Thoughts for the Day, April 6, 2026: Go Blue
Elliot Cadeau
Mitch Albom describes Elliot Cadeau’s performance on Saturday night against Arizona.
His passes were razor sharp, or no-look, or bounced perfectly into his teammates’ waiting fingers. His shots were high-arched before swishing through. His steals were so deft, they left the opponents blinking.
And, as Warren Zevon once sang of a werewolf, his hair was perfect.
In a Final Four semifinal that was supposed to be all about big men, it was the smallest guy on the floor who broke into the bank, gathered the loot, and drove the getaway car. Elliot Cadeau may have been 4 inches shorter than Arizona’s shortest starter and 14 inches shorter than Michigan’s tallest, but the mop-topped guard owned more of this game early than anybody.
This is not a little train that could. This is a freight train that does. It’s the Beatles backing up the Rolling Stones. One guy has an off night? Other guys clamor to step up.
With Lendeborg a non-factor much of the game, here was the 7-foot-3 Mara doing things that seemed to defy physics: banking in layups from the oddest angles, muscling inside against Arizona’s celebrated big men, finishing with a team-high 26 points.
Here was freshman Trey McKenney playing with the poise of a senior, hitting huge 3-pointers that demoralized the Wildcats. Here was forward Morez Johnson Jr. muscling in dunks, grabbing rebounds and contributing to the destruction of the Arizona frontcourt.
And here was Cadeau, he of the broccoli haircut, flying all over the floor, collecting assists as if scooping up apples off an orchard lawn.
And sparked by his efforts – which launched a stunning dominance by his teammates – Michigan basketball will now play for the NCAA championship.
Elliot Cadeau played so well in the first half, I was shocked to learn that he was 2-14 in shooting during the half. As one viewer wrote during the TBS half-time show, it was the greatest 2-14 shooting performance ever.
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Déjà vu
For people my age the story of the Artemis II spacecraft and its four astronauts brings back great memories of our childhood and young adult age when we were mesmerized by the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle missions. The excitement of watching the countdown to liftoffs were special moments in our lives as NASA raced to keep President Kennedy’s promise of putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade of the 60’s. It culminated with Neil Armstrong’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. No one can forget the breathtaking hours of nervous tension during Apollo 13’s flight. Everything ended not long after the Challenger shuttle disaster.
Following the story of Artemis II gets me excited again.
From the NY Times this evening. Artemis II astronauts have now ventured farther from Earth than anyone else in the history of humanity.
At 1:56 p.m. Eastern time, their distance from Earth passed 248,655 miles, the record that had been set by Apollo 13 in 1970. For the next few hours, they will travel farther, reaching a distance of 252,752 miles.
During this mission, the four astronauts launched to space, tested life support and other important systems of their Orion spacecraft, tangled with the vehicle’s toilet, puzzled over personal computing devices and left low-Earth orbit. They are the first humans to do so since 1972, although they will not land on the moon.
The three Americans and one Canadian aboard Artemis II are set on Monday to make even more history.
First, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will become the humans who have traveled farthest from Earth. They will surpass the astronauts of Apollo 13, whose lunar mission went awry.
Later, the astronauts will pass behind the far side of the moon, seeing parts of the moon never observed with human eyes, gathering scientific data on what they spot. In the process, they will fall out of radio contact with Earth for about 41 minutes.
As the crew comes out of its scheduled communications blackout, they may have an opportunity to create a moment for a new generation as inspirational as the “Earthrise” of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
Please click on the above link to see the earth rise as seen by the Apollo 8 mission.
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Collateral Damage
I had no idea this was happening because of the attack on Iran. In the following story, I don’t include the part of the story of the captain of a ship who died of a heart attack because he couldn’t get to a hospital from a ship because of flying is too dangerous in the area.
From the WSJ. There are roughly 2,000 ships stuck in the Persian Gulf with more than 20,000 seafarers on them, according to the International Maritime Organization. Most have been stuck on board more than a month, because fewer than 200 ships have managed to slip through the Strait of Hormuz. In normal times, 20% of the world’s oil flows through the narrow waterway to global markets, along with critical supplies of natural gas, fertilizer and other cargo shipments. It’s unclear when the vital shipping lane will get back to normal.
Fresh vegetables and freshwater are running out on many ships, so the sailors are using social media and very-high-frequency marine radios to share survival tips and tactics. Some Chinese crew members have filmed themselves collecting condensate from air-conditioning units to shower and wash laundry. Others have taken to fishing over the side of their tankers, catching tuna, squid and largehead hairtail to cook.
Restocking supplies has become difficult—and expensive. The Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, where ships usually turn to, has been repeatedly attacked. Companies that provide fresh food to ships are charging more. The going rate for mangos is now $31 for a kilogram, or roughly 2.2 pounds, and oranges are $15 a kilogram for about three large pieces of fruit, according to screenshots of supply price lists reviewed by The Wall Street
Flying in crews and swapping them out remains tough because flights to major crew-change locations, including Dubai, are still relatively scarce and expensive.
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Is God on our side in the war in Iran? I don’t think God is on any side when it comes to war.
Per the NY Times on Friday. Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, has asked the American people to pray “every day, on bended knee” for a military victory in the Middle East “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, has a starkly different take on what should be done in Jesus’ name.
In a homily during a Mass on Thursday morning before Easter, the pope said that the Christian mission had often been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran in late February, the pope has consistently called for an end to the violence and a return to dialogue to resolve the conflict. But without naming Mr. Hegseth, he has also pointed out the ways in which Christianity has been marshaled for purposes that the pope says do not align with Catholic teaching.
“We tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when we are feared,” the pope said in a homily during a Holy Thursday rite at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome. “God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not of how to destroy life, but of how to give it.” This is my Quote of the Day
In late March the pope warned against invoking the name of Jesus for battle, saying in a Sunday homily that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”…
“I’m told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war,” the pope said outside his country residence in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome on March 31. “Hopefully, he’s looking for a way to, to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing.”
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Orchid of the Day
No matter the outcome of tonight’s NCAA championship team, the U of M men’s team gets my Orchid of the Day. From the first game of the season against Oakland when they rained down threes and blitzed the fast break; to the three days of perfection in November at Las Vegas where they beat, San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga by 110 combined points; to their 19-1 record in the B1G where they set the season record for victories and finally; and with their march through the first five games of the NCAA tournament where they scored 90 points in every game and won every game by double digits, this team has shown they are a special team of talented young players who put the team ahead of any individual glory.
It has been a fun 5 and ½ month run. Go Blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
Quote of the Day: “God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not of how to destroy life, but of how to give it.” Pope Leo XIV
Orchid of the Day: The University of Michigan’s men’s basketball team for a season like no other.
Onion of the Day: Trump’s expletive rant on Easter Sunday threatening Iran with annihilation.
Question of the Day: Michigan or Connecticut tonight?
Lyrics of the Day: Mama told me when I was young
“Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this, it’ll help you some sunny day, ah, yeah
Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You’ll find a woman, yeah, and you’ll find love
And don’t forget, son, there is someone up above
Hint: Think Free Bird
Lyrics of the Day for March 29, 2026. Southern Cross by Crosby Stills and Nash. It also was my Video of the Day.
Video of the Day: Michigan vs. Arizona - Final Four NCAA tournament extended highlights
I write reflective, opinionated essays on leadership, politics, sports, and life—grounded in experience rather than ideology. If this perspective resonates with you, you can subscribe here for free.