Monthly Archives: September 2024

We’ll Meet Again on The Avenue

I grew up in the shadow of Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

I love that team, however sad the season. That may be part of the charm: In ’84, when they won it all, Detroit erupted in riots. We didn’t know what winning was like, and lost our minds. They will always be my Tigers.

But I have to admit: I have Shohei fever.

When Shohei Ohtani launched his 50th home run this season, I stood in my living room and shouted, “Yes!”—something I haven’t done in decades.

The last time I felt that kind of rush from baseball was when the Red Sox clawed their way back against the Yankees in 2004.

Baseball has a way of fading into the background sometimes. It revels in its summer laze.

But not with Ohtani. He’s brought something new to the game, something you can’t look away from.

50 home runs. 50 stolen bases. No one has ever done it, and I had the privilege to see it live. That, too, felt reminiscent of decades past.

It wasn’t just the numbers. It was the feeling that we were all seeing something we’d never see again.

It’s easy to say it’s just a game, but Ohtani makes it feel bigger. He’s not just playing baseball. He’s reshaping it.

I’ll always be a Tigers fan, and will bite my nails about silly wildcard prospects this month.

But there’s nothing prospective about Shohei. Just historic.

History’s Fur Baby

Ferrets, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I have come to tell you about one of ancient Rome’s most surprising pets: ferrets, whose small size and playful nature belie their fierce hunting abilities. These wily weasels were primarily kept to hunt rabbits and keep pest populations under control, including by soldiers. As the Roman Empire expanded, so too did the humble ferret’s range. According to the Roman historians Pliny and Strabo, around 6 BCE, Emperor Augustus sent γαλέη — a Greek word believed to have been referring to ferrets, though it also could have meant mongooses or polecats — to the Balearic Islands in modern-day Spain to control their plague of rabbits.

Though certainly not as common as cats and dogs, ferrets remain popular pets today. They’re beloved for their mischievous personalities — their name literally means “little thief” due to their habit of taking small objects and hiding them — and how much they love to play, including with other animals. They’re also high-maintenance, meaning you shouldn’t attempt to channel your inner Roman without giving it a good deal of thought first.