Apologies for this edition of the Shed being a little late … today’s essay is about something that happened over the weekend that moved me, and I hope it does the same for you.
But first: graphics! I have a couple of upcoming events that I’ve already mentioned here, but now the organizers have come up with nifty graphics for each one. So for you visual learners out there:
—I’m speaking at Converge-Con (a two-day conference about creativity and A.I.) in Chapel Hill on Oct. 21 …
—And I’m interviewing Charlotte author Karen Garloch about her great new novel STRAY VOLTAGE at Park Road Books on Oct. 28.
Come say hello!
Justin Verlander knew he was pitching his last game on Saturday. He played in the majors for 21 seasons. His numbers will put him in the Hall of Fame: 266 wins, 3,560 strikeouts, three Cy Young awards, one MVP, two World Series titles. He spent the first 12 years of his career with the Detroit Tigers, pitched for three other teams along the way, then came back to Detroit for one last season.
It was not the season he had hoped for. He started the Tigers’ fourth game, way back on March 30, and took the loss. Then injuries took over—inflammation in his left hip, a strained hamstring in his left leg. Verlander is 43, ancient for a ballplayer. Every pitch for a major league pitcher is an explosion of effort and stress. Verlander had thrown more than 57,000 pitches in his career.
There’s an old saying that athletes die twice—the first death is when their bodies no longer let them play the game. Verlander was at the end of his life as an athlete. But he kept pushing. He skipped ahead in his rehab, risking injury. He craved one last game. And on the next-to-last day of the season, he took the mound to face the Pittsburgh Pirates. The home crowd in Detroit cheered his every move.
Verlander threw 91 pitches. He struck out six, gave up five hits, two of them homers. In the second inning he faced Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin. Verlander made his major league debut nine months before Griffin was born.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Detroit manager A.J. Hinch decided it was time to take Verlander out. In every other sport, when a player comes out, he or she just trots to the sidelines. Even in baseball, batters and fielders get no special treatment. Pitchers are unique. Baseball is about ritual, and changing a pitcher is one of the most time-honored rituals. The manager emerges from the dugout and walks to the mound, where the catcher and infielders have gathered. The pitcher hands the manager the ball and leaves the field. That’s how it always works.
Except this time.
Verlander didn’t know his daughter was coming out. Hinch and Verlander’s wife, the model Kate Upton, had arranged it.
There is a 1999 Kevin Costner movie called FOR LOVE OF THE GAME. It’s not very good, despite an excellent cast, but the story might ring some bells. Costner is Billy Chapel, an aging pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. On the next-to-last day of the season, Chapel takes the mound for what will be his final game. He has a lot on his mind, mostly a love that he let get away. He talks to himself between pitches. He comes out of his reverie to realize he is pitching a perfect game—no one on the other team has reached base. His body aches. The music swells. He gets the last batter and his teammates carry him off the field. (He also gets the girl.)
It’s a classic happy ending.
One thing I learned early in my writing career is that stories don’t always have a classic happy ending—in fact, that kind of ending can feel cheap and phony. Instead you should figure out if there’s a place to create a satisfying ending—something that makes sense and feels real and completes the character’s story.
Justin Verlander might not have gotten the happy ending he had dreamed of. But the ending he got is far more satisfying. There is more than one way to finish a perfect game.
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10 things I wanted to share this week:
In case you missed it, I had a Pub Day piece on the book I mentioned up above—Karen Garloch’s fine first novel STRAY VOLTAGE.
Here’s my favorite story in quite some time: Thomas Fuller’s account of a California dude who jumped into an In-N-Out (through the drive-thru window!) to face off with a woman wielding a tree branch. This story is so deftly written—it’s funny as hell, crammed with great details, but also kind to the attacker, who was clearly going through some issues. In the category of vivid newspaper features, this is as good as it gets. (NYT)
The NYT also stirred the pot with its list of the 100 best TV shows of the century… I can’t argue with BREAKING BAD at no. 1, but I can most definitely argue with JUSTIFIED way down at no. 83.
My friends John T. Edge and Wright Thompson have debuted a new season of TRUESOUTH, their show about Southern culture told through place and food. I was honored to be featured in an episode a few years ago about my homeplace in coastal Georgia. (ESPN/Hulu)
Another friend, Barry Yeoman, is part of this eye-opening investigation: American convenience stories routinely overcharge—meaning the price on the rack is often less than what they charge at the register. Check your receipts. (The Guardian)
It’s the Fat Bear Week semifinals! Cast your votes by Tuesday! (Explore.org)
Euro mystery update 1: GONE (not to be confused with THE GONE) is a thriller about the death of a British headmaster’s wife, and the detective who (of course) has relationship problems of her own. It cleared the most important bar for me: I had no idea who the killer was until near the end. (BritBox)
Euro mystery update 2: THE RIDGE stars Lauren Lyle (who we enjoyed in KAREN PIRIE) as a drug-addicted doctor who travels from Scotland to New Zealand to solve the mystery of her sister’s death. (It also made me think about THE GONE, which is about an Irish detective who also travels to New Zealand to solve a mystery.) We’re four episodes in, and I haven’t loved THE RIDGE so far—the lead character is really unlikable. However … the plot just took a very interesting twist. (Acorn)
The trailer for MADDEN—a movie about NFL coach/broadcaster/video-game legend John Madden—falls fully into “this could be so bad it’s good” territory. I love that Nicolas Cage spent so much time adopting Madden’s look but apparently zero time trying to learn his voice.
One of my favorite follows on social media is John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats—he’s always spotlighting bands I never would have heard of otherwise. That’s how I discovered the Thai band Tattoo Colour and their beautiful little slice of pop, “Good Luck to the Both of Us.” I have no idea what they’re singing … but I do, if you know what I mean. Either way, the music just shimmers.
Upcoming events
See the top of the post.
I’m getting ready to take a few days off, so there probably won’t be another post until next week … but who knows? Something interesting might come up. Either way, have a great week, everybody.
—TT
My books DOGLAND and THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM are available in all formats pretty much everywhere books are sold.
Well I guess you know what I think about your baseball story, Tommy. Tom Hanks was indeed wrong that there is “no crying in baseball.”
Amen on Justified being far too low on that top 100 list! Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins are terrific foils.