My big fat Greek odyssey, Part I: Arriving in Athens

October 6, 2016

Even casual readers of this blog will have surmised my passion for the Greeks in general and Alexander the Great in particular. So when I saw an ad for Times Journeys’ “The Legacy of Alexander the Great” tour on the back page of The New York Times one late winter day and learned that there was one single room left for the late summer voyage, I jumped at the chance.

Not. Even though it was Alexander, I kept finding excuses. Work, home, fear of flying, money, did I mention work? Besides, I needed the money to self-publish the second book in my series, “The Games Men Play.” I needed a sign. Then I got one in the form of a contract for the book. ...

Of Stephen Curry and Stephen Hawking: Sports and destiny

May 30, 2016

There are few more intriguing themes in journalism and literature than that of the brilliant loser – the superb racer who for a variety of reasons fails to meet expectations, be it runners Zola Budd and Mary Decker, speed skater Dan Jansen or Thoroughbreds Spectacular Bid, California Chrome and, most recently, Nyquist; the juggernaut so dominant in the regular season and so vulnerable in the playoffs (the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors battling the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA playoffs); and, most heartbreaking of all, the “perfect” performer who finds that perfection elusive when needed most (Serena Williams against Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open last year; Novak Djokovic against Stan Wawrinka in the finals of the French Open last year; and, my favorite ...

Is college losing the happy medium?

April 1, 2016

At first, it appeared as if Frank Bruni was pulling our collective leg. And, it turns out, he was.

The New York Times columnist, a critique of the college admissions process, has contributed an offbeat, satirical piece sending up Stanford University’s snooty admissions standards – about only five percent of applicants get in – as well as those schools that might dumb down to meet students “where they live.”

I had to laugh, because in both my debut novel “Water Music” and my forthcoming book “The Penalty for Holding” – part of my series “The Games Men Play” – two of the main characters attended Stanford. I thought it was a bit of a stretch at first since they’re athletes. ...