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