Detour on the Drive
The Wonder, Halloween Hopping, Wailin' Jennys, Cory Seager and Bruce Bochy, Super Spreader
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue features five rookies who played key roles for the Detroit Lions in their win on Monday, a girl said to have survived without food for months, a Chicago-themed food crawl, a cleverly-named female trio, the World Series MVP and his manager, and leaving a spreader behind. I hope you like the picks and pics.
On Saturday, I led the second annual Max Bromley Memorial Walk from Dearborn to Northville. It was supposed to be 17.5 miles, but it ended up being 1.5 miles longer due to a detour we were forced to take at the outset. I was joined by five of Max’s relatives to start, and four of the five made it with me all the way to the end. It was a glorious fall day, which made our hike along the Middle Rouge River quite pleasant. We were joined by other family and friends at The Wagon Wheel for dinner, which was most welcome after nine hours of walking the Edward Hines Drive.
Fave Five 57: Detour on the Drive. Miracle or Misdirection (The Wonder), Halloween Hopping (The Bear at Casa Amado, Original Bread Basket Deli, Oberweis Dairy), Haunting Harmonies (The Wailin’ Jennys), Slugging Shortstop (Cory Seager) and Successful Skipper (Bruce Bochy), and a Super Spreader.
Fave Five List: Rookie Regulars
The Detroit Lions defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-14 on Monday Night Football and are now 6-2. Five rookies played key roles in the win, each taken in the 2023 NFL Draft:
Round 1, Pick 12: RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Round 1, Pick 18: LB Jack Campbell
Round 2, Pick 34: TE Sam LaPorta
Round 2, Pick 45: DB Brian Branch
Round 5, Pick 152: OL Colby Sorsdal
Book Best Bet
This is a fascinating story told as if it is historical fiction, but it is pure fiction. I found it compelling.
From Amazon: Now a Netflix film starring Florence Pugh: In this “old-school page turner” (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review) by the bestselling author of Room, an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle—a girl said to have survived without food for months—and soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.
Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.
Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels — a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.
Deliciously gothic.... Dark and vivid, with complicated characters, this is a novel that lodges itself deep. (USA Today, 3/4 stars)
Heartbreaking and transcendent. (New York Times)
A fable as lean and discomfiting as Anna's dwindling body.... Donoghue keeps us riveted. (Chicago Tribune)
Donoghue poses powerful questions about faith and belief. (Newsday)
From the publisher: The Irish Midlands, 1859. An English nurse, Lib Wright, is summoned to a tiny village to observe what some are claiming as a medical anomaly or a miracle — a girl said to have survived without food for months. Tourists have flocked to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, and a journalist has come down to cover the sensation. The Wonder is a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.
Donoghue’s ninth novel — her first historical one set in her homeland of Ireland — was a bestseller in Canada even before publication, and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize there, as well as for Ireland's Bord Gáis Energy Eason Novel of the Year and Kerry Group Novel of the Year. It was a nominee for a Shirley Jackson Award (for the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic) as well as a Medici Award for book-club favorites.
From the author: I came across the Fasting Girl phenomenon back in the mid-1990s — so long ago that I can’t even remember where I first read about these girls and young women (and very occasionally older women or men). I was instantly intrigued by these cases, which seemed to echo medieval saints starving as an act of penance, and also modern anorexics, but weren't exactly the same as either. It seemed to say a lot about what it’s meant to be a girl — in many Western countries, from the sixteenth century right through to the twentieth — that these girls became celebrities by not eating. But I never found one real case that rang that little bell in me, telling me this was the story I had to tell in a novel. Some were too tragic, even for a writer with my dark tastes; Sarah Jacob, for instance, a little girl who died while being ‘watched' by nurses in 1869. Some were low comedy, such as the case of Ann Moore, exposed as a cheat in 1813. Finally, it occurred to me that if I was still so fascinated by the Fasting Girls, two decades on, I should drop my usual method of writing a historical novel based on a real case and let myself invent a story. I’d set it in Ireland, of course — not just because that’s my homeland, but because ever since the Great Famine of the 1840s, we’ve defined ourselves as a people intimate with hunger.
Restaurant Recommendations
Halloween Hopping
Instead of staying home to give out candy on Halloween, we decided to check out this creative event hosted at a new favorite taqueria. I recently noticed this announcement:
It’s Halloween and Casa Amado will be dressing up as the Bear!
Casa Amado is transforming into "The Bear". On Tuesday, October 31st; for one night only, the restaurant will become a shop from Chicago's Maxwell Street. The menu will be inspired by the show and the South Side.
No tacos that night, just Chicago-style. Italian beef anyone?
I suggested to our friends, Jeri and Kyle Johnson, that we should experience this. Being adventurous and from the Chicago area, they agreed, so we set off for Berkley.
The Bear at Casa Amado 2705 Coolidge Highway, Berkley, MI 48072
When we arrived just after 5 p.m., we were all disappointed to learn they were out of Italian Beef. We decided on two orders of Polish, Chicago Dog, and Fries. The food was authentic and tasted great. But after a single hot dog, I had room for more, so we headed to a classic deli in nearby Oak Park.
Original Bread Basket Deli 26052 Greenfield Rd, Oak Park, MI 48237
Our second Chicago connection: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Our friend Barbara Osher was born in Oak Park, Michigan, where many Jewish people lived. A fine Jewish deli has been there for over 50 years. I ordered:
Number 15: Pastrami & Swiss Cheese on grilled onion roll with thousand island
Matzo Ball Soup
The sandwich and pickles were great. The matzo soup was not the best, but Jeri and Kyle raved about their cup of beef barley soup.
From the restaurant: Although the founders are no longer with our restaurant, we have maintained the same recipes and great food that made The Bread Basket one of the best Jewish-style delicatessen restaurants in Michigan.
Call us old fashioned and unwilling to change. We still use the same Detroit-based suppliers: Sy Ginsberg’s meats, Superior bakery breads, Topor’s pickles, Better Made potato chips.
What makes us better is that we then cook the meat for hours in our restaurant based on traditional recipes and methods. We finish them by hand trimming each and every piece in the old-world tradition and piling them high in sandwiches.
We are not affiliated with the Bread Basket Deli chain restaurants.
Oberweis Dairy 32808 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, MI 48073
We needed a sweet ending to the evening, and we chose this Illinois ice cream institution. There had once been a location much closer to Northville (in Novi), but alas, it closed. We were not far from one of the two remaining locations, so we drove to Royal Oak. Barb and I shared a small sundae:
Turtle Candy Sundae: Coconut Chocolate Almond ice cream, topped with hot fudge and caramel then covered with roasted pecans, whipped cream and a cherry.
Our fresh, coconut infused ice cream transports you to paradise. In every bite you discover new layers of delicious. Crunchy, chocolate dipped, roasted almonds, and finely shaved coconut are an unexpected trio made for each other.
From the dairy: Oberweis ice cream has earned the right to be called super premium. That's more than just a fancy way of saying super tasty, it's ice cream that meets the finest standards. First, it's made with 50% overrun, which means our ice cream is only one part air to every two parts of cream. We also use 18% butterfat and the absolute finest ingredients, more than any other ice cream in the freezer aisle. It's rich, creamy and made in small batches using cream from Oberweis milk.
Marvelous Musicians
One week ago, Barb and I went with Barbara and David Osher to see this great band at a sold-out show at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Their voices are beautiful and blend together in perfect harmony.
I learned of the group in 2004 when they sent me a letter asking to perform a house concert in our home. I was unfamiliar with them and requested a CD, which they sent me. As soon as I heard their beautiful harmonies on the first song, "One Voice," I tried to book them. But it was too late, as they were already becoming too big for house concerts. I have seen them perform at The Ark in 2010 and 2023 and on the Cayamo music cruise in 2020.
From Wikipedia: The Wailin' Jennys are a Canadian music group. They have released several albums and received two Juno Awards. The group has been featured several times on the American Public Media program A Prairie Home Companion.
The group now consists of soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta and alto Heather Masse. In previous years, the Jennys have also toured with fiddler and mandolinist Jeremy Penner, who is from Ruth's former band, Scruj MacDuhk. Other band members have included Annabelle Chvostek, a singer/songwriter from Montreal, and Ruth Moody's brother Richard on viola and mandolin. Both Penner and Moody have appeared on The Wailin' Jennys' albums. In 2007, Chvostek left the group and was replaced by Heather Masse, a Maine-born singer and member of the band Heather & the Barbarians.
Three Distinct Voices that Together Make an Achingly Perfect Vocal Sound
Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with New York-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording, and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
In 2004, The Wailin’ Jennys released their first full-length album 40 Days to great critical acclaim, netting a 2005 Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. Bolstered by their frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor’s public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, The Jennys exploded onto the roots music scene, performing at packed venues across Canada, the U.S. and throughout the world.
The Jennys’ sophomore album, 2006’s Firecracker, served as a powerful follow-up to their career-making debut. Artistically, the record found The Jennys stepping out of the folk realm and into the world of alt-country, pop and rock. Garnering much attention, it was nominated for a Juno Award and won a 2007 Folk Alliance Award for Contemporary Release of the Year. Firecracker had legs, spending over 56 weeks on the Billboard charts.
The trio’s 2009 release, Live at Mauch Chunk Opera House, also spent over a year on the Billboard bluegrass charts. That landmark live album bottled the lightning of The Jennys’ live performances with show-stopping harmonies, impressive instrumental prowess, breathtaking songs and, of course, witty stage banter.
One Voice
The Parting Glass
My Playlist
Sports Stars
The Texas Rangers won the World Series last night for the first time in their history. Among the many reasons for their victory, their top player and their manager stood out.
Corey Seager
I wonder if the Los Angeles Dodgers might like to have their former All-Star shortstop back. Maybe they wouldn’t have been swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS this year.
World Series MVP Corey Seager still lets his bat do the talking by Evan Drellich of The Athletic
Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and Reggie Jackson. Cory Seager and those three Hall of Famers are the only ones to win the World Series MVP award twice. In the Rangers’ 5-0 clinching win over the D-Backs on Wednesday, Seager broke up Zac Gallen’s no-hitter in the seventh inning with a cue shot to left, then scored the first run. He had three homers in the series, including a two-run shot to tie the game at 5 in the ninth inning of Game 1’s comeback win. Over the five games, he slashed .286/.375/.762.
Corey Seager's résumé:
💍 2x World Series champ (Rangers, Dodgers)
🏆 2x World Series MVP (2020, 2023)
⭐️ 4x All-Star
⚾️ NL Rookie of the Year (2016)
💪 2x Silver Slugger Award Winner
He has 19 HRs and 48 RBIs in his postseason career. Seager and Jackson are in further elite company together. They’re the only players to win MVP awards for two different teams. Seager’s first came in 2020, with the Dodgers.
From Wikipedia: Corey Drew Seager (born April 27, 1994 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers selected Seager in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut in 2015. He was the 2016 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was an MLB All-Star in his first two full seasons in the majors. He was named the NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the World Series MVP while leading the Dodgers to the 2020 World Series title.
After seven years with the Dodgers, Seager entered free agency and signed a 10-year contract worth $325 million with the Rangers. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023. Seager won the World Series with the Rangers in 2023 and was named World Series MVP for the second time.
Bruce Bochy
In post-game interviews, Texas players described their manager’s perpetual calm as a key reason for their success. Former Washington University men’s basketball coach, two-time national champion Mark Edwards, stressed this same point when my son Roger interviewed him about his approach to coaching.
I believe staying calm, especially when the going gets tough or things start to get heated, is important for leaders. Their people look to them in those moments and follow their example. I admire Bruce Bochy’s demeanor and his managerial accomplishments, including four World Series championships.
Bruce Bochy is a wonder by Chris Branch of The Athletic
Already a three-time World Series champion from his days as the Giants’ manager, he pushed these Rangers to a ring in his first season after a three-year break. Texas went 13-4 in the postseason and 11-0 in road games. Bochy is one of just six managers in MLB history to win four rings (Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel lead with seven each).
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, with fourth World Series, didn’t end retirement to lose by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic
On Wednesday night, he became the sixth manager to win at least four World Series, and the first to do it with two different clubs. His teams have won 15 of their last 16 playoff rounds, a particularly meaningful accomplishment, considering most in baseball regard the postseason as a crapshoot.
Yes, Bochy is 68. He has undergone a heart procedure, back surgery, two hip replacements and a knee replacement. He dealt with sciatica throughout the postseason. He could retire again, this time on top, go play golf and hang with his grandchildren. Why not just stop?
“I haven’t thought about it,” Bochy said after the Texas Rangers’ 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks enabled them to win the Series, four games to one. “I’m going to regroup here. I don’t know how you top this year. It’s such a great group. But I’m in a good place, I’ll say that.”
Actually, he is in the best place.
He missed the dugout, missed the action. He came to realize, after three years of retirement, that he wanted to manage again while in Regensburg, Germany, trying to help Team France for the World Baseball Classic last September. Bochy has told the story repeatedly, how Rangers general manager Chris Young came to his home in Nashville to persuade him to take over a team coming off six straight losing seasons, including 102 and 94 defeats the previous two years. How blessed he was to get the opportunity. How his team was so talented, so together, he was merely “along for the ride.”
Sure, Boch. As if the Rangers losing the AL West title on the last day of the regular season, then beating the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Diamondbacks in the playoffs was some sort of happy accident. As if their 11-0 record on the road in the postseason was some cosmic stroke of good fortune. As if any other manager could have transformed the organization so quickly, so emphatically.
From Wikipedia: Bruce Douglas Bochy (born April 16, 1955 in Landes de Boussac, Bussac-Forêt, France) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). During his playing career, Bochy was a catcher for the Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres. After retiring as a player, Bochy managed the Padres for 12 seasons, from 1995 to 2006, and the San Francisco Giants for 13 seasons, from 2007 to 2019. As manager, Bochy led the Giants to three World Series championships, the Padres to one World Series appearance, and the Rangers to the franchise's first World Series championship in his first season with the club. He is one of only three managers to win a World Series championship in both leagues, joining Sparky Anderson and Tony LaRussa as the others. Bochy is the 11th manager in MLB history to achieve 2,000 wins.
Picture Pun
Start spreadin’ the news
I’m leafin’ today
