continued on page 42

Former Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian
Kinsler announced his retirement as a player
Dec. 20.
Kinsler, 37, was with the Tigers from 2014-17
after being traded from the Texas Rangers for
Prince Fielder in November 2013.
He was traded by the Tigers to the Los Angeles
Angels for outfielder Troy Montgomery and pitcher
Wilkel Hernandez in December 2017.
A four-time All-Star and two-time Golden Glove
winner during his 14-year Major League career,
Kinsler was a member of the 2018 World Series
champion Boston Red Sox.
He finished his career with 257 home runs, 909 RBIs, 243 stolen
bases and 1,999 hits.
Kinsler played for the San Diego Padres last season.
His last game was Aug. 12. He was sidelined the rest of the season
by a herniated cervical disk. Kinsler told The Athletic the injury played a
major role in his decision to retire.
Kinsler is remaining with the Padres as an adviser in the front office.

Milt and Rochelle Goldman
are now deceased, but the
league they began to honor
their son is as strong as ever.
Longtime league director
Bruce Weinman said between
400-450 players on 40-45
teams will play in the winter
season, which has age divisions
for U7, U9, U11, U13 and U15
teams and a clinic for players
ages 4 and 5.
Practices will be held Jan.
18-19 and games will begin
Jan. 26. Playoff championships
will be March 22.
Age divisions for U17, U20
and U25 players are normally
offered during the spring and
summer seasons.
Many personal stories are
generational in a league that is
36 years old.
Take Paul Katz’
s story, for
example.
The 42-year-old West
Bloomfield resident played in
the Kenny Goldman Basketball
League in the 1980s, and he’
s
now in his fourth year coach-
ing his son in the league.
Katz said he practically lived
at the JCC when he was grow-

ing up and the league was a big
reason for the attraction.
“Playing in the league gave
me an opportunity to play a
team sport instead of doing
things on my own,
” he said. “I
became friends with kids who
are still friends of mine today.
“The league still gives kids
a chance to meet kids from all
over the area and play a great
sport against kids of all skill
levels.
”
Katz recently came across a
league shirt he wore when he
played. The cotton shirt has
been passed to his son Ami, 9.
“I found the shirt while
going through things in the
house, washed it, and my son
now wears it,
” he said.
Katz stopped playing in the
league when he became middle
school age and began playing
school sports.
He was a football, basket-
ball and baseball standout at
Cranbrook-Kingswood High
School in Bloomfield Hills
before graduating in 1995.
He and his wife, Carri, have
two other children, daughters
Talia, 8, and Elliana, 6.

Ian Kinsler

The Detroit Writing
Room (DWR) is
kicking off its 2020
Speakers Series with
the top podcasters
in Metro Detroit.
Learn how five pop-
ular podcasters built
their shows, follow-
ings and careers in
podcasting at this
event starting at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16, at DWR,
1514 Washington Blvd., Suite
203, Detroit.
Panelists Shannon Cason of
Homemade Stories, Robin
Kinnie of Motor City
Woman, Zak Rosen of

Graham Media
Group, Joe Saul-
Sehy of Stacking
Benjamins and Becky
Scarcello of The
D Brief will share
their journeys and
advice for aspiring
podcasters.
Enjoy drinks from
Sumptuous Spirits, a
lively panel talk moderated by
podcast producer Jon Gay and
a meet-and-greet with the
panelists. There will also be a
Q&A with the audience.
Tickets, including drinks,
are $35. Go to
bit.ly/2t4s5hQ.

Learn to Podcast from Local Pros

Zak Rosen

GRAHAM MEDIA

Bnei Akiva Youth Shine Light for Thousands

Across the United States and Canada, Bnei Akiva teen leaders
shone the light of goodness and hope by running Chanukah
events for thousands of grade schoolers throughout numerous
communities. In Detroit, teen leaders accompanied younger
grades to the Coville Assisted Living Center to sing, dance and
bring joy to the residents. As moving it was for the residents of
the home, it was even more emotional for the youth who said
they could feel the happiness in the room.

JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 41

spotlight

A popular Yiddish expression
goes, “May you live to 120
years.” Well, the Workmen’
s
Circle, founded in 1900,
is about to celebrate that
anniversary in 2020; and, in
the leadup to this milestone,
the nonprofit has unveiled a
new name: the Workers Circle.
This new name embraces
the tenor of the times in
gender-neutral fashion
and with a nod to the
organization’
s century of
activism at the fore of the
labor movement, supporting
worker rights to this day. It
also more accurately reflects
the organization’
s original
Yiddish name, Der Arbeter
Ring, since Arbeter is gender

neutral.
“
As the first woman to
lead the organization, I am
proud to uphold a welcoming
and inclusive culture,” says
National Executive Director
Ann Toback. “Everything
we do communicates our
commitment to living our
progressive values, and that
includes choosing a name that
reflects both our origin and
our contemporary ideals.”
Toback announced the
name change Dec. 2 at the
organization’
s annual ben-
efit, at which she presented
Mark and Seth Rogen with
its Generation to Generation
Activism Award.

Workmen’
s Circle Gets New Name