Minimalism - Football, Baseball, and One Other Thing

Living in Columbus, Ohio and having to see The Ohio State University's colors (Scarlet and Grey) everywhere I travel has caused me to be an even more ardent University of Michigan enthusiast than I would have been otherwise. This year the Maize and Blue's football fortunes are on the rise while the Buckeye's football stock has plummeted. U of M in addition to being a great, world-class university has these good-making desiderata going for it, in all of football (at least): the best fight song ("The Victors") and the best uniforms. So I've been attending to Michigan football. 

The Detroit Lions professional football team is also undefeated. While profession football bores me, I'll have to watch the Lions play the Chicago Bears on TV tonight.

I love baseball this time of year - playoff baseball. There have been some terrific games already. It was very moving to see my Detroit Tigers defeat the highest-payroll in baseball,  New York Yankees in their series. I also had to giggle when the second highest-payroll team, the Boston Red Sox, were bounced by the lowly Baltimore Orioles - the Red Sox didn't make it to the post season, suffering one of the biggest September collapses in baseball history. 

Bill Harris Kresge Arts in Detroit Eminent Artist of 2011 - Party

September ended with a fabulous - not minimalist in any sense - Kresge Foundation party honoring the music-poet, dramatist, educator, fountain pen collector, and friend of over 50 years Bill Harris. The party was held at the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center located in Harmony Park in downtown Detroit. Bill Harris' wife, Carole played a large part in the interior design of the Carr Cultural Arts Center when it was revamped. Carole Harris took care of many (most?) of the necessary party details. Bill and the wonderful actor, Council Cargle performed dramatic readings from Bill's plays. The excerpts from the plays, the poetry thereof, were rendered with exception feeling and dramatic skill. The readings were for me the high point of the party. The food and drinks were fine too.

It was wonderful to see people I hadn't seen for too many years - the graphic artists, Elizabeth Youngblood and A. G. Smith, and the writer and Metro Times editor, W. Kim Heron. Kim Heron hosted the fine Sunday jazz radio program on WDET-FM, Destination Out. The program like so many worthwhile and vital projects in America was supplanted by a mindless and meaningless 'news' and talk radio format - part of the prolonged American Cultural Blackout, I guess.

Those present at the Bill Harris Kresge Foundation Party were given an impressive 80 page, full color book with marvelous photographs, excerpts from Bill's writings, essays, and much more besides. 

http://kresge.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/eminent-artist-award.html