Patrick Dowd

[Patrick Dowd @cpspdo]

@ALEXAGY0 Those were tough days for you I’m sure. Being 13 and in Vietnam, plus having a kid at 13. How’d you pull that off?

[Robert Caputo @robert28962]

STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY

For more than forty years, Detroit's sports fans had Pat's full attention. In the months since his diagnosis, we have had it — listening as he has told us his stories: the ones from the press box, TV and radio studio, and the ones from his life. What follows is drawn from those conversations. The words are his.

We share it now, on his behalf, as the goodbye he wants to leave for the people who wrote alongside him, the people who shared the microphone with him, the people who listened, and the people who read his work.

We are all so proud of Pat and all his accomplishments. While he's leaving a void in our lives and in the community that he so proudly represented, he's made his mark and his legacy lives on. To his audience he was known as "The Book," but to us he was a cherished member of our family.

We love you, Pat.

— The Caputo Family

———

A TRIBUTE TO A DETROIT LEGEND

"I haven't said much publicly since January because I haven't known what to say," he told us.

So we'll start where he started.

"When I came out of college I had nothing on my resume. I couldn't type. In journalism class I never wrote anything anyone would want to read." The only useful thing he had, he said, was an idea he'd picked up from a textbook somewhere — that "nobody wanted to be a state capital correspondent, so the lane was wide open if you'd take it." That became the only theory he ever had about this business: "Take the job nobody else wants. Out-work them on the part nobody else cares about." A professor took pity on him and got him a tryout in Three Rivers, an hour and a half west of Kalamazoo, and he learned the trade there by photographing the Pet of the Week with a Sears camera. The job didn't last long. The boss called him in one day, he remembered, and explained, kindly, that "I was just horrible."

Within a few weeks he had talked his way into answering phones at the Oakland Press sports desk, where he was so desperate to stick around he'd raise his hand for any game nobody else wanted to cover. "Hey, can I do this one? Can I do that one?" They almost always said yes, he said, because nobody else was going to drive to Lapeer on a Friday night in November to see two 4-and-5 teams play.

He still couldn't type. Tom Kowalski — who half of his audience grew up listening to and the other half grew up reading — walked into the office one graveyard shift in the spring with his Taco Bell, watched Pat try to figure out a list of high-school track times one finger at a time, and announced to the room: "This guy has got some coordination problems." Pat, telling the story, said Kowalski wasn't wrong.

After nine months they hired him full-time to cover high schools. "I was twenty-four years old, and if you'd told me then that I'd get to cover sports and live in my one-bedroom apartment for the rest of my life, I would have been happy." He never had a grand plan that he would have such an amazing career. He had a fear, which is different. "I was scared every day that I was going to lose the job," he said, "so I worked it like I was going to lose it tomorrow."

The writing didn't come easy either. People sometimes asked him how he got better at it, and the only honest answer, he said, was "a miracle." He wrote a lot. He asked people he respected to tell him what was wrong with what he'd written, and then he listened to the answers — the part, he noted, that many young writers skip. The awards came later. They were nice. They didn't change anything he knew about himself.

His dad used to tell him and his brothers, "Never quit. Just keep coming." He didn't always live up to a lot of things, he said, but he did live up to that one. He got up every day and put the boots on. He didn't grade the day before he started it. If it was a thankless job, he did the thankless job. If it was a good day at the ballpark, he did that too. "I'd like to think I always did my very best," he told us. "And if I get to leave you with anything, let it be that. Whatever it is you're up to tomorrow, do your very best at it. My very best wasn't necessarily anybody else's best. But it was mine, and I gave it."

There were things he never imagined as a kid from Michigan he'd ever get to see. "I got to watch games at the L.A. Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. That was a big deal for a kid growing up in Michigan," he said. He got to cover World Series and Super Bowls and Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Championships. He got a vote for the Heisman Trophy. He got a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He took those last two seriously every year of his life, he said, because he knew what they meant. The people he got to know along the way are the part you can't put on a resume. He knew Sparky Anderson. He knew Bo Schembechler, who he said was a great man, and one he respected. Jim Leyland was one of a kind and someone he really enjoyed. He got to know Tom Izzo back when he was an up-and-coming assistant nobody outside East Lansing was talking about yet. Bill Lajoie, the Tigers' general manager when he started covering them, opened the door for a young writer trying to do this job, and Pat said he never forgot it. Lajoie was a mentor to him. He once played nine holes of golf with Don Shula, he said, because his editor at the Oakland Press, Gary Gilbert, called and asked him if he wanted to.

He told us about one of the coolest moments of his career — October of '06, in the press box at Comerica Park, watching Magglio Ordoñez hit one off Huston Street to send the Tigers to the World Series. The players came out onto the field with champagne bottles and started spraying the people in the seats. He sat up there with his notebook, he said, and remembered thinking, "boy, they were really proud."

The radio gave him something the print column never could. It let him cover the teams with his audience instead of just for them. It let him hear what they thought, take a punch from a caller, give one back, and argue about Detroit sports the way Detroit sports are supposed to be argued about — out loud, every day, on the air, with anybody who picked up the phone.

None of that, he said, happens without people. The producers. The engineers. The people whose names the audience never heard, whose hands kept the show on the air every day for two decades. The colleagues who sat across the table from him, the ones he argued with and agreed with and learned from — every one of them, he said, made him better. "I owe all of these people something I don't know how to pay back."

The job — the actual job, the going-to-the-ballpark, going-to-the-press-box, sitting-at-the-microphone part of it — was, he said, one of the best parts of his life. Going to a place like Michigan State, when a kid like him had no business believing he'd ever set foot on a campus like that, was another. The family he has, who have loved him through every part of this, is the rest of it.

He made his final social media post in late January. He read every comment people sent him on X and on Facebook, he told us. Every single one. He wanted us to know what they did: they reminded him, in his own words, that "I am blessed."

A lot of good things came to him in this life. He had always been thankful for that, he said. He had always been appreciative. He's not the guy you build a statue to. He never was. He was the guy who answered the phones, said yes to whatever game came up, learned to type one finger at a time, and somehow forty-plus years went by. "I just got lucky," he said. "I always have been."

In these last months he has been surrounded by family who love him, and who he loves right back. They matter more to him, he said, than any of the rest of it.

———

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

My Uncle Pat and I shared a special bond. He was my godfather. I was the best man at his wedding. We are both proud Michigan State alums. But truth be told, the bond we shared most closely was the same one he shared with his followers — sports. They were at the core of every conversation.

Growing up, we played trivia games — quizzing each other on prospects' high schools, colleges, or where they ranked in Baseball America. Even at Christmas when he was sick, we were playing the game of naming the Tigers' first-round draft picks from the late '80s through last year. In true form, "The Book" got every single one right.

I'm going to miss those conversations so very much.

— Rob Caputo

———

The Caputo family extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported Pat throughout his career and during his illness. Thank you so very, very much. God bless.
@971theticketxyt @bobwojnowski @stoney16 @MitchAlbom @berniesmilovitz @tigers @Lions @DetroitPistons @RedWingsFeed @MSU_Athletics @MSU_Football @MSU_Basketball @FOX2News @KenKalDRW @TheOaklandPress @dennisfithian @DanMillerFox2 @freep @detroitnews @matthewbmowery @TonyPaul1984

[Patrick Dowd @cpspdo]

@GRCinemaTicket The Jerk

[Patrick Dowd @cpspdo]

@VinnysCorner1 Greg Landry

[Patrick Dowd @cpspdo]

@WHMI Sorry to see Aunt Betty’s closing. Have been going there a long time.

[Keith Edwards @keithedwards]

The Bible says the Antichrist will

— Deceive with religion – he will appear spiritual but actually turn people away from Christ (Matthew 24:24; 1 John 2:22).
— Be a deceiver – he will mislead people while appearing strong or righteous (1 John 2:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:9).
— Exalt himself – he will set himself up as the greatest, boasting and demanding loyalty (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
— Speak blasphemously – he will speak arrogantly and against God (Revelation 13:5–6).
— Be lawless – he will disregard rules, norms, and higher authority (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
— Gain global influence – he will be admired and followed by multitudes (Revelation 13:7–8).
— Use deceptive signs – he will use spectacle to keep people convinced (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10; Matthew 24:24).

[Brad Galli @BradGalli]

Michigan assistant coach Biff Poggi shared with me his coaching philosophy — and it's pretty darn great.

"Every player simply wants ... a coach in the building to put their arm around them, talk to them every day, and tell them they love 'em. And then really act like it."

[Husker Ran @HuskerRan]

I asked @grok to analyze #ESPN #FPI to see if it identified #SEC bias. It found clear bias baked into this year’s ratings, with self reinforcing logic that cooks the books. ESPN has a giant thumb on the scales, to benefit their check book. #cfp #CFB #cfb2025 1/

[Steve Gutzler @SteveGutzler]

It’s never too late to start over. If you weren’t happy with yesterday, try something different today.
Don’t stay stuck, do better.
#Wednesdayvibe #LeadershipInAction

[Hartland Athletics @hartlandsports]

Your 2025 Division 1 Baseball State Champions - The @EaglesBallClub. They defeat Dakota 5-3 in 9 innings to become the school’s 13th MHSAA State Champion.

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

America is failing.

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

Retired 4-Star Navy Admiral and former Navy SEAL William McRaven on Donald Trump: "Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation."

RETWEET if you stand with Admiral McRaven!

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

RETWEET if you stand with President Zelensky!

[Patrick Dowd @cpspdo]

@Johnubacon There already is a book that came out about 30 years ago with that exact same title.

[U.S. Coast Guard @USCG]

Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!

[Jocelyn Benson @JocelynBenson]

Happy election eve everyone. A few things to remember as we head into tomorrow …

✅None of us know who will win the election. But we do know that the will of the people determines the outcome. Not a candidates’ declarations or any others’.

✅ We also know Michiganders are voting in record numbers, as reflected in the strong turnout during the early voting period. That’s a great thing for voters and for democracy.

✅Tomorrow Michigan’s professional election workers - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents- will do their jobs. They will count every valid vote.

✅Unofficial results will begin being reported shortly after 9pm EST, because 3 counties are in CST. Reports will include ballots cast by mail, early, and on Tuesday 11/5.

✅ I will hold a press conference tomorrow night, and post my remarks here, so that you can know exactly what we know, and what to expect in the hours that follow.

✅ Foreign bad actors may try to distract you from these facts, with misinformation and other tactics, throughout tomorrow and in the days ahead. Don’t let them fool you. Seek out trusted sources for reliable information, or visit https://t.co/I444qWpfBe to get answers.

✅ Finally, I know many of us are feeling anxious about the state of our democracy. Channel that anxiety into supporting and uplifting those working overtime to make sure every voice is heard in this election, and help us work together to rise above the noise and protect those who protect our elections.

If we do that, democracy will prevail.

Until tomorrow everyone -
Jocelyn

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

You were warned

[American Veteran @amvetsupport]

To all maga former military or active duty who still support this POS, please do yourself a favor and read the 10,000 comments on here. He is despised by veterans and he is hated by current military. He is a poser and a coward,. A spineless, draft evading, chicken shit.

[Jay Black @jayblackisfunny]

Weird how John Kelly joined the marines in 1970, served for 45 years, became the Head of Homeland Security, and then Chief of Staff, only to decide ALL OF A SUDDEN to become a liar and traitor.

I mean, UNLESS, of course, Trump actually IS a dumb fascist.

MAGA? Your thoughts?

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

Upgrading from First Class to Economy

(It's not a typo.)

10 years ago I paid $220,000 cash for a Porsche 911 Turbo—the one in the photo below. It was the car I’d dreamed about as a teenager, the embodiment of success.

But as I laid in bed that night, I wasn’t feeling the satisfaction that I expected. In fact, the car was kind of stressing me out.

The 911 wasn’t a stretch financially, but it felt like yet another obligation—one more thing to take care of—at a time when I wanted LESS obligations, not more.

Long story short, I returned the Porsche to the dealer the next morning.

It turns out that 40-year-old Kevin didn’t share the same vision of success as 16-year-old Kevin. It was an epiphany, foreshadowing a major life reboot that would happen years later.

In the movie Fight Club, Tyler Durden says, “The things you own end up owning you”. It turns out that the inverse is also true:

The less you own, the more free you feel.

Fast forward a decade and now I drive a 16 year old truck with 180,000 miles on it. My mechanic says it’s worth about two grand. The climbing gear inside the truck is worth more than the truck itself.

And you know what?

That truck brings me immense joy. It’s always ready for adventure. I can beat the sh!t out of it and it comes back for more. I wash it maybe once a year. I spend zero energy thinking about or taking care of my car.

I recently coined a term:

“Upgrading from first class to economy.”

This story is just one example. Sometimes less really is more. Sometimes taking a step down is an upgrade.

🧵1/2