Year One Was Fun and Now It's Done
Working Knowledge, Aubree's, Garnet Rogers, Brooks Robinson, Turtle Traversal
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue finishes off the first year of Fave Five. It features the fans of Fave Five, a classic book by a friend who died, a happy hour hit, a Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist/fiddler/author, a hot corner hero, and a long wait to cross. I hope you like the picks and pics and have enjoyed the first 52 issues of Fave Five.
Fave Five 52: Year One Was Fun and Now It's Done. Larry Legend (Working Knowledge), Commendable Calzone (Aubree's), Beautiful Baritone (Garnet Rogers), Outstanding Oriole (Brooks Robinson), and a Turtle Traversal.
Fave Five Lists: Fave Five Fans
Five Most Frequent Commenters
Jim Baker, former Washington University and Saint Louis University colleague
Arnold Kling, Clayton High School classmate
Cheryl Shea, Tenafly High School classmate
Sue Chaplin, former Deloitte colleague
Jean-Claude Monney, knowledge management thought leader and former DECie
Honorable Mention: John Bommarito (who thanks me whenever I mention him or his podcast) and my siblings Ann, Joan, and David (whose 67th birthday is today — Happy Birthday, my brother!)
Five Favorite Comments
Jan 12, 2023 - Rebecca Oljace: Really enjoy reading your newsletter. I enjoy learning about the many topics you write about. Also enjoy your voice and word choice in writing—sure I am not the first to tell you that!
March 29, 2023 - Jean-Claude Monney: I’m always impressed by your ability to produce such great material weekly, and I always enjoy it and learn something new. In this edition, I loved the discovery of Slaid Cleaves,
May 31, 2023 - Arnold Kling: Thanks for posting the cover of “To Sir With Love.” Unlike you, I have not been to many live concerts. But one of them was 10,000 Maniacs, and when they sang "Campfire Song," all of a sudden Michael Stipe leaped out of the audience to sing his part.
August 10, 2023 - Tom Marcus: Great newsletter! October 1964 was one of my favorite books of all time, which is no surprise considering I loved Halberstam’s The Best and The Brightest, and the 1964 Cardinals were my favorite childhood team. Sadly, Halberstam was killed in a car accident in Menlo Park, California, not far from where I lived at the time. Also, I love going to Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis when I visit home. For some reason I thought Julian Javier had passed away. Very happy to know he’s still alive and well.
September 21, 2023 - Sue Chaplin: Thanks, Stan. I haven't read Tom Lake so I'll have to check it out. I did just finish The Dutch House, which I thought was amazing. I assume you've read it since you're such a big fan. For some reason I had kind of "fallen off" the Ann Patchett fan wagon several years ago, but I can't remember why. I picked up The Dutch House from the Large Print section of the library (yes, it's come to that) and loved it. I also love all things seafood and greatly enjoyed your food write-ups! I had never really connected with Jim Croce and so I listened to the two songs you embedded and realized how familiar they were—like a staple of my teenage years! Why did so many musicians fly and die?? You put together a fun and engaging newsletter and it makes me glad I know you.
Honorable Mention: May 11, 2023 - Cheryl Shea: Ay ay ay – alliteration abundance!
Favorable Feedback from Jim Baker
February 2, 2023: I enjoy and appreciate these newsletters and all the topics you cover. Today's is particularly touching as Patty Griffin has been one of my favorite singers/songwriters for years. Just the thought of her name brings beautiful songs to my mind. Same for reading Lyle Lovett's name. Brandi Carlile is one of my newest favorites. And it is a delight to read your exquisite writing. Please keep these coming.
May 18, 2023: I love the "Grammar Police" points. "To be honest with you" seems to be increasingly popular--and always makes me cringe. David Garfield's music is so cool. Great funk. Thanks for these weekly blogs. I look forward to them.
June 8, 2023: So delightful to hear the mention of Chez Louis. That was our favorite for major occasions; everything about it was great. I recall the host there had a remarkably warm way of welcoming us. I've not encountered anyone in that function with the same impact. And, of course, we have lots of memories of Caleco's, the most convenient place for pizza when we lived in Lafayette Square. My last time at Le Chateau was for a reunion of former Artronix folks—maybe 30 years ago; I recall that they were shocked—shocked and amused—at how old I looked after 20 years. I didn't share their amusement. Enjoyed your last email with the grammar gaffes. Just thinking of "feeling badly" amuses me. Could it possibly mean awkward, futile groping—or what?
June 30, 2023: What a relief! To see Curb Your Enthusiasm at the top of your funny TV shows. I don't watch much TV. But I discovered this show on a long flight last year, and now I devour it on all my flights. Nothing amuses me more. Some of the situations are so ridiculous, and the characters make it all work so well. And I'm excited to see your list of funny books. Great opportunities.
July 8, 2023: I too savored Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. Jan and I were obsessed with those series—as we were with The Americans. The only other TV series I fell for big time was Crime Story in the 1980's—perhaps because it was my first taste of film noir. There are many on your full movie list that are among my all-time favorites: Blade Runner, Dave, Animal House, The Graduate—to name a few. Reading your list brought back memories of many wonderful films.
Book Best Bet
Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know by Tom Davenport and Larry Prusak
“Larry Legend” usually refers to former basketball star Larry Bird. In my field of knowledge management, it should be reserved for Larry Prusak, who passed away on Saturday. Larry was much beloved by those who met him, collaborated with him, and learned from him. It is a great loss to the field of knowledge management, but his insights and our fond memories of him will live on. One way that his wisdom endures is through his many important books, book chapters, and articles.
He and Tom Davenport wrote one of the classic works in our field. I read it when I started my first knowledge management program at DEC in 1996 and it was very helpful in shaping my thinking. It remains as important now as it was then.
From Amazon: This influential book establishes the enduring vocabulary and concepts in the burgeoning field of knowledge management. It serves as the hands-on resource of choice for companies that recognize knowledge as the only sustainable source of competitive advantage going forward.
Drawing from their work with more than thirty knowledge-rich firms, Davenport and Prusak—experienced consultants with a track record of success—examine how all types of companies can effectively understand, analyze, measure, and manage their intellectual assets, turning corporate wisdom into market value. They categorize knowledge work into four sequential activities—accessing, generating, embedding, and transferring—and look at the key skills, techniques, and processes of each. While they present a practical approach to cataloging and storing knowledge so that employees can easily leverage it throughout the firm, the authors caution readers on the limits of communications and information technology in managing intellectual capital.
Larry Prusak (January 27, 1944 - September 23, 2023)
I was saddened when I read the news that Larry Prusak had passed away over the weekend. He was both a hero and a friend of mine, and I will miss him. He had one of the great minds in the field, providing useful insights based on his extensive reading, keen observations, and deep thinking.
I first heard Larry speak at DCI’s Knowledge Management Conference in Boston in 1998, at which he delivered a keynote, “Enablers and Enemies of Knowledge Management.” At that event, someone approached me and asked if I was Larry Prusak. As much as it was a great honor to be confused with him, it was likely due to that fact that we had the same hairstyle.
I was fortunate to have attended multiple Working Knowledge Research Center conferences at Babson College, where I became friends with Larry and enjoyed his book club sessions. We were both lecturers in Columbia University’s IKNS program.
Restaurant Recommendation
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill 21775 Pontiac Trail, South Lyon, MI 48178
Due to a shortage of the latest COVID booster vaccine, two different appointments at CVS pharmacies close to our home were cancelled. I searched for another opening and found one at the Walgreen’s in South Lyon, a 15-minute drive.
I checked for a Taco Tuesday opportunity nearby, but finding none, I broadened my search. An Aubree’s location popped up, one of seven in Southeast Michigan. We liked their pizza but hadn’t been back since the Northville location closed years ago. When I noticed they offer happy hour specials from 3 to 6 p.m. every day, I suggested to Barb that we take advantage after getting our shots.
The South Lyon location once was home to a Big Boy where we went to celebrate after Tracy and Kathy performed in Piazza Dance Company’s annual recitals at South Lyon High School when they were young. We sat down at the bar and observed that it was like Cheers — everyone else seemed to know each other.
Happy Hour featured half-priced appetizers and $6 calzones. Barb ordered a chicken tinga quesadilla and liked it, but I decided to stick with a dish more likely to be prepared well in a pizzeria, opting for a calzone with tomatoes and banana peppers. It was huge and delicious — it would have been enough for both of us. I managed to finish it off, enjoying every bite.
From the restaurant: The Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill story began in 1972 when Bill and Sandee French opened a little corner bar in Depot Town, Ypsilanti. Over the years, Aubree's has grown into full-service, family-friendly restaurants known for its legendary pizza and diverse grill menu. At Aubree’s:
We believe that good food is best experienced around a table with friends and family. We believe in celebrating life’s milestone moments, such as birthdays, anniversaries, new family members, and a big win. We also believe that the everyday moments — learning to ride a bike, reuniting with an old friend, and a job well done — are equally as important and worth acknowledgment.
We believe that an early morning spent hand-crafting our pizza dough and chopping fresh ingredients is time well spent. We believe that creating mouth-watering pizza is a delicate blend of art and science and passion. We believe in our signature five-cheese blend made by some of our favorite farms in Michigan and Wisconsin. We believe that food should be unique, balancing current trends with classic flavors.
We believe that just as a well-made pizza needs strong dough as a foundation, healthy communities also need a strong base on which to grow and thrive.
We believe we play a role in building that strong base through our support of our community schools, non-profit organizations, and people. We believe in providing a gathering place for all.
We believe that guests come first. We believe in sharing our love for food, respecting our people, and taking pride in our work. We believe that what we say, what we do, and what we serve should be authentic -- every single time. We believe that every experience matters.
Marvelous Musician
I sat in the front row at Garnet’s concert at The Ark in Ann Arbor last Thursday. It was the first time I had seen him in five years, and he gave a very satisfying performance for nearly two hours without an intermission. His guitar playing is still exquisite, his baritone voice is still beautiful, and his humor is as sharp as ever.
I wrote about his memoir, Night Drive: Travels with My Brother, which was very entertaining. He has also written a novel, 6 Crows Gold. I recommend buying his CDs.
We first saw Garnet with Archie Fisher at the 1988 Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 30, 1988. We fell in love with his singing, guitar and fiddle playing, and song selection. Garnet introduced me to many other wonderful singer/songwriters, including his late brother Stan, Archie Fisher, Ralph McTell, James Keelaghan, Rod MacDonald, Bob Franke, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. I bought a cassette tape import of The Outside Track and played it in my car on road trips. I love his original songs, his choice of covers, his stories, and his great sense of humor.
We have seen Garnet multiple times at The Ark, including with Archie Fisher on September 20, 2018. On March 7, 2013 we saw him at Comfy Couch Concerts in Wixom, Michigan, when he played our requests, “The Outside Track” and “The Great Storm is Over” — both covers.
Garnet performed in our home on June 16, 2018. On the day of the show, he lost his voice and offered to cancel, but the show went on with Garnet reading from his book, telling stories, and answering questions. He told us all about his extensive guitar collection, including the history of many of his favorites.
From Wikipedia: Garnet Rogers (born May 3, 1955 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario with roots in Nova Scotia. He began his professional career working with his brother, folk musician Stan Rogers, and arranging Stan's music. While his brother's style of writing was more traditional and often based on Canadian Maritime styles, Garnet's style is more modern, utilizing influences from blues, rock, country/bluegrass, and classical. Garnet's instruments include the guitar, mandolin, violin, and flute. In live performances, he usually sits beside a guitar rack that includes three vintage Gibson acoustic guitars, a National guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, and sometimes a Hammertone Octave 12 (half-scale electric 12-string guitar).
Small Victory
The Acoustic Cafe 89
Folk Heritage Series: Live at Caffe Lena
My Playlists
Spotify
Sports Star
Brooks died yesterday at the age of 86, and the sports world mourned. Particularly in Maryland, where he played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles.
When I was a young baseball fan, I read about Pie Traynor, who was then thought to be the greatest third baseman of all time. But that was before Brooks Robinson blossomed into that role. Some would argue that Mike Schmidt was better overall, especially as a hitter. But most baseball experts agree that Brooks was the greatest fielder at the hot corner.
I remember being in awe of his exploits when I watched him play on TV. But it was also exhilarating when my New York Mets upset his Orioles in the 1969 World Series.
Brooks Robinson, Slick-Fielding Orioles Hall of Famer, Dies at 86 by Richard Goldstein in The New York Times
Robinson got into a few games with the Orioles in 1955 and 1956. In the spring of 1957, Paul Richards, the team’s manager, thought he found a flaw in the mechanics of Robinson’s backhand plays and asked George Kell, the longtime third baseman who was concluding his major league career with the Orioles, to correct it.
But Kell noted that Robinson had not missed a ball hit to his backhand in six weeks of spring training. “He was already so good that there wasn’t much I could tell him,” Kell recalled in an interview with The Baltimore Sun in 2004.
When Robinson entered the Hall of Fame, Kell, a fellow Arkansas native, was inducted as well. (Robinson was selected by baseball writers, Kell by the Veterans Committee.) “Is Brooks the best ever at third? No doubt about it,” Kell told The Sun in 2004.
Sparky Anderson, who managed the Reds in the 1970 World Series, found himself tormented by all those sure hits that Robinson turned into outs. “I’m beginning to see Brooks in my sleep,” Investor’s Business Daily said Anderson remarked that October. “If I dropped this paper plate, he’d pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.”
Orioles legend Brooks Robinson dies at 86 by Dan Connolly in The Athletic
Late Associated Press reporter Gordon Beard is credited with one of the greatest lines in Baltimore sports writing history. “Around here, nobody’s named a candy bar after Brooks Robinson; we name our children after him.”
Brooks’ namesakes have dotted the Maryland landscape for decades and continue to do so. And it’s not just in the Mid-Atlantic Region. There are documented cases of Brookses from Canada and Florida and California that have been named after Robinson. “I run into people all over that tell me about their Brooks,” Robinson said in 2020. “I tell people, “I’ve got a lot of little Brookses running around.”
Perhaps the most inspiring story came to light in 2021, when the Orioles claimed right-hander Brooks Kriske off waivers from the New York Yankees. He appeared in four September games for the Orioles before being released in the offseason. Not only was Kriske, who grew up in California, named after Robinson, but his family made a connection and became friends with the Hall-of-Famer. Robinson ultimately attended a few of the boy’s games in California, from youth ball to college, to watch him play.
And then, as fate would arrange, Kriske briefly became an Oriole. “It’s pretty surreal. I was a baseball junkie growing up. So, it was very special to me,” Kriske said in September about his relationship with Robinson.
From Wikipedia: Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (born May 18, 1937 in Little Rock, Arkansas; died September 26, 2023 in Owings Mills, Maryland) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "the Human Vacuum Cleaner", "Mr. Hoover", and "Mr. Oriole", he is generally considered to have been the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history. An 18-time All-Star, he won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, setting a record later tied by Jim Kaat and broken by Greg Maddux. His 2,870 career games at third base not only exceeded the closest player by nearly 700 games when he retired, but also remain the most games by any player in major league history at a single position. His 23 seasons spent with a single team set a major league record since matched only by Carl Yastrzemski.
Joining the Orioles as a teenager in 1955, Robinson became the centerpiece of the team as they posted the best record in the major leagues between 1965 and 1974, capturing four American League (AL) pennants and two World Series titles. He was named the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1964 after posting career highs with a .317 batting average, 28 home runs, and 118 runs batted in (RBIs), leading the AL in the last category. In 1966, he finished second in the MVP voting behind teammate Frank Robinson after again posting 100 RBIs as the Orioles won the pennant, before sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers for the team's first Series title.
In the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Robinson drew wide attention with his strong defensive play, time after time robbing Cincinnati players of base hits, and drove in runs in the first four games; his performance won him the World Series MVP Award as Baltimore defeated the Reds in five games. In 1971 he became one of just 12 players to earn over $100,000 annually. Robinson led AL third basemen in fielding percentage eleven times and in assists eight times, both major league records, and in putouts and double plays three times each. He still holds major league records for career putouts (2,697), assists (6,205), total chances (9,165), and double plays (618) at third base, with each total being between 13% and 20% higher than the closest player. His career fielding percentage of .971 was a major league record until 2006 and remains the top AL mark.
Upon his retirement during the 1977 season, his 2,896 games and 10,654 at bats each ranked fifth in major league history, behind only Ty Cobb among AL players, and his 2,848 hits ranked seventh in AL history. From 1969 to 1980, he held the AL record for career home runs by a third baseman. He set franchise records for career games, at bats, hits, runs (1,232), RBIs (1,357), doubles (482), total bases (4,270), and home runs by a right-handed hitter (268), all of which were later broken by Cal Ripken Jr. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 in his first year of eligibility, a first for third basemen. Following his playing career, he served as a broadcaster for the Orioles and also joined Opening Day Partners, who own several minor league teams. Robinson remained popular with Oriole fans for his kindness and patience with them. "Never has a player meant more to a franchise and more to a city than Brooks has meant to the Orioles and the city of Baltimore," said Oriole historian Ted Patterson.
Picture Pun
We had to wait here for quite a while.
