Pistons' Playoff Persistence
Britt-Marie Was Here, Thai Times Two, Ellis Paul, Dick Barnett, Bottlemania
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This issue includes a dozen TV series we’ve streamed, a novel about an eccentric woman in a small Swedish town, two Thai restaurants in Santa Barbara, a singer from Maine whom I have followed for over 30 years, a key member of the Knicks championship teams of the 70s, and the fruit of the vine on the line. I hope you like the picks and pics.
The Detroit Pistons, facing elimination in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, won in exciting fashion at Madison Square Garden last night. They will return to Detroit for Game 6 tomorrow.
I have a long history with pro basketball teams from New York. I was an ardent fan of the Knicks in the late 60s and early 70s. This week’s Sports Star is the late Dick Barnett, who was a favorite Knick when he helped New York win two championships.
50 years ago, I kept stats for the Spirits of St. Louis of the late ABA. They faced the New York Nets in the first round of the 1975 ABA Playoffs. Despite having lost all 11 regular season games to the Nets, the Spirits pulled off an incredible upset, winning in five games. My friend Tim Poor sent me the following article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the paper for which Tim was the former National Editor. The return address on the envelope containing the article said that it was from “Marvin Barnes.”
I have three nits to pick with Hochman’s otherwise fine story:
The shot clock was not an ABA invention. The 24-second shot clock was introduced to the NBA in 1954. The ABA used a 30-second shot clock for its first 8 seasons, switching to a 24-second clock for its final season. For several games, I operated the 30-second clock in 1974-75 and the 24-second clock in 1975-76.
It’s a commonly-held belief that Marvin Barnes was known as “Bad News” Barnes. He actually preferred to be called “News” and wore a necklace with that nickname. The actual “Bad News” Barnes was Jim Barnes, who started in the NBA with the Knicks in 1964.
Joe “Pogo” Caldwell is the wrong way to list him. He was known as “Pogo Joe” or “Jumpin’ Joe.” Incidentally, two of Joe’s grandsons are in the NBA: former Piston Marvin Bagley III and Marcus Bagley.
My friend Tom Marcus and I reveled in this remarkable series, celebrating the Game 5 win at a McDonald’s in St. Louis. This was the story in the Post-Dispatch the next day:
Extraction, USA is an indie film produced by my cousin Cheri Harris and written and directed by her husband Mike Yonts. It’s available (free with ads) on Tubi.
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Fave Five 134: Pistons’ Playoff Persistence
Britt in Borg (Britt-Marie Was Here), Thai Times Two (Galanga Thai, Thai Bistro), Paul Plissey (Ellis Paul), Guard from Gary (Dick Barnett), and Bottlemania.
Fave Five List: 12 TV Series to Stream
We are watching or have watched these series that we recommend.
Back to the Rafters - Amazon Prime - after finishing Packed to the Rafters, we started this sequel
The Last Thing He Told Me - Apple TV+ - based on the book
Paradise - Hulu
Hacks (Season 4) - Max
The Last of Us (Season 2) - Max
The Residence - Netflix
Your Friends & Neighbors - Netflix
Anxious People - Netflix- based on the book
The Night Agent - Netflix
Running Point - Netflix
Dead to Me - Netflix - thanks to my friend Tom Marcus for recommending it
You (Season 5) - Netflix
Book Best Bet
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman (Movie version available on Tubi)
This is the sixth Backman book I have written about, following Anxious People, A Man Called Ove, Beartown, Us Against You, and The Winners. As you might guess, I really like his writing. His novels often start out by portraying his characters in unflattering ways, but eventually, you grow to appreciate them and are moved by the unfolding stories. This one is no exception.
From Amazon: For as long as anyone can remember, Britt-Marie has been an acquired taste. It's not that she's judgmental, or fussy, or difficult - she just expects things to be done in a certain way. A cutlery drawer should be arranged in the right order, for example (knives, forks, then spoons). We're not animals, are we?
But behind the passive-aggressive, socially awkward, absurdly pedantic busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams and a warmer heart than anyone around her realizes.
So when Britt-Marie finds herself unemployed, separated from her husband of 20 years, left to fend for herself in the miserable provincial backwater that is Borg - of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it - and somehow tasked with running the local football team, she is a little unprepared. But she will learn that life may have more to offer her that she's ever realized, and love might be found in the most unexpected of places.
The number 1 European bestseller is a funny, poignant and uplifting tale of love, community, and second chances.
A heartwarming and hilarious story of a reluctant outsider who transforms a tiny village and a woman who finds love and second chances in the unlikeliest of places.
Britt-Marie eats dinner at precisely the right time and starts her day at six in the morning because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It's just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.
But at 63, Britt-Marie has had enough. She finally walks out on her loveless 40-year marriage and finds a job in the only place she can: Borg, a small, derelict town devastated by the financial crisis. For the fastidious Britt-Marie, this new world of noisy children, muddy floors, and a roommate who is a rat (literally) is a hard adjustment.
As for the citizens of Borg, with everything that they know crumbling around them, the only thing that they have left to hold on to is something Britt-Marie absolutely loathes: their love of soccer. When the village's youth team becomes desperate for a coach, they set their sights on her. She's the least likely candidate, but their need is obvious, and there is no one else to do it.
Thus begins a beautiful and unlikely partnership. In her new role as reluctant mentor to these lost young boys and girls, Britt-Marie soon finds herself becoming increasingly vital to the community. And, even more surprisingly, she is the object of romantic desire for a friendly and handsome local policeman named Sven. In this world of oddballs and misfits, can Britt-Marie finally find a place where she belongs?
Zany and full of heart, Britt-Marie Was Here is a novel about love and second chances and about the unexpected friendships we make that teach us who we really are and the things we are capable of doing.
The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, and Anxious People captivates readers with this “warm and satisfying” (People) story “about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis…fans of Backman will find another winner in these pages” (Publishers Weekly).
Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.
But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.
When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?
Funny and moving, sweet and inspiring, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the importance of community and connection in a world that can feel isolating.
Restaurant Recommendations
Thai Times Two
Santa Barbara has a wealth of Asian restaurants from which to choose. We ordered carryout from these two while we were there for the winter.
Galanga Thai Restaurant 507 State Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101
Chicken fried rice with egg, onion, peas & carrots
Pad Thai: Rice noodles stir-fried with egg ground peanut and bean sprout.
With shrimp
With chicken
Thai Bistro 3130 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Pad Thai Chicken: Pan fried rice noodles, egg, onions, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts.
Thai Basil: Stir fried ground chicken, chili, garlic, bell peppers, and basil.
Chicken Satay: Grilled marinated chicken breast on skewers. Served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce.
Marvelous Musician
16 years ago this month, Ellis performed in our living room. We saw him at The Ark last week.
We attended his show at The Ark last Thursday, along with our friends Jeri and Kyle Johnson and Sandy Bromley. Ellis put on a fine concert as usual. I have loved his music for over three decades, so I briefly said hello after the show.
I bought Say Something, Stories, and Carnival of Voices in 1993-95. In 2000, when Live was played a lot on WUMB, I became a big fan. I have seen him multiple times at The Ark in Ann Arbor, including on one Halloween night, on October 17, 2008, in a co-bill with Ari Hest on September 18, 2009, on August 26, 2016, and on April 24, 2025. I saw Ellis at a house concert in Cleveland on September 24, 2010 and on Cayamo 2011. Ellis performed in our home on April 18, 2009. He doesn’t tend to remember me, but he greeted Barb with a huge hug when we met up with him on Cayamo after a set.
From Wikipedia: Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey on January 14, 1965 in Fort Kent, Maine) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s. His pop music songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Paul grew up in a small Maine town. He attended Boston College on a track scholarship, majoring in English. Injured during his junior year, Paul began playing guitar to help fill his free time and soon began writing songs. After graduating college Paul played at open mic nights in the Boston area while working with inner-city school children. He won a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition and gained national exposure on a Windham Hill Records compilation (Legacy II) which helped him choose music as a career.
Did Galileo Pray? (I was at this show and Ellis played this song at my request.)
The World Ain't Slowing Down
Conversation with a Ghost (with Laurie MacAllister)
My Playlist
Sports Star
Dick passed away on April 27, 2025. He was a great guard, but he also accomplished a great deal more off the court after his playing days were over.
I wrote previously about being a Knicks fan in my profile of Willis Reed. I loved the entire starting five, and fondly recall Dick’s distinctive jumper that included kicking both of his legs while shooting.
Dick Barnett, Champion Knick With a Singular Jump Shot, Dies at 88 by Richard Goldstein of The New York Times
A high-scoring guard, he played on New York’s two title-winning teams in the 1970s. He was remembered for his “fall back, baby” shooting style.
Dick did not graduate from Tennessee A&I, but while he was a Laker he received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal Poly. He obtained a master’s degree in public administration from New York University while a Knick and a doctorate in education from Fordham University in 1991. He taught sports management at St. John’s University and established a publishing imprint, Fall Back Baby Productions, for which he wrote poetry and commented on athletes and race.
An Overlooked Championship Team’s Final Stop: The White House by Remy Tumin and Sopan Deb of The New York Times
The all-Black Tennessee A&I basketball team won three back-to-back national championships at the height of the Jim Crow era, but were never invited to the White House. That changed in April, 2024.
The Dream Whisperer on PBS - A 1950s' HBCU basketball team overcame racial barriers led by former Knick Dick Barnett.
From Wikipedia: Richard Barnett (born October 2, 1936 in Gary, Indiana; died April 27, 2025 in Largo, Florida) was an American professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. He won two NBA championships with the Knicks. Barnett was also a member of the Cleveland Pipers in the American Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee A&I State Tigers. Barnett was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Picture Pun
Good wine doesn’t grow on trees.
