Tests of faith come in all manners, big and small no matter what the religion or belief. Buddha. Allah. Jesus. The all-knowing Space Squid in the sky. Tough times do not discriminate, and blessings aren’t just for the ones who kneel. The city of Detroit and its residents have faced too many to count since … Continue reading Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Come, gather round and listen to the holiday tale of the east german rose that grew during a coldwar and would one day stop traffic in a small Michigan town. Long before Spiranac, Sharpova or Alex Morgan, the undisputed reigning world champion of smokeshows when discussing female athletes was Katarina Witt. Even now at 57 … Continue reading Random Anecdotes of Insomnia: Vol. #2 – “Casualty of Witt”
The fall of 1992 would be the beginning of a franchise that included multiple sequels, a tv spin-off and NHL expansion team named after a fictional youth hockey squad whose origins can be directly traced back to its head coach getting wasted and playing drunken slalom through the twin-cities during a snowstorm. The DUI and … Continue reading Mighty Ducks: The Redemption of Gordon Bombay
The lights outside the big apple shined a little brighter this past week as an athletic icon gave us yet another reason to believe that life does not end at 40. Ali. Kobe. Tiger. Serena. All on first name basis due to notoriety of dominance, all have changed not only their respective sports but the … Continue reading The Swan Song of Serena
Lately the world has become quite bleak. The daily barrage of ugly includes war, political corruption, blatant ignorance on every perceivable level and frequent, well-earned natural disasters. I watch old episodes of No Reservations to remind myself that beauty still exists and what is offered on this planet, as expertly navigated and explained through the … Continue reading A Life Like Bourdain
Greatness is often discovered on the side stages of music festivals, typically witnessed by only a few thousand people during the early sets leading up to the headliners. Most in the crowd are previously hungover, traveling to the bathrooms/concessions as they now join the diverted migration of people congregating in mass around the unmistakable sound … Continue reading The Discovery of Del Water Gap
Vol. #1 “The Westside Connection” Our subconscious is a bizarre thing. What we absorb and retain then unwittingly regurgitate not realizing the influence of those thoughts and actions until sometimes years later, fascinates me. One of my few gifts is the ability to immediately recognize the reference or source of where I probably heard that … Continue reading Random Anecdotes of Insomnia
When Jon Stewart stopped reading the “fake” news seven years ago, the country notably regressed in every possible fashion. Typically, the envious punchline of geo-political opinion the United States has now become the joke itself. The 2016 election of a dishonest, egotistical child for president immediately following his exit was not a coincidence at all. … Continue reading Help Us Jon Stewart, You’re Our Only Hope
As the clock ran out on game six this past week of the NBA Finals the only audible noise within the storied Garden were the emphatic screams of Steph Curry and Co. as they clinched an unprecedented fourth title in eight years, humbling a talented, young Celtics squad and quieting a city other than Cleveland … Continue reading Return of the Splash
“I’m a man of the pen more than gun…I can do some serious damage with a pen though.” —Dave Matthews I first experienced the summer with Dave Matthews in 1994 thanks to the infinite foresight of my younger brother Wes, who purchased Remember Two Things from a record store in Bloomington, Indiana where we … Continue reading The Matthews Philosophy
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The music of U2 has had a major influence on the soundtrack of my life since I was 8 years old. To this day I’m still moved hearing the words “Early morning, April four, shot rings out in the Memphis sky…” even if it’s at a crowded gas… Continue reading Why U2 is my Religion and Bono is my Messiah
On the days it rained in the summer my brothers and I would turn to the VCR and the few movies we had on VHS, all watched countless times but still entertaining to us and annoying as hell to our parents. The saga of Hook was one of these films that is still even now … Continue reading Hook: A Sturt-Brother Summer Classic
The local record store of the small town I grew up in is where I purchased one of the first albums with the coveted parental advisory sticker, sold to an eleven year old by a proprietor who was clearly an advocate of free speech, artistic expression and was most likely on the edge of bankruptcy. … Continue reading Some Roses Never Die
Somewhere in South America this past weekend, everyone who loves music lost a dear friend. The blonde Tasmanian devil from Laguna Beach that tore through life and ultimately joined his idols, passed way too soon, leaving us all with lifelong questions and scars. The massive outpouring from musicians and artists worldwide upon learning of his … Continue reading Wasting Light
“Soon I hope to take you on a Caribbean cruise, where we can hold hands on a soft summers evening and watch that old Jamaican moon. Why that old Jamaican will be mooning us, I have no idea.”- -John Turturro, Brain Donors These were the movies that had my brothers and I clicking rewind constantly, … Continue reading Fool’s Gems
“I was not the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me.” -Sir Oliver Reed, Gladiator The sweet science of boxing has fascinated and enthralled me since childhood. The obsession began when I witnessed Buster knock out Iron Mike at age 10. The remote location of my family’s home … Continue reading Mama Said Knock You Out
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I didn’t want you guys to think I was stuffy. You know, no fun. All brain no penis.” -Val Kilmer, Real Genius. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away from when Sheldon Cooper and Co would roam the Cal Tech campus existed a character admired and imitated … Continue reading Real Genius
Thirty years ago, the world was introduced to Calvin Broadus Jr. aka Snoop Dogg, as prescribed by Dr. Dre’s The Chronic in 1992. A true lyricist who lived the stories being told, added dimensions of realism that were vindicated by time as they became highlights of the golden era of hip-hop. His silky-smooth flow combined … Continue reading The Curious Case of Snoop Doggy-Dog
My senior year of college is when my love affair with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and wine began. I was dating a girl that was one hundred percent, ancestors straight off the boat, Italian-Catholic. During the couple of years I was in the picture, my exposure to all things Italian resulted in me gaining fifteen pounds … Continue reading Sundays with Soprano
endure: 1.- to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. 2.- to undergo especially without giving in. 3.-Remain in existence, last. Last Sunday the people of Michigan saw an all too familiar scene. Stafford down with a minute to go and everything on the line of his last drive. Precisely why it was … Continue reading The Enduring Ascension of Matt Stafford
The debate concerning best holiday movie is a fierce one in this country. What film best fits the holiday season varies family to family around the United States. For us it was the classics. Griswold and the shitter being full, Ralphie and his repressed rage being released on Scott Farkus, Kevin and Uncle Frank’s cool-jerk. … Continue reading Titanic: A Holiday Sturt-Brother Tradition
The majority of comets are never bright enough to be seen by the naked eye. However, occasionally a comet may brighten to naked eye visibility, and even more rarely it may become as bright as or brighter than the brightest stars. It is literally impossible not to laugh at Chris Farley. He is the one … Continue reading Farley’s Comet
illmatic: 1.The greatest 40 minutes in Hip-Hop history 2.Beyond ill 3.The ultimate 4.Half-man, half- amazing 5.The best hip-hop/rap album of all time.6.the sickest, illest, best lyrical rap album you could ever be blessed to listen to. New York is the city that founded hip-hop. It has produced a Hova, an X, a 50, a Puff, … Continue reading illmatic: The Essential Prognostication of Nas
There are some voices that are indefinable anomalies of perfection that resonate to anybody with a beating pulse. George Michael was one of those special few. If vocals, style, charisma, talent and good looks were judged like Olympic gymnastics concerning lead singer all time, Michael is Nadia Comaneci, Bo Derek and Billy Bob’s teacher Ms. … Continue reading George Michael: A Genuine Standard of Cool
The MLB Post-Season produces performances that are truly, rare air. Baseball may be a team sport, but it is the only one where an individual can become a modern-day gladiator/rock-star/demi-god in a moment. When the crowd literally will not sit down until you come back out of the dugout to tip your cap to their … Continue reading October Sky
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