Basketball Dan, a 5-Star Life (Part 3)

August 11

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Dan, March 8, 2023: Dick Greene* had sent me the full Wash Post article [3rd story below] ……this guy is young , but has a good start, though obviously is a piker by comparison (he’s been to only about 132 arenas, and accumulated many of his D1 teams at conference tourneys with 8 or more at a time.) I would guess there are quite a few bball addicts who are much closer to my arena number than to his (though I would imagine that my “legitimately earned” souvenir cup collection could be unmatched ?)

* Dick Greene is from San Francisco, just a fellow Final Four fan who made a connection with Dan over the years. Dick was the guy who arranged for Dan’s Wimbledon tickets. The first photo under 2006 (below) is an Indianapolis Final Four dining meetup of our group with the San Franciscans – Dick is 2nd from the right in the photo, Dan is to Dick’s right . . .

Time doesn’t take away from friendship, nor does separation. ~ Tennessee Williams

2002

Starbucks really isn’t that expensive if compared to what Victoria’s Secret charges per cup. ~ Muskan Aggarwal

[We have entered a new millennium. It seems appropriate we start it off with Dan at the helm of the Moby Obie, our pontoon when we lived on Lake Darling . . . ]

Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

[Libby and Hans taking their lives in their hands with Dan at the helm of the Moby Obie . . . ]

2003

I’ll stick to finding the funny in the ordinary because my life is pretty ordinary and so are the lives of my friends—and my friends are hilarious. ~ Issa Rae

[Hans, Libby, Dan, and Ruthie atop Inspiration Peak, 25 miles north of Alexandria where one goes in search of topography . . . ]

2004

A restaurant is a fantasy—a kind of living fantasy in which diners are the most important members of the cast. ~ Warner LeRoy

[I remember this place. I think Dan set it up (some new hot place) where we were joined by our mutual friend Mayo. The only problem is none of the participants remember the name of the place or its location? (I seem to recall either on Washington Avenue in downtown Mpls or on University Avenue just east of the campus?)]

2005

I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent. ~ John Wooden

[Dan wasn’t here, but he appreciated the effort. My brother Chris’s (far right) family cheering for George Mason [Chris’s daughter Jessica’s school) in the Final Four that year.]

2006

I never eat in a restaurant that’s over a hundred feet off the ground and won’t stand still. ~ Calvin Trillin

[The whole eating gang, including the San Franciscans, somewhere in Indianapolis . . . ]

If you want a reliable tip, drive into a town, go to the nearest appliance store, and seek out the dishwasher repair man. He spends a lot of time in restaurant kitchens and usually has strong opinions about them. ~ Bryan Miller

[Dan and Ruthie in December of that year at a place that can only be redeemed from my memory through hypnosis or DNA analysis . . . ]

2007

Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else. ~ Dean Smith

[Dan and Ruthie in Atlanta, checking our seat locations for the games. Kind of gives you an idea why we stopped going to Final Fours . . . ]

The only thing I like better than talking about food is eating. ~ John Walters

[Atlanta, thusly, the obvious source of this fine dining experience. Since it has taken me so long to complete Dan’s story, I can’t remember if I’ve previously identified the other diners: Dan’s cousin Mary and cousin-in-law Gus from Wichita . . . ]

When life gives you lemons, freeze them and throw them at the people who are making your life difficult. ~ Muskan Aggarwal

[At Hans’s, for what I seem to recall was his 60th birthday in Minneapolis . . . ]

No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether depraved. ~ Thomas Carlyle

[All delighting in finally having their records (all) expunged from public scrutiny . . . ]

You’ve got a friend in me. ~ Woody, Toy Story

[Hans and Libby at my 60th birthday party at Chez Obert on Lake Darling in Alexandria . . . ]

Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player. ~ Bill Gates

[“Basketball Dan” meets “Crazy Dave” – there hasn’t been such greatness in a single room since the Buckley-Vidal debates. “Crazy” is also a denizen of Lake Darling, but gained his fame in Youngstown, Ohio, where his neighbor Jim Tressel, former Ohio State Buckeye football coach, gave him the name “Crazy” . . . ]

I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody. ~ George Burns

[Basketball Dan meets Alexandria’s 1965 Homecoming Queen, which could rival the above photo in notoriety. Kathy has a granddaughter on the current Minnesota Gopher basketball team . . . ]

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too much. ~ Johnny Carson

[OK, I did take a lot of turkey photos. If Dan was going to work that hard, we needed the evidence . . . ]

Winning is like deodorant – when it comes up, a lot of things no longer stink. ~ Doc Rivers

[This annual event was the only reason I could see for watching football . . . ]

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not. ~ Charles Barkley

Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Half of the people in the world are below average. ~ Flavian Mwasi

It’s a little known fact that pigs are the smartest animal. Scientists say that if pigs had thumbs and a language that they could be trained to do manual labor. They give you 20 to 30 years of loyal service and then at their retirement dinner, you can eat them. ~ Cliff Clavin

The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends thought I didn’t exist.
~ Aaron Machado

I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.
~ Jane Austen

It’s important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them, and important to the friendship that we are not. ~ Mignon McLaughlin

Life is too short for fake butter or fake people. ~ Karen Salmansohn

[Kitchen talk . . . ]

2008

You’re mad. Bonkers. Off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret: Some of the best people are. ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

[At a famous Texas BBQ place. I remember we drove a bit north of San Antonio or Austin to get here. Dan would remember the name and location. I can’t . . . ]

Marriage: a friendship recognized by the police. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

[Dining in said Texas BBQ place . . . ]

2009

Friends come and go, like the waves of the ocean, but the true ones stay. Like an octopus on your face. ~ Unknown

[Returning to the scene of my best meal ever, thanks to Dan. In September 1985 we toured Oregon where at Jake’s Grill (in background) in Portland I enjoyed a three-salmon (white, pink, red) entree in a dark and woody “gentlemen’s” room . . . ]

Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Dan sent postcards from his solo travels . . . ]

In a restaurant, choose a table near a waiter. ~ Jewish Proverb

[This was somewhere in Scottsdale, Arizona, for an event which now escapes me. I remember it as a place where Dan specifically requested seating in a nonsmoking area. Though we were outside, smoke found us. Dan strongly requested we be moved. I don’t recall the outcome . . . ]

2010

I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell — you see, I have friends in both places. ~ Mark Twain

[In honor of our protagonist, this is an eatery in Jonesville, Indiana. I had to look it up. I have no recollection of ever having been in Jonesville (population: 177), but it is about halfway between Columbus and Seymour just off of I-65, an area I have perused . . . ]

I’m not a fan of the NCAA. I don’t think they make decisions for the kids. They make decisions for bureaucracy and for their structure. ~ John Calipari

[Lucas Oil Stadium or why (see next photo) . . . ]

Mark Emmert, the head of the NCAA, makes millions. Coaches today are making millions. Who’s not making anything? I don’t want to hear about they get scholarships. Yeah, they get scholarships all right, they earn those scholarships. ~ Dick Vitale

[We decided to no longer go to basketball games played in football stadiums . . . ]

Real friendship is when your friend comes over to your house and then you both just take a nap. ~ Unknown

[At the top of this missive Dan mentioned his souvenir cup collection (they filled grocery bags in his second bedroom, along with programs and media guides). Although he had attended games at Indiana State before, he didn’t have a souvenir cup. Luckily for him Ruthie is from Terre Haute and brought him a Sycamore cup . . . ]

Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine. ~ Charles Dickens

[And then the fine dining in Indianapolis with Gus and Mary . . . ]

One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention. ~ Clifton Fadiman

[Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University campus in Indianapolis (and home to the movie “Hoosiers”), a doppelganger to Williams Arena on the U of M campus, both opened in 1928 . . . ]

I don’t want to go to heaven. None of my friends are there. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Continuing dining experiences in Indy where Ruthie’s sister Rita joined the table . . . ]

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. ~ H. L. Mencken

[The Indiana state capitol . . . ]

2011

Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. ~ Kevin James

[Dan’s annual turkeyfest: Chris mashes the spuds while Tom provides oversight . . . ]

I love spending Thanksgiving surrounded by all these great friends I met in the Best Buy parking lot. ~ John Lyon

A lot of Thanksgivings have been ruined by not carving the turkey in the kitchen. ~ Kin Hubbard

[Hans carves (his annual duty), Brian supervises . . . ]

Thanksgiving, the day where there’s never enough food. You can’t just have a turkey. No, there has to be a roast beef or a ham too. Or both. It’s the only day we have mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. ~ Lewis Black

[Suzanne oversees the serving table . . . ]

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! It’s the day you forget about all the fighting and division in the world and just focus on all the fighting and division in your family. ~ Jimmy Fallon

One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner. ~ Oscar Wilde

Turkey for me, turkey for you. Let’s eat the turkey in my big brown shoe. ~ Adam Sandler

[Making plans for next year?]

2012

Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is best not to stir them. ~ P.G. Wodehouse

[Ruthie & her sister Rita at the go-to burger place in Bloomington, Indiana. I have no idea if there is any connection to Hinkle Fieldhouse . . . ]

When you go to a restaurant, the less you know about what happens in the kitchen, the more you enjoy your meal. ~ Jeffrey Wright

[Inside Hinkle’s . . . ]

Every Thanksgiving I bring the champagne, because in my family we all know what our strengths are. ~ Gloria Fallon

[The supervisor arrives at Dan’s, with Champagne, for the annual turkey fest . . . ]

I’m giving thanks that we don’t have to go through this for another year. ~ Adele Larson

[Turkey Hans . . . ]

Did you nap after eating the Thanksgiving meal? Or did you pass out like you were shot by a tranquilizer gun? ~ Jim Gaffigan

[Libby with Turkey Hans . . . ]

A new survey found that 80 percent of men claim they help cook Thanksgiving dinner. Which makes sense, when you hear them consider saying ‘that smells good’ to be helping. ~ Jimmy Fallon

[Hans checks on the bird; Dan stands back in accordance with OSHA regulations . . . ]

The average time for eating a Thanksgiving dinner is 12 minutes, which, incidentally, coincides with halftime. ~ Erma Bombeck

Thanksgiving: when the people who are the most thankful are the ones who didn’t have to cook. ~ Melanie White

[Dan and Susanne checking the bird . . . ]

Happy Thanksgiving! This year I’m thankful that your family is so annoying you’re checking Twitter instead of talking to them. ~ Stephen Colbert

Cooking tip: Wrap turkey leftovers in aluminum foil and throw them out. ~ Nicole Hollander

[Ruthie got the carcass every year . . . ]

I love Thanksgiving traditions: watching football, making pumpkin pie and saying the magic phrase that sends your aunt storming out of the dining room to sit in her car. ~ Stephen Colbert

I like football. I find it’s an exciting strategic game. It’s a great way to avoid conversation with your family at Thanksgiving. ~ Craig Ferguson

I suppose I will die never knowing what pumpkin pie tastes like when you have room for it. ~ Robert Brault

[The pies! Every year, the pies . . . ]

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. ~ Kenneth Grahame

[Libby, Dan, and Ruthie prepping dessert . . . ]

2014

I believe the only muscles you need in basketball are the ones in your brain. ~ Nikola Jokic

[Reporting for turkeyfest once again . . . ]

Watch where you’re going, asshole! ~ Sid Hartman (when in his 90’s was knocked down by a car in a crosswalk)

[It was always a highlight to be greeted by “Sid” at Dan’s front door (Sid Hartman was a Minnesota celebrity who wrote for the Minneapolis StarTribune from his teen years until his death at age 100.) ]

He’s my close personal friend. ~ Sid Hartman (about any celebrity)

[Ruthie and I brought wine for the annual event. We did not make the wine . . . ]

Sid, it’s great to see you. ~ Joe Dimaggio

[Seriously, it was a different turkey every year . . . ]

I know people at Mayo. If you need to get them to Mayo just let me know. ~ Sid Hartman

Sid was the only reporter that I could always trust. ~ Rod Carew

If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. ~ Sid Hartman

[Thanksgiving fixins on full display . . . ]

Rest in Peace for Sid Hartman. That’s not a message of compassion for Sid. That’s an insult. Sid lived by hurrying up and not waiting. ~ Patrick Reusse

I’ve been in Sid’s company a couple of thousand times, and I’ve never seen a man at peace. ~ Patrick Reusse

[Dan never thought much of Sid as a sports reporter; he thought of him as a shill for the University of Minnesota. Dan was a sports generalist, he had no favorite team except game by game . . . ]

2015

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. ~ Henry David Thoreau

[The only Turkeyfest photo of the year?]

My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor. ~ Phyllis Diller

[At Williams Arena after Turkeyfest to see the Gophers vs. Louisiana-Monroe?]

It is now common knowledge that the average American gains 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. ~ Marilu Henner

[Dan’s friends and family from Wichita were in town for Turkeyfest and were at the game . . . ]

2016
I love Thanksgiving. ~ Justin Jefferson

[By photographic evidence, the last Turkeyfest . . . ]

The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so. ~ Nora Ephron

Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year. ~ P. J. O’Rourke

[Dan talks turkey . . . ]

For those of you who cannot be with family this Thanksgiving, please resist the urge to brag. ~ Andy Borowitz

[The sign of the times . . . ]

I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I just know for sure I’m going to keep playing basketball. ~ Kevin Durant

[Appropriate that my final shot of Dan should be this one!]

The Hander

The will to prepare is more important than the will to win. ~ Lefty Driesell

[One of our all-time favorite coaches was Charles “Lefty” Driesell (thus, the exchange of newspaper photos). The Old Left Hander, who we just referred to as “The Hander” . . . ]

Lefty vs. Dean! Lefty vs. Dean! All I hear is ‘Lefty vs. Dean!’ If it were really Lefty vs. Dean, I’d take him into the low post and burn his ass! ~ Lefty Driesell

I can coach. ~ Lefty Driesell

[When we were attending Final Fours, our main entertainment involved cruising the lobbies of the hotels where all the teams and coaches stayed. That’s when I got this photo of Lefty, March 31, 1991 . . . ]

I’d rather be a musician than a rock star. ~ George Harrison

[We end with the beginning. This is Pizza Hut Number One, which first opened June 15, 1958. Dan’s dad, Sidney, was a local attorney who did the legal work establishing the company. It was moved to this current location for historical preservation purposes. (This photo was posted on Facebook by the couple in the photo on June 4, 2022. The couple in the photo are BAT and Brenda who travel the country in a van. BAT sings and plays guitar, in barefeet without a break in 3-hour sessions. They have made Alexandria a performance stop for over 10 years.)]

Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life–and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next. ~ Dean Koontz

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again. ~ Charles Dickens

Up Next: If there is a “next,” I hope Dan can get tickets!