Roger Angell turns 100

Roger Angell, longtime fiction editor at the New Yorker, also wrote excellent books about baseball. He just turned 100.

update: Roger Angell passed away in 2022

A writer’s tribute to Roger Angell: For the love of the reading journeyhttps://t.co/8IOeTxpaCJ
— Nieman Storyboard (@niemanstory) June 27, 2022

Zoom birthday toast for Roger Angell's 100th is maybe the most moving thing I've experienced in my time @newyorker. Legends in little squares: McPhee, Trillin, Angell. So much history. Read every one of these pieces. https://t.co/LQmO5C3CXM
— Michael Luo (@michaelluo) September 18, 2020

Roger Angell cardboard cutout at Citi Field, on the eve of his 100th birthday: pic.twitter.com/Bithrka2gJ
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 19, 2020

Raising a glass to The New Yorker legend—born ﬁve years before the founding of this magazine, and a contributor for the past 76—as he celebrates a milestone birthday. https://t.co/OOLvJcrFwb
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 18, 2020

Peter Gammons on Roger Angell. https://t.co/K8C2N4L0FH
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) September 17, 2020

Some of his work:

“Getting old is the second-biggest surprise of my life,” Roger Angell writes, “but the first, by a mile, is our unceasing need for deep attachment and intimate love.” https://t.co/EeY0QSvIxi
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) July 11, 2020

The New Yorker is celebrating Roger Angell's 100th birthday. This is Angell's 1975 piece on Steve Blass, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace who helped lead the team to its 1971 World Series victory, & then suddenly, inexplicably, lost the ability to throw strikes. https://t.co/vUIpsR90pX
— Richard Scheinin (@RichardScheinin) September 18, 2020

For me, maybe Roger Angell’s finest…Bob Gibson Keeps His Distance https://t.co/ojoebPd02h via @NewYorker
— Full Dissident (@hbryant42) September 17, 2020

I agree – my favorite piece

Covers: Feelin’ Alright?

“Feelin’ Alright?” was written by Dave Mason and recorded by Traffic, the band he was in, in 1968. Joe Cocker’s popular cover was released in 1969. There’s a great 1976 Saturday Night Live video with John Belushi imitiating Cocker’s style right next to him.

There are many covers.

part of the the SNL video

Covers: Fire (Bruce Springsteen song)

Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire” was a big hit for the Pointer Sisters in 1978. It was released before his own version. The first released version was by Robert Gordon in 1978.

Trump lies from 9/16-17

Unlimited lies

"I counted at least 12 false or misleading claims from the President," CNN's @ddale8 fact checks some of President Trump's claims from Wednesday's news conference pic.twitter.com/McwJns15ip
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 17, 2020

Per word spoken or tweeted, Trump might be more dishonest about voting and election integrity than about any other subject.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 17, 2020

Trump, trailing in national polls and in polls of key swing states, on Fox Sports Radio this morning: "The only way they can win is to cheat, in my opinion." Entirely baseless.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 17, 2020

Trump repeats his usual lie about how “the cupboard was bare” of ventilators when he took office. His own admin acknowledges they inherited more than 16,000 ventilators in working order. https://t.co/RPKvDdX0sE
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 16, 2020

Covers: Weary Blues from Waitin’

“Weary Blues from Waiting” was released in 1953 after Hank Williams died. I recalled the cover version by the Blue Velvet Band from 1969.

Trump’s businesses have charged the government $1.1 million

NEW: @realdonaldtrump’s businesses have charged the US government $1.1 million in private transactions — and Trump’s Bedminster club kept billing taxpayers for room rentals **even while it was closed** for covid. https://t.co/CU0EBGyW2D
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 17, 2020

Official White House response to @Fahrenthold’s excellent reporting about the president getting public money spent at his private business: https://t.co/uhD9V8PrDi pic.twitter.com/CkXmD6eogq
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 27, 2020

The news that the WH is preparing a dossier on @washingtonpost reporter @Fahrenthold for his stories uncovering Trump corruption should be a wakeup call to all journalists– this is the future if you don't stop normalizing Trump and his people, treating everyone as equivalent.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) August 27, 2020

The White House says it’s putting together a dossier on ⁦@Fahrenthold⁩ pic.twitter.com/x1CqSiqAu8
— Andrew Beaujon (@abeaujon) August 27, 2020

Former Pence aide says she will vote for Biden because of Trump’s ‘flat out disregard for human life’ during pandemic

Former Pence aide says she will vote for Biden because of Trump’s ‘flat out disregard for human life’ during pandemic. By ⁦@jdawsey1⁩ https://t.co/19jxzvwLZa
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) September 17, 2020

"We knew that there were going to be increasing cases, we knew that people were going to die," said Troye, who left the White House in late July. "But the President didn't want to hear that, because his biggest concern was that we were in an election year” https://t.co/ECIpFtr1tF
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 17, 2020

“Maybe this COVID thing is a good thing. I don’t like shaking hands with people. I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.” – President Donald Trump

Watch the disturbing account from former Pence lead COVID-19 staffer @OliviaTroye. pic.twitter.com/6RnXvubw11
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) September 17, 2020

Trump was wrong to attack Redfield

Republican cowards will back Trump. I would rather listen to Redfield. Trump is a liar.

President Trump’s congressional allies and White House aides backed his rebuke of CDC Director Robert Redfield on Thursday, insisting they trusted the president over the nation’s top public health official on matters of face masks and vaccine development https://t.co/6pK0R4wPk2
— POLITICO (@politico) September 17, 2020

This morning WH Chief of staff Mark Meadows said Redfield is not tuned into what those “closest to the process” know about when the public will have access to a vaccine.

Redfield is the director of the @CDCgov, which wrote the playbook outlining vaccine distribution. https://t.co/O4irTObBj9
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) September 17, 2020

WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Fox re: COVID-19 vaccine timeline

“I'm not sure where Dr. Redfield got his particular timetable, but it's not based on those that are closest to the process,”

Redfield is the @CDCDirector-he's not "closest to the process" ? (h/t @JordynPhelps)
— Karen Travers (@karentravers) September 17, 2020

One way to know Redfield didn't "misunderstand" the questions about masks or vaccine timeframe:

They were generating explosive headlines all day and the CDC didn't attempt to correct or walk back anything he said.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 16, 2020

This seems like a big moment in the campaign. Trump explicitly told the nation that he should be trusted over his own CDC on the vaccine. That's headline news. It unequivocally confirms what critics — including scientists inside the administration — have warned of.
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 16, 2020

Watching the CDC Director get repeatedly, publicly taken apart by the President for his congressional testimony is quite something
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) September 16, 2020

Trump saying the CDC director “misunderstood the questions” has echoes of his reaction to seeing intelligence officials like Dan Coats testifying on Capitol Hill about Russia, North Korea, etc. He watched highlights then & exploded over their response.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) September 16, 2020

“Face masks are the most important powerful public health tool we have,” Dr. Robert Redfield testified to Congress on Wednesday. “We have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense.”

The latest: https://t.co/XcGJYlkTBu pic.twitter.com/o3iXhQ6nKa
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 16, 2020

Asked about Redfield’s testimony strongly urging everyone to wear masks, even saying that could be more effective than a vaccine, Trump says that’s wrong too, he called Redfield about that as well.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 16, 2020

CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield testified that mask-wearing may be a more effective protection against coronavirus than a vaccine, adding that the American public has not yet embraced the use of masks to a level that could effectively control the outbreak https://t.co/q9KiaKxCLm
— CNN (@CNN) September 16, 2020

NEW: @CDCDirector issues this statement in response to the President contradicting him twice, saying he was “confused” about a vaccine timeline and “wrong” about masks offering more protection anyway. Redfield made the statements under oath.

He does not say he misspoke. pic.twitter.com/vwWty8jKeO
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) September 16, 2020

Covers: Dimming of the Day

Richard Thompson wrote “Dimming of the Day” which first appeared on 1975’s Pour Down Like Silver by Richard and Linda Thompson. I recently watched him perform it online as part of his Live from London series. Thompson mentioned the covers by Bonnie Raitt and Tom Jones.