Fan's Notes

In this episode we look at the thin line between genius and fraud, as embodied by Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith's terrific 1955 thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley. We then pivot to the NBA's Summer League, that week of barely watchable basketball that takes place in the Nevada desert. Who looked promising, who looked like a bust, and is it possible to draw any firm conclusions from these performances at all? (NB: We discuss the Highsmith book for the first 41 minutes, then spend the rest of the pod on Summer League. Also, as a programming note: for our next episode we'll start our occasional summer program of specific teams' upcoming season previews, paired with a book set in that city. First up is Miami. We'll be discussing where they're at after the D-Wade trade and where they go from here, as well as reading Elmore Leonard's Riding The Rap. Look for it in the first week of August.)