino to play, and within an hour I am getting the other two crushed up. My tolerance was still sky high even after a month roughly. I blow all 3 in an hour and play for a couple hours and leave once they wear off, withdrawals end up increasing a bit and now I am just wanting some hydrocodone to make the withdrawal go away.
So now I break my 3-4 weeks clean (immediately following WSOP) and buy some loritabs. These just took the pain away. There was no high from them but it took a lot to make the pain go away, was taking 3 10s at a time 5-6 times I day. Ashamedly I was actually snorting these too :/ which is a lot of powder and aspirin.
My body has been waking up from not having oxy. What I mean is oxy numbs you physically and mentally. You could jerk off for 3 hours and make your dick bleed but you wont get off. Youre emotionally and physically numb. So my sex drive is coming back. I have about 6k to my name. I am playing cards one day and I just snap. I lose it. I cant handle the monotonous live game. Not to mention I was playing 1-2nl as thats what was available in Tulsa outside of weekend nights and a scheduled big game.
So I text a girl I messed around with before oxy. I havent talked to her in 18 months she had no clue I was even doing oxy but I still remember the text I sent (for the most part)
I sent her a text asking her if she wanted to go on a mini road trip. (Im absurdly blunt and overly analytical and it hurts me with women) She asked to where and I responded by jokingly saying theres a good satanic cult meet up in Kansas. A few messages exchange and I tell her to just pack a bag and I will be there in an hour. She agrees. I run home and pack myself a bag. I go to pick her up and shes having second thoughts and I convince her once again. We go to the airport (yea its changed to flying somewhere) with intention of taking the next flight out to anywhere really. Well Tulsa has few options so we have to go to Dallas and we will assess from there. I only have cash mind you and they rape you for buying cash. We get to Dallas and its either Vegas or Orlando. Vegas it is. We get to Vegas and I we have no reservation so we go to Caesars (decent rooms much cheaper than Bellagio etc) and all they have are Junior Suites. Fuck it give me two nights (its a Friday and were going back Sunday because she works Monday) at 650 a night. Then we eat a couple nice meals and money already running thin.
Now, I am supposed to be having fun on this trip. I like this girl actually, shes a great girl. However what I have yet to mention is when I ran home and packed my bag I left my bottle of hydrocodones... every passing hour after flying to Dallas I am further into withdrawal. I end up drinking most of the trip. I have the shits. Im sneezing. Im paranoid and over analytical and it just made an awful trip.
At one point on that Saturday night she gets frustrated and cries and tells me “I like love you _, but this _” the first __ is my name, the second I dont remember. I basically just got hit with the first part and I actually cry, standing in front of the Bellagio fountains. It was a combination of frustration with life having gone broke, opiate withdrawals, was drunk trying to mask withdrawals and that aided it and lastly hearing her say that just hurt me because I had clearly hurt her. I had messed with her 18+ months ago but was always playing cards never really made any efforts, essentially unavailable emotionally. Then I take her to Vegas and I am drinking and so fucking paranoid to fool around with her cause I am withdrawing and will blow a load in seconds or wtf ever else. Those words hit me hard though. I am too dumb to know that she felt that way. That is pretty much my assessment of that and a common theme with women for me. I do not pick up on subtle cues very well, and I am so analytical that any cues I do pick up I find a way to chalk it up to something else.
She was angry the rest of the trip and I never once talked to her again. I tried once but its irrelevant. I am in my early 30s and have never had a serious relationship in my life, thanks to poker and drugs. Honestly I think poker is the biggest reason. At the end of the day when you first start playing poker it is an addiction. I at one time in my life was a poker addict (spoiler alert I still play) and it consumed me. Time away from poker was spent altering my mind. I never was available to anyone. Before I played poker I had normal encounters with women. The longer I played the worse I became.
Ok I will try to rev this up a bit, those two or three months I reflect on a lot though. I think about her occasionally and had even meant to tell her this stuff at one time but never did (shes still unaware of everything outside of the shutdown breaking me, and that was more me than the shutdown).
So part 6 ended with me selling my truck. This actually happens now. I get home from Vegas with her and have relief with hydrocodones. I shatter my relationship with her, and actually one with a good friend who had owed me money and I had him run his card for my flights from Dallas to Vegas to save like 2000$ and made the mistake of saying I will write his debt off which was 3x what the flights cost. In fairness he used a company card, I agreed to terms and failed them. He was a very good friend to me and I have never talked to him since either. Partly because he is kind of a psycho (I say this kindly, hes just good friend or a bad enemy, not much in between) and told me if I ever see him I should turn around and run (to this day if I see him I would be tempted to do so, the guys a brute, hits harder than anyone I know, and I could write several pages of stories about him, I have seen him shatter the front window of a brand new corvette with a punch, not joking, shattered not cracked, be it a fluke or not I saw it, was in 2010 sometime, he went to jail obviously, quite the ramble on this but am tempted to share the story as its something out of a movie)
Fuck it. Short version.
At a bar 2010 with him his roommate and one of my friends in Dallas where he lived and we were visiting. His roommate walks over to a table of girls to hit on them and comes back saying her brother is mad. His roommates back turned to the table, my friend Joey is facing that table. The brother starts walking towards us angrily as Joey watches. This guy has 40lbs on Joey, but Joey is a freak of nature.
Once in range Joey swings and lays this guy out cold. Bar fight ensues. Joey breaks another guys jaw and has the original guy knocked out and the first guy in torn up. Theres a pile of security and shit with Joey on the bottom. It gets split up (Joey never got hit somehow, or had no bruises) and the bouncers are taking him outside. On the way outside with bouncers routing him by pushing him in front he bumps a table. Asshat hero at the table with two guys two gals says “hey buddy watch the table”. Joey breaks his right arm free and swings around his body (guys on his left) and literally knocks this guy on his back while still in his chair. Basically got a wind up and a 180 degree turn for that punch.
Outside they push him off and tell him to get the fuck out of here (cops are called already, I am not sure why they didnt try to detain him tbh, he fucked 3 guys up at this point) so Joey being Joey he kicks a potted plant over walks out towards his car to drive off and on the way to his car hes walking between two cars, one of which is this brand new 2011 Camaro and he just shatters the window... hits it dead center and fucking shatters it. Cops arrive pretty quickly and scoop him up.
One of the guys had his jaw wired shut and one needed reconstructive surgery on his nose if I remember right. The third guy got out good I guess. There was a fuck load of blood though.
Ok back to my shit. Had to tell that though, its a nuts story that doesnt even sound real. I wouldnt believe it from an anonymous source either, its ok.
As 2011 wears on I am losing control further. I end up having to move out of the house I dump like 40k into (while my sister refuses to show me any of the note progress and its now her house again, though she loses it eventually)
I have nowhere to go basically. My parents wont let me come if I am doing opiates. So I end up staying with a friend in Joplin MO. I am unable to stay afloat on pills and poker. I go busto a few times. Random money would arrive to me from old carbon checks to Stars paying out to running ok on TruePoker (kept a 10-15k roll alive long enough to do opiates for a couple months) but I am bouncing from hydros to oxycontin back and forth, running out quite often.
I end up in a methadone clinic early 2012 and eventually quit doing the pills. I am beyond depressed, barely leaving the room I had at my friends house. I am sure I laid in bed for 7 days straight a time or two. I pay him no rent and have to borrow money for my clinic trips. He had the house for free via a mutual friend though. Once my True account ran out I go on poker hiatus.
From 2012 to 2014ish I play essentially no poker aside from a few hands on Intertops from left over cake money. Which I bust eventually.
One isolated poker story from this stretch goes as such. I am staying at a hotel my grandfather (poker one) owns in a small town in NE Oklahoma. Hes letting me stay in one of the cabins on the property. I drive 45 minutes 3-4 days a week to get methadone here. I am depressed have no job and hustle money somehow. I dont even know where it came from but I would stumble onto a thousand here and there.
Tulsa is having tourneys one weekend. So I go play this 350$ two day. I forget the guarantee (it wasnt wsop or wpt it was local) but I think its 100k. It is one of the two or three times I enter a casino over these two years but I bag day one and day two goes well and we end up chopping it 3-4 ways with me and another guy taking two best spots at 15-16k. I remember zero hands from this tourney.
I go back to the cabin I was staying in. I have 15-16k now. I remember being alleviated about having money. I hadnt held 10,000$ in 12-18 months. I dont play a single hand of poker with it. It was so calming to have this money, I was content and didnt want to lose a dime of it. I did buy some oxy with it despite being on methadone and it doing nothing basically. This actually all happened before moving to Joplin, so it is chronologically wrong here. I slowly bleed this money off over a couple months. I just remember the contention I had for having it.
I get accustomed to methadone eventually and move back to Tulsa with another friend. I get a normal job slinging Pizzas at Papa Johns and fucking hate it. What an awful company, they make good pizza (for chain) but they are a joke to work for. Tip those drivers well, they make shit and get (at the time) 50 cents a delivery. PJs charges people 3$ and gives 50 cents to the driver...
Later on I have a buddy who deals circuit events and I get him to help me get hired. He gets me on under the assumption I have dealt before, I have not. I have dealt at my home games back in the day a time or two, I ended up being fine. I deal an event in St Louis then am trying to get set up for Tunica, buuuut I have a felony from when I was 18 (pre poker, never told story but long story short I got B&E charges for getting into a bunch of unlocked cars) and that ends my dealing career. So I move back home as the friend I was sharing a place with in Tulsa was on methadone and genuinely the dumbest guy I know. He was a highschool friend who I partied with a long time, but he ended up fucking me out of rent and didnt pay (just kept my money) and we get evicted.
Side note to the dealing job I had. I did play some poker in St Louis because the stop was so slow. I ended up making like 800$ dealing and 2k playing 1-2nlh while there. I play no poker when returning though, once again content to have any money at all.
I am still on methadone which my parents hate me being on it for obvious reasons. I get a job near them at a mushroom farm doing manual labor. I needed the exercise. Then get hired on to work in a warehouse driving a forklift for dick money. I do this for 6~ months or so.
I will do the next part picking up here. I make an unusual style return to poker. It is a great story imo and things get more positive.

VERY VIVID DREAM

My dream two nights ago:
Please bare with me I know this is long.
There’s a lot but it’s because I wrote every detail down when I woke up.
I have edited it for grammar mistakes and for the sake of making it easier to understand. The language is the same as directions for a film. I’m very good at capturing details. Please, please take the time if you have it. It’s worth it, I hope!
This comes the second night of my tolerance break from smoking a lot of pot everyday. The first night I didn’t sleep at all and had nightmares every time I did fall asleep.
I would love feedback as this is the most vivid dream I’ve had in years!
Also I had no control over what happened. This was not a lucid dream.
I’m technically watching from third person point of view. Like a camera following the action. Except I know I’m the scrawny tall kid. Same kind of look as Jaeden Martell from the movie It.
I’m with my three best friends. I’ve never actually seen these kids in real life before, nor do I look like the scrawny kid that I’m playing as in this dream. There’s no showmance or love interests between any of us.
The two girls have older styled hair like nineties “poof” for bangs, maybe it’s right at start of the 90s decade.
My best friend is short, chubby with curly brown hair and freckles. He wears a red shirt and light blue cargo shorts. I’m in a dark blue shirt and grey shorts. The taller girl is blond with yellow hair and light pink tank top blouse. The other girl is chubbier in the face with puberty boobs. She’s in a light yellow tee.
We’re all probably 8th graders maybe freshman in high school. No older or younger. I wish I could voice what they sounded like. It’s so distinct in my head.
We go to the abandoned building, known as the Center, at our middle school because we hear of ghosts being there at night (it’s very vague why we’re here. I’m only assuming that’s why the dream started here).
It’s an actual middle school I recognize. It’s St. Louis School in Lowell, Ma. “Center” is what we called it after we turned our church into an repurposed event building for school plays and other things. Picture a long wide empty complex meant to hold probably 400 people. It used to have pews and a stage at one of the building. I’m in college now. I graduated middle school in 2014.
We go there at night and it transforms into this casino/museum/mansion/hotel. I could draw it if I had the patience.
The ghosts are everywhere. They’re not all old corpses or scary. Some are young looking and healthy. They look like regular humans not transparent ghouls. They’re dressed in different outfits from different decades but it isn’t clear what time period they’re from.
No one is from a super old time period so no romans or vikings. It’s like old American. No pilgrims. Their party is only there for a glimpse like a montage scene. The group and I aren’t there for that part.
I’ve had this dream before. I swear I have.
Then the ghosts go away and the Center is left as a wreck. Like after a huge party trashed. There’s old paintings covered up by big grey sheets/cloths and there are columns cracked and old like it’s been YEARS since that said party happened.
There’s a bunch of old coins and chips stacked on the floor and sprawled across it. There’s big heavy dark red curtains that fell from where they hung near the back walls.
It’s dark now, the lighting comes from high windows but it’s dimly lit. Still easy to see like watching a film in a dark theater. The windows are stain glass with different colors but the light remains consistently white balanced.
We’re not really walking a lot, we run but the camera angle I have is very steady and paced to a slower rhythm.
At one side of the center is an alter but it’s not religious it’s more of a stage that has marble stairs. We don’t go here till the end.
It’s not really scary ghost - until the end. It’s more of a fascination and fun adventure vibe.
We go to the hallway that’s opposite the stage and it’s got different rooms setup like classrooms.
We’re in this room with a huge statue that hums and she’s the first ghost we meet. She’s made of old red clay. Very Egyptian vibe. She’s beautiful but she can’t move her body except her neck and slight facial gestures. She’s very sweet and smiles at us a lot. She’s stuck in a red clay bird cage. The room itself is made of old red clay bricks too. It’s dusty.
She has us cling to the sides of her cage (again, when I have the time I can draw it), and we’re told a poem or something of a riddle. The floor opens underneath us and we’re dropped and plummet. We’re super scared at first.
We don’t understand how we’re back where we started in the dream. We go back to the hallway and repeat this again.
Skinny me figures out we need to find her something. I cannot remember what we needed to do, but I knew we had to go back to her. We drop again and we’re not going to the center we fall in a dusty red mud brick room like an egyptian grave. We had to do a task for her I cannot remember.
Then we go over to the librarian ghost that’s parallel to the Clay Room. He tells us we have to find a certain book. He’s kind of like a pervert and gets really close to my face. The camera view is a close up shot. He’s got a blue and yellow aura but for the most part he’s human looking. He looks like Paul Giamatti from Big Fat Liar.
Back to finding his book. It’s a white little soft cover book like the old books that have browning paper. The library space is so small and messy and books fill the floors. You can’t get to the back of the room because of the mounds of books stacked. We’re discouraged at first because we think the book he wants will be impossible to find.
Then I realize we have to climb a stack of books behind the door and then hold on to the door and try our best to stretch up and grab the white book with the little boy’s face in the middle of a golden circle.
I almost fall and it’s scary. The pedo librarian becomes somewhat dark and impatient now. I finally make a last ditch effort and grab the book.
From there we go to this other woman who’s a real OG ghost. She’s in a big poofy dress and also hums to herself. She’s transparent blue with some hues of baby blue but mostly dark navy and there are some pieces of her outfit that are black. It’s like a school uniform but dramatic. She’s around her 20s.
She asks us to do some task but I can’t remember it. We see a younger ghost that looks like the daughter from the Adam’s Family. She’s lighter blue and some black to her outfit. She resembles the ghost lady. We don’t make any connections.
The girl walks silently by but not in a creepy way. She’s kind of cute. Whatever we needed to get the ghost we get it. We do it.
And then she tells us a riddle about age and pipes and spinning the time that shrieks. It makes us confused so we play with the old, white-coated pipes that are built in the rooms around us. It’s a boiler room that’s at the end of the hallway in between the Clay Room and library. The pips have red circular handles that you’re able to turn. The ghost spins them easily without even touching them but we can’t seem to budge them.
Me and my boy best friend are so focused on the red wheels on the left side of the room while the girls split up and go to the other side.
The ghost is frustrated with us and it’s only when it mentions something about [i cannot remember what] and her ghost powers spin the pipes red handles that the two girls seem to get it.
The ghost leaves the room slowly and goes down the hallway. Find me when you’re done! She’s frustrated but somehow we know she’ll be at the stage at the opposite side of the Center.
Us boys find something? And we think we figured the riddle out.
Cut scene: we’re in front of the ghost at the stage.
We’re just finishing up singing “Happy birthday to you.”
We thought the ghost just wanted to be sung to and thought people forgot her birthday. The ghost is really confused and pissed off now. Her powers shake the whole Center.
The girls yell from behind us and the camera stays near us boys but the focus shifts to the middle of the Center.
“This what you wanted?” It’s the little blue ghost. It’s a younger form of the ghost herself. Or it’s her sister?
But oh! The ghost is happy and leaves them alone but the Center is already collapsing and fired start from her power.
Now those ghosts that were at the party are coming at us. They want more tasks done for them. We run and hide in the Clay room. We decide we can’t stay here forever and leave by falling through the floor like we did earlier. The Clay lady is the only one who’s not a dick to us.
We are dropped back to the Center and see it is an even bigger mess now. Random silverware scattered. Black and white feather scarves tattered. The red drapes have black smoke coming off them and fires start behind certain areas of the columns. Cracks form on the walls.
We are now running on a fancy rug of red and gold and end up in a new hallway decked out with gilded wall frames and paintings. Jazzy 20s music eerily plays from one of those weird looking record players with the big fancy horn on it.
We run into a new ghost, a casino host “help me with these tickets!”
And then two hostess with grey skin from the 30s “we need to make cocktails!”
And then some zombies that are just aging corpses and one grabs my arm. He speaks but he’s inaudible. We turn to run further down what feels like a forever hallway.
I don’t remember how or if we get out.
Cut scene.
I’m alone and in the middle school academic building. It’s day time and kids and teachers fill classrooms. I’m still the scrawny boy but my gang isn’t with me.
I’m running through the halls (it’s weirdly a perfect transition scene from how we were running in the Center).
I see this 5th grader who had a crush on me when I was actually in 8th grade. She swoons as she exits a classroom and sees me. Parallel to her this kid from high school walks out. He also was obsessed with me. I yell at him, “Fuck you his name.”
The next door I go through is a pre-K classroom. I see my pre-k teacher with a bunch of kids. I yell “Hi Mrs. Beth! I miss you.” And she gives a genuine smirk that she usually gives. She’s standing in the center of the room and was bent over helping kids with crafts before I came in.
I run up stairs to the third floor and realize I have to go back down to go out. For some reason I couldn’t go out the front door. I’m stopped by a teacher who looks like spring semester English Professor from Boston and the ghost librarian combined.
He’s rude and aggressive and wants to know what I’m doing and doesn’t leave me alone. He’s basically the strict asshole teachers of a catholic middle school who’s only sense of power comes from controlling kids.
I run from him and tell him I have no time to waste. I run to the opposite stair case and the teacher tries to grab my arm. I think thats totally crossing the line and yell at him to let go.
For some reason he can’t just let me be and is mad that I’m not letting him know what I’m doing.
He begins to lecture me about respect and I interrupt with a “shut the fuck up!”
I run down the stairs and even jump a few steps to the platforms. “When I get you I’m going-“ I interrupt again with “oh yeah, how fast can you get down these stairs?”
I run outside and the wind is strong and the sky is partly cloudy and red with even darker red clouds. A storm is brewing. Somethings wrong. This isn’t the real world it’s scarier.
I run around the building. I think my best bet is to trick the asshole into thinking I’m far gone when in reality I’m just around the corner. I step down the six steps that lead to the basement door. I hide there pushed up against the wall that will hopefully hide me from him. I can hear his footsteps.
I am the camera view again. I see how out of breath skinny me freaking out.
His footsteps get closer...
But then I woke up.
Ive had a dream in this center before. I remember its layout.
Thank you to everyone who actually read! I appreciate you so much.

MCU Movies Behind the Scenes Facts *Wanted to do this for fun* Day 6: The Avengers

So i'm going to go on IMDB and look at each MCU movies behind the scenes facts and POST THE MOST INTERESTING ONES here, I will post each movie a day instead of what I did before where I did 10 posts, I will start with the first Iron Man and each day will be the next MCU movie after it, ending with Guardians 3, I will also do the Netflix Shows, Agents of Shield and Agent Carter

THE AVENGERS

1. Robert Downey Jr. kept food hidden all over the lab set, and apparently nobody could find where it was, so they just let him continue doing it. In the movie, that's his actual food he's offering, and when he was eating, it wasn't scripted, he was just hungry.

2. Reportedly, Iron Man's "Let's just not come in tomorrow" speech was improvised by Robert Downey, Jr., as was "Doth mother know thou weareth her drapes?"

3. There were very few times that everyone was in town at once, but on one night when they were, Chris Evans sent them all a text message simply saying "Assemble" (the tagline to the movie), prompting a night out on the town. Clark Gregg has stated that this is his favorite text message that he has ever received.

4. Robert Downey, Jr. asked the Marvel production manager permission to take away the letter "A" that was on the Stark Tower with him, but he declined. However, on his next birthday, the manager gave it to him as a gift.

5. Reportedly, a scene was filmed where, during the final battle, Captain America saves an old man trying to protect his grandchildren. He tells him to "Get them to cover", but as he walks away, the old man asks him "Cap, is that really you?" He turns and, noting the man's World War II veteran lapel pin, trades salutes with him. As Captain America sprints away, the children ask their grandfather, "Do you know him?", and he replies "We ALL know him."

6. Gwyneth Paltrow is noticeably barefoot in all of her scenes in Stark Tower, while Robert Downey, Jr. is in three or four-inch platform shoes, so he looks taller than her.

7. (At around two hours) When the missile is released over Manhattan, the pilot calls detonation in two minutes and thirty seconds. The sequence between then, and the detonation, is two minutes and thirty seconds of film time.

8. In the final end credit scene, Captain America is the only one not eating. That is because Chris Evans got a buzz cut, and grew out his beard after this movie was done filming. He was called in later to do this extra scene, and refused to shave off his beard, due to filming Snowpiercer (2013) at the time, so they gave him a prosthetic jaw. He holds his hand over his face because the prosthetic made him look like he'd been attacked by a hive of angry bees. He also is unable to eat or talk with the prosthetic on. The wig he wears is also quite clearly visible in certain shots of this scene.

9. To prepare for the role of Agent Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Jeremy Renner was trained by Olympic archers.

10. Joss Whedon explained that two of the founding Avengers members, Ant-Man and Wasp, were cut from the script because the film had too many characters. Also, the screenwriters didn't want Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until his movie was released.

11. (At around fifty-four minutes) According to writer and director Joss Whedon, the "That man is playing Galaga!" line was ad-libbed by Robert Downey, Jr., and worked so well that Whedon decided to add in an image of Galaga on "that man's" console as the scene's punchline.

12. (At around forty-six minutes) After Thor takes Loki off the Quinjet down on the mountain side, two large ravens fly by them as they are talking. In Norse mythology, Thor's father Odin had two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who would bring Odin information from Midgard (Earth). (This film repeats the "family tree" error from the original Marvel comics.)

13. Chris Hemsworth had to increase and expand his food intake in order to maintain the physique he built up for Thor (2011), consisting of chicken breasts, fish, steak, and eggs every day (Hemsworth said he had to consume "his body weight in grams of protein.").

14. (At around two hours) The shocked expression of Loki, after being slammed by The Incredible Hulk, was created by animation director Marc Chu, shaking Tom Hiddleston violently and repeatedly.

15. (At around fifty-five minutes) Chris Evans was unsure about his character's line, "I understood that reference!", because he was worried that it would make audiences think that his character was unintelligent. However, he was quickly comforted after he watched the movie with an audience, and he saw that they found the line humorous, as opposed to stupid.

16. (at around two hours and five minutes) The Hulk bringing Iron Man back to consciousness by roaring at him was improvised by Mark Ruffalo during his motion-capture performance.

17. (At around thirty-nine minutes) The German police car skidding on its front end after Loki blasts it was a complete accident, as it failed to flip over initially.

18. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, created in 2000 to re-imagine and update the Marvel heroes for the twenty-first century. Fury's likeness was actually based on Jackson, who gave Marvel permission to do so. Subsequently, based on that likeness and his star power, Jackson was cast as Fury for all Marvel Cinematic Universe films, starting with Iron Man (2008).

19. Clint Barton (Hawkeye) is an ambidextrous archer (although Jeremy Renner is left-handed). He is seen shooting right-handed in Thor (2011) and both left-handed and right-handed in this film.

20. The final end credit scene was added after Robert Downey, Jr. encouraged a scene re-write. After Tony Stark falls back to Earth, he originally awakens and asks, "What's next?" Robert Downey, Jr. thought the line could be more interesting, and the idea of going to a local shawarma restaurant was born. The scene was added one day after the global premiere. Since then, shawarma sales in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Boston have reportedly skyrocketed.

21. (At around one hour and eleven minutes) The laboratory scene, where Bruce Banner explains how he once attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the mouth is a direct reference to a deleted scene from The Incredible Hulk (2008), where Edward Norton's Bruce Banner tried to commit suicide in this manner out in the middle of Alaska's wilderness, only to be stopped by his transformation into the Hulk.

22. Joss Whedon suggested to Marvel that there should be a bigger villain plotting behind the scenes, which enabled Loki to conquer the Earth, and that someone should be Thanos the Mad Titan. The executives just rolled with it.

23. According to writer and director Joss Whedon, the original cut of the movie was over three hours long. About thirty minutes of the excised footage are included on the Blu-ray, most of which revolves around Steve Rogers (Captain America) struggling to adjust to the modern world.

24. There are two spoken references to the early The Incredible Hulk comic books. When Captain America is giving orders, he says "Hulk, smash", a catchphrase uttered by the Hulk in the comics, as well as The Incredible Hulk (2008). After the Hulk thrashes Loki, he says "Puny god", a reference to another oft-repeated Hulk phrase, "Puny humans".

25. The first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to earn $1 billion.

26. Samuel L. Jackson's role as Nick Fury in this film makes him the second actor (after Hugh Jackman, who has appeared in all of the X-Men movies) to play the same comic book character in five different movies.

27. Joss Whedon had earlier been considered to direct X-Men (2000) in the 1990s. A big fan of the X-Men, he even wrote a script, from which only two lines made it into the film. He wrote the story "Gifted" for "Astonishing X-Men", which became the basis for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

28. Sound editor Christopher Boyes has stated that he went through a complicated process to craft the Hulk's voice. The final product "turned out to be (a combination of) Mark Ruffalo, some Lou Ferrigno, and a little bit of me and two people from New Zealand."

29. There was going to be a brief fight scene between Iron Man and the brainwashed Hawkeye as a nod to Hawkeye starting off as an Iron Man villain in the comics.

30. (At around fifty-three minutes) According to Joss Whedon's commentary, Bruce Banner's saying of Loki, "You can smell crazy on him" was a set-up for when the Hulk faces off against Loki in Stark Tower. Originally, Loki was going to make multiple versions of himself and the only way the Hulk was going to discern where Loki was, was to smell them. Only the real Loki would have a scent.

31. Originally, Joss Whedon had not intended the film to include supporting characters from the heroes' individual films, reasoning, "You need to separate the characters from their support systems in order to create the isolation you need for a team." However, he eventually decided to cast Stellan Skarsgård, Paul Bettany, and Gwyneth Paltrow (Paltrow was cast at Robert Downey Jr.'s insistence).

32. Tony Stark casually refers to three of the other main characters, Loki, Thor, and Hawkeye, as either movie characters, or movie titles. He calls Loki "Reindeer Games", Thor "Point Break", and Hawkeye "Legolas".

33. Edward Norton was originally set to reprise his role from The Incredible Hulk (2008), but negotiations between him and Marvel Studios broke down. Norton was replaced with Mark Ruffalo, who had also been considered for the role in the prior movie.

34. The character to whom the Other is talking in the credits is Thanos the Mad Titan, a major supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He is a cosmic mass murderer, who is literally in love with the personification of Death, which is why he is smiling at the phrase, "To court death".

35. (At around two hours) After Iron Man flies through a Leviathan, he can be seen crashing on the ground in front of a Shawarma Palace, which later appeared in the post-credits scene.

36. (At around one hour and twenty-nine minutes) One of the cards in Agent Coulson's Captain America card set is a reproduction of Captain America's first comic book appearance, where he punched out Adolf Hitler.

37. The crew hired twenty-five members of the Ohio-based 391st Military Police Force Battalion for the attack on New York City, to add realism to the battle.

38. According to writer and director Joss Whedon, the film is strongly influenced by the early 1960s Avengers comics, of which he was a fan while growing up: "In those comics, these people shouldn't be in the same room, let alone on the same team, and that is the definition of family."

39. Disney had the film's title changed in the United Kingdom to "Marvel Avengers Assemble" to avoid confusion with the iconic British espionage franchise The Avengers (1961) and The Avengers (1998).

40. Surpassed The Dark Knight (2008)'s record of $1,001,921,825 to become the highest-grossing comic book film of all time.

41. In the movie, Captain America is a founding member. In the comics, Captain America was unfrozen in Avengers #4, when he was accidentally discovered, when the team was looking for Namor the Sub Mariner.

42. Writer and director Joss Whedon supposedly had a detailed backstory for Hawkeye written up, but was unable to even reference any of it due to time constraints. During the early planning stages, Hawkeye was envisioned to be depicted as a circus performer, trained by supervillains, who manipulate him into fighting the team, essentially a modernized version of his 616 origin story. At another point, he was planned to debut in Iron Man 2 (2010) as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who works closely with Natasha Romanov, a.k.a. Black Widow, and Nick Fury.

43. According to Joss Whedon, the arrangement of the monitors on the Helicarrier bridge were arranged to resemble the wings of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. The eagle head can actually be seen at the foot of the conference round table at the end of the film, when repairs are being made.

44. Lou Ferrigno contributed to the voice of the Hulk in this film. He has played the Hulk in almost every live-action version since 1978: he played the Hulk in the television series The Incredible Hulk (1978), and its subsequent three television specials. He voiced the Hulk in the big-screen The Incredible Hulk (2008), in which he also played a security guard. He also played a security guard in Hulk (2003). He also has voiced the Hulk in various animated productions.

45. Alyson Hannigan from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1996) (and wife of Alexis Denisof, who plays The Other in the film), recommended her How I Met Your Mother (2005) co-star Cobie Smulders, for the part of Agent Maria Hill.

46. The cast became good friends while filming, so if all of the cast members happened to be filming scenes together in the same place, they would go out together afterwards.

47. This was the highest grossing film of all time not directed by James Cameron (it was third under Titanic (1997)'s second place and Avatar (2009)'s first). It has since been replaced by Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015).

48. (At around two hours) When filming the scene of Loki yelling at the Hulk, Tom Hiddleston had a rope tied to his leg, and since the Hulk is just CGI, when the rope was pulled, it would appear that the Hulk had grabbed him. Tom knew it was going to be pulled during the speech, but he didn't know when, so that he wouldn't be anticipating it.

49. Mark Ruffalo claims to be the only actor to date (2012) to play both The Hulk and Bruce Banner in the same movie. Technically, Eric Bana and Edward Norton had done motion-capture work for their respective Hulks, but Ruffalo is the first actor to perform the Hulk live on-set via performance capture. What is most certainly a confirmed "first" for Ruffalo's Hulk, however, is clearly defined chest hair (of which Ruffalo has plenty). That has absolutely never been done before in any portrayal of the Hulk, whether it be live, animated, or drawn.

50. (At around twenty-six minutes) Tony says Coulson's name is Agent. This refers to the fact that originally, his character was only going to be called Agent.

51. According to Vulture Magazine, this is the amount of screentime each hero has in the film: -Steve Rogers/Captain America: 37:42. -Tony Stark/Iron Man: 37:01. -Natasha Romanov/Black Widow: 33:35. -Bruce BanneThe Hulk: 28:03. -Thor: 25:52. -Clint Barton/Hawkeye: 12:44.

52. The name "chitauri" originates from Zulu mythology, and is used to describe a "serpent race from the sky". Mark Millar, the creator of "The Ultimates", took the name from the writings of David Icke, who argues that these "chitauri", are in fact aliens, bent on dominating humanity.

53. Tom Hiddleston describes Loki in this film as having evolved since Thor (2011): "How pleasant an experience is it to disappear into a wormhole that was created by some super-nuclear explosion of his own making? I think by the time Loki shows up, he's seen a few things, and has bigger things in mind than just his brother and Asgard."

54. Thor is knocked off screen four times: twice by Iron Man, and twice by The Incredible Hulk.

55. (At around one hour and forty minutes) Tony Stark describes his group as "Earth's mightiest heroes, that kind of thing." This refers to the famous tagline that has been featured on the cover of "The Avengers" comic books since its 1963 debut. The phrase was also used as the subtitle for the animated series, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010).

56. The female superhero The Wasp was included in an early draft of the script. She was, however, replaced with the already-existing Natasha Romanov, a.k.a. Black Widow.

57. Thor spends most of this movie in his Asgardian armor, but with bare arms, a nod to his early appearances in the comics. During his time on the Helicarrier, he is also seen without his cape, an allusion to his Ultimate Comics appearance.

58. Loki brings the Chitauri alien race to Earth to help him invade it. The Avengers are formed to prevent this from occurring. This is in keeping with the first issue of their self-titled comic book series, in which Loki is responsible for manipulating a chain of disasters that bring The Avengers together in the first place.

59. Dr. Bruce Banner doesn't turn into The Incredible Hulk until one hour and fourteen minutes in.

60. (At around twenty-seven minutes) When Agent Coulson visits Stark Tower, Pepper asks him about the cellist in Portland. Tony is also heard telling Coulson he could fly him to Portland (at around fifty-three minutes). This woman ends up being a plot point for an episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013).

61. Natalie Portman was going to cameo as Jane Foster, but had to drop out when she became pregnant.

62. An alternate opening and ending frame the movie as a flashbacks from Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), allowing them to simultaneously flesh out her dislike towards Fury's methods and her undying loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D.

63. Scarlett Johansson turned down a role in Total Recall (2012) due to her commitment to this movie.

64. Mark Ruffalo's performance of the Hulk is the first created by motion-capture. Previous live-action versions have either had Bruce Banner and the Hulk be played by separate people (Bill Bixby and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno), or were key-frame animated.

65. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey described the film's look as visceral and naturalistic: "We wanted this to feel immersive, and did not want a comic book look that might distance an audience. We moved the camera a lot on Steadicam, cranes, and on dollies, to create kinetic images, and we chose angles that were dramatic, like low angles, for heroic imagery."

66. The Chitauri appeared in the first story arc of "The Ultimates", an alternate universe retelling of the origins of the Marvel superheroes. In the comics, their leader claims that they go by many names, including Skrulls. It was originally assumed that the reason for using "The Chitauri", instead of "The Skrulls", was because Twentieth Century Fox owns the rights to the Fantastic Four and their supporting characters. However, Marvel Studios' President of Production Kevin Feige stated in an interview that the film rights to the Skrulls are not owned by either Marvel Studios or Twentieth Century Fox. They were not being used as Joss Whedon did not want to use shape-shifters in the first film.

67. Jon Favreau was at one point attached to direct, and stayed on as executive producer.

68. Thor doesn't appear until almost forty-five minutes in.

69. Mark Ruffalo describes Bruce Banner as "a guy struggling with two sides of himself, the dark and the light; everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control." He furthermore describes Banner's alter-ego the Hulk as "a loose cannon. He's the teammate none of them are sure they want, it's like throwing a grenade into the middle of the group and hoping it turns out well!"

70. (At around fifty-six minutes) In the film, Bruce Banner references the fact that the last time he was in New York City, he "broke Harlem". This is a reference to The Incredible Hulk (2008), when The Hulk fought The Abomination in Harlem, New York.

71. This film holds an unusually high number of Academy Award nominees in the cast and crew for a comic book movie: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Joss Whedon, and Seamus McGarvey, possibly many others. This tops Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010) which each had four acting nominees a piece.

72. (At around one hour and thirty minutes) Harry Dean Stanton, who appears as the janitor who discovers Banner after he fell from the Helicarrier, asks "are you an alien?" Stanton was known for his role as Brett in Alien (1979).

73. The title screen doesn't appear until twelve minutes into the film.

74. Only the paint on Captain America's shield is scratched in the film. In the comics, his shield is made of an adamantium and vibranium alloy, with a third mystery catalyst, and can only be damaged by beings who possess nearly ultimate power, such as Molecule Man, Rune King, Thor, or Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. The shield is otherwise impervious.

75. (At around one hour and eleven minutes) When Banner talks about having tried to kill himself, by putting a bullet in his mouth, but the Hulk spit it out. In the deleted scene of The Incredible Hulk (2008), where Banner goes to kill himself, he clearly never got the chance to shoot himself, since the Hulk starts to appear to stop him.

76. (At around thirty minutes) In order to create a total extra-terrestrial look for the Chitauri, they have four thumbs, two on each hand. This can be seen, when Loki is talking with The Other.

77. Several members of the cast participated in adaptations of comic book and/or graphic novel adaptations outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Scarlett Johansson appeared in Ghost World (2001), The Spirit (2008), and Ghost in the Shell (2017). Chris Evans appeared in Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), TMNT (2007), The Losers (2010), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), and Snowpiercer (2013). Powers Boothe (who provides a cameo in the film) appeared in Sin City (2005). Alexis Denisof appeared in several DC productions beforehand. Samuel L. Jackson appeared in The Spirit (2008).

78. (At around two hours and ten minutes) At the end of the film, when the news clip of Beth the waitress appears on Nick Fury's computer screen, it is listed as S.H.I.E.L.D. File A113. "A113 is the room number of the animation classroom at CalArts. The A113 reference is a running gag in films made by Pixar and Disney, starting with Toy Story (1995), a film partially written by Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed this movie.

79. The outdoor scenes, which were supposed to take place in Germany, but were filmed in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, contained numerous Cleveland Historical landmarks including; Tower City, Higbee Building and Casino, the Renaissance Building, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

80. The film's shooting schedule was ninety-three days, but filming was completed one day early.

81. The first film to gross $200 million in its first three days in the U.S.

82. The weapons powered by the Tesseract are all engraved with H.Y.D.R.A.'s emblem.

83. Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans appeared in The Perfect Score (2004) and The Nanny Diaries (2007). Robert Downey, Jr. and Mark Ruffalo appeared in Zodiac (2007).

84. The twelfth film to surpass the $1 billion mark worldwide, and the tenth to surpass the $400 million mark in the U.S. It tied with Avatar (2009) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) for surpassing the $1 billion mark worldwide in the fastest time (nineteen days), and set the record of surpassing the $400 million mark in the U.S. (fourteen days).

85. This is the first Marvel film to be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

86. Two founding members of The Avengers from the comics were left out of this movie: Ant-Man and The Wasp. They were replaced by Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in an attempt to better integrate S.H.I.E.L.D. into the story.

87. Due to UK copyright issues over the name, Marvel had to release the film in the UK under the name "Avengers Assemble", as there had already been an unrelated film with Sir Sean Connery and Ralph Fiennes released by Warner Brothers, The Avengers (1998). That movie was based on The Avengers (1961), which starred Patrick Macnee. As Warner Brothers UK owned the copyrighted name, and objected to Marvel using it, Marvel were forced to change the name to "Avengers Assemble" for its UK theatrical and home video release. As film prints and marketing for the Republic of Ireland were handled by Disney UK. They decided to stick with the name change for that territory too, for cost effectiveness reasons.

88. Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes was considered to have a cameo in the post-credits scene, where he is wearing his War Machine armor, only to find out he came too late for the battle, and sits down with The Avengers, but the scene was thrown away to where they just show The Avengers eating.

89. This is only the second time that Bruce Banner, a.k.a. Hulk, and Thor have appeared together in a movie. They previously appeared together in NBC's television film The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), which starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner.

90. Before Mark Ruffalo was cast as The Hulk, Joaquin Phoenix was rumored for the part. Joaquin Phoenix was also rumored for the part of Dr. Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange (2016).

91. Due to this movie's record-breaking success at the box office, it made Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Scarlett Johansson three of the top ten highest grossing actors and actress of all time at second, fifth, and tenth respectively.

92. Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Cobie Smulders screentested for the role of Agent Maria Hill.

93. Powers Boothe, who played a World Security Council member, was also featured in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013) playing the same character, whose name was revealed to be Gideon Malick.

94. (At around seventeen minutes) Mark Ruffalo also ad-libbed touching a baby's cradle in the abandoned house, in which he meets Natasha Romanov, a.k.a. Black Widow.

95. One draft of the movie had it taking place from Tony's point of view.

96. The Science and Entertainment Exchange provided science consultation for the film.

97. The sixth and final chapter of Phase One in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

98. (At around one hour and forty-five minutes) Enver Gjokaj played the young police officer to whom Captain America gives orders at the beginning of the battle of New York City. He also played Agent Sousa on Agent Carter (2015).

99. The highest grossing film of 2012.

100. When Loki is held prisoner on the helicarrier, the computer screen monitoring him shows an infrared image of the cell. Loki's temperature is shown as blue (cold) due to the fact that he is a frost giant by nature.

101. (At around thirty-two minutes) When Agent Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is on the Helicarrier showing Captain Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) around, she's wearing a black jacket and pants with a red shirt underneath, signifying the iconic colors of her code name: Black Widow.

102. As of October 2014, this is the highest grossing Marvel movie of all time.

103. The film was originally rated R. It took Marvel three tries with the MPAA to grant the film a PG-13, instead of an R rating, because of Agent Coulson's death scene. Originally, Loki's staff was seen bursting through his chest. Instead, a gruesome sound effect was added after Loki appears behind him, and then a quick-cut to Thor's reaction.

104. This was the highest-grossing film in Malaysia, grossing about $10.96 million.

105. This movie is the second highest-grossing film of all time in the Philippines, with over 601 million PHP (over $13.3 million U.S.) in box office revenue, behind Iron Man 3 (2013).

106. The film was released in theaters on May 2012, one year and four months before the 50th Anniversary of the original "Avengers" comic.

107. Lindsay Lohan reportedly auditioned for a role.

108. Joe Carnahan was considered to direct the film before Joss Whedon was finally chosen.

109. Amanda Peet was considered for the role of Agent Maria Hill.

110. This movie, as well as Avengers: Infinity War (2018) are the only times where two Infinity Stones are in the same movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

111. Loki's name is mentioned or used by other characters thirty-three times.

112. The only film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Thanos is not played by Josh Brolin.

113. As each character is introduced, the previous scene references that character. It begins when Fury says to call in the rest of the team, leading to the next scene of Black Widow being called. In that scene she is told to bring in "the big guy", referencing the Hulk. The next scene has her luring Bruce Banner. In the next scene, Fury is having a video conference with the World Security Council and says a war is won with soldiers, leading to the next scene with Captain America. In that scene, he says the tesseract should've been left in the ocean, leading to the next scene, in which Iron Man is in the water.

114. Since landing on the Helicarrier, Bruce Banner wears a purple shirt. In the comics, The Hulk predominantly wears purple pants.

115. Tony and Steve's constant bickering towards each other and near confrontation on the Helicarrier is a nod to their Civil War story line where they took opposing sides to superhero registration.

116. CAMEO: Stan Lee: (At around two hours and ten minutes) Creator of such Marvel comics as the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, and many others, is the old man being interviewed at the end of the New York battle montage who says: "Superheroes in New York? Give me a break!" and then returns to a game of chess with a fellow senior citizen. He also appeared in a deleted scene: after witnessing a waitress flirt with Steve Rogers, Lee's character says, "Ask for her number, you moron!"

117. According to Joss Whedon, it was his decision to include Thanos in a post-credits scene: "He, for me, is the most powerful and fascinating Marvel villain. He's the great-granddaddy of the badasses, and he's in love with Death, and I just think that's so cute. Somebody had to be in control, and had to be behind Loki's work, and I was like 'it's got to be Thanos'."

118. (At around one hour and nine minutes) While Fury and the Avengers are arguing with each other on the Helicarrier, characters throw certain remarks that coincidentally foreshadow plot points in subsequent films: Steve asks Tony what he is without his armor, a topic deeply analyzed in Iron Man 3 (2013); Fury aggressively chastised Thor about foreign species going to his planet to "blow stuff up", which comes into play in Thor: The Dark World (2013), with the invasion of Asgard by the Dark Elves. The most unassuming one (which is ironically translated into the biggest plot point in the whole cinematic universe) is when Bruce asks Natasha if Captain America is on threat watch, to which she replies "we all are". In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Steve (and by extension, Natasha) becomes a fugitive of S.H.I.E.L.D. after the "murder" of Nick Fury. Natasha also mentions that S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats, which plays heavily into this film as well.

119. (At around one hour and twelve minutes) A few seconds before Hawkeye's attack on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, Bruce Banner finds the Tesseract's location on the computer. This explains why he later arrives in New York City during the invasion of the Chitauri, after the Hulk fell to the ground from the Helicarrier, during Hawkeye's attack.

120. Body Count: one hundred fifty-one (including the Chitauri).

121. (At around thirty-seven minutes) Jasper Sitwell, outed as a H.Y.D.R.A. operative in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), makes an appearance in this film. He is the Agent who first finds Loki in Germany, through the facial recognition they were running.

122. It was revealed in an interview that the Galaga playing SHIELD agent was dusted behind the scenes of Avengers Infinity War.

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