general

Loooooooooou

Growing up as a sports fan in Michigan during the 80s and 90s allowed me to witness a lot of winning and losing via the professional teams in Detroit. The Tigers of the 80s, the Red Wings of the 90s, the Pistons of the 80s and 90s, and, well, the Lions. My favorite players during that time remain my favorite players to this day: Joe Dumars, Steve Yzerman, Barry Sanders, and Lou Whitaker. Each of these players were the best, or nearly the best at what they did in their respective leagues. Three of these players–nothing more Barry could do for the Lions–helped lead their teams to league titles.

What set these players apart from their talented peers for me was how they handled themselves, at least in public. They were quiet leaders. They did the little things to make their teams better. They appreciated the greatness of others. They weren’t boastful or looking for the spot light–they are humble. It is important to note that I don’t have any issues with flashy players. I am, like many, attracted to the highly talented, but yet unassuming athletes, and probably to that type of person in general. There are certainly exceptions on both ends.

No hall, yet, for Whitaker

Dumars, Yzerman, and Sanders are all in their respective sports halls of fame. Whitaker recently came up short again for baseball’s. I think it is a shame. The arguments for enshrining Whitaker seem overwhelming. I thought this was the year he was going to get in. Over the past decade I have been working to not allow sports to have a negative impact on me. For the most part this has been successful. However, I struggled this past month with Whitaker not getting enshrined.

Retiring #1

The Detroit Tigers just announced that they are going to retire Whitaker’s jersey this next season. It is long overdue. The Tigers have a history of only retiring the numbers of the players after they have entered the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Tigers know Whitaker’s rightful place and have made a stand.

The next opportunity Whitaker has to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame is in 2022.

Here’s to 2022 for Sweet Lou.

Worth reading: Tigers’ decision to retire Lou Whitaker’s number brings ‘moment of joy’ by Cody Stavenhagen at The Athletic (paywall).

photos

Espresso

A tray with sparkling water, espresso, and chocolate covered espresso beans.
Espresso at Kaldi’s Coffee – St. Louis, MO – 1 November 2019
photos, travel

Mill Bay Beach

Mill Bay Beach – Kodiak, Alaska
Mill Bay Beach – Kodiak, Alaska – 2 September 2019
100s of salmon just of Mill Bay Beach
Salmon just off the beach – Mill Bay Beach, Kodiak, Alaska – 2 September 2019
travel

Berlin

St. George – The Dragon Slayer

WordCamp Europe, the catalyst for the travel, was held in Berlin this year and kick-offed the EU 2019 trip. Berlin is a large and beautiful city. The architecture, food, public transportation, and shopping were great. The open squares and beer gardens were plentiful—European cities know how to create large social spaces. There was also a lovely smell throughout the city due to the thousands of linden trees that were in bloom.

We stayed in the southern part of Mitte, the central borough of the city. The location was fantastic. It was easy to walk to all of the attractions and food of central Berlin. Our hotel was next to a U2 station, making it super convenient to get to the WCEU venue and to other districts within the city.

The city is extremely bicycle friendly. The bicyclist… lets just say that pedestrians are third in the hierarchy of owning the sidewalks and streets. 1-bicycles 2-cars 3-pedestrians. It was, however, impressive to see how many people ride their bikes as their primary mode of transportation. It is inspirational.

In dealing with its past, the city doesn’t hide the atrocities that happened in and around the area while under control by the Nazi Party. Rather, it is magnified. There are many markers, monuments, and memorials throughout the city to the memory of those that were taken and/or killed. It is a dramatic reminder that people are people and that we need to push back on anyone in power who divides people based on gender, race, religion, etc.

  • St. Marienkirche
  • Volksbühne theatre
  • Sculpture at a Jewish cemetery
  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
  • Graffiti on the side of a building
  • View of Fernehturm outisde of a train station
  • Sunset over the Spree
  • One of the train lines at Alexanderplatz station
  • Fernsehturm broadcasting tower
  • Französischer Dom
  • The Spree through central Berlin
  • Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe murdered under national socialism
photos, travel

Vltava

Vltava River with the Prague Castle in the distance – 10 July 2019