Open Court

Open Court is a unique platform where you can strategize and seize opportunities. Here, we delve into the individuals, happenings, and topics related to sports and various aspects of life. Join the conversation. Share your thoughts. Welcome to our Open Court.

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Yes, I am alive! Time to get rolling again in all the trouble in sports and life

2 weeks ago | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Happy end of school flowers for me, thanks to some nice students. Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Hi kids. Yes, I am alive. No, I have not flaked out on the Open Court Fam. Honesty time, April kicked my butt.
Why a photo of Pope Francis always makes me smile

1 month ago | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I have a metal bulletin board in my office at Michigan State, containing things that make me smile.
Sometimes the best way to be sad is to giggle, because remembering the past is all that's left

2 months ago | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. There are idiotic inside jokes that you share with family and friends, totally rooted in a “you had to be there” vibe. If you weren’t there, even if we tried to explain it to you, it would never make you giggle in the same way. I shared a few of those kind of jokes with sports journalist/columnist/editor Bryce Miller, who last worked for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
A conversation 4 months in the making: "idiot" versus Open Court reader

2 months ago | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. (photo of blue skies, taken by me, because…vibes.)I’ve become pretty numb to most caustic comments reacting to my work as a journalist. Most comments are amazing, humbling and too kind. (THANK YOU!!) But the out-of-pocket fools are something else.
The need to remember: Michigan State's shooting two years later and continuing struggle in the aftermath

Feb 13, 2025 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Here’s the truth about being at a place that is recovering from school shooting: time is running away from what happened here at Michigan State on Feb. 13, 2023. Two classes of undergrad students have graduated, leaving today’s juniors and seniors as the keepers of the first-person canon. The rest of the students hear about what happened on Feb.
Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Let's not take it for granted.

Feb 5, 2025 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The humor was dark, but in a weird way, appreciated by me. One of my Michigan State students wished me a Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day - which is today - two days in advance.
When good things happen to good people: the tale of Madison Keys

Jan 27, 2025 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Note: Big thanks to new Open Court paid subscribers Cheryl and Becky. I really appreciate your support! Open Court paid subscribers are awesome, because they help support this endeavor. Thank you!!I will give you the official party line of sports journalism: there’s no cheering in the pressbox, no favoritism, we’re here to be neutral observers.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Baseball

Jan 16, 2025 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I’m not old enough to remember that Bob Uecker actually played baseball. But I know it happened, and the guy even won a World Series ring. Much like Yogi Berra, their competence on the field was far eclipsed by their larger than life personalities off of it.
When sportswriters leave the press box and go native: Fiesta Bowl edition

Jan 7, 2025 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Howdy 2025. We have reached yet another year of promise, resolutions, weirdness, and God knows what to come. Wishing everybody the best. Before the clock ran out, time’s up (2024), over, to paraphrase GenX Poet Laureate Marshall Mathers, I made a quick trip to Phoenix to take in the Fiesta Bowl.
Open Court Road Edition: Twinkling lights, snowy mountains and all the good things in Barcelona

Dec 29, 2024 | joannecgerstner.substack.com | Joanne C. Gerstner

Open Court is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Hola, y’all, to delve into the Spanglish, as I am returned from the Old World and an epic blitz visit to Barcelona. The trip was 3 1/2 days on the ground, and marked the second time I’ve visited the Catalan joint. My first time was with my whole family, as we were on a Med cruise, and had a day stop in Barcelona.