Don’t blink or you might miss this week’s #FanTeaser.
In the approximate time it takes many humans to involuntarily blink their eyes (0.04 seconds), Al Unser Jr. defeated Scott Goodyear in 1992 for the closest finish ever of the Indianapolis 500.
The official finish times were separated by 43-thousandths of a second. That’s 0.043 seconds!
Al Unser Jr. just edges Scott Goodyear at the finish line of the 1992 Indianapolis 500. (Photo by Mike Fender/Indianapolis Star).
The image captured by Indianapolis Star photographer Mike Fender in this week’s #FanTeaser illustrates – quite nicely we believe – just how close a finish it was. Notice how Unser’s car is not yet fully across the famed yard of bricks finish line as the nose of Goodyear’s is about to touch.
Unser’s victory was historic for another reason.
He put the Unser family’s name on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy again as the first – and still only – multi-generational family winner of the Indy 500 in the race’s storied history. Little Al’s father, Al Sr., won the race on four occasions (1970, 1971, 1978, and 1987). Senior’s older brother, Bobby Unser, also won the annual Memorial Day race three times (1968, 1975, and 1981). Little Al won the race again in 1994.
Tragedy has also touched the Unser family at the famed race course. Bobby and Senior’s older brother, Jerry Unser Jr., finished 31st in 1958 and, then, while practicing for the 1959 race, spun coming out of Turn 4 and hit the wall, suffering burns over 35% of his body and broken neck. Though conscious during his rescue, he later slipped into a coma and died two weeks later. Jerry’s accident and subsequent death, led to a requirement for all drivers to wear fire-resistant suits.
The final two laps of the 1992 Indianapolis 500 which is still the closest finish in the race’s 109-year history.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Don’t blink or you might miss this week’s #FanTeaser.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Every so often a chance encounter leads to something more.
That was the case for me as I was exiting a local boys’ basketball state tournament game at my children’s alma mater back in March. As a full house began heading for the exits at Eisenhower High School, I recognized the fella walking next to me.
It was Eddie Hillery, who I’d first known close to 30 years ago when I was a sportswriter in the community where he was a 3-sport star (football, basketball, and track and field) for one of the high school teams (Rochester High School) I covered.
Much later in life, our paths crossed again when he was one of my teacher union’s recommended candidates for a local school board seat. During the arduous campaign we’d reconnected on several occasions and reminisced about his high school days and what had followed.
He had shared then that his post-high school life had included college football at Central Michigan University as well as a few seasons of professional football overseas in Germany, Finland, and Italy.
At that time, I found it to be an interesting story, but any thoughts of a podcast like Conversations with Sports Fans was still a way off for me.
But memories of those discussions from years before came flooding back as we chatted briefly on our way to the exits following Rochester High’s loss to rival Rochester Adams in the Division I District Championship Game.
A few texts and emails later and before you knew it Eddie and I were discussing how he went from diehard Detroit Pistons fan (during the Grant Hill era) to getting encouraged to try football by a middle school custodian to setting his high school’s all-time rushing record (over 2,300 yards). We discuss all that, plus what it was like going to Central Michigan University to play linebacker (having played only a handful of games at the position in high school) to the opportunity to play in Europe.
It was a lot of fun catching up with Eddie, learning about the trials and tribulations of a high school athlete (then and now as Eddie currently coaches at RHS) not to mention what it’s like being a girl dad and learning to be a fan of a new(ish) sport to him, volleyball.
Who’s making kissy face with the Wanamaker Trophy?
This week’s stop on the PGA Tour takes golfers to the second major champions of 2026 – the PGA Championship – at suburban Philadelphia’s Aronimink Golf Club.
The tournament was last contested on this Donald Ross-designed course in 1962. Yep, 64 years ago some of the world’s best descended upon this course to battle for theWanamaker Trophy.The winner that day was a then 26-year-old fella from South Africa named Gary Player who’s seen in this week’s Fan Teaser playing kissy face with his well-earned trophy.
The PGA Championship was the third of Player’s nine major’s won during his storied career. Three years later he achieved the Career Grand Slam when he won the U.S. Open at Bellerive Country Club in suburban St. Louis, MO. He won one more PGA Championship 10 years later at Oakland Hills Country Club in suburban Detroit.
The last time the PGA Championship was played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA, Gary Player was the winner. Here he makes kissy face with the Wanamaker Trophy as PGA President Lou Strong (left) looks on. (Photo from the Getty Images Bettman Collection)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Who’s making kissy face with the Wanamaker Trophy?
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
My guest Michael Clair with the World Baseball Classic trophy and the cover of his debut book.
Around the time I was preparing to head to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the World Baseball Classic and Event No. 47 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, I happened to catch this video from Major League Baseball about Korean baseball entitled “Behind the Flag.”
One of the individuals featured speaking about Korean baseball was someone name Michael Clair. Another featured speaker was Jee-ho Yoo, a 2-time former Conversations with Sports Fans guest (S:4, E:7 and S:5, E:17) and an English-language sports writer for Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
I figured anyone worthy of sharing screen time with Jee-ho was worthy of me doing a bit of research about. Turns out Michael is MLB.com’s lead writer for all things international which, of course, included the WBC. A little further sleuthing and I discovered Michael was about to publish his first-ever book, We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball: How the Czech’s Amateur Underdogs Became World Baseball Classic Heroes. It’s the story of the improbable rise of Czech Republic baseball. As I read the synopsis, I was reminded of the uniqueness of this national team where the players (almost to a man) worked full time jobs and played baseball on nights and weekends.
While I’m always up for talking baseball and writing, I was especially intrigued about the Czech story so I reached out Michael.
And here we are😊
During this episode Michael shares his journey from New England to telling the story of international baseball as MLB.com’s senior manager of storytelling and special projects. Oh yeah, we talk plenty about the Czech team and We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball.
I’m also delighted to give away an author-signed copy of the book to one lucky entrant. All you need to do to enter is email me at hilldouglast@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, May 22, 2026, and you’re in the drawing. If you’re a member of the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions and enter, your entries will be tripled!
The view from my seat at Fenway Park for the first meeting between the Boston Red Sox and their rivals the New York Yankees. Yep, that’s Aaron Judge in right field.
(Reminder: This content is usually only for subscribers to The Sports Fan Project. It’s being made available to all readers this month in conjunction with our monthlong Around the World in 80 Sporting Events $80 for 80 Circle of Champions supporter drive. If you’d like to receive subscriber-only content such as this as well as first dibs on giveaways, a complimentary T-shirt, and post cards from the road, and a future signed copy of the companion book, follow the link above to discover how.)
Welcome to the May installment of “Inside Baseball” where I try to take you behind the scenes with all that’s happening at The Sports Fan Project. Apologies in advance because in this edition I begin with a bit of a rant.
While we’re just over a month removed from the UCLA women and Michigan men winning their respective NCAA National Championships, it’s already time to plan for the 2027 Final Fours.
It should come as no surprise then that someone who’s attempting to travel Around the World in 80 Sporting Events would have attending the men’s and women’s Final Fours on his list.
Shortly after the respective tournaments ended last month, the portals opened for fans wishing to attend the 2027 NCAA Final Fours (Women on April 2 & 4 in Columbus, OH; Men on April 3 & 5 in Detroit, MI). The deadline for applying for the ticket lottery is May 31st and I am simultaneously aghast and resigned to the fact that this is something I’m going to have to do.
Why am I aghast?
Well, here’s what the NCAA requests of fans who want to purchase tickets from its box office:
Select how many seats you wish to apply for (up to a maximum of four);
Pay $400 per seat requested;
Also pay a $25 processing fee per request;
Wait patiently until no later than October 31st when the NCAA will notify you if your entry was successful;
If so, you’ll receive tickets to the all three Final Four games sometime before April 2027;
If not, you’ll have your seat dollars refunded to your credit card but not the $25 processing fee.
So, to review, presuming someone requests the maximum number of seats (4 x $400) that amounts to a 5-month interest free loan of $1,600 to the NCAA, an entity that reported $1.3 Billion in revenues during the 2023 Fiscal Year (the most-recent available). Oh yeah, if you’re not lucky enough to win the ticket drawing, you’ll receive your money back but not the $25 fee because that’s what it’ll cost to input your information into NCAA’s database and process your refund, apparently.
Sigh:-(
As I bowed out of attending the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis due to a conflict with The Masters, I’ll be entering for both the Women’s (two seats) and Men’s (four seats) for 2027 and doing a fair amount of driving back and forth if selected.
In the meantime, I hope the NCAA makes good choices with how it utilizes my $2,400. You know, like not expanding the tournaments from 68 to 76 teams … oh, wait;-)
To enter the Men’s ticket lottery follow this link. Toe enter the Women’s ticket lottery follow this link.
What Else is Happening with the AtWi80SE Project
PGA Championship’s logo.
As you read this, I should be wandering around Pennsylvania’s Aronimink Golf Club with my father during today’s practice session of the PGA Championship. We’ll return Thursday to watch the opening round as well.
Attending the PGA Championship is notable as it will complete my AtWi80SE Grand Slam, having already attended the U.S. Open, The Open, and The Masters. I’m beyond delighted that dad was able to attend 75% of those.
And speaking of grand slams, later this month I’ll be purchasing tickets to the 2026 U.S. Open Tennis Championships and plan to hang in the famous Wimbledon Queue next month in London to kick off my tennis Grand Slam pursuit.
Beyond that, there’s a modicum of downtime before the South Africa vs. Czechia FIFA World Cup2026 match in Atlanta. That said, I’m hopeful of getting caught up on writing about past travels.
Upcoming Conversations
The author, Michael Clair, is a future Conversations’ guest.
I’m delighted to have four recordings completed and nearly edited for your listening enjoyment. A quick rundown of who to expect to hear from in the near future:
Michael Clair – Clair’s official title with MLB.com is “senior manager of storytelling and special projects” which sounds like one of the coolest job titles in the world. And the world – the baseball world – is in fact his oyster. He specializes in the international game and the World Baseball Classic. His debut book-length work, We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball: How the Czech Republic’s Amateur Underdogs Became World Baseball Classic Heroes, was released April 1 (no fooling) and has been well-received in baseball circles. I have an author-signed copy of Michael’s book to giveaway so please keep your eyes peeled for how to enter.
Eddie Hillery – Hillery works in the public service sector in suburban Detroit and also as a coach at his high school. He’s a former 3-sport star at Rochester High School (football, basketball, and track and field), a 4-year regular on defense for the Central Michigan University Chippewas, and a 3-year professional football player for European club teams in Germany, Finland, and Italy. He shares plenty of stories from all the stops on his life’s journey and even adds some nuggets on what it’s like being a father of two girls one who’s playing volleyball and the other who is not interested in sports … yet;-)
Mark Armour – A baseball fan for nearly as long as he can remember, Armour discovered the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) back in 1982 and was simply a consumer of its works for many years before eventually presenting and publishing one of his research papers. Since then, he’s served in myriad SABR leadership positions including President of its Board of Directors. He also was the founder of the SABR Biography Project which has a goal of writing a biographical article of every integral part of Major League Baseball (player, manager, GM, owner, stadium, etc.). To the moment there are over 6,000 such biographies authored (including over a dozen by Armour).
Scott Crawford – Crawford has been working at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since January 3, 2000. Today, he is the Director of Operations for the Museum whose home is in St. Marys, Ontario, about a 2-hour drive west of Toronto. Unlike most Canadians who favor ice hockey, he always gravitated toward baseball, especially since the nearby Toronto Blue Jays won the American League East in 1985. Bitten by the baseball bug, Crawford has been a baseball guy ever since. Trying to figure out how to stay in the game, he spent a summer during college volunteering at the Museum which led to an unpaid internship and, ultimately, a paid position. Now he sort of runs the place:-)
Guests Request for a Special Anniversary Conversation
Almost four years complete, what can I do for Year 5?
Believe it or not, we’re within a month of celebrating the fourth anniversary of Conversations with Sports Fans filling your earbuds.
I’d love to host a panel discussion to publish in early June in commemoration of the anniversary.
My proposed topic: How do I fan today? That is, how do you consume your favorite sports (TV, radio, in print, computer, etc.) It’s an intentionally broad topic because I’m curious how you take in your favorite teams/sports.
Want to join the fun? I’d love it if you would! My hope is to record in the June 2-4 window, likely in the early-to-mid evening EDT. If you’d like to be part of the Conversation please email me at hilldouglast@gmail.com.
Add Your Name to the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions
The $80 for 80 Circle of Champions is infinitely expandable and I’d love to include your name.
Many thanks for the fabulous 14 – Geoff, Carol, Tim, Joe, Wayne, Tom, Maury, Stephen, Laura, Martin, Keith, Michael, Luisa, and an anonymous donor – whose generous support of $1 for each of the 80 Events has earned them a spot on the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions wall, a free T-shirt, a copy of the yet-to-be-authored compendium book about this crazy journey I’m embarking upon, plenty of gratitude, and check-ins from the road.
Want to join the Circle, you’re able to do so at the secure <Support> link found along the right column of this page or via Venmo @DouglasTHill. If you’d rather write a check let me know (hilldouglast@gmail.com) and I’ll get that address to you.
Masters Merch Winners
Masters Merchandise out the door!
It turns out no drawings were needed to for the Masters Merchandise giveaway. There were six entrants folks eligible based on support of The Sports Fan Project, but only five responded by the deadline to enter. As I had five remaining Masters Ball Marker and two Golf Balls, they all went to good and welcoming homes:
Golf Balls – Paula from Lansing,MI, and Mark from Toronto
Ball Markers – Mike from Sterling, VA, Joe from Bradenton, FL, and Tim from Fairbanks, AK
A few more shots from Events No. 53 (Patriots Day) and No. 54 (Yankees-Red Sox) in Boston. Clockwise from upper left, a picturesque night at Fenway Park for the first game against the rival Yankees this season; runners helping runners realize their Boston Marathon goal; the final of just five turns on the Boston Marathon’s course as runners head down Boylston toward the finish line; a sweet shot of me at Fenway with the stadium name in the background; part of the Boston Marathon Memorial for victims of the 2013 bombing; we were gifted tickets on “The Green Monstah” for Sunday’s soggy affair between Boston and Detroit; the famous Citgo sign from atop The Monster.
We’re no longer on track for a repeat of this masterpiece but the image was too good not to use!
In 2019 the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers met in an Eastern Conference Semifinal and it went the distance to a deciding seventh game in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
And, befitting a seventh game, it went down to the wire.
With two minutes remaining, the game was tied at 85. The Raptors scored four straight points before Philly countered with three free throws of its own to make it 89-88 with 12 seconds left.
Kawhi Leonard made just one of two free throws with 10 seconds left before 76er Jimmy Butler’s jumper knotted the game at 90 with four seconds left.
The final moments of the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals are captured in Toronto. Note the 0.0 remaining on the clock. The emotion visible on all the faces each tell a story do they not? With his right foot on the ‘R’ is Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. Squatting next to Embiid is the shot’s shooter, Kawhi Leonard. Raptors Fred VanVleet (23) seems to be willing the ball into the basket as be steps off the bench. Philly’s Ben Simmons (25) appears resigned to fact that his season is over. 76er Jimmy Butler (only his head visible) can only watch. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBA Entertainment via Getty Images)
With that as the backdrop, Leonard played the role of hero, nailing a fadeaway baseline jumper as the clock expired to not only give the Raptors the 92-90 victory (they went onto win the franchise’s only NBA Title), but also yielded this week’s epic #FanTeaser image.
Shot by NBA Entertainment’s Mark Blinch, it was described by The Guardian as a “Flemish masterpiece” (whatever that might mean) thanks to all of motion, emotion, and lighting found in the shot.
It went on to win a World Press Photo Sports Singles 2020 Award and, I must say, it seems for good reason.
The video of Leonard’s buzzer-beater from the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
We’re no longer on track for a repeat of this masterpiece but the image was too good not to use!
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
That happened about a month ago when I saw an Instagram post highlighting the rather unusual “Star-Spangled Banner” performance prior to a Baltimore Orioles’ game at Camden Yards.
There before me was a fella named Chris Ullman who whistled – yes, you’re reading that correctly – whistled the United States’ National Anthem.
Two things to note before I move on:
My children pointed out to me several years ago that I am a whistler. Not a good whistler, necessarily, but as I yutz about the house doing whatever it is that I’m doing, there’s a better-than-average chance that I’ll be whistling something.
I’ve always wanted to have an anthem singer join me as a guest on Conversations. I was close, a year or so ago, to landing a notable one but our dialogue fizzled when it came time to schedule the call☹
Chris, I figured, seemed quirky enough (in a good way!) that he might want to join the Conversation. Of course, I had no idea if he was even a sports fan, but I did discover he was a competitor, having won the international whistling championship four times over enroute to earning a sport in the Whistling Hall of Fame.
You can imagine my delight when I discovered Chris had a website (link here) that included a way to contact him.
A brief back-and-forth ensued which resulted in you about to learn what it takes to become a championship whistler, how one gets ushered into an Oval Office command performance for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that included a “Dueling Banjos” duet with his then-boss and future Indiana Governor and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, and how to find your whistle … which also happens to be the title of Chris’ 2017 memoir (linked here).
Find the TEDx MidAtlantic talk Chris references here and follow him on Instagram here.
My Conversation with champion whistler, Chris Ullman.
