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Observations from the Road: (“The Pedometer is Getting a Workout” Edition)

Published by DJB

Claire on the stairs from Trastevere to the American Academy

Rome has steps. Everywhere. A lot of steps. (Yes, I can confirm for Mrs. Reeves, my sophomore English teacher, that I know a “lot” is a field and not “many” but I like the way “a lot of steps” sounds.)

So begins this edition of “Observations from the Road” (or “The Pedometer is Getting a Workout” edition). For those who may be new to More to Come…, the “Observations from…” series are short – often meaningless – comments that don’t deserve a full blog post (or perhaps even the light of day) but that hasn’t stopped me from posting them in the past. So here goes with the current edition.

I’m going to break the pedometer – Everyone who has been to Rome told us that we’d walk a great deal…but I guess I didn’t really believe it until we arrived and started walking. And believe me, I love to walk. Rome is a wonderful city to see from the sidewalk (or the middle of the street, where a great deal of walking appears to take place). I can’t say the same for the few cab rides we’ve taken. In the course of our first ten days here, we have been on guided walks (more on that in a minute), purposeful walks (usually to find the next gelato stand, truth be told), a couple of exercise walks (although that seems to be unnecessary), and many others. Two quick observations. First, there isn’t a soft surface in the entire city (which is hard on 60-year-old knees). Second, there are more steps than pigeons. Today’s count – which wasn’t exceptionally extensive: 22 flights of stairs. And we still have 4-5 more to face, as we’re on a third-floor walk-up. The picture at the top of the post shows Claire about half-way up the main staircase from the neighborhood directly below the Academy to our apartment. Short of a cab ride, that’s the only way to get home.

Just another meal in Rome (photo credit: Claire Brown)

The only thing that will keep me from losing 10 pounds while I’m here is the food and drink – Yes, we walk a great deal. But I’ve also become very fond of the local vino and food. Perhaps I was meant to be Italian instead of a white Anglo-Saxon Southern protestant! In terms of wine, I tend to order “whatever you recommend to go with this meal” and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Invite a family member to visit you if you want to check off the bucket list items in short order – We have found in Washington that when friends and relatives visit, we tend to take them to places that we would like to see “at some point” but have never actually made the visit. You know, like the Washington Monument. So when Claire came to Rome for a week, we found that the same dynamic was in action.

Ceiling in the Vatican Museums

Want to go to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel? Check!

Michelangelo’s Pieta in St. Peter’s

St. Peter’s Basilica

Ensure that you’ve seen Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica – not to mention the Basilica itself? Check and check!

Colosseum

Colosseum? Check, check, and check!

With Candice at the Trevi Fountain

And that combination of landmark and pop culture, Trevi Fountain? Check, check, check, and check! (Three checks are for the three coins and the fourth is for good luck, I suppose.)

The Pantheon

The Pantheon ceiling and light

You cannot get enough of the Pantheon – This will, no doubt, come as no surprise to long-time readers, but I think the Pantheon is an incredible space. In the first ten days in Rome, I’ve visited the Pantheon twice…and expect to go back about once per week for the rest of the time we’re here. Now that I’ve seen this architectural icon twice in the sunshine, I want to go back on a rainy day and watch the light and rain interact inside the building. I want to see it in the morning. At noon day. In the early evening. Our friend Rod indicated that it could be addictive, and I suspect he is right.

Caravaggio’s St. Matthew in the French national church in Rome

It pays to walk with some very smart people – I’ll end where I began…with walking. Every Friday the American Academy has a guided walk for fellows and fellow travelers. We made the first one last Friday, focused on the national churches of Rome, we are signed up for tomorrow’s walk, and we intend to try to catch every one for the next five weeks. Tying in with the historical and current issues around immigration, our guides last Friday led us to nine different national churches in Rome. We saw terrific art – such as the oil paintings by Caravaggio dedicated to St. Matthew in San Luigi Dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French). Some of the architecture was excellent. I had a chance to view preservation in action in the city. And all of the conversation – including a continuing conversation over dinner that evening about whether national churches in the Catholic context even constituted immigration – was stimulating and thoughtful.

That’s it for now. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on the health of my pedometer.

More to come…

DJB

48 hours in Tuscany

Published by DJB

48 hours barely counts as dipping your toes in the water that is Tuscany, but it is what we had for this first visit over last weekend. With Claire in the country for a limited time, we opted to experience a few sites and then return later for a longer drink of more that the region has to offer.

But first, let me detour to talk about trains.

At the suggestion of our friends Tom and Rod, we booked our trip on the Italo high-speed train from Rome to Florence. Ninety minutes after boarding – following the smoothest train ride I’ve ever experienced and going 260 km/hour (that’s about 160 mph for the metrically challenged) – we pulled into Florence and walked ten minutes to our cozy little historic hotel. For those who talk about American exceptionalism, I’d beg to differ. When it comes to train travel, we aren’t even on the same planet! On Monday, while we were coming back from Florence on the train, our DC Metro apparently had another fire in a tunnel that shut down three lines for the day. I often take that line. As I’ve written before, “Take the train whenever possible. It is civilized and, short of walking and riding a bike, it is the most environmentally friendly way to travel….Imagine how well our transportation system could run if people demanded, and politicians funded, train travel.”

End of rant.

We had a few key things we wanted to experience over the weekend: wine, food, architecture, art, the landscape…all the basics of life. True to our plan, we did touch on every one of our desired experiences and had a chance to understand why Tuscany is often described as the quintessential Italian experience.

Duomo Dome — Glimpse of the Duomo (Cathedral) dome from one of the streets in Florence

After checking into our small hotel about a block from the Piazza Del Duomo (the cathedral), we went in search of our first taste of food and wine. The restaurant Candice had identified online had – at most – ten tables and – not unexpectedly – was packed. (Candice has become very adept at reviewing an online menu and identifying great places to eat, but alas, she isn’t the only one who can pick out a great place for a meal.) However, we searched nearby and found a wonderful wine bar with excellent food that satisfied our cravings.

The Duke and Duchess of Urbino at the Uffizi in Florence

Suitably fortified, we made our way to the Uffizi, often called Italy’s greatest art gallery. In room after room we viewed the Medici art treasures – paintings we had seen online and in reproductions our entire lives.

Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” in the Uffizi

From Botticelli to Titian to Michelangelo, the Uffizi was a treasure trove of Renaissance art.

The Venus of Urbino by Titian, in the Uffizi

Having stumbled in our attempt at eating in our choice restaurant for lunch, we decided not to make the same mistake twice and made reservations at dei Frescobaldi, a restaurant and wine bar that rated a Michelin guide review. We were not disappointed. Almost three hours later we finished a wonderful meal combined with local wine – Claire said she would be satisfied if this was the best of the food she had all week – and found our way back to prepare for Sunday’s tour of the top sites in Tuscany.

I suppose that Pisa is one of those bucket list places to visit, but even an early morning visit – when the crowds were relatively thin – didn’t help get past the “tourist trap” feeling of the place. It is difficult to view the tower without walking around folks putting up their hands (or other body parts) in the obligatory “hold back the tower” photo. I was glad to get back on the bus and get the hell out of Pisa.

San Gmignano — Claire and Candice in San Gimignano

CCB and DJB in San Gimignano — Candice and DJB in San Gimignano

From the ridiculous to the sublime was the theme of our next stop, in lovely San Gimignano.

A World Heritage Site that was built by noble families in the 12th and 13th centuries, this beautiful medieval town features fabulous craftsmanship, stunning views of the Tuscan countryside, and surprises seemingly around every corner.

After a meal paired with local Chianti Classico, we headed into Siena, a true treasure trove of medieval design and hidden treasures.

Siena’s Piazza del Campo (photo credit: Claire Brown)

There are two must-see things in Siena: the incredible medieval piazza and the Duomo. I could go on and on about the piazza here…but I’ll save that for another post. It is, however, one of the wonders of the world and is not to be missed.

The Siena Duomo is also an incredible landmark for the community. Striped black and white marble sets off this unique cathedral in ways that are hard to describe.

We arrived back in Florence after 14 hours on the road: exhausted but satisfied. And we tumbled into bed to catch a few hours of sleep so that we could check out the Florence Duomo and museum before boarding our train home on Monday afternoon.

474 steps after we began, we stood on the top of the famed Brunelleschi dome on Monday morning and surveyed all of the historic core of Florence. What an incredible treat.

CCB, CHB, and DJB at the top of Florence — At the top of Florence: proof that we made it!

Dome frescoes — Frescoes at the Duomo dome

East Baptistry doors — East Doors of the Duomo Baptistry in Florence

We ended up at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (the Cathedral Works Museum) where we could have spent all day. What an incredible collection from the Duomo and Baptistry. We ended with a view of Michelangelo’s Pietá – often called his most personal one – with the hooded Nicodemus widely believed to be a self-portrait.

Michelangelo's Pieta — Michelangelo’s Pieta in Florence

We returned to Rome full of wonder and a desire to see much more. And while there is so much to discuss…why, for instance, we could go an entire weekend without hearing one word from a guide as to how the rulers in Florence and Siena acquired such incredible wealth on the backs of conquered people and with resources extracted from other countries…that is for another time.

48 hours. It turns out to be just enough time to whet the appetite.

More to come…

DJB

Image: View of Florence from the Duomo dome

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Published by DJB

View of Rome from our window in the Chiaraviglio apartments

Candice and I arrived at the American Academy in Rome on Monday morning to begin my six-week sabbatical. We suffered through the usual jet lag (and a bit more…but that would be TMI) and quickly settled in to our cozy apartment. Over the course of the first few meals we were welcomed by dear friends of Tom (recent Rome Prize winner from the National Trust) and Rod’s (his husband); joined a talented graphic artist and his wife at the bar when we both realized we were there for our first night (and then later realized we had met a decade ago when he designed the branding for The Glass House); were connected to some new acquaintances through long-time colleagues in the U.S.; and simply met a host of welcoming fellows and “fellow travelers.”

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastervere

Once the jet lag wore off, we began to explore the neighborhood of Trastervere which lies at the foot of the hill from the Academy (down some 70 steep steps…but that’s another story.) Our focus was the Basilica di Santa Maria, where the basic floor plan and wall structure dates back to the 340s, and much of the existing structure to 1140-43. The interior features wonderful 13th century and 17th century mosaics in the apse. We also wandered through the streets, getting lost on more than one occasion but in the process discovering open air markets, cafes, and shops where we wanted to return when we had more time.

It was clear from our arrival that we would have many opportunities to look both back and forward. Bryony Roberts, the Booth Family Rome Prize Fellow in Historic Preservation and Conservation, gave a shop talk on Wednesday entitled “Projected Histories” which did just that. Bryony is an architectural designer and scholar who designs transformations to historic buildings. We had a chance to chat before her talk and share our experiences with connecting landmark buildings to new audiences.

In a fascinating overview of her work, Bryony discussed recent projects, the first of which was a preservation-based plan for the rebuilding of the modernist Oslo government center damaged in the 2011 terrorist bombing that also claimed the lives of 80 individuals at a youth summer camp. What I found fascinating from that presentation was that she and her students at the University of Oslo had presented a forward-looking alternative based on the historical context of the center in a way that respected the mid-century modernist structures, but also added appropriate new buildings that appeared – from the plans – to improve the urban feel of the city.

Much of her work focused on less permanent engagement with existing architecture through performance and art. We all experienced one small example as we entered the main AAR building each day, where the patterned floor was transformed with new shapes and colors that played off of the circles and diagonal patterns of the McKim, Mead & White original.

Byrony Roberts installation at the American Academy in Rome

Clearly the installation that captured the most attention from those in attendance was the “We Know How to Order” performance with the South Shore Drill Team during the most recent Chicago Architecture Biennial. This group of young African-Americans from Chicago’s South Side, many of whom had never been to the Loop, collaborated with Roberts in a performance that engaged – in totally new ways – the Mies van der Rohe precision of the Federal Center. Here is the project description:

The project ”We Know How to Order” for the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial magnifies systems of ordering bodies in contemporary Chicago. This site-specific performance brings together the Federal Center by Mies van der Rohe and the South Shore Drill Team, which performs high-energy drill routines infused with street choreography. Conceived by Bryony Roberts, and choreographed by Asher Waldron of the South Shore Drill Team, this collaborative project responds to a space of federal government and the architecture of Mies van der Rohe through dynamic physical movement.

This engagement works for me on so many levels, but especially on the political. As Bryony mentioned several times in her talk, it was the political nature of preservation that drew her to the field. She discussed the various dimensions of this political nature in the Q&A segment and in a follow-up private conversation. I’ve spoken a good deal recently about the political nature of preservation – how we have to get the public to support our work – as a factor that seems to be missing from the purely academic approach to the field. Here you have young people – whose lives have been impacted by the decisions made over many decades by the federal and local government to separate African-Americans in the South Side of one of America’s most segregated cities – responding through art to that government and the order it imposed. We also have good contemporary art that will help show a much broader audience the relevance of this space to their lives today.

At dinner, a new friend asked how the presentation would be viewed at the National Trust. Knowing of our work to engage new audiences through art at The Glass House, the Farnsworth House, Shadows-on-the-Teche, the New York State Pavilion, and so many other sites and treasures, I said I was pretty sure it would be very well received.

Enjoy the five-minute video of “We Know How to Order” for a look forward at one future of preservation.

More to come…

DJB

Time Off

Published by DJB

What Would DJB Do?

Taking extended time away from work is a luxury for many Americans – not to mention for many citizens of the world. As the oligarchs have taken over large parts of our economy, the 90% are pressured to work ungodly hours and take time off at their peril. One of the most telling – and incredibly sad – segments of Michael Moore’s “act of guerrilla humanity” called Where to Invade Next is his reporting about how other countries provide their workers so much more time off than U.S. companies AND realize more productivity. Imagine that.

All of this is to say that I feel very fortunate to work for an organization that has a sabbatical policy to encourage creative, restful, and restorative time off. Several of my colleagues have taken a sabbatical in recent years – some to travel, others to work for preservation groups in other countries, and still others to work on projects for their faith communities. In each case they came back with refreshed perspectives and energy for their work.

My last day in the office before heading off for the first three-quarters of a sabbatical at the American Academy in Rome was Friday. (I’ll take the last quarter in August.) After 40 years of work (I started my professional career immediately after graduation from college), I feel that I’m getting a bit of a gap year…even if it is only 8 weeks. And I know how precious this time is. My sister texted today to say my 90-year-old father was in the ER with shortness of breath. It turns out that it was not related to his heart, but it was just another reminder of the fragile nature of life.

Before heading off, my management team gathered earlier this week to review our plans for the time I’m away. Each team member arrived with a coffee cup which – when turned to face me – had my picture and the letters “WWDJBD?” plastered across the mug. “What Would DJB Do?” Oh my! They said that when they were faced with a tough decision, they would pick up their coffee cups and get – I don’t know – inspiration? We had a great laugh. As you can see, my assistant checked my pictures and they chose to go with the “relaxed DJB” – from a photo taken by Claire on a beach trip a few years ago. I wonder if they had as tough a choice as the postal service did when choosing between the “skinny Elvis” and the “fat Elvis” back in the day.

I am very grateful that Candice and I will have this opportunity together. Andrew will hold down the fort at home, yet both of the twins will find time to visit us while we’re away. I’ll post as many pictures as possible, and – hopefully – a few thoughtful reflections as well.

More to come…

DJB

We Believe You

Published by DJB

Andrew with Lady Gaga and other survivors of sexual assault on the stage of the Oscars (photo credit: Patrick T. Fallon for The New York Times)

These past two weeks have been emotional ones for our family.

It began when Andrew called us while on his way home from a singing gig about 10 days ago. He had been asked to be on stage at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles with Lady Gaga as she sang her Oscar-nominated song “‘Till It Happens to You” from the film The Hunting Ground.

A survivor of a sexual assault while a freshman in college, Andrew’s story was included in the film and in media such as the Huffington Post. Andrew has bravely stepped forward over the past few years to talk about his experience and to help others with similar experiences. And now, he had a chance to stand with other survivors on the national stage.

Fast forward to late last week. Andrew had flown to LA and spent the first night with a family friend before connecting with his sister Claire (who was back in her apartment after a multi-day retreat). We spoke with him on Friday evening and could tell by the tone of his voice that he and the other participants were part of an incredibly important healing experience. Andrew indicated that social media posts about the upcoming performance were forbidden by the producers, so when we mentioned Andrew’s journey discretely to a few friends, we always added the caveat that they couldn’t tell anyone until after Sunday evening. We heard from him again on Saturday, after the dress rehearsal. Our anticipation grew. And then Sunday evening we turned on the Oscars to wait for the performance.

As she entered on the red carpet, Lady Gaga mentioned that 1 in 5 young women would be sexually assaulted by the time they graduated from college. For young men, the number is 1 in 16. Those odds took our breath away. However, it turns out that when we’ve talked to friends and colleagues, the percentage that have been sexually assaulted or have a family member who has been assaulted is frighteningly high. It breaks your heart.

Shortly after 11 p.m. on the east coast, Vice President Joe Biden came onstage at the Dolby Theater. We had not heard that the VP was introducing Lady Gaga’s performance, but found out later that he was the author of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, with a long history of advocacy on issues of sexual assault. He urged the audience to join in a crusade against sexual assault by joining the “It’s On Us” campaign.

Andrew with Vice President Joe Biden following the Oscars

Then Lady Gaga began “‘Til It Happens to You,” pouring her pain as a survivor into the emotional performance. Halfway through the song, Andrew and 50 other survivors emerged from the background and came to surround Gaga’s piano – each supporting the other. The survivors had phrases written on their arms – Andrew’s was the title of this post: “We Believe You.”

Andrew with Lady Gaga at the Oscars

Andrew and Candice’s Facebook pages quickly filled with comments. Almost 700 friends liked his photos and posts about the evening. To take it from here, I’m turning to Andrew’s own words. First, from Facebook:

Yesterday was the most important moment of my healing since September 5, 2011. I’m so humbled by the openness, resilience, and radical love we have shared over three days. Thank you to Lady Gaga for her beautiful soul and breathtaking performance (she gifted the song, as did Diane Warren!). An incredible thanks to Vice President Biden and all of the passionate, deeply empathetic work he has done through the decades on empowering survivors, most notably as the original author of the Violence Against Women Act. And thank you to our fifty-one survivors, my great friends in heart and soul. I could never have had the strength without all of you. We are love, we believe you, and you are not alone.

When he returned home, a classmate from St. Albans School arranged for Andrew to speak to AOL about his experience. He described how Lady Gaga gathered the survivors together for a heartfelt prayer before heading on stage, as recounted by the AOL reporter:

“She just sort of said: ‘To the creator — whoever whatever created the universe — thank you for bringing us here, for giving us this story to tell and this message to give.’ And then after the prayer she said, ‘Gonna go out there and sing the shit out of it!’ ” Andrew Brown, a survivor featured in the performance and in “The Hunting Ground,” told AOL.

But his perspective on the weekend has remained the same as when he was included in The Hunting Ground or featured in national media such as The Huffington Post:

A weekend with Lady Gaga. Hugs from Brie Larson and Kate Winslet. Handshake from Jason Segel. Conversation with Joe Biden. Well wishes from Jared Leto, Leo DiCaprio, Alicia Vikander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Rock. Truly a blessing.

But I would still give it all back. That’s always been true.

Candice and I would give anything to have kept Andrew from having to go through all the hell that he has experienced as a result of the assault. But we don’t have that option. So we love him unconditionally (as we always have). We support him the best we know how. We are proud of how he has taken an awful experience and turned it to good for others. And we marvel at his personal love and resilience.

“We Believe You” means so much more to us than just we think your story is true. In every way possible, it means we love and support Andrew – and his wonderful sister who carried this news with Andrew well before his mother and I learned of the trauma.

Thank you, Andrew. Thank you, Lady Gaga. Thank you, Joe Biden. Thank you to the 50 other survivors on the stage. We need you more than ever.

More to come…

DJB

Connections

Published by DJB

This past week has been full of conversations, study and work around successful networks.

An African proverb cited in the book Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact may best describe the impact of connecting to networks:

If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.

A good reminder. Let’s go far, together.

More to come…

DJB

Real country

Published by DJB

There was one upside of being stuck in traffic – and then stuck in the car wash line – on a February day with 60+ degree weather. The Bluegrass Junction station on Sirius XM radio was featuring a live concert of The Steeldrivers – a band I highlighted in my Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2015 post last December. (Oh yeah, it was also the winner of the “Best Bluegrass Album” in that other little year-end list – The Grammy’s.)

After playing “If it Hadn’t Been for Love” from their first project (the black album), fiddler Tammy Rogers mentioned that “some singer you might have heard of — named Adele” — had covered that song earlier this decade and featured it in her Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD. I knew Andrew would love this.

So I returned home and told Andrew the story. I mentioned that Chris Stapleton – who wrote and sang on the original SteelDrivers version – just won Country Album of the Year for both the CMA and Grammy’s, which gave me some faith in the ability of the country music industry to recognize real country when it bites them in the behind.

We listened to the Adele version, and laughed ourselves silly, over the introduction. But hey, Adele is a great vocalist and this is a top-notch cover.

Then I played Andrew a song by Chris Stapleton off of his Traveller album, so he could hear what a great country voice sounds like. Here’s the tune “Tennessee Whiskey” first made famous by David Allen Coe and especially George Jones.

I was saying something like, “Now that’s real country” when Andrew asked, “Have you heard the mash-up of six bro-country tunes that are all alike?” No? Really? (Yes, I find out I’m the 6 millionth person to view this…but I am a bit slow.)

Anyway, if you want to know what’s wrong with most of what comes out of country radio, listen to this mashup of “Six nearly identical hit country songs” that were “separated at birth.”

Thank God for Chris Stapleton, The Steeldrivers…and Adele!

More to come…

DJB

My Own Personal Spring Training

Published by DJB

The “Racing Presidents” with a “Spring Training Countdown” mug by their side

As I post this, the clock on Spring Training Countdown (motto: Winter Bad. Baseball Good.) reads: 4 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes, 7 seconds. It is clear I don’t have much time to get in shape for the season!

My own personal spring training generally consists of reading a new baseball book and re-watching Bull Durham (best baseball movie ever). However, our tape/CD player is broken (I know, we’re old school), and so I had to improvise and instead read two baseball books. It is tough duty, but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get into shape.

I began with 2015’s Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-year Losing Streak by Pittsburgh writer Travis Sawchik.

Big Data Baseball

This is a terrific book about how the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates, stumbling along in a 20-year losing streak (remember Sid Bream and Barry Bonds and Skip Carey’s classic 1992 “They may have to hospitalize Sid Bream” call) turned around their fortune as a baseball club. The Pirates did it using big-data strategies, undervalued players, a leadership team willing to try new things, and an organization-wide commitment to integration of old-style and new-style insights to make the playoffs.

This book will most often be compared to Moneyball – which is a terrific book and a good baseball movie. But it is different in a number of ways and well worth the read.

Sawchik happened to take on the Pirates beat for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in 2013, and so he doesn’t have the tone of a long-time homer. He says that he didn’t get the idea for the book until late in the season, so while he was on the beat every day, he went back and had to research the real reasons for the ballclub’s turnaround. He includes a nice epilogue about the 2014 season, when the Pirates returned to the playoffs. And while Moneyball focuses on Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane, the real story of Big Data Baseball and the turnaround in Pittsburgh is the way that the GM and data analysts were welcomed by old-style manager Clint Hurdle and completely integrated into the overall organization.

Pirates fans celebrate the turn in their team’s fortunes in 2013

We happened to attend a Pirates game in 2013 in the middle of the pennant race, and it was a magical day of baseball. Big Data Baseball brought back those memories.

Packed PNC Park in 2013

There are so many parts of this book to recognize. The pressure on Hurdle as the season began. The ability of the data gurus to turn their analysis into understandable and visual graphics that helped sell their findings to the old-school guys. Wonderful sections on pitch-framing and the undervalued skill of catcher Russell Martin. The use of big data to develop secretive preventive medical practices that resulted in the fewest days lost to injuries in 2014. (Are you paying attention, Washington Nationals?) But I’ll focus on two.

The “Magic Act” chapter has a great section on the 2013 Wild Card play-in game. Here’s where Sawchik’s baseball writing skills are clearly evident.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Cueto made the first mistake of the game. He left a pitch out over the plate that late-season acquisition Marlon Byrd belted for a home run. The crowd noise picked up in ferocity as the ball was swallowed by the crowd and Byrd began his trot around the bases. A new chant originated at some ground zero somewhere in PNC Park and grew in volume to a tidal wave. In a taunting, haunting crescendo, forty thousand chanted, “Kwaaaaayyyy-toe…Kwaaaayyyy-toe,” toward the center of the diamond. Under this avalanche of noise, with the misfortune of having a two-syllable perfect-for-chanting surname, Cueto was thrown a new game ball by the home-plate umpire. Cueto literally dropped the ball. Seeing this, the crowd went into a frenzy, believing the dropped ball signaled that they had got inside the head of the Reds starting pitcher. On the very next pitch, Cueto allowed a fastball to leak out over the plate. Waiting for it was Martin, who smashed the ball into the left-field bleachers for another homer. The crowd was euphoric. Twenty years of pent-up misery was released that night, manifesting itself in a sound that felt like being at the bottom of a waterfall.

In “A Perfect Circle” Sawchik recaps the 2014 season, which again saw the Pirates make the playoffs. And here, he focuses on a key insight: the “continued focus on marrying their new-school and old-school personnel….The Pirates always wanted to have an (data) analyst in the clubhouse to counsel, making them the first known major league team to have a quantitative analyst among its traveling party.”

On that celebratory night in Atlanta, as the party wound down and the champagne was exhausted, Pirates second baseman Neil Walker found Mike Fitzgerald standing quietly in the corner of the clubhouse away from the epicenter of the celebration, where the players and coaches were massed. Walker took a Budweiser from an ice-filled bin and walked toward Fitzgerald, dousing the analyst with beer. Fitzgerald, the math genius who had never played professionally, and Walker, drafted out of high school and having spent years in the minors before emerging as an everyday major league player, laughed and celebrated together. The dichotomy between them and yet their acceptance of each other was a snapshot of how far the Pirates had come in creating a culture of respect, a culture that would allow important data to be embraced.

This book will delight baseball fans (of all teams) as well as those looking to understand how important corporate culture, communication, and values are to success. Highly recommended!

Where Nobody Knows Your Name

The second book – by a better known writer – is interesting, but to my mind not as appealing to a broad audience. Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball by John Feinstein is an account of the 2012 International League season – one of baseball’s two AAA minor leagues.

Feinstein is a good storyteller, and this book is full of good stories. By focusing on seven players, an umpire, and a manager, Feinstein shows that being at a level just below the majors can have a variety of effects on different people. Some seem to know they are just going to be called up for a cup of coffee in the show, while others have tasted big league glory (Nate McLouth) only to lose it and then find it again. Feinstein talks about the Durham Bulls of Bull Durham movie fame, and the current team – which was managed in 2012 by Charlie Montoyo playing in a state-of-the-art minor league stadium that didn’t bear any resemblance to the ramshackle yet lovable field of the 1980s. He also sprinkles in cameos by players on the way up (Bryce Harper) and players on the way down (Mark Prior).

“Skip wants to see you,” can be the best words a AAA minor-leaguer hears, or the worst…depending on whether a player is being called up or released. This book is full of “Skip wants to see you” moments.

Here’s how the book ends.

“I know I’m going to walk into the clubhouse and there will be a locker with my name on it and a uniform,” Elarton said just before heading south and east once again. “I’m still a baseball player. Honestly, I can’t think of anything much better than that.”…Before they take off their uniforms for the final time, they find out a truth that was eloquently captured in the words of longtime pitcher Jim Bouton in the closing words of his seminal book, Ball Four.

“You see,” Bouton wrote, “you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.”

Truer words were never written.

Let’s play ball!

More to come…

DJB

Still singing

Published by DJB

(Editor’s Note: Candice posted the following on her Facebook page earlier today. I’m putting it here on More to Come… as she wrote it.)

In 2001 at the age of 8, Andrew began singing at the Washington National Cathedral as a novice boy chorister. In 5th grade, he joined the boy choristers and went on to become head chorister in 2007. Pictured here is Andrew in 2005 with Leonard Slatkin of the National Symphony Orchestra when Andrew was the treble soloist for the Chichester Psalms. Those were exciting years.

Today, Andrew sang for the first time as one of the men of the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. The second picture shows Andrew this morning as the choir was ready to process into the service. It’s been a great ride, Andrew, and we are excited to see where life, your talent, and your dedication takes you next.

Andrew at the Cathedral — Andrew sings with the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys earlier today

More to come…

DJB

Image: Andrew with Leonard Slatkin in November 2005 after singing the treble solo in the Chichester Psalms

Walking as an act of citizenship

Published by DJB

I love the fact that smart phones now have built-in pedometers. Knowing I can count my steps has encouraged me to find opportunities to walk around the places I live and work each day. In the process I’ve become much more familiar with the Foggy Bottom Historic District (near the Watergate where I work) and Silver Spring (near my home). In snowy weather, as we’ve seen this weekend on the east coast, walking is sometimes our only reliable means of transportation.

Oxfords — A nice pair of oxfords for walking

Fred Kent, the founder of the Project for Public Spaces, has noted that “If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.”

Walking doesn’t have to be for any great purpose. The BBC News Magazine had a recent article that highlighted the “just to walk” stroll – titled appropriately The Slow Death of Purposeless Walking.

“But the same study found that a mere 17% of trips were “just to walk”. And that included dog-walking.

It is that ‘just to walk’ category that is so beloved of creative thinkers.

‘There is something about the pace of walking and the pace of thinking that goes together. Walking requires a certain amount of attention but it leaves great parts of the time open to thinking. I do believe once you get the blood flowing through the brain it does start working more creatively,’ says Geoff Nicholson, author of The Lost Art of Walking.

‘Your senses are sharpened. As a writer, I also use it as a form of problem solving. I’m far more likely to find a solution by going for a walk than sitting at my desk and ‘thinking’.”

A few years ago I read a wonderful book by Rebecca Solnit entitled Wanderlust: A History of Walking. In it, Solnit wrote:

“Walking is only the beginning of citizenship, but through it the citizen knows his or her city and fellow citizens and truly inhabits the city rather than a small privatized part thereof. Walking the streets is what links up reading the map with living one’s life, the personal microcosm with the public macrocosm; it makes sense of the maze all around….Walking maintains the publicness and viability of public space.”

Wherever you are going, enjoy your stroll today.

More to come…

DJB

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

MORE TO COME…

Encounters, discoveries, and observations from the slow lane of life.

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Walking as an act of citizenship