Playoff Performers
Goodbye Columbus, Clawson Crawl, The Association, Tyrese Maxey, Surrendered Sucker
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue includes the current NBA playoff scoring leaders, a Philip Roth novella, a mini food crawl in Clawson and Troy, a sunshine pop band, the hero of last night’s 76ers-Knicks game, and a misplaced pacifier. I hope you like the picks and pics.
The title of last week’s issue (Goodbye in Columbus) was a play on words referring to Goodbye, Columbus — a novella by Philip Roth, a movie starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw (pictured above), and a song by The Association. The book and the musical group are featured in this week’s issue.
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Fave Five 83: Playoff Performers
New Jersey Novella (Goodbye, Columbus), Clawson Crawl (Paris Banh Mi, Woodpile, Shiromaru, Crispelli’s), Sixties Sunshine Sound (The Association), Sensational Sixer (Tyrese Maxey), and a Surrendered Sucker.
Fave Five Lists: NBA Playoff Scoring Leaders
I hardly ever watch a regular season NBA game, especially since the Detroit Pistons became the worst team in the league. But once the playoffs begin, I like to follow the action, especially the fourth quarter of a close game. I have featured four of the five leading playoff scorers (so far this year) in previous issues, and this week I include the fifth.
Jalen Brunson New York 34.4
Tyrese Maxey Philadelphia 32.4 (this week’s Sports Star)
Damian Lillard Milwaukee 32.3
Joel Embiid Philadelphia 31.8
Anthony Edwards Minnesota 31.0
Book Best Bet
Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth
I read this many years ago. I liked both the book and the movie that was made from it.
From Amazon: National Book Ward Winner. From the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer of explosive wit, merciless insight, and a fierce compassion comes "a masterpiece" (Newsweek) that illuminates the subterranean conflicts between parents and children and friends and neighbors in the American Jewish diaspora.
Roth's award-winning first book instantly established its author's reputation. Goodbye, Columbus is the story of Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin, he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills, who meet one summer break and dive into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is about love. The novella is accompanied by five short stories that range in tone from the iconoclastic to the astonishingly tender.
Philip Milton Roth (born March 19, 1933 in Newark, NJ; died May 22, 2018 in NYC) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. He first gained attention with the 1959 short story collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth narrates some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America.
Roth was one of the most honored American writers of his generation. He received the National Book Critics Circle award for The Counterlife, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Operation Shylock, The Human Stain, and Everyman, a second National Book Award for Sabbath's Theater, and the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral. In 2005, the Library of America began publishing his complete works, making him the second author so anthologized while still living, after Eudora Welty. Harold Bloom named him one of the four greatest American novelists of his day, along with Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. In 2001, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize in Prague.
Restaurant Recommendations
Clawson/Troy Crawl
My friend Mark Mitra suggested that we go on a monthly food crawl, and he didn’t have to twist my arm to agree. We enlisted two more of our friends, Kyle Johnson and Ray Bzymek, to join us last week for a trip to Clawson and Troy. The first stop was nothing special, but the next three were quite worthy.
Paris Banh Mi 268 John R Rd., Troy, MI 48083
Special Combination (Bánh Mì Đặc Biệt): Ham, pork bologna, pâté, mayonnaise, jalapeños pepper, cucumber, pickled daikon & carrot, and cilantro
Pâté & Pork BBQ Sandwich (Bánh Mi Pâté Thit Do): Pork barbecue, pâté, mayonnaise, jalapeños pepper, cucumber, pickled daikon & carrot, and cilantro
Woodpile BBQ Shack 303 S. Main St, Clawson, MI 48017
Pitmaster’s Platter: pork, chicken, brisket, cheddar jalapeno sausage, ribs, sweet potato mash, mac & cheese
Shiromaru Authentic Ramen & Sushi 5365 Crooks Road, Troy, MI 48098
Classic Tonkotsu: Rich and creamy pork bone broth with fresh house made ramen noodles, pork belly chashu, half marinated egg, green onion, bamboo, kikurage (wood ear mushroom)
Red Paitan: Chicken Paitan blended with house special spicy chili garlic sauce
Pork Belly Chashu: Pork chashu, lettuce, green onions, mayo and eel sauce
Crispelli’s 645 E. Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48083
Vanilla Cheesecake: graham cracker crust, vanilla bean cheesecake, whipped cream
Pistachio Cannoli
Chocolate Chip Cookie: brown sugar cookie dough with chocolate chunks
Marvelous Musicians
In 1967 I liked "Windy" and "Never My Love" and bought the Insight Out LP. In 1968 I bought Birthday and liked "Everything That Touches You" and "Time for Livin'." When I heard their earlier hits "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish" on the radio, I liked those as well.
From Wikipedia: The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts (including "Windy", "Cherish", "Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. They are known for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers.
Their best-known lineup included Terry Kirkman (vocals, woodwind instruments), Russ Giguere (vocals, guitar), Jim Yester vocals, rhythm and lead guitar), Jules Alexander (vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Brian Cole (vocals, bass) and Ted Bluechel Jr. (vocals, drums). This lineup recorded their first two albums, And Then... Along Comes the Association and Renaissance (both 1966) before Larry Ramos replaced Alexander in early 1967. With Ramos, the group recorded their third and fourth albums, Insight Out and Birthday. Alexander re-joined in late 1968, and the group released their fifth album The Association in 1969. Keyboardist Richard Thompson replaced Giguere in 1970, with whom the band recorded their final two albums Stop Your Motor (1971) and Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972). The group has since been through several lineup changes and has not released any new albums.
In 1964, an ad hoc group called The Inner Tubes was formed by Terry Kirkman, Jules Gary Alexander, and Doug Dillard, whose rotating membership contained, at one time or another, Cass Elliot, David Crosby and many others who drifted in and out. This led, in the fall of 1964, to the forming of The Men, a 13-piece Folk rock band. This group had a brief spell as the house band at The Troubadour. After a short time, The Men disbanded, with six of the members electing to go out on their own in February 1965. At the suggestion of Kirkman's then-fiancée, Judy, they took the name "The Association".
In April 1967, Alexander left the band to study meditation in India and was replaced by Larry Ramos (born Hilario Ramos on April 19, 1942, Waimea, Hawaii; died April 30, 2014) on vocals and guitar. Ramos joined the band while Alexander was still performing with them after bassist Cole's hand was injured by a firecracker; Alexander subbed on bass while Ramos played lead guitar. Ramos had previously performed with the New Christy Minstrels. He went on to sing co-lead (along with Russ Giguere and Terry Kirkman) on two of The Association's biggest hit singles, "Windy" and "Never My Love".
Along Comes Mary
Windy
Never My Love
Goodbye Columbus
My Playlist
Sports Star
Tyrese led the Philadelphia 76ers in a miraculous comeback in the final 28.9 seconds of last night’s 112-106 overtime win over the New York Knicks. While scoring 46 points, he shot 17-30 overall and 7-12 from 3, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists.
He was a steal as the 21st pick in the 2020 NBA draft and has been a key contributor for the Sixers. Tyrese is one of many former Kentucky Wildcats that have become stars in the NBA. Here are his stats for this season and for his career:
From Wikipedia: Tyrese Kendrid Maxey (born November 4, 2000 in Dallas, Texas) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Maxey was a shooting guard for South Garland High School, helping the team to their first-ever Texas state high school basketball tournament appearance in 2018. A five-star recruit as early as his sophomore year of high school, Maxey contemplated leaving high school early to play for the Kentucky Wildcats, but ultimately stayed at South Garland, where he was a McDonald's All-American and Texas Mr. Basketball during his senior year. He then played for the Wildcats, where he would set a school record of 26 points in his collegiate debut.
After Maxey's freshman season at Kentucky was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he elected to enter the 2020 NBA draft, where the 76ers selected him 21st overall with their first-round pick. Maxey received limited playing time during his rookie season, making his first NBA start in a game where the 76ers could only field the league's minimum number of players. However, Ben Simmons's refusal to play for the 76ers the following season gave Maxey an opportunity to become the team's starting point guard.
With the 76ers trailing by six points and seemingly waving their season goodbye, Maxey scored seven points in the final 28.9 seconds to take the game to overtime where Philadelphia eventually won 112-106 to close the gap in the first-round series to 3-2.
Picture Pun
There’s a sucker lost every minute.
