Shelf Awareness: My 2025 Reading Highlights

As the final days and hours of 2025 fall away I am celebrating a small victory.

I read 59 books during the year, meeting an impromptu New Year's resolution to read a book a week. That quickly morphed into five books per month. It's just a nice round number.

I hit it on the dot every month except January (go figure!) and September (football). I managed six books for the first time in December, no doubt motivated by the anticipation of a new pile of books under the Christmas tree.

I started reading two books at once late in 2023, and I alternate chapters. It's a concession to my ADD and keeps me motivated to check off chapters.

In past years I consistently read between 28 and 32 books annually. I would sometimes lose weeks mired in the middle of an 800-page book with no ending near. My chapter plan and monthly goals keep things moving by providing regular rewards.

I adjust as needed. If a book has short chapters, 10 pages or less, I'll read two for one. Richard Osman's "Thursday Murder Club" series averages about four pages per chapter. I am reading his books at a 4-to-1 chapter ratio.

Pairing my books is also great fun. I often go for opposite subjects and styles, but some books just beg to be read together. Earlier this year I paired Frank McCourt's memoir, "'Tis" with "The Immortal Irishman," Timothy Egan's biography of Thomas Francis Meagher.

It was only after putting the just-read "'Tis"  on my bookshelf that I discovered I already owned the book in paperback. So, I either acquired the book at some point and forgot, or worse, acquired it and read it and forgot, then bought it and reread it a second time.

These are the hazards of life at 57. Hopefully, it's the former, as McCourt's writing style, full of conversational Limerick-isms, is quite unforgettable.

I've seen a few of these reading roundups here, and enjoy reading the recommendations. In that spirit, I'll add my own list. This is not a list of my favorite books, nor are they books published in 2025. Just reading highlights from the year.

1. "Alfred and Emily," by Doris Lessing. This was not a book I wanted to read. It lingered in my unread pile for a couple of years at least. It turned out to be one of the most unique and creative things I've ever encountered. This book won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature so I'm obviously not overselling this.

Lessing splits this story of Alfred and Emily, her parents, into two nearly equal parts. The first half tells a fictional story of how they might have met. A dreamy and delightful tale of separate lives lived during World War I. The second half is a memoir of the real and mostly unhappy lives of Alfred and Emily, told via recollections from Lessing herself.

A most difficult format, but Lessing pulls it off.

2. "An Army at Dawn," by Rick Atkinson. A 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner from the celebrated Atkinson. This one got personal, leading me to make a February trip to College Park, Md. to research my father's World War II records. After several hours of searching I found what I was looking for: Jesse Hilton was delivered to the USS Brooklyn on Feb. 22, 1943 for his first day in the war.

From Atkinson I learned that the battle for North Africa, and likely the entire arc of the war to come, tilted the Allies way on Feb, 22, 1943 when they chased Rommel during the Battle of Kasserine Pass.

The things you learn by opening a book.

3. "Thursday Murder Club," by Richard Osman. I read more fiction during 2025 than at least the past five years put together. That trend originated with a book borrowed from the New Cumberland Library last winter. I generally favor nonfiction and opportunities to learn interesting things.

But reading can be fun, a fact Osman reminded me with this series. I read two TMC books in 2025 and plan to crack the third early in the new year. Meanwhile, Osman is keeping fans busy with a fifth book planned in 2026.

I found myself at a spring book bag sale and out of obvious choices. So, I grabbed a John le Carre book, "The Tailor of Panama." It was great! I bought and read le Carre's classic novel, "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold." Then I bought and read a John Grisham novel, "The Juror."

I learned in 2025 that I like spy and murder mystery novels.

4. "Life," by Keith Richards. If you read enough of these so-called "tell all" celebrity memoirs you realize they generally don't tell much at all.

Then there's Keith. The stories are juicy and wild enough to be nearly unbelievable, until you remember that it's Keith Richards. Like the time he conspired to "hide" sax man and drug buddy Bobby Keys on a big Stones' tour. Mick had banned the troublesome Keys. Keith describes Mick noticing Keys on stage mid-song. Funny stuff.

The drug tales are as wild as expected (Keith and Keys once set a bathroom on fire while cooking dope). But there's also some real meat to this "Life." I did not know, for example, how much writing Richards did on a lot of the Stones' biggest hits. Keith is an insatiable reader. I also did not know that Mick and Keith's relationship largely ended around 1980. For sure, there's brotherly love there deep down, but they have basically been business partners for the past 45 years.

5. "Hellhound on His Trail", nonfiction by Hampton Sides. This true story adventure of the months prior to James Earl Ray murdering Martin Luther King, and the weeks afterward, is told with meticulous reporting and vivid storytelling.

Sides is a very underrated historian, in my opinion. Several years ago, I read "Kingdom of Ice," his story of a doomed voyage to the North Pole, and it stuck with me. "Hellhound" will, as well.

Ray was such a complicated character, equal parts canny and dimwitted. He successfully escaped from maximum security prisons multiple times. Yet, he was dumb enough to dump the rifle used to kill MLK in a store vestibule as he made his escape. It gave lawmen crucial evidence with which to track Ray.

In a tight 400 pages, Sides tells a story that feels packed with every important detail. He also manages mini-profiles of important actors in the assassination-and-chase drama, including Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb and MLK lieutenant Ralph Abernathy, among others.

Phillies 2023 season in review

 

Just a few games remain in what looks to be another (regular-season) step forward for the Phightin Phils.

That's not to say it hasn't been an at-times tortuous ride through 155 games to date. The biggest stars seemed to frustrate us the most. Aaron Nola never seemed to figure things out. Thankfully, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper did.

22-27 evolved to 85-69 with a week remaining to get to 90.

Raucous crowds remain a consistently loud presence at The Bank, fans fired up by the 2022 World Series run. Attendance is up 9,700 per game, tops in Major League Baseball.

So what went right, wrong and completely sideways? Let's play four questions:

1. What is the best thing that happened in 2023? This one is pretty easy. The development of young talent in-house is something this organization failed to do with any consistency for the past 15 years. The combination of Brian Barber and Preston Mattingly appear to be turning that around in a big way.

Start with Bryson Stott, a smooth, five-tool infielder already producing at an All-Star level. Challenge a friend to name who leads the Phillies' position players in WAR and you might win a free drink.

But the depth of emerging talent goes well beyond Stott. It is layered throughout the system. Johan Rojas skipped Triple A and is claiming the centerfielder-of-the-future job with stunning defensive stats. Despite just 130 at-bats, Rojas's WAR equals the combined WAR of Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber

Christopher Sanchez leads the pitching staff in ERA, repaying the organization for its multi-year investment of time.

2022 draft pick Orion Kerkering is already in the Phillies' bullpen, while 2020 first-rounder Mick Abel is finishing the year on a heater. OF Justin Crawford and IF Aiden Miller both look like first-round hits from 2022-23.

2. What is the worst thing that happened in 2023? It's tempting to point to the spring training injury to Rhys Hoskins. But the lineup has adapted well. Nola is a frustrating problem. But it might be a good thing to see that decline in the final year of a contract.

Therefore, my most unwelcome development is Andrew Painter and Tommy John. Crushing because it knocked the young man out for 2024 as well. A pill made more bitter by the recognition that it probably could have been avoided. Pumping up Painter's potential rotation spot did nothing but add pressure to a 20-year-old where none was needed. Just unnecessary.

3. What is the biggest offseason decision? The futures of longtime fixtures Hoskins and Nola is going to dominate December media coverage. I would make qualifying offers to both and take the draft pick if they move on. It's a cold business.

I would not be completely shocked if they signed Hoskins to a short-term deal, then traded Rojas or Marsh for a young, controllable starting pitcher. Both are exciting, young OF talents, but it's a better-balanced roster if they could swap one for a similarly talented pitcher.

4. How far will the Phillies advance in the postseason? I will never forget how the 2022 postseason began: Hoskins striking out leading off the 9th inning with the Phils down 2-0. I turn off the TV and storm outside, only to return after J.T. Realmuto strokes a single to left. Several crazy at-bats later, the Phils walked away with a 6-2 victory and the run was ignited.

Could it happen again? It could. But nobody can reasonably predict it. On paper, the Phillies pitching rules it out. It's not nearly good enough.

This run ends in the Divisional Round.

I am officially worried about Trea Turner (there, I said it)

If there was a stat created and assigned to hitters fooled so badly they swing and miss the ball by a foot or more, it might be known as a "fool swing."

This generally happens when hitters are guessing fastball, or think they see a fastball, and level up to meet it in the zone. It also happens to hitters who have lost some reaction time and need to start their swing earlier in order to meet a good fastball.

Trea Turner most certainly leads the Phillies in fool swings. It's a troubling trend for a player who turned 30 years old June 30 and has 10 years and $272.7 million remaining.

Turner is having a terrible first year in Philly pinstripes. But any tendency toward panic is somewhat muted by the Nick Castellanos experience. One year after signing a big contract and flopping, Casty is an All Star.

There is some general confidence among fans and media that Turner will similarly rebound. I am not so sure.

For starters, Castellanos was hit on the wrist May 5 last year, possibly explaining his hitting difficulties. Turner appears fully healthy.

Then there's the strikeouts. Turner's K percentage is trending in a very bad direction: 13.9% in 2020 to 17% to 18.5% to 23.8% this year. Further evidence that Trea is being overwhelmed by the fastball and fooled by the low-and-away breaking pitches.

Power hitters who can't meet a good fastball sometimes go sideways very quickly.

I grew up watching Dale Murphy mash his way to back-to-back MVPs. Then suddenly, at age 32, the magic evaporated. Murph could still hit one out every so often, but good fastballs gave him trouble and he became an average player overnight.

He hit .295 with 44 homers at age 31, then fell off to 24 homers and a .226 batting average a year later.

I don't know enough about hitting to know how to fix Trea. I do know the speed is still really good (21-21 in steals) and I do know that 10 home runs is not a good return on a 24% K rate.

I sorta think he needs a swing change. Perhaps flipping the launch angle craze in favor of a put-the-ball-in-play swing. Something shorter and level that puts more balls in play and takes advantage of the speed.

Trea hit 49 homers in 2021-22 and perhaps he sees himself as a power hitter. At times he certainly looks like a hitter trying to hit a $300 million-worthy, upper-deck blast with every pitch.

Maybe it's big-contract stress. Maybe I'm overreacting. Thirty years old is still pretty young to be losing reaction time.

But I am officially worried. 

Joel Embiid's horrible, no-good, very bad week

 

The National Basketball Association is the ultimate individual-focused team sport.

It is the team sport with the fewest starting players, a sport that showcases marvelous team play at times.

But when the NBA Playoffs turn into a grinding possession battle, it's about your star. Can your star be tougher, more clutch, and more productive than the opponent's star?

NBA history is filled with legends who passed this test, from Larry Bird to Michael Jordan to Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry today. 

Joel Embiid failed this test in a major way the past week. More than that, he regressed into an oblivious mass of denial that leads this fan to wonder if he will ever play one minute of conference finals basketball -- let alone be fitted for a gaudy champion's ring.

A Boston-Philadelphia series that began with destiny calling -- a Game One victory, on the road, while Embiid rested -- descended into a nightmare of shrinking superstars, self-denial and finally, a full on-court Roberto Duran-like 'No mas' lay down.

To be sure, there is a lot of blame beyond Embiid for this debacle. James Harden's schizophrenic output in the series defies description.

People smarter than me say Doc Rivers is a terrible big-game coach. Could be accurate.

But Joel Embiid is Superstar No. 1, the NBA scoring champ and Most Valuable Player. Joel has the most responsibility, is the franchise spokesman, and had the roster and an offense built around him and for him.

He asked for all of these things, and eagerly embraced being the face of The Process. A genial, fun-loving fellow, Joel could be the hero or the villain, as the moment dictated.

We naturally assumed that titles would follow. Embiid is perhaps the most physically skilled basketball player in the world. He has an Ohtani-like ability to be the best player on the court at every skill at a given moment.

But the titles didn't come. Disappointment persisted, with the Sixers getting bounced in the semifinals four of the last five years.

All of that was a distant memory with 4:24 remaining in Game Six Thursday night. Holding an 83-81 lead in front of a manic home crowd, the Sixers were going to win and advance. Nobody watching this scene unfold had any doubt about the outcome.

Instead, the Sixers were outscored 14-1 before a meaningless final bucket from a bench player. Embiid did not touch the ball after missing a 19-footer with 3:53 remaining.

The weak responses continued in the postgame presser.

"I didn't touch the ball at all," Embiid told reporters.

There are two reasons why that is just about the worst thing The Star can say at that moment. For starters, it sounds like you're evading accountability, which I think Embiid was doing. So much for leadership.

Secondly, it at least half sounds like you're tossing your teammates under the SEPTA bus, which I do not think he was doing. Still, I am sure some of those guys heard one or both of these messages and did not like it. It's a foxhole, right?

Everything that happened after 10 p.m. Thursday night landed like repeated grenades on the Joel Embiid Era. Forget Game Seven. After what happened Thursday, they had no chance to win in Boston.

I have questions. I wonder if Joel was exhausted, a Game Four issue that drew a PJ Tucker on-court rebuke:

Most of all, I just want to know why Embiid did not demand the ball? During the final five minutes Thursday, the Sixers looked hopelessly lost and disorganized. The entire nine years since Joel Embiid was drafted were leading to this moment, when he would stand up and deliver a victory. Instead, he drifted into the background, then whined about it afterward.

Dennis Johnson tells a story about the time Celtics' head coach KC Jones was having trouble drawing up a last-second play that would decide a close game. Finally, an exasperated Bird piped up and said, "Just give me the ball, coach, and the rest of you fucking guys get out of the way."

This is not Joel Embiid. Am I being overly dramatic here? I don't think so:

I like Joel Embiid. I genuinely do. But his career arc has stalled and regressed significantly in the past four days. This was his time, this was the Sixers' time, and the last person who seemed to realize it was Joel Embiid himself. That's not good.

And for the first time, Joel seems to be losing the Philadelphia fan. Thousands voted in a WIP poll today asking who deserves more blame: Embiid, Harden or Doc. Joel leads with 72%.

It feels like a crossroads of sorts.

Where do the Sixers go from here?

For the first time since The Process began a decade ago, the Sixers enter the off-season with no obvious path closer to a title.

Harden is probably gone. Rivers might be, too. I guess the obvious strategy is to rebuild around your star.

I guess.

But what do you do when the one thing you need from your leader is to lead?

My Very Boss Set List

I am way more excited than a 54-year-old man should be for a concert.

After all, I've been attending shows since May 9, 1989 when Cinderella, Winger and Bullet Boys headlined the Broome County (N.Y.) Arena.

When your live music life starts with Marq Torien singing "Smooth Up in Ya," there truly is no place to go but up.

I eventually became more discriminating as the years and The Black Crows, Robert Plant and ZZ Top shows came and went. The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan are the last two concerts I attended.

Only legends now and Bruce Springsteen might be the last concert for me. In 141 days.

The internet tells me that appropriate fanboy behavior includes creating your own dream set list. This is mine:

Badlands

My Lucky Day

Growin' Up

My show kicks off with "Badlands" and there is no other option. This arena-ready, butt-hopping classic gets our show off the ground in high-energy fashion and reminds us that it's Saturday night and it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.

"My Lucky Day" is a fun, hopeful, uptempo rocker and only here because it's a current favorite. It's my set list and I reserve the right to change it right up to March 18, 2023, which is just 141 days away. Have I mentioned that?

We next reach into the back of the Boss vault for "Growin' Up." I am imagining Bruce changing some lyrics to remind us that we're all grown up now. Our opening three-song salvo has us in the mood for a badass show.

Prove it All Night

Burnin' Train

Ghosts

Land of Hopes and Dreams

Bruce and the E Streeters might be Medicare eligible, but they still want to "Prove it All Night." And they do. This ain't no dream we're living through tonight.

My research shows seven songs performed more than 1,000 times by Springsteen and the band. We're going to give them a pair of new ones off the 2020 "Letter to You" release with "Burnin' Train" and "Ghosts." Just amazingly good.

This blistering set closes with a Sergio Leone-like tale of good guys, bad guys and the lure of redemption in "The Land of Hopes and Dreams." Get on your feet. You don't need no ticket. All you gotta do is just get on board.

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

The Price You Pay

Darkness of the Edge of Town

Let's remember why we booked this show in the first place. Performed 1,111 times, "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" might go on for 20 minutes, but we do not care. It's 2023 and Jake fills in admirably for the late, great Big Man.

"The Price You Pay" takes us on a journey about life, love and reminds us you can't always walk away.

"Darkness" might be the best song off the best album in the Boss catalog. It's peak songwriting Bruce, serving up small-town secrets with four minutes of pure power. The live execution is never quite as tight as the recorded version, but no show would be complete without it.

Independence Day

Thunder Road

Jersey Girl

Time to slow it down. The guys take a break and Bruce performs a stripped-down solo version of "Independence Day." First, he will tell a story about Douglas Springsteen, probably one we've heard already. We're okay with it.

Bruce turns the piano over to professor Roy Bittan for a terrific haunting version of "Thunder Road." And there's magic in the night.

We're close enough to their 32nd anniversary to hear Bruce sing "Jersey Girl" to Patti every night on the early part of this tour. 

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Atlantic City

Trapped

The band comes roaring back with Soozie Tyrell's violin launching us into "Waitin' on a Sunny Day." We're gonna chase the clouds away.

Next, Bruce takes us to "Atlantic City" for a dark story of shady deals made by desperate people. The electric version of this classic song is perfect for the arena setting.

Time for our first cover, as the Boss delivers a scorching version of the Jimmy Cliff classic, "Trapped." I know someday we'll walk out of here again.

Racing in the Street

Born to Run

The Promised Land

Jungleland

Our night together is nearing the end but we've still got time to go "Racing in the Street." Out of our way, mister, you best keep.

Bruce has performed "Born to Run" an incredible 1,746 times, according to setlist.fm. It's never been a favorite of mine. Too overplayed and far too polished. Bruce recorded and re-recorded "Born" pieces for months and months and it sounds like it. That said, it is undeniably brilliant and the guys rip the roof off the Bryce Jordan with it.

I believe in "The Promised Land." And you will, too, after we sing it together amid this set of pure classics.

Surprisingly, "Jungleland" has only been played 645 times. I can't imagine my show without it.

Hungry Heart

Light of Day

Out in the Street

Allentown

Rosalita

Blood Brothers

Our show has come to a close and it's time for encores. In Bossland, the encores go for 5-7 songs, so it's another mini-concert here.

"Hungry Heart" is the first Springsteen song I remember, in a middle school music room in 1980. Bruce likes to turn it over to the crowd to sing the iconic opening lines. We be ready.

Encores are about cranking up the party fun and sending everyone home tired and happy. "Light of Day," a song Bruce wrote and gave to Joan Jett and Paul Schrader for their 1980s movie, and "Out in the Street" are pure foot-stomping fun.

"Allentown" isn't really close to State College, but Bruce takes us there with a brilliant Billy Joel cover.

One final trip back to the early days for "Rosalita." We ain't here on business, baby, we're only here for fun.

If you made it this far, we might be "Blood Brothers." My dream show ends like this:

A Perfectly Sane Trade Proposal

I love Aaron Nola.

I love how poised and controlled he is at all times. He's that kind of player who looks exactly the same whether he's throwing a perfect game, or getting bludgeoned for six runs.

I love that Nola seems like a really good dude. Cousin AJ Nola shared a story about Aaron in a 2018 interview with The Athletic. In 2016, AJ and her husband visited Philly and attended a game that saw Aaron get pounded for seven runs by the Nationals. The perfectionist pitcher kept them waiting two hours while he watched film.

Their dinner plans were delayed and words were exchanged. Nobody was in a good mood when they exited the player's parking lot. About 20 kids were hunting autographs at the gate. AJ assumed Aaron would keep driving, yet he stopped, got out and signed for every kid. A good dude.

Nola is pretty good on the bump, too. A true pitcher, Aaron throws a variety of different pitches from different angles, in and out, up and down.

But I think it might be time to trade Aaron Nola.

Keep in mind that I know this isn't going to happen. But I do think there's a team and a trade that makes great sense and could help the Phillies emerge from the malaise that has enveloped the organization.

Let me anticipate your incredulous objections to trading Nola to the Tampa Bay Rays.

1. The Rays don't trade for established veterans. This is generally very true. But the Rays have lost Tyler Glasnow, likely for 2022 as well. TB is a team that can go to the World Series again. They need a big dog pitcher and they have the assets to trade for one.

2. The Rays can't afford a big contract. Also generally very true. But Nola's roughly $36 million due through 2023 can fit in their budget, especially after the Phightins take back CF Kevin Kiermaier and the $30 million he is due over the same timeframe.

3. The Phils would be selling low. It might seem that way if you look at Aaron's 4.53 ERA and high-profile struggles, but the secondary numbers disagree. His 3.47 fielding-independent pitching is very good, and the strikeout-walk ratio is the best of his career. Nola is suffering from a .333 BAbip, or 50 points higher than last year. In short, he's had a lot of bad luck and the Rays know which numbers are important.

4. The Phils can't trade a frontline starter. It's a tough move to make for sure. Aaron Nola represents a rare draft coup amid a string of mistake picks since the Phils started this rebuild in 2013. In seven years of Nola leading this pitching staff, the Phils have yet to break .500. They lack good players, can't rely on the draft and are maxing out their budget. This is one way to add four good players for one big loss.

Nola's spot in the rotation would be filled by Shane Baz, the headline piece in return. In 11 starts split between AA/AAA, Baz has a 2.09 ERA with 77 Ks in 51.2 innings. Just 22, Baz is too young to be thrust into a pennant race, especially on a team already relying on heralded rookie starters Luis Patino and Shane McClanahan. The Rays cannot count on Rich Hill or Chris Archer (if he ever returns) beyond their next starts. They need a young veteran frontline SP to step into Glasnow's shoes. Nola moves a lot closer to his beloved Louisiana. This trade makes too much sense.

5. This trade makes no @%&#! sense! Look, the Phillies are in no man's land: they have too much money invested in stars like Zack Wheeler, JT Realmuto and, of course, $330 million-dollar-man Bryce Harper. Too much money invested in those players to do anything but go all-in to win.

What is frustrating is those stars have played like big-time stars. It's the average veteran, the solid player, the fourth starter where the squad is falling woefully short. They have little depth, the farm system is weaker than a Rich Kotite halftime adjustment and they have the league's worst defense by far. This four-for-Nola trade helps the Phils move forward and remain a contender.

Baz steps into the rotation (although maybe not until '22). Kiermaier gives the franchise its best defensive CF since Garry Maddox patrolled the Vet. While his overall offensive numbers are poor, KK is hitting .311 since June 11. The Rays, meanwhile, have a similar player in Manny Margot.

Joey Wendle gives Joe Girardi another plus plus defender who can play 2B, 3B, SS and even some outfield. The Rays have a glut of IFs and, with Wendle due a hefty arbitration raise, no doubt consider him expendable. JW could slot in at 3B for Philly in the likely event that Alec Bohm is moved to 1B. It sets up GM Dave Dombrowski to further improve the roster with a December trade of 1B Rhys Hoskins.

The Rays would add a decent prospect from their prospect-rich farm to complete this deal.

It's pure fantasy but it makes good sense to me.

What do you think?

My First Day In Journalism

 

I slowly climbed the rickety, wooden steps at the Castleton-on-Hudson village hall, and the wood stretched and screeched back at me with every step.

I was attending a meeting on the first night of my first day as the new reporter at The Independent of Hillsdale, N.Y. The date was Feb. 26, 1996. My territory was Rensselaer County, or at least the Southern slice of it.

Our little, twice-weekly tabloid was based on Columbia County, but the owners had designs on the Southern Rensselaer County commercial advertising market.

So, my reporting career was birthed. I was paid $300 a week. This is an actual conversation I had with the editor-in-chief Vicki Simons-Jones (more on this lady in a bit):

“Uh, is that before taxes or after?”

“Before.”

“Oh.”

So I would not get rich working for The Independent, but I would get experience. A meeting virtually every night, with hours and hours of unusable flex time as my reward. We published Mondays and Thursdays and Vicki would print as many stories as I could write.

It was amazing.

Back to Castleton and that first meeting.

I didn’t realize the implication at first (after all, I was greener than an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day), but this meeting was unusually packed for a Monday evening. But I quickly absorbed the tension in the air.

The reason soon revealed itself: hotshot, young, clean-up-this-town mayor was intent on ousting older, entrenched, get-off-my-lawn public works superintendent.

I had stumbled into a small-town showdown. At my very first meeting, no less -- what luck!

And then it got even better. Hotshot Mayor Keith Robinson had the good sense to shape his thoughts into a prepared statement.

A good idea because the room was decidedly on the side of strong, silent, superintendent guy. His name was Max something and he sat in the back with his arms folded across his chest. I think he was working on a toothpick.

Perhaps that made Keith nervous. Maybe Keith was an outsider in this town. I wasn’t that good of a reporter yet.

At any rate, he read what amounted to a public firing, which is incredibly uncomfortable to witness.

Mayor Keith got to the part where he wanted to say “this is a personnel decision.” So, you know, not at all related to the plainly obvious fact that I do not like this guy and want him to know this is my town.

Except Keith misspoke and he said, “this is a personal decision.” Oops, I believe they call that a Freudian slip. Like where you say what you really mean and not the BS you’ve carefully put to paper.

I don’t remember many details of that long-ago meeting, but I can still see poor Keith’s reaction to his gaffe. He stammered and nervously chuckled a bit. And he got very red in the face.

But nobody else laughed. It was that kind of a meeting.

****

I don’t know what happened Mayor Keith or whether Castleton ever completed its riverfront master plan that village board members endlessly debated at every meeting. I searched for that first Max Fired story this morning and cannot locate it.

Many bylines have come and gone in the 25 years since that first meeting. Most of them are published only on the internet now.

Looking back, it was an interesting first job. I never really had a traditional post-college job search. I applied at The Independent soon after starting my final class and my professor, Joel Kaplan, told me that if I got the job, not to come back to school.

I only attended five classes and he gave me an A- anyway.

The best part of journalism is the people you meet. The people you meet while reporting and writing 300 stories annually, give or take, and the characters you work alongside.

The Independent no longer exists. It was created and run by Vicki Simons-Jones and Tony Jones, a pair of Yale graduates and dreamers who were way smarter than the rest of us.

He was the publisher and the businessman; She was the editor.

I had never met anyone like Vicki.

****

She had a penchant for dropping F bombs during our morning meeting, usually when a reporter said supervisor so-and-so wasn’t returning their calls. After that, you would usually get your call returned.

“Tough but fair” applied to Vicki. She was tall and blonde. She was brilliant and her mind worked very fast. Her office was on the second floor of an open floor plan. The sight of Vicki walking down the steps on deadline day caused rippling panic on the newsroom side.

She would stand over you and ask questions about your story. It was terrific training and I liked her. Not everyone did.

Vicki always knew what she wanted, and she always knew what you were capable of. She persistently expected the two to happily meet. As long as they did, she was a tremendous leader and editor.

I was three weeks into the job when my mother had a heart attack and went into emergency quadruple bypass surgery. I felt very responsible for my beat and the stories I had in progress. Just go, Vicki ordered, and don’t come back until you’re ready to.

****

This little country weekly tabloid in Nowhere, N.Y. was very successful. At one point we had four reporters – all Syracuse University graduates. One went back to law school and is a very successful lawyer in Syracuse. Another became the Associated Press fashion reporter in New York City.

The truth is, I wasn’t really happy during my 32 months living in Columbia County, N.Y. It was an upstate getaway hamlet for wealthy city residents. It was not a great place to be young, single and making $300 a week.

Professionally, I have often viewed this period of my career as a disappointment bordering on a waste of time.

I can see now that it really wasn’t that at all.

My Favorite Books I Read In 2020

As years go, 2020 was like an endless December train ride through Barrow, Alaska.

Dark and dreary, stressed and weary.

It was a good year in at least one respect. It was a good year for reading. Even when the library closed for weeks in March and April, it gave us time to pick through that mounting pile of "books I plan to read but know I probably won't."

The lockdown inspired me to start a diary to catalog what I am reading by title, author and a few thoughts that I took away from each book.

I read 29 books this year, from "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann to "A Promised Land" by Barack Obama. While both of those are fine efforts that I recommend highly, they did not make the list of books I enjoyed most in 2020 (not published in 2020, but read in 2020).

These six did:

1. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (2016) by Matthew Desmond.

This book is a celebrated masterpiece, hailed as "astonishing" by the New York Times Book Review and "wrenching and revelatory" by The Nation.

“This book gave me a better sense of what it is like to be very poor in this country than anything else I have read," Bill Gates said. "It is beautifully written, thought-provoking, and unforgettable."

I grew up in substandard housing, when most days meant struggling to stay warm, or to keep the rain outside where it belonged. Our need for food and a warm night's sleep often wrestled with one another. So this book hit home with its detailed descriptions of inner-city poverty and the endless cycle of dead-end options.

The book follows eight Milwaukee families struggling to pay rent to their landlords during the financial crisis of 2007-08.

Reality shows up relentlessly in these pages to counter the quixotic mantra that good things will come to those who just work hard enough. A young mother finds a tenuous existence with an apartment, child care and a job -- only to have the rug yanked out when her restaurant hours are cut without warning.

Systemic flaws are laid bare. Dumpy apartments in crumbling buildings rent for barely 10% off the rents paid for nice apartments in the "respectable" part of the city. Slumlords operate ruthlessly, piling up evictions and moving tenants in and out while mastering the loopholes and gaming overburdened courts.

Desmond's writing is pretty simple and straightforward. It's as a reporter that he shines. A professor of sociology at Princeton University and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Desmond moved into a dilapidated, inner-city apartment for months. He met tenants and landlords and convinced them to let him document everything.

Names are changed, but a rigorous fact-checking process verifies the contents. As a final layer of verification, Desmond hired a consulting firm to audit his work.

This book took about a decade to complete. Every American should read it.

2. The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (2010), by T.J. Stiles. 

This is one of two biographies by Stiles that I read this year, the other being his his latest book, Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America. If someone ranks America's pre-eminent historians, Stiles is surely on that list.

The Vanderbilt book is superlative due largely to the subject material. Stiles sketches a fine portrait of "The Commodore," a hard man with few pursuits in life outside of work. Vanderbilt was so unyielding that he belittled and cast aside his own son Corneel because he suffered from epileptic seizures.

But it is Stiles' narration of the themes that changed American life to this day, and Vanderbilt's central role in those changes, that elevates this book to greatness.

Vanderbilt became a wealthy man running ferries and shipping routes to and from Manhattan. Then American innovation produced the train and Vanderbilt became a famous man -- and truly rich.

He had the foresight to see America as a country of customers at a time when few businessmen even tried to reach a regional market. Vanderbilt quickly recognized he could send passengers from New York City to Chicago if he controlled the trains and the track. Once others caught on, notably Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, Vanderbilt outwitted them time and time again.

Vanderbilt was among the first of a pioneering group of 19th century businessmen who understood that controlling all suppliers and services associated with a business meant total domination. He often took nervy risks to make those acquisitions. He was never afraid to cut fares to the point of losses in order to vanquish lesser-capitalized opponents.

Vanderbilt did more than anyone to establish the modern stock share valuation concept. Prior to Vanderbilt, stock shares were based on the future brick-and-mortar growth. It was Vanderbilt's reputation and success that moved share values to reflect the ideas and general business strength of a company.

“Vanderbilt was many things, not all of them admirable,” Stiles says in his book, “but he was never a phony. Hated, revered, resented, he always commanded respect, even from his enemies.”

3. Born to Run (2016), by Bruce Springsteen.

For a long time now I have answered "Bruce Springsteen" when asked for my favorite writer. That bordered on a frivolous response given that his writing tops out at 477 words at most ("Incident on 57th Street").

Now that the Boss is a published author, that is no longer the case. While the plot might not have been difficult, Springsteen writes with an aplomb that won over nearly all the critics.

"Astonishing," wrote Vanity Fair. "Frank and gripping," added David Brooks. "In Born to Run, he risks his mythic stature, but he emerges as more substantial, more admirable," the Wall Street Journal agreed.

A good book leaves you talking about it months later and Bruce delivers. He toes the line between frankness and class, taking care not to reveal too much about other characters in his story.

When he tiptoes around his foolhardy first marriage to actress Julianne Phillips, it feels right. We don't need to know those details. When he lights into Jake Clemens for showing up an hour late to his audition to replace his uncle, the Big Man, Clarence Clemens, it also feels right. The kid can take it.

This is Bruce revealing without being maudlin. Nearly everyone knows the story of young Bruce and his Great Santini relationship with Douglas Springsteen. It's a rock-n-roll story of father-son turmoil Bruce covered many times musically from rockers like "Adam Raised a Cain" to ballads like "Independence Day."

Against that long history, there's a simple joy in Bruce describing taking his father on a no-expense-spared deep-sea fishing trip before he died.

The book is full of candid Bruce. He reveals details of his struggle with depression, a difficult topic, especially for a world-famous multimillionaire. He handles it deftly.

My favorite nuggets relate to Bruce's management of the E Street Band. He is definitely The Boss when it comes to demanding the work, discipline and professionalism. He shares a marvelous 1985 anecdote: Bruce on stage to start a show at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, counting off "Born in the U.S.A." while piano man Roy Bittan and guitarist Nils Lofgren remained backstage, cluelessly locked in a ping pong duel.

"Ping-Pong tables were banned for years. Heads rolled!” Bruce writes, and the reader does not doubt it.

4. The Tender Bar (2006), by JD Moehringer.

This book was the surprise of 2020. It languished on my bookcase for well over a year, part of a bagful of memoirs I purchased in late 2018 while visiting the Strand Book Store in New York City.

I pulled it down after the March lockdown shuttered the library. A decorated journalist, Moehringer shares a warm, sweet story of his eccentric family, and the everyday denizens of Dickens, a local bar in Manhasset, N.Y.

My favorite memoirs in this vein are "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs and "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. Unlike those books, there's no meanness to the adults who inhabit Moehringer's youth. That does not mean this isn't a serious book.

JD is filled with the self-doubt of someone flirting with success beyond anything in his family or extended circle. But the gang at the bar, and his ornery uncle Charlie, are all on board with Moehringer's Ivy League dreams.

I won't spoil it further. This is a charming book.

5. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life (2015), by William Finnegan

I'm calling this a memoir, but it's also a travelogue, a history of surfing, a how-to book on surfing and part philosophy on life.

A longtime writer for The New Yorker, Finnegan has a life story made for a book like this. The guy grew up a short walk from a Lahaina beach, where he spent mornings surfing before school. He later quit a good job in his mid-20s to roam the South Pacific for several months. "The perfect wave" would be discovered in Fiji.

As a mature adult writer, he reported award-winning pieces from war zones. Finnegan married a successful lawyer and settled in New York City. Still, he spent middle age making regular surfing trips to Madeira.

I've read a lot of memoirs and this one defies traditional description. Finnegan recounts his life story amid part personal psychoanalysis and part removed rumination of the massive cultural shifts that defined the 60s and 70s. The book reads like what it is, a deeply personal story culled from decades of diary entries and memories. Finnegan does not dodge his personal failings along the way.

To someone who has never surfed and doesn't even know how to swim, the surfing material is a fascinating peek into a dynamic subculture. Many months after reading this, I remember that when you glide smoothly out of a barrel, the proper response is no response. It's a surfer thing.

6. Final Cut (1999), by Steven Bach.

A good book can teach you things. A good book can tell a great story from a unique perspective. And good writing makes a book worth your time.

Check, check and check with this joy of a book by Steven Bach. He offers a unique insider's view of the movie industry. It is certainly a rare thing for one of the producers of perhaps the biggest movie bomb in history to author a frank retelling of the entire catastrophe. But Bach does just that in what feels like a catharsis of sorts.

Before he gets to the messy "Heaven's Gate" stuff, Bach gives us a splendid history of United Artists. Given that "Heaven's Gate" killed United Artists, it is more than appropriate to remember the victim before recounting the crime.

The villain is the super-sized ego belonging to director Michael Cimino. But no matter how bizarre and diva-ish Cimino gets, Bach never reveals any bitterness. In fact, the book throughout has a carefree vibe that serves the material well.

Cimino repeatedly lies and makes outlandish demands. He insists on casting a French actress who doesn't speak English as the female lead, which would be fine if the character were French. Alas, she is an 1890s frontier woman in Wyoming.

Bach and his partner are increasingly helpless at keeping Cimino on schedule and on budget. But "Heaven's Gate" was influenced by a variety of related factors that Bach weaves throughout in fine subplot fashion. The Hollywood pressures are clear in these pages, as executives gamble to back the next box office winner.

But Bach keeps it light, a clarity no doubt helped by nearly two decades of space from movie set frustrations. He employs a wonderful writing technique of ending chapters with a clever quip or an abrupt plot teaser.

Chapter 18, for example, concludes with executives finally screening Cimino's long-delayed cut of a movie United Artists insisted, demanded and, finally, legally required him to deliver at three hours.

"We sat down, spacing ourselves widely in the large screening room, and saw Michael Cimino's 'Heaven's Gate,'" Bach writes.

"All five hours and twenty-five minutes of it."

Total BS: The Top 5 Springsteen Concert Vids

Bruce Springsteen is most known for two things: being a great songwriter and a tremendous live performer.

I have known the former since first hearing "Hungry Heart" in the music room during my middle school days in 1980. I am appreciating the latter more these days as quarantine fever takes it toll.

The Boss on stage is magical. As he says in his autobiography "I could always get the crowd going." And it's not just Bruce. He is the bandleader of a special group of players who fit together perfectly, many of whom are still beside him nearly 50 years after they started.

Here are my top five concert performances by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:

5. "My Hometown" holds meaning for me as the first Springsteen song I owned and lobbied to play within my circle of teenage friends. This version is from 2013 and finds Bruce and the boys in Hyde Park, London.

Bruce is somber and the lyrics stand strong nearly 40 years later. But it's the end that give me chills. A lot of singers can whip the crowd into a frenzy and even generate a good audience singalong if the hits are big enough.

Not many can do it without a word. In fact, I doubt anyone can. The audience is held mesmerized by the Boss and they dutifully comply with his wordless instructions. Take a watch and see if you can spot Bruce's mom offstage (spoiler alert):

4. "Tougher Than The Rest" I believe this is the official music video for this song, but it captures Bruce the high energy performer as good as anything I've seen. This came during a break from the E Street Band, when the Boss experimented with different things, and got divorced.

The Tunnel of Love tour shown in these clips incorporated more theatrical aspects that any other tour. Some of that is captured here at the beginning. But most of all, this is total showcase for Patti. With piles of New Jersey-bred red hair, she stands alongside Bruce as his new sidekick. These clips are early in their lifetime partnership, but it's easy to see why they made it last.

3. "Racing In The Streets" The vocals are just okay in this 2009 performance at The Paramount Theatre. This is one of Bruce's very best songs and he gives it just a B- rendition here. The magic comes at the 5-minute mark once the vocals are done and the guys cut loose.

I count seven musicians onstage rocking out in the best rendition of the "Racing" coda that I've heard yet. Roy Bittan is an amazing piano man and he demonstrates it here. All of these guys are in their late-50s or early 60s here, which is remarkable.

2. "Dancing In The Dark." Back to London we go for this one. Everybody is having fun here, from the horn section to Bruce and Stevie yukking it up on stage to the younger-than-you-might-expect crowd singing along.

The highlight is 88-year-old Adele Ann Springsteen, pulled on stage by her famous son for a little dancing. After a cue from Little Steven, sister Pamela is next on stage to bring the jam home.

1. "Hungry Heart." This clip is stunningly good concert footage from the 2016 tour stop at Washington, D.C. Lots of great stuff here, from the crowd signing the opening verse (a Bruce concert staple) to the band in a fun mood, matched by the crowd.

But Bruce is the star here as he wades deep into the audience, then crowdsurfs his way back to the stage. The man is 66 years old here. To be a great performer, you have to love performing and Bruce clearly does.

How Many Games Will The Phillies Win?

Now that football is nearly over, thoughts turn to baseball and our Philadelphia Phillies.

Optimism is high with Hall of Fame manager Joe Girardi, new starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, and a second season in the Bryce Harper era.

Vegas is bullish, with Cesar's Sportsbook pegging the Phils with an 85.5 over/under this week. Draftkings puts their number at 84.5.

Everything I've read this week says take the Over -- that the team is obviously improved dramatically over the squad that won 81 a year ago.

I'm not sure this is the right way to assess it. A team's expected performance has less to do with how much they have improved and more to do with the quality of their opponents and how much they have improved.

It's all relative. Nearly every team improves on paper during an offseason. If not, the general manager won't be general managing for long.

I think the Phillies have some problematic issues. Let's start with their schedule.

1. The NL East. It's not unusual for a division to have a pair of teams projected to win 85-plus games. The really good divisions have three such teams.

Then there's the NL East. The Braves lead the way at 90.5, while the defending World Champion Nationals come in at 88.5. The Mets are third at 86.5.

The Phillies' schedule starts with 57 games against these three teams all projected to be better. Oh, and the Marlins are much improved as well, or so I read.

2. The Rotation. I do think Wheeler is a big upgrade, bigger than his pedestrian 3.96 ERA. And I do expect Aaron Nola to be much closer to 2018 Nola than the 2019 version.

Still, even if these two remain healthy, that leaves about 100 games to be started by a group of Jake Arietta, Nick Pivetta, Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez, Cole Irvin and Enyel De Los Santos.

This group pitched significantly worse than league average in 2019. After pitching mostly well during the year, Eflin is presumed to be a solid starter now. But Velasquez actually gave up fewer hits per nine and had a better K-to-walk rate.

Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. 

3. The Bullpen. I have no idea what the front office strategy is here. It appears to be "Screw it. We tried signing proven pen arms and it didn't work, so we're going with a big bunch of dudes and let's see what happens."

Hecter Neris (2.93 ERA, 28 saves) is the closer and a quality arm. That's it, folks.

The rest of the dudes fall into four categories:

The injured dudes: Seranthony Dominguez and Victor Arano had nice seasons in 2018, but spent most of 2019 injured. They could be good -- if healthy.

The lefty dudes: Adam Morgan, Cole Irvin, Ranger Suarez, Austin Davis, Francisco Liriano and Jose Alvarez are all here for your enjoyment. Some will still be here March 26.

The young dudes: JD Hammer, Adonis Medina, Edgar Garcia, Garrett Cleavinger, Mauricio Llovera, Connor Brogdon, Kyle Dohy, Tyler Gilbert, Spencer Howard, Damon Jones, Ramon Rosso, Addison Russ, Zach Warren and maybe even Sidd Finch will have a shot at winning pen jobs.

The old dudes: Drew Storen, Bud Norris, Robert Stock, Reggie McClain, Trevor Kelly and the aforementioned Liriano will also be in camp with chances.

This is going to be very competitive. Will it result in a good pen? Uh...

The Good Things

So my over/under must be about 75, right? Nope. I see plenty of good things with the team. Starting with:

1. The Manager. Gabe Kapler was an interesting experiment, but he seemed to devote too much time to finding "value in the margins." I think we lost sight of the big picture at times. Girardi is a home run hire.

2. Offense. I predicted 800 runs last year and the Phillies put up 774. The return of Andrew McCutchen and adding Didi Gregorious should put them well over 800 this year. They will get on base, hit for power top to bottom and score a lot.

3. JT Realmuto. The Phillies have one thing their division counterparts do not and that is a plus-plus advantage on offense and defense from the Catcher spot. Realmuto is the best two-way receiver in the game.

But perhaps the best thing the 2020 Phillies have going for them is the rebound factor. Outside of perhaps Scott Kingery (19 homers, 15 steals), not a single player on the roster bested their projected production.

In other words, Harper had a Harper-like season (35 homers, 114 RBI, 99 walks). He was good, as you would expect him to be, but he wasn't spectacular. Realmuto was similarly good (25 homers, .820 OPS), as were a few others.

The list of players who underperformed is long. Rhys Hoskins (.165 batting average after Aug. 1) heads the list. Gregorious (.208 after Aug. 1), Nola (2.37 ERA to 3.87), Arietta (4.64 ERA), Pivetta (5.38 ERA) and Velasquez (4.91 ERA) are among the others who nosedived.

There are good possibilities for bounceback performances from this group. Considering all the disappointing numbers, it is remarkable that the 2019 Phillies managed 81 wins.

Despite these good things, and they are good signs for the future, I remain troubled by the pitching -- both starting and relieving. Therefore, I am settling at 83-79, a modest improvement.