May 5, 2021
John Means Business
In 2018, John Means was a 25-year-old soft-tossing lefty in his third straight year of double-A. Drafted in the 11th round by the Baltimore Orioles, and making it only up to #29 on the team's prospect list, the end of his baseball career seemed near enough that he set up a LinkedIn page advertising his (limited) experience as a substitute teacher.
Today, he no-hit the Seattle Mariners, becoming the first Orioles starter to throw a no-hitter since Jim Palmer more than 50 years ago. [more inside]
"This year, I have made just over $1,000 from writing."
Ed Ward was an early records reviewer for Rolling Stone and the Rock Historian for Fresh Air with Terry Gross until they refused to have him as a guest to promote The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1.. Against the orders of boss Jann Wenner, he launched the career of legendary critic Lester Bangs. After moving to Austin and working for the Austin American-Statesman, he was instrumental in the founding of South By Southwest. Ed died over the weekend at the age of 72. [more inside]
Senators Week Has Convened
This week is Senators Week on Defector, featuring posts on one or both of the upper house of the United States Congress and the Ottawa Senators NHL hockey team. [more inside]
Welcome to the NBA
Former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles host the Knuckleheads podcast, a series of freewheeling discussions with current and former NBA and WNBA players. Their first question is always the same: "When you first got to the league, who was the first person to bust your ass?" The answers are funny, enlightening, surprising and (almost) always humble; players often remember the exact number of points their buster scored in years- or decades-old games. They offer a unique window into what it's like to make the transition to the upper echelons of professional sports, when someone who has spent their life as the best player in the gym suddenly realizes that they still have a lot to learn. Here's Gary Payton with the paradigmatic "welcome to the NBA" moment, but there's much more inside. [more inside]
Language Justice
You’re Going to Get Ghosted This Summer. May I Propose a Solution?
"I just wanted him to value me enough to break up with me." "When you are ghosted, you may feel like you should quietly accept the rejection and never bother the person again—either to prove that you “get the message” or because you want to preserve your dignity. This is exactly what your ghoster wants: to not have to deal with you. " [more inside]
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