Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 29
George Harrison, Joe Exotic, Melania, Pedro Gomez, Nikki Haley, that viral feta and tomato pasta from TikTok, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
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George Harrison was the coolest Beatle
Read this tweet thread. Enjoy.
My Sweet Lord, that’s funny.
Podcast Promotion of the Week
Last week on Mind of Micah, we shared this wonderful story about the limo driver hired to pick up Joe Exotic from prison. The only problem, of course, is that Joe Exotic never left prison because his last-minute Trump presidential pardon never came. Subscribe to Mind of Micah and enjoy. Also, check out this super stretch turbo diesel limo described as the longest limo in Dallas.
Another reminder about the dangers of disinformation
This tweet caught my attention Sunday:
Not all topics demand critical thinking. Conspiracy theorists love to tell people to “do their own research” or “search for the truth.” I refuse to waste my time and effort investigating whether the Clintons are running an international pedophelia ring.
The goal of this disinformation is to take your time and steal your attention. This helps explain why QAnon bozos fall so deep into this stuff. It’s designed to take over your life.
How’s Melania doing?
Melania Trump disengaged from her husband's second impeachment trial and bitter over Jill Biden's publicity
This CNN piece paints the now-former First Lady in an unflattering light. Multiple sources (a reminder that there were/are always multiple sources inside Trumpworld, The leakiest administration ever.) describe Melania as bitter. Bitter about her and her husband’s White House exit, bitter about her record-low favorability, and bitter about the amount of attention given to Dr. Jill Biden.
My favorite part though is the detailed breakdown of how Melania is spending her days. Honestly, it sounds pretty awesome.
"She goes to the spa, has lunch, goes to the spa (again) and has dinner with Donald on the patio," said one person familiar with Melania Trump's schedule at Mar-a-Lago, her home in Palm Beach, Florida. "Rinse and repeat. Every day."
Another person familiar with her daily routine confirms Trump's affinity for the private club's spa facilities, noting it is not unusual for her to spend several hours a day there, enjoying the benefits at her disposal, often going twice in a 24-hour period, for massages, nail care, facial treatments or other items on the menu.
Sign me up. My favorite part is that there are so many sources around her that we get to find out her dinner preferences:
"She almost always does dinner," said a third person who has seen Trump outside of the spa. She spends her evenings on the outdoor patio of Mar-a-Lago, where she prefers fish for an entrée, according to the source, and is often joined at the table by her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, who reside in a private suite of rooms at Mar-a-Lago for much of the year.
I too prefer fish as an entrée.
A story about Pedro Gomez
The ESPN reporter died last week at 58. He was, by all accounts, a very nice man and an excellent reporter. This Twitter thread from sportswriter Howard Bryant hit me right in the feels.
1-1, 9th inning. @Eck43 gives up a 2-run homer to Robin Ventura. A's lose, 3-1. My story said Eck took the loss. The Tribune headline erroneously stated, "Eck Blows Another Save, A's Lose." The next game, two days later, the @Athletics are playing the Royals.
We're in the manager's office and @TonyLaRussa is fuming that the Trib says Eck blew a save when he didn't. In a group of beat writers and columnists, he looks at Frank Blackman of the Examiner and says, "You see the shit I have to put up with around here? Every day."
LaRussa goes on. "This is the type of shit I'm talking about, Frank." He looks around the room. "Where's Hickey?" Then LaRussa looks at the byline and says, "Howard Bryant? Howard Bryant? Who the FUCK is Howard Bryant?" I sheepishly raise my hand.
I cover preps. Never been in a big-league manager's office before. I say, "The story says it was tied." LaRussa ignores me, just rails about the bullshit media and the horseshit coverage, shaking his head, muttering for all to hear, "Howard Bryant."
A voice interrupts him. "Jesus Christ, Tony. You know we don't write the headlines. The story is right. Leave the kid alone. Why are you embarrassing him?" It was Pedro, whom I didn't know, never met, and worked for the San Jose Mercury News, a rival paper.
This was the kind of person he was. A room full of vets watched a rookie reporter get savaged by a Hall of Fame manager and one stood up. This was the beginning of nearly 30 years of friendship. He helped me with my Spanish. Introduced me to execs/players, opened his Rolodex.
Pedro did these things *14 years* before we were finally on the same team, when I joined @espn in 2007. He had no reason to do them except for the person he was, committed to the work, exceptionally giving to people who were, also.
It is often a nasty, competitive business and it is a custom for experienced reporters to be uncharitable to new reporters, but instead of leaving you hanging, Pedro once said in a scrum to Lou Piniella, "Lou, do you know Howard Bryant?" No insecurity. Class. Total pro.
It is his example I try to follow with young reporters, because I remember being in Tony's office, fodder for a hostile business. I talked to Pedro 3 days ago. He picked up as always with his energetic, "42! Como estas, hermano?" We lost a real one today. #RIPPedroGomez
Rest in Peace.
Lede of the Week
Recipe Corner
Let’s talk about this baked feta and tomato pasta going viral on TikTok
This is really good. The fiance is a little bummed that’s it’s going viral because she discovered it last year, and it’s INCREDIBLE. The key is to spend on the good feta, as cow feta will create an undesirable texture. Leftovers are excellent cold or reheated with some toasted breadcrumbs.
2 pints (17 1/2 ounces / 500 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 block (7 ounces / 200 grams) Greek feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces medium-length dried pasta, such as campanelle, rigatoni or rotini
Fresh basil leaves, for serving
Preheat over to 400 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and toss to coat. Place the feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes and garlic, top with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle the entire dish with red pepper flakes and a little black pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.
Cook the pasta. Mash the feta and tomatoes with a fork and mix until evenly combined. Mix the sauce with pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed if it looks a little dry. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide among bowls and top with plenty of basil leaves.
Where else can I find Micah content?
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
Twitter: @micahwiener & @producermicah (Why two twitters? It’s a long story)
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