Tale of Two Titles
I Cheerfully Refuse, Mission City Sandwich Shop, Jason Isbell, Tre Donaldson, Lost Letter
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This issue includes my five favorite March Madness Moments, a new Santa Barbara sandwich shop, a singer/songwriter’s special solo show, Michigan’s epic end-to-end ending by a speedy shooter, and a missing letter. I hope you like the picks and pics.
It was a great Big Ten basketball season for both Michigan State and Michigan. The Spartans won the regular season title.
The Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament title.
It was not easy to fill out my annual dream bracket for the NCAA Tournament. I wanted Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, and Omaha, but the first two are in the South Region and the latter two are in the West Region. I ended up picking Wisconsin, where my sister Joan graduated and my dad attended for one semester, and Illinois, the state where I was born, to round out this very unlikely Final Four. Warning: don’t copy this bracket — it is not my real entry in Roger’s annual bracket pool. You are welcome to participate — use password “jalen” to join the group before the games start tomorrow.
Barb, Roger, Cristi, and I are looking forward to seeing my brother David perform at the Baked Potato on March 28. Yesterday he was interviewed by Jason Myles on a lively podcast episode:
What the Hell is Yacht Rock? featuring David Garfield
Last week I reported on Santa Barbara Burger Week. I was pleased to learn that I was a winner in the Santa Barbara Independent’s Instagram contest:
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Fave Five 128: Tale of Two Titles
Superior Sailing Story (I Cheerfully Refuse), Sensational Sandwiches (Mission City Sandwich Shop), Solo Singer/Songwriter (Jason Isbell), Tremendous Tre (Tre Donaldson), and a Lost Letter.
Fave Five List: Five Favorite March Madness Moments
As March Madness is underway, here are my five favorite moments from previous tournaments.
2019: Michigan State’s Kenny Goins hits the winning shot, and Cassius Winston dribbles out the clock to beat Duke and advance to the Final Four. Barb, Roger, Cristi, and were there at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
2010: Michigan State’s Korie Lucious Hits the Game Winning Buzzer Beater Against Maryland. Barb, Tracy, Kathy, and I watched on TV at home.
2009: Michigan State’s Durrell Summers dunks over Stanley Robinson of UConn. Roger, Tracy, and I were there at Ford Field in Detroit.
2013: Michigan’s Trey Burke Hits a 30-Footer to Force Overtime Against Kansas. Matt, Tracy, Roger, and I saw this on TV at the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis just before heading to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch Michigan State lose to Duke.
2018: Michigan's Jordan Poole Hits Game-Winning Buzzer-Beater over Houston. Barb, Roger, Cristi, and I saw this on TV in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Book Best Bet
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
When I previously featured Peace Like a River I said that I looked forward to reading Leif Enger’s latest novel. I just finished it, and I loved it. I have read all of his books, and I recommend them. This one takes place in northern Minnesota and Michigan, southern Canada, and Lake Superior. It features sailing, music, and books, and is filled with hope despite being set in the dismal near future.
From Amazon: A career defining tour-de-force from New York Times bestselling, award-winning and “formidably gifted” (Chicago Tribune) author of Peace Like a River Leif Enger.
“A rare, remarkable book to be kept and reread—for its beauty of language, its gentle wisdom and its steady, unflagging hope.” — Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A heart-racing ballad of escape, shot-through with villainy and dignity, humor and music. Like Mark Twain, Enger gives us a full accounting of the human soul, scene by scene, wave by wave.”—Josh Ritter, singer and author of The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All
A storyteller “of great humanity and huge heart” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Leif Enger debuted in the literary world with Peace Like a River which sold over a million copies and captured readers’ hearts around the globe. Now comes a new milestone in this boldly imaginative author’s accomplished, resonant body of work. Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure and a lawless society.
Amidst the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty, surprising humor, generous strangers, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake.
I Cheerfully Refuse epitomizes the “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling” (Los Angeles Times) for which Leif Enger is cherished. A rollicking narrative in the most evocative of settings, this latest novel is a symphony against despair and a rallying cry for the future.
Restaurant Recommendations
I have one new and one repeat restaurant to highlight.
Mission City Sandwich Shop 1826 Cliff Drive, Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
The 40-minute wait for our sandwiches to be prepared did not deter us. Barb and I took a walk along Cliff Drive while waiting for our order, which was ready when we returned.
Barb’s order: Simone's Big "But": Turkey, bacon, avocado, garlic aioli, tomato, gouda, organic mixed greens, basil pesto vinaigrette, hoagie roll
My order: Italian Petting Zoo: Soppressata, mortadella w/ pistachio, capicola, provolone, calabrian chili aioli, bread & butter pickles, tomato, shaved red onion, giardiniera, romaine, red wine hoagie dressing, ciabatta
Last week I wrote about the birthday dinner for Tracy and Kathy that we enjoyed here. I was very pleased with my drink (the same as David’s) and main dish (the same as Barb’s and Matt’s).
Virgin Mary
Grilled Ahi with cilantro corn salad
Marvelous Musician
Barb and I were fortunate to attend a sold-out show at Santa Barbara’s largest downtown venue, The Arlington Theatre. This was a solo acoustic show featuring songs from his recently released solo album, Foxes in the Snow. It was a fantastic concert, including one of my favorites, “Alabama Pines.”
I first saw Jason on Cayamo 2013 and fell in love with his music. I enjoyed seeing him again on Cayamo 2016 and 2019.
From Wikipedia: Michael Jason Isbell (born February 1, 1979 in Green Hill, Alabama) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a former member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.
Alabama Pines on Cayamo 2013
Traveling Alone on Cayamo 2016
Cover Me Up on Cayamo 2019
My Playlist
Sports Star
Tre transferred from Auburn to Michigan before this season, and he was key in wins over Maryland on Saturday and Wisconsin on Sunday to win the Big Ten Tournament. He is very quick, makes great passes, and can shoot the three. He will be key to Michigan’s hopes for a long run in the NCAA Tournament that starts tomorrow.
Just like former Wolverine great Trey Burke, Tre won a game with a buzzer-beater. Just like current Michigan State guard Tre Holloman, his buzzer-beater beat Maryland. He also hit the game-winning trey and two game-clinching free throws against Wisconsin in the title game.
Donaldson's Last-Second Layup Sends Michigan to Big Ten Title Game
A coast-to-coast, buzzer-beating layup by Tre Donaldson lifted the No. 22-ranked and third seed University of Michigan men's basketball team to an 81-80 Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over No. 11-ranked and second seed Maryland on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Winning Layup: Michigan Over Maryland in the Big Ten Semifinals
Winning Three: Michigan Over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Final
Picture Pun
If they had to leave out a letter, better the B than the L.
