Climate Contrast
Joyride, Lovi’s, Dolores Keane, Yaxel Lendeborg, March Madness Moment
Welcome to my 180th weekly newsletter. This issue includes the three All-America men’s basketball teams, a nonfiction writer’s memoir, the sacred voice of the queen of the soul of Ireland, a Jewish deli in Calabasas, Michigan’s star forward, and Jim Nantz’s mini-me. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Talk about extremes: Santa Barbara smashed the daily heat record yesterday, while back in Michigan, a blizzard broke snowfall records. We’re glad to still be in California.
Santa Barbara County Experiences Hottest St. Patrick’s Day on Record
The mercury hit 94 degrees, far surpassing the previous record high of 86 degrees set back in 1947.
Ice builds as Michigan endures historic blizzard
A historic storm that dumped more than 4 feet of snow on parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula tapered off Tuesday, but ice accumulated in northeastern lower Michigan and other locations as more than 90,000 people still lacked power, and some roads remained impassable.
A station near Round Lake in the U.P.’s Luce County reported 52 inches of snow over 48 hours, followed by 48.5 inches at Cusino Lake in Schoolcraft County at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The Round Lake report of 52 inches and the 48.5 inches at Cusino Lake would beat the two-day snow record of 46 inches recorded on Dec. 10, 1995, at a Sault Ste. Marie station in the UP’s Chippewa County.
Here’s how Noah and Julian beat the heat last night:
Mark Erelli’s latest CD, Spring Green, arrived in the mail on Friday. I have no CD player with me, so it was good that Mark sent the MP3 files to those of us who supported his latest Kickstarter campaign. It’s a great album, and it won’t be available on Spotify. You can listen to the first three singles on YouTube Music and buy the album at BandCamp. Mark will be at The Ark in Ann Arbor on May 6, 2026.
I visited my brother David last Thursday. We enjoyed lunch from this week’s featured restaurant, played chess on a tiny chessboard, and had fun chatting and reminiscing.
While showing me his home recording studio, he played me his latest release. Here is the video of “Extinction Blues”:
The NCAA Tournament has begun with the First Four. We watched two thrilling finishes last night, and two good games tonight. The Big Dance starts in earnest tomorrow and Friday with 32 games. I consider these two days a national holiday.
You are invited to join my son Roger’s Garfield & Friends 2026 March Madness bracket pool. I am the defending co-champion, and I hope to win for the fourth time.
Each year I also pick a dream Final Four of teams that I root for. This year, I would have liked to include Saint Louis University, but alas, the Billikens are in the same region as Michigan. So I chose Hawaii from the West Region. The Rainbow Warriors are coached by Eran Ganot, who was first-team all-league at Tenafly High School (New Jersey) in 1998 and 1999. I attended THS from 1967 to 1970, so I will root for Hawaii, along with three Ms: Mizzou, Michigan, and Michigan State.
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Fave Five 180: Climate Contrast
Author’s Autobiography (Joyride: A Memoir), Delightful Deli (Lovi’s Delicatessen), De Dannan Diva (Dolores Keane), All-American (Yaxel Lendeborg), and a March Madness Moment.
Fave Five List: AP 2025-26 Men’s College Basketball All-America Teams
First Team
I hope that Seth Greenberg is right and that the Wolverines and Spartans will meet in the championship game. If so, Yaxel Lendeborg (First Team) and Jeremy Fears Jr (Second Team) will face off for the third and final time this season.
Cameron Boozer, Duke, 6-9, 250, Freshman; Miami, Florida; 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists (61 of 61 first-place votes, 305 points)
AJ Dybantsa, BYU, 6-9, 210, Freshman; Brockton, Massachusetts; 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists (57, 295)
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan, 6-9, 230, Senior; Pennsauken, New Jersey; 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists (47, 273)
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas, 6-3, 190, Freshman; Detroit, Michigan; 22.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists (47, 264)
JT Toppin, Texas Tech, 6-9, 230, Junior; Dallas, Texas; 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists (12, 163)
Second Team
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State, 6-9, 240, Senior; Las Vegas, Nevada; 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists (15, 162)
Braden Smith, Purdue, 6-0, 170, Senior; Westfield, Indiana; 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists (12, 150)
Jeremy Fears, Michigan State, 6-2, 190, Sophomore; Joliet, Illinois; 15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists (10, 139)
Keaton Wagler, Illinois, 6-6, 180, Freshman; Shawnee, Kansas; 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists (8, 131)
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 6-10, 215, Freshman; Atlanta, Georgia; 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists (4, 119)
Third Team
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech, 6-3, 180, Sophomore; Atlanta, Georgia; 18.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists (5, 68)
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama, 6-4, 185, Sophomore; Mobile, Alabama; 21.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists (5, 109)
Thomas Haugh, Florida, 6-9, 215, Junior; New Oxford, Pennsylvania; 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (1, 101)
Kingston Flemings, Houston, 6-4, 190, Freshman; San Antonio, Texas; 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists (8, 111)
Graham Ike, Gonzaga, 6-9, 250, Senior; Aurora, Colorado; 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists (0, 67)
Book Best Bet
Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean
My sister Joan thought I would like this book, and I did. Barb loved The Library Book by the same author and recommended it to everyone, and I liked it as well. This memoir moves along nicely and includes many great stories. As a writer myself, I appreciated the author’s candid descriptions of her writing challenges and successes.
From Amazon: From Susan Orlean, the beloved New Yorker writer and bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book who has been hailed as “a national treasure” by The Washington Post, comes a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites us to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight.
“The story of my life is the story of my stories,” writes Susan Orlean in this extraordinary, era-defining memoir from one of the greatest practitioners of narrative nonfiction of our time. Joyride is a magic carpet ride through Orlean’s life and career, where every day is an opportunity for discovery and every moment holds the potential for wonder. Throughout her storied career, her curiosity has drawn her to explore the most ordinary and extraordinary of places, from going deep inside the head of a regular ten-year-old boy for a legendary profile (“The American Man Age Ten”) to reporting on a woman who owns twenty-seven tigers, from capturing the routine magic of Saturday night to climbing Mt. Fuji.
Not only does Orlean’s account of a writing life offer a trove of indispensable gleanings for writers, it’s also an essential and practical guide to embracing any creative path. She takes us through her process of dreaming up ideas, managing deadlines, connecting with sources, chasing every possible lead, confronting writer’s block and self-doubt, and crafting the perfect lede—a Susan specialty.
While Orlean has always written her way into other people’s lives in order to understand the human experience, Joyride is her most personal book ever—a searching journey through finding her feet as a journalist, recovering from the excruciating collapse of her first marriage, falling head-over-heels in love again, becoming a mother while mourning the decline of her own mother, sojourning to Hollywood for films based on her work including Adaptation and Blue Crush, and confronting mortality. Joyride is also a time machine to a bygone era of journalism, from Orlean’s bright start in the golden age of alt-weeklies to her career-making days working alongside icons such as Robert Gottlieb, Tina Brown, David Remnick, Anna Wintour, Sonny Mehta, and Jonathan Karp—forces who shaped the media industry as we know it today.
Infused with Orlean’s signature warmth and wit, Joyride is a must-read for anyone who hungers to start, build, and sustain a creative life. Orlean inspires us to seek out daily inspiration and rediscover the marvels that surround us.
Restaurant Recommendation
Lovi’s Delicatessen 24005 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302
David placed an online order for me to pick up on my way to his house. Aside from the fact that half the order was initially missing and bagel chips were provided instead of the rye bread David had requested, the food was very good.
Matzo Ball Soup
Potato Latkes with sweet applesauce and rich sour cream
The Zoltan Sandwich: Grilled New York black pastrami and homemade corned beef with aged Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on grilled double-baked rye with creamy Russian dressing. Served with signature coleslaw and potato salad.
Black and White Cookie
From the restaurant: Lovi's Delicatessen is an homage to the delicatessens that opened in New York in the latter part of the nineteenth century with a contemporary edge. While our menu has the traditional Jewish fare that one has come to expect when they hear the word "delicatessen", Lovi's Delicatessen also offers an eclectic array of other international and American cuisine.
Marvelous Musician
Dolores died on March 16, 2026. I first heard her on two women’s Irish music anthologies doing Dougie MacLean covers: “Caledonia” on A Woman’s Heart (1992) and “Solid Ground” on A Woman’s Heart 2 (1994). I love her voice.
From Wikipedia: Dolores Keane (born September 26, 1953 in Sylane, County Galway, Ireland; died March 16, 2026 in Caherlistrane, County Galway, Ireland) was an Irish folk singer. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and then embarked on a solo career. Keane was known the world over for her deep, melodic voice. Her recordings of songs such as Dougie MacLean’s “Caledonia”, Frank A. Fahey’s “Galway Bay”, Paul Brady’s “The Island”, and Donagh Long’s “Never Be the Sun” are regarded as among the greatest interpretations of these songs. Nanci Griffith said: “Dolores Keane, the queen of the soul of Ireland, has a sacred voice.”
Caledonia
Solid Ground (wit Frances Black and Sharon Shannon)
Sonny
My Playlist
Sports Star
If Michigan is to make a run to the Final Four, they will need Yaxel to become more aggressive offensively. If he does, and the Wolverines compensate for the loss of key backup point guard L.J. Cason, Michigan can win its first championship since 1989.
Lendeborg Earns Big Ten Player of the Year as U-M Hauls 15 All-Conference Honors
Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg was named the Big Ten Player of the Year to headline 15 postseason honors for the University of Michigan men’s basketball program, the conference announced Tuesday (March 10). Lendeborg also earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition from both the coaches and media.
Among the other standout honors were junior center Aday Mara being named the Defensive Player of the Year, head coach Dusty May earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors from the media, and freshman Trey McKenney being selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Lendeborg, who was a unanimous selection by the league’s media, is the first Wolverine to earn the conference’s top honor since Trey Burke (2013) and Nik Stauskas (2014) captured the award in back-to-back seasons, marking the ninth time a U-M player has been named Big Ten Player of the Year.
Photos: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan basketball star, Big Ten Player of the Year
From Wikipedia: Yaxel Okari Lendeborg (born September 30, 2002) is an American-Dominican college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He was an All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2026. Lendeborg previously played for the Arizona Western Matadors and UAB Blazers.
Lendeborg was born on September 30, 2002. He was born in Puerto Rico and his family moved to Ohio when he was age two. He is of Dominican descent, with both his parents having been top basketball players in the country. He later moved with his family to Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, when he was eight. He attended Pennsauken High School and tried out for the basketball team; he made the squad as a freshman, but was cut from the team mid-season due to poor academic performance.
Lendeborg later missed the next two seasons due to poor grades as well. As a senior, he entered a dual-enrollment program with Camden County College and his grades improved enough that he was able to join the Pennsauken varsity basketball team with 11 games left in the season. In 11 games played, he helped Pennsauken compile a record of 10–1. He signed to play college basketball for the Arizona Western Matadors.
As a freshman at Arizona Western in 2020–21, Lendeborg played in 14 games and averaged 6.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The following season, he appeared in 31 games and averaged 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, leading his conference in rebounds and was named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Player of the Year. In the 2022–23 season with the Matadors, he was named a second-team All-American, the ACCAC Player of the Year for a consecutive season and first-team all-region after averaging 17.2 points and an NJCAA-leading 13.0 rebounds per game. He finished his tenure at Arizona Western as the NJCAA’s all-time leading rebounder with 429 total.
On April 29, 2023, Lendeborg transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to play for the Blazers following his career at Arizona Western. In total during the 2023–24 season, he played in 35 games and averaged 13.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, earning the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Defensive Player of the Year, the 2024 AAC tournament MVP and first-team All-AAC honors.
Lendeborg returned to UAB for a second season in 2024-25. He repeated as an All-AAC first-team selection, and the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He became the fifth player in UAB Blazers history to score 1,000 points in a span of two seasons. Lendeborg started all 37 games for the Blazers, averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. He became one of only two players in NCAA division one history to record over 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a single season, joining legend Larry Bird. In addition, Lendeborg led the NCAA with 26 double-doubles and recorded a program single-season record of 420 total rebounds. Lendeborg also holds the program record with 45 career double-doubles, was the 25th member of the 1,000-point club (1,136), fifth in rebounds (790) and fourth in blocked shots (138). Following the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and was the No. 1 ranked player in the portal according to 247Sports, CBS Sports and On3.com, while The Athletic ranked him 2nd and ESPN ranked him third.
On April 5, 2025, Lendeborg transferred to the University of Michigan to play for Dusty May and the Wolverines. He also entered the 2025 NBA draft process in addition to transferring. On May 27, he withdrew from the NBA draft and chose to play his final season of college basketball in Ann Arbor. Lendeborg was projected to be a late first round or early second round selection in the draft, with the potential to earn $2.7 million in the first year and $14 million total in a four-year rookie contract if selected in the late first round. It was believed that Michigan offered around $3 million in guaranteed Name, Image and Likeness compensation to sway him. It is believed that Michigan gave Lendeborg about $5 million between NIL and revenue share, but that this was less than the $7-9 million deal Kentucky had offered him.
Yaxel Lendeborg Drops 27 in No. 3 Michigan’s Win vs. Michigan State 🔥
Picture Pun
Hello, friends.
