ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

By Tom Robotham Over the years, I’ve written a lot about my love of baseball, and it’s on my mind once again as the World Series approaches. Lately, though, I’ve been reflecting on this in a broader context: Why are sports in general so captivating? I realize, of...
ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

ESSAY: An Education

By Tom Robotham Recently, I received a notice from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh that my graduating class would be among those honored during this year’s homecoming weekend. Until then, it hadn’t dawned on me that 2023 marks 45 years since I donned...
ESSAY: Bites of the Big Apple

ESSAY: Bites of the Big Apple

Words & Photo by Tom Robotham One can’t paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt. – Georgia O’Keeffe   Last month in this space, I wrote about what I call the resonance of place: the vibrations in your very soul that you feel at the mere...
ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

ESSAY: The Forgotten Borough

By Tom Robotham There are places I remember / All my life, though some have changed. – John Lennon Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about places that hold deep meaning for me: Manhattan; Paris; Leicester, England, birthplace of my paternal grandfather; parts of...
ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

ESSAY: Distorting History

By Tom Robotham Last month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning public-college courses that “distort” historical events. When I read this news, I couldn’t help noting the irony. The American South, after all, has a very long track record of distorting...
ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

In Search of Excellence

By Tom Robotham One of my favorite moments in the history of television is the opening scene of Newsroom, a short-lived HBO series about a jaded TV anchor, Will McAvoy, played by Jeff Daniels. In the scene, McAvoy is asked at a college forum why America is the...