Back in January 2024, I did one of these, and according to Google Analytics, at least four people engaged with the content.

As they say, don’t argue with success.

That’s why, almost three years later, I’m back with round two.

This time will be a little different.

All you get is YouTube clips, complemented by small blurbs courtesy yours truly.

A link to the answer can be found at the end.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1. Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi but raised in this city, even attending middle school and high school here.
2. Al Jarreau was an R&B legend, winning ten Grammy Awards in his lifetime. He was born and raised in town.
3. Gene Wilder made a career on the big screen, playing all sorts of roles including Willy Wonka. Like Jarreau, he was born and raised locally.
4. Rachel Brosnahan, too, has dominated the acting world, hitting it big in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She was born here before moving to Illinois.
5. Steve Miller made quite a name for himself in the music business, but not before spending his early years in the burg of interest.
6. Liberace, among other things, could shred the piano, thanks of course to his upbringing around here.
7. Dan Jansen, all these years later, is still the only speed skater you know. He won an emotional Olympic gold medal in 1994 and, more importantly, was born and raised you know where.

The answer to Guess the Burg can be found HERE.

The post Guess the Burg… appeared first on ComposeMD.

But I digress.

This is about my dream, one that could come true as early as this week.

It involves cork, rubber, and yarn, all covered in cowhide and 108 stitches courtesy some factory in Costa Rica.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Pennsylvania grow batches of maple trees, the ones used to make wooden sticks that can smack the cowhide.

You may know this whole operation as baseball.

And that of the Major League variety, headquartered in New York City, is the stuff dreams are made of.

You’ve obviously heard of Field of Dreams, but try this one on for size.

Team A plays in the league’s smallest market by population, a diminutive metro of just 1.5 million. For perspective, that’s around the same as Providence, Rhode Island, and Louisville, Freaking Kentucky.

The squad has never won a World Series, toiling away in relative anonymity for the greater part of six decades.

Its stadium is somewhere near the Great Lakes, a euphemism, as you know, for the Rust Belt.

The place gets cold, and let’s be honest—no one grows up saying they want to live there. In fact, the city that anchors the metro is down 178,917 residents over the past 65 years.

Relative to size, the team pays its players generously, though its payroll is still only the 19th-highest in the league, greater than that of only 11 other teams.

Team B plays in the league’s second smallest market by population, home to around 2.1 million. Compared to that, even Portland, Oregon, feels like the big city.

The outfit hasn’t won the World Series since Harry S. Truman was president. If you’re a numbers person, that was in 1948.

Its stadium, too, is somewhere near the Great Lakes, and yeah, the place is Rusty as hell.

It’s a magnet for lake-effect snow if not necessarily people. In fact, the backbone of the metro has lost 551,200 dwellers over the past 75 years.

The team pays its players almost in accordance to market size, sporting the lowest payroll in the entire league.

It’s a dream come true, that of the possibility that Team A and Team B meet in the 2026 World Series.

The coastal elites will tune out, not wanting to confront a metaphor that shines a light on their overpriced and overrated existence.

The owners will fume, knowing their argument that a salary cap is needed to help small markets will ring hollow, trying their best to downplay the cap’s effect on profits and thereby franchise valuation.

In the grand scheme of things, absolutely nothing will change—big egos and big money always win.

But for one glorious week in October, the little guys on the little lakes will be able to play pretend.

—

Team A = Milwaukee Brewers

Team B = Cleveland Guardians

—

Addendum on October 20, 2026: Team A made it, but Team B didn’t. We’ll call it a minidream.

The post Will My Ultimate Dream Come True? appeared first on ComposeMD.

And that’s precisely because, well, I don’t really know it.

Such is life when, in 1977, a place watches you open your eyes for the first time but doesn’t stick around long enough for you to remember what you saw.

It’s there, a lingering curiosity, your familiarity with the town coming via a data center.

It’s that dot on the map, about 90 miles north of Chicago, where the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers reach the western shore of Lake Michigan.

There were once multiple native groups, followed by 17th-century French explorers like Jacques Marquette.

The Brits eventually took over, chased by the Americans.

The city was incorporated in 1846, gaining its footing as a wheat shipping hub before branching out and attracting all sorts of immigrants, especially from Germany.

Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell Automation, Harley-Davidson, Pabst Brewing Company, Miller Brewing Company—they were all born there.

Then came the rest—the Great Migration, segregation, suburbanization, and a decline in the number of manufacturing jobs.

The city’s population peaked in 1960 at 741,324, now hovering around 562,407.

Two words come to mind: Rust Belt.

But it’s 2026, and more importantly, it’s October.

In other words, I don’t give a sh*t about any of that.

During the tenth month of the year, the mundane—namely economics and politics—take a back seat to the defining feature of American life: baseball.

Let’s rewind the clock.

Back in 1957, the Milwaukee Braves, recently relocated from Boston and on their way to Atlanta, beat the mighty New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Later, other teams in other sports would make the city proud.

In 1971, the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, won the NBA title. Courtesy Giannis Antetokounmpo, the franchise repeated the feat in 2021.

In 1977, not long before I was born, Marquette University (remember the French guy?) won the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

But in this flashback, only two years truly matter.

The first is 1969, the year the Seattle Pilots joined Major League Baseball, becoming the Milwaukee Brewers (remember those breweries?) the next season.

The other is 1982, when the Brewers made their first World Series, only to lose in devastating fashion to the St. Louis Cardinals, blowing a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of the seventh and deciding game.

The Brew Crew has never been back, securing the squad’s status as one of five to have never won the Fall Classic.

And that gets me to my plea, the one where a 48-year-old man begs the team that broke his heart at age four (I don’t actually remember) to make things right.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the best team in baseball, and the time has come for them to reach the pastime’s pinnacle.

So please, bring home the bratwurst (remember the Germans?).

Addendum: On October 28, 2026, the Milwaukee Brewers won their first ever World Series!

The post My Embarrassing Plea to the City of Milwaukee appeared first on ComposeMD.

You’ll just have to trust me on this one.

I’ll even show you the lyrics—in a minute.

Let’s start with the woman who doesn’t rest, like ever.

That’s how, during the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, she worked on two albums (technically three, as the first had 31 songs).

Then, when the tour ended, rather than sleep, she married the man with the goofy smile—you’ll see that in a minute, too.

Like she said:

You only need to find one person in this entire world

Who doesn’t find you completely insufferable

And I have an important announcement to make

I found mine

(My wife is still deciding about me.)

Anyway, that man, who catches footballs for a living, happens to be from Cleveland Heights, an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland.

And that’s how the most famous person in the world just released a song called “Cleveland!”

You’ll find it on The Life of a Showgirl (one of the aforementioned two albums), The Encore edition to be exact.

When you read the lyrics, as promised, you won’t find any mention of New York, LA, Chicago, and Miami.

What you will see, after a shoutout to the haters, is a love story, with references to a childhood porch, Cleveland, and The Heights.

It’s a veritable Rust Belt romance.

The lyric video is even rife with images of The Land.

This is something that the Great Lakes, minus Chi-Town and Toronto, never see.

Just run the list, west to east, starting with Duluth, then Milwaukee, Toledo, Detroit, Erie, and Buffalo.

No one famous is crooning about those burgs anymore.

Yet thanks to holy matrimony, we now have the mediocre pop tune “Cleveland!”

That gift, however, does leave one glaring question:

Why, Mr. Kelce, could you not have been from Rochester?

The post Why “Cleveland!” Is My New Favorite Song appeared first on ComposeMD.

And that’s where the similarities end.

He doesn’t know me.

And I don’t know him, even after reading the book he just released.

It’s not necessarily a literary masterpiece.

But it does tell his story—and his version of events.

And it left me with all sorts of questions.

Why did anyone care when an individual kneeled during the national anthem?

Isn’t the right to protest what keeps us from being North Korea?

Why is Colin Kaepernick so obsessed with identity anyway?

Must he describe every single person with an adjective referencing skin color?

Isn’t that archaic?

By doubling down on flawed categories, is he actually moving us forward?

Or backward?

Isn’t identity complicated?

On some level, isn’t it fabricated?

How can anyone argue that NFL owners didn’t collude to keep Kaepernick out of the league?

How can anyone who understands business blame them?

Does anyone actually think the NFL cares about things like player safety and social justice?

Would Kaepernick have been signed if he were playing better?

Did his divisiveness plus mediocrity make him expendable?

Was his way of protesting police brutality the best way?

Could he have gone a different route?

Should he have gone a different route?

Has he accomplished anything?

Didn’t he have an obvious point?

Isn’t police work remarkably dangerous?

Was the backlash proof of racism?

Did the backlash turn a simple act into a national crisis?

Do I need to pick sides?

Is it not okay to see all perspectives?

Isn’t a binary view of the world oversimplified and juvenile?

Why do they play the national anthem before these silly games?

Isn’t that disrespectful of the national anthem?

Why do I keep watching the NFL?

Why do fans embrace those with domestic violence and murder charges?

Yet they shun those who peacefully protest?

Do I agree with Kaepernick?

Do I disagree with Kaepernick?

Will I ever be as brave as Colin Kaepernick?

The post The Truth About Colin Kaepernick appeared first on ComposeMD.

It’s just that, as I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t tell if she could see me back.

What I wanted to say, it required eye contact.

How do you tell a 36-year-old, one leg down from the sugar, that the other may have to go too?

Of course, being a nephrologist, I didn’t know for sure. But the smell told me more than any vascular surgeon could.

My job, mostly, revolved around blood cleaning, also known as prolonging life.

It sounds fancy, but that was the easy part.

No one prepares you for the poverty.

No one tells you about the depression.

Then, there was the tobacco, clogging the pipes that were already clogged by the sugar. That’s why the limbs would fall off.

Type I diabetes, in that world, meant death by subtraction—with clean blood.

It was 2021, and I had decided to come up for air, something known in human resources as work part time.

It wasn’t so much the oxygen that I needed, just a view outside the rabbit hole.

I had a lot of catching up to do, as the molecular mechanisms of kidney disease don’t necessarily teach you about what’s going on in the world.

I started to devour books, followed by the internet. It was the pre-ChatGPT era, and I was the guy scraping blogs, Reddit, and YouTube, all for my very human brain.

Categories had to be filled.

History.

Language.

Music.

Sports.

I stumbled across all sorts of stories.

I learned about a girl from the Bronx, pretty smart I’m sure.

She landed at Princeton—and then on the Supreme Court.

Sonia Sotomayor is now 72.

She’s been living with type I diabetes since age seven.

I also learned about a kid from New Jersey, pretty talented I’m sure.

He wrote tunes with his brothers and then on his own.

Nick Jonas is now 34.

He’s been on insulin since age 13.

Finally, in my desire to be more worldly, I learned about a boy from Hamburg, Germany, rather athletic I’m sure.

He had a particular gift for tennis.

Alexander Zverev is now 29.

He’s been a diabetic since age four.

And he just won his second Grand Slam.

Being a nephrologist, I learned, can come with hope.

You just have to know where to look.

The post How Being a Nephrologist Jaded Me appeared first on ComposeMD.

No one, making it perfect for this site.

Let’s dive in.

It’s 2026, meaning there are still eight US states that border the Great Lakes. Those eight account for a whopping 12 NFL teams, aka 37.5 percent of the league, a statistic that should end any discussion about the demise of said states.

But alas, you know I’m cheating.

New York: New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills

No one in their right mind would consider the Jets or Giants to be a Great Lakes team. A map and home games in New Jersey cement that conclusion, leaving only Buffalo.

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers

Philly—no. Pittsburgh is more complicated—Rust Belt, yes, but Great Lakes not so much. Only pesky Erie can claim that status in the Keystone State.

Ohio: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns

Cincy is way too Kentucky to be Great Lakes. Cleveland, on the other hand, basically plays in Lake Erie.

Indiana: Indianapolis Colts

Sorry, but Indy is too far from Gary to legitimately enter the discussion.

Michigan: Detroit Lions

Technically, Detroit is on a river, but c’mon now.

Illinois: Chicago Bears

The (current) stadium in Chicago is, for all intents and purposes, on Lake Michigan.

Wisconsin: Green Bay Packers

Green Bay, as in the water, is an appendage of Lake Michigan. Enough said.

Minnesota: Minnesota Vikings

Lake Superior and Duluth are a hike, leaving Minneapolis out in the cold.

All told, there are five teams that can undeniably be considered Great Lakes teams: the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers.

Have a look.

In terms of the whole NFL preview thing, I’m equipped to make only one set of predictions:

• The Bills will make the playoffs.
• They will win a game or two.
• Then, prior to the Super Bowl, they will lose in absolutely devastating fashion.
• My son and/or daughter will cry.
• The kids will also be somewhat happy that they don’t have to see me in that slightly-too-tight Bills T-shirt until the next season.

The post The 2026 Great Lakes NFL Preview appeared first on ComposeMD.

The following thread has been abridged for the sake of brevity.*

Me: Congrats, LeBron, on having chosen Syracuse.

LeBron: Yeah, it’s always great to come back to the Rust Belt.

Me: Rumors were swirling about you going to Golden State, Cleveland, Miami, and Syracuse. What made you finally choose the Salt City?

LeBron: Honestly, man, it came down to ComposeMD and The Essence of Syracuse, New York.

Me: What specifically in that book stood out?

LeBron: I mean, 127 inches of snow a year. All the sunshine in LA can really get to you. And then the empty buildings. I’m a real estate guy, and the decrepit strip malls really spoke to me.

Me: And there’s a great basketball history there.

LeBron: Absolutely. All you gotta say is the 24-second shot clock.

Me: What makes you think Syracuse is ready to help you win that fifth championship?

LeBron: Just look around—the place is loaded with talent. You start with Mike Tirico, then Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Ian Eagle—the list goes on. And anywhere that gave us Post Malone is obviously legit.

Me: A lot of people might particularly be wondering why Syracuse over Miami. What would you say to that?

LeBron: A lot of those people have never tried Wegmans, salt potatoes, or Pastabilities. And if they ever make it to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, they’ll definitely understand. Plus, I prefer canals to oceans.

Me: What about Syracuse are you most excited about?

LeBron: IKEA.

Me: Where do you see yourself in a few years?

LeBron: Well, let’s hope the highway removal goes as planned, because I’m all about reconnecting neighborhoods. And then I hope to spend a lot of time on the new Micron campus talking chips.

Me: Did you make this move with Bronny in mind?

LeBron: I think anyone who knows me knows I make all my decisions with family in mind. And Bronny, that kid loves sledding. So yeah, because what a thrill it would be for father and son to sled together.

Me: Well, LeBron, I think I speak for everyone in the wasteland that is Upstate New York when I say, Thank you for choosing Syracuse.**

LeBron: You bet.

—

*It’s possible some or all of this conversation with LeBron James was completely fabricated.

**The Syracuse Nationals were founded in 1946, joining the NBA in 1949 and winning the NBA Championship in 1955. In 1963, the franchise moved to Philadelphia and became known as the 76ers.

The post Why LeBron James Chose Syracuse appeared first on ComposeMD.

But I have learned a few things.

When you have a kid who shoots hoops like this, it might be time to look for other talents.

View this post on Instagram

And if you stumble upon this, buy a piano.

View this post on Instagram

Then, rather than harp upon the fact that you ain’t watching varsity sports, embrace the fact that they serve beer at those School of Rock concerts.

We’ll call it Parenting 101.

Yet in the case of the Rust Belt, the parents have been emotionally abusive.

Let’s take a look at Ohio.

From the mid-1900s to 2020, the city of Cleveland lost 542,184 residents.

Over the same time span, Cincinnati went down by 194,681.

Dayton shed 124,688; Toledo bled 112,947; and Akron said bye to 99,882.

Envision that kid playing basketball.

Now envision talking about that shot, over and over.

Call The New York Times and have them write an article on it—followed by another.

Go ahead and make a documentary—followed by another.

Finally, call the kid stupid—again.

To repeat, I’m no expert, but there could be a plan B.

Let’s go back to Ohio.

From 1950 to today, the state’s population has increased from 7.9 million to 11.9 million.

That makes it the nation’s seventh most-populated state (with the seventh-largest state GDP).

The capital, Columbus, has added 562,495 residents over the past 75 years, its metro area growing by 1.7 million.

Picture that piano.

Add some drums and a bass guitar.

Find a School of Rock—ask your wife to drive to the shows.

Have the kid start an Instagram account and dabble in TikTok.

Finally, send him to Tennessee.

Meanwhile, start a blog about this sh*t.

Write a few indie books.

You might still suck at parenting, but at least no one will notice.

The post What Parenting Taught Me About the Rust Belt appeared first on ComposeMD.