12 Manny Being Manny John Hart, the general manager of the Cleveland Indians when they drafted Manny Ramirez in 1991, remembered, “He was kind of a different kid.” Really? Never noticed. Hart recalls that Ramirez had been late paying some bills during a stretch in his first season with the Indians and bill collectors were […]
7 The Fisk-Carlton I owe a long-overdue apology to a college professor for an early morning class I missed in the fall of 1975 while attending Northeastern University. You see, there was Game 6 of the ’75 World Series to take in, and when it didn’t end until 12:34 AM, the chances of making that […]
4 The Thrill of Schill Curt Schilling’s sock was bloodied by the popping sutures in his right ankle as he pitched the Red Sox to a 4-2 win in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in 2004 against the Yankees, tying the series at 3-3. That moment was every bit as heroic as […]
Over the weekend, I held a writing workshop here at the house. Writers gathered in my living room, clutching notebooks and harboring stories. We ranged in age from 84 to 15, six women and one man. The 84-year-old woman wanted to share a story about her night-blooming cereus, a desert plant she’d rescued from the […]
Some men bring their wives a dozen long-stemmed roses when they want to express their affection. Dr. Guy Esposito digs deep for the perfect gifts for his wife, Italian chef Mary Ann Esposito, in his own way. He literally digs into the ground for fragrant bundles of basil. Or he plucks tomatoes from the neat […]
Cabdriver Oscar “O.J.” Berlin knows how to take a show on the road. After all, he once led tours for the Bolshoi, Kirov, and Royal ballet companies. On his island tours he’s been known to croon “Smilin’ Through” as he cruises past the pretty cottage where Arthur A. Penn composed it in 1918. Block Island […]
For Katherine Siner, an Appalachian Mountain Club “croo” member, summer in the White Mountains is all about the people she meets. She welcomes guests to AMC lodgings, points the way to scenic spots, cooks, cleans, packs in supplies, and hikes every day. “I came to the huts seeking adventure and family,” she says. Fellow croo, […]
Dick Vincent guarantees you’ll catch fish while out on his Flashy Lady — maybe bluefish, but probably large striped bass (which he’ll fillet for you back in port). If you don’t catch a fish, you don’t pay. That happened just twice last season, and both customers paid anyway, probably because in addition to any fish […]
Photo/Art by Erik Rank In 1997 Jenna Sammartino, a newly minted Cape Cod resident, first started hearing stories about the Whydah, a 28-gun pirate ship that sank in 1717, just off the coast of Wellfleet. Today Jenna’s a ranger at Cape Cod National Seashore, teaching others about the ship, whose watery grave was discovered in […]
Randy Spencer sits on the porch of his 80-year-old log camp on the shores of West Grand Lake in eastern Maine, and points to a rocky promontory just beyond the guest cottage. “That’s Moot Point over there,” he quips. That’s the kind of humor you might expect from a fishing guide who’s also a singer, […]
Family lore has it that Ken Gloss’s first spoken word was “book.” How could it be otherwise? His father, George Gloss, made the Brattle Book Shop, in business since 1825, a local landmark. But Ken has put his own stamp on the place, too. With his frequent appearances on Antiques Roadshow, he’s today’s most recognizable […]
The Rayes run the last remaining cold-process stone mustard mill in the nation, using an ancient technique they say enhances mustard’s natural flavor. (Other manufacturers cook their mustards.) These massive millstones have been grinding seed since 1900. They once served the sardine industry, making mustard only for canning. That changed in 1990, when Nancy Raye, […]
