Secret of Saginaw Basketball's Present Lies in its Past

The Detroit News

Less than a half hour after classes ended for the day at Saginaw Heritage High School, Preston Walker Jr. is dribbling on the hardwood at a local gym across the street.

"I work for about four hours every day on my game," said Walker, who went to the Class A district finals with Heritage this season before the team bowed out to its crosstown rival, Saginaw Arthur Hill.

Like many youths in this struggling, old manufacturing town, Walker's life is largely about basketball. They have role models in abundance, including Draymond Green, the emerging star at Michigan State, who is performing brilliantly in the NCAA Tournament.

"Draymond was my coach in eighth grade in a basketball camp," Walker said. "So, I got to work with him. And in eighth grade going into ninth grade, I worked with him at open gyms at Saginaw High.

"He was real nice. He's hard-working," Walker said. "He's always telling me to stay in school and keep my grades up."

Vexed by street gangs and crime and struggling to mend the local economy, Saginaw is increasingly renowned as the incubator for a long line of successful men's and women's college and NBA players like Green, who won two state championships at Saginaw High. Hang around the gyms and streets of the city for even an afternoon, and one learns quickly that there is an informal, organic system in place to bring local kids up playing the game, and playing it right.

And it has been going on for five or six decades.

"All those Flint schools and Detroit schools know they can't touch Saginaw in basketball," Green said, after practice earlier this season. "It's something we take seriously. We're tough, we can score and we play defense."

Doing their part

According to basketball people around town, the basis for the Saginaw system is that so many of the guys and gals who make it big return as coaches, teachers and mentors, long after they leave for the top basketball programs in the nation. It happens so often that while there is a lot of celebration of Green's accomplishments around town these days, the commemoration comes with a bit of a shrug of the shoulders: They have seen this all before in Saginaw.

"Day-Day," as everyone calls Green, is merely the honored son of the city who is currently in the spotlight. And he is already part of the Saginaw system.

Early in a budding career, Green has already come back to teach the young.

"It's something I take seriously," Green said. "There was someone that always came back and taught me things."

Jason Richardson, the former Spartan and current player for the Phoenix Suns also does it. LaMarr Woodley, who starred in basketball and football at Saginaw High before playing linebacker at Michigan and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, finances a summer basketball tournament, in town. Darvin Ham, who played for the Pistons, also returns regularly to Saginaw to teach.

The list is a long one.

"I am a Buena Vista High alumnus," said Leslie Toole, the coach of the Ntume Jets, a girls AAU team in Saginaw. "At one time, Buena Vista needed a coach for the girls' team. So I did that."

Toole also runs a company called FarMar Media Services, which helps local athletes market themselves to recruiters.

"Lou Dawkins, the coach at Saginaw High, played at Saginaw High," Toole said. "He came back after college and came up through the system, did his turn at junior varsity under Coach Marshall Thomas, who had also taken his turn as the junior varsity coach at Saginaw High before he became the head coach. Greg McMath, the coach over at Arthur Hill. Even with the girls at Carrollton High, they've had several state championships girls over the years come back to coach those girls over there.

"Saginaw does a fantastic job of bringing its own back to help," he said. "And I don't know what it is. It's just that we're willing to bide our time to get into that position."

Dawkins coached Draymond Green at Saginaw High. Green called his old coach Tuesday to ask him to listen to a local sports talk radio program, on which Green appeared.

Green wanted an evaluation of how he did.

"That's my man," said Dawkins, who returned to Saginaw High after playing at Tulsa. "I love him to death. I've been in his life since he's been 10 or 11 years old."

Feeder program

That early involvement by coaches in the lives of middle school and even elementary school basketball players in Saginaw is an essential ingredient in producing a long line of successful players, including Dawkins; his older cousins, Paul and Willie, who had collegiate careers; Green's aunt, the former Saginaw High and Michigan State star Annette Babers; and some others, including Anthony Roberson, formerly of the University of Florida and the NBA; Ernie Thompson, formerly of Bradley University; Eugene Seals, formerly of Miami of Ohio; Tony Smith, formerly of UNLV; Dar Tucker, formerly of DePaul; Josh Southern, of Boston College; and Brad Redford, of Xavier.

"It's our feeder program," Dawkins said. "We actually have meetings with the coaches at the elementary and middle school level to try to teach what I need, here at Saginaw High School."

In that way, Dawkins knew about Green long before Day-Day averaged 30 points per game in middle school. He knew about Green when Day-Day was tested on the ultimate proving grounds for young players in Saginaw, the concrete courts in Veteran's Park, where Day-Day's name is now mentioned with the others among the pantheon.

"Vet's Memorial has built many a reputation in this area," said Toole, who is 46. "Going back before I even stepped on the courts, if you had game you went to Vet's Memorial.

"The two northern courts are where all of the ballers played," he said. "If you have a reputation you could get on those courts. If you didn't you had to play on the two southern courts. You have to be able to earn your way from south to north.

"People are always coming back, donating nets and so forth to keep that going up there."

The courts at Vet's Memorial were empty, this week. The action picks up there in the summertime, after schools let out.

But just yards from the courts is a monument, financed by some local businesses and the city, to Lawrence McKinney, who for nearly half a century busied himself coaching players, mentoring youths, sponsoring tournaments and distributing balls and nets so the game could be played around town.

Almost any ball player in Saginaw over the past two generations almost certainly ran into McKinney at some point. It is that kind of town -- pre-eminent among the many volunteers who are part of the system in Saginaw.

A half block away, on a driveway, a half dozen elementary school children played at a backboard, rim and net which was scaled down to their size.

"I want to go to Michigan State like Day-Day does," said Ladell Lenoir, 10. "I am going to try to go there, because my uncle went there, too."

As he shot around with his pals, Lenoir paused long enough to explain that he is currently playing AAU ball in Saginaw, for one of the most successful AAU programs in the country.

"We got like six games left," he said. "And, so far, we haven't lost any.

"There's a lot of ball in Saginaw. There's a lot of people trying to make something of themselves -- and don't want to end up on the street."

U.S. to Commit $78.5M to Halt Asian Carp

Associated Press

 

TRAVERSE CITY -- Navigational locks and gates in Chicago-area waterways crucial for shipping may be opened less frequently than usual under a $78.5 million campaign to prevent Asian carp from overrunning the Great Lakes, federal officials said Monday.

The plan falls short of closing the navigational structures entirely, as demanded by Michigan and five other Great Lakes states. They fear the locks will provide an opening to the lakes for the giant carp, which some scientists say could devastate the region's $7 billion fishing industry.

But the Obama administration described the plan as part of an effective strategy for keeping the invasive fish at bay while long-term biological controls are developed. The government said it would take 25 actions to slow the advance of the carp, which can reach 4 feet long and 100 pounds.

Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, called the plan "an unparalleled effort on the part of the federal government."

"Today, we have an opportunity to work together to prevent environmental and economic damage before it happens," Sutley said after talks Monday with several governors from the region.

But Michigan officials said nothing short of closing the locks would give the lakes adequate protection. State Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican running for governor, accused President Barack Obama of letting politics dictate policy.

Obama "proved today that he'll do anything to protect the narrow interests of his home state of Illinois, even if it means destroying Michigan's economy," Cox said.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat and strong Obama supporter, said in a phone conference she didn't believe "there is any parochialism happening. I do believe there are great and honest differences of opinion."

Sutley also denied political motivation: "We are taking actions based on science."

Bighead and silver carp, Asian species imported to cleanse fish farms and sewage plants in the Deep South, have been migrating up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for decades. They have infested rivers and canals near Chicago, and their DNA has been detected in Lake Michigan itself, although no actual carp have been found there.

The Supreme Court last month refused Michigan's request to order the locks and gates closed, a move opposed by the Obama administration and Illinois. They argue that closing the locks would cause millions in losses for barge operators and could lead to flooding.

Michigan last week asked the high court to reconsider and is pushing ahead with a separate lawsuit that calls for permanently severing the century-old, man-made linkage between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Joining Michigan in the dispute are Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Obama administration's strategy, announced Monday, calls for modifying operations of the navigational structures by April 30. It says four scenarios are being considered, including opening two primary locks for just three or four days a week, or closing the locks one week per month or every other week. Another option is continuing to operate them normally.

When the locks are opened, poisons would be spread in the waters to kill any Asian carp lurking nearby.

Granholm said she feared the measures wouldn't be enough. "You have to permanently shut these locks down," she said.

Administration officials said a $10.5 million contract will be awarded to build a third electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a crucial link with Lake Michigan. The two existing barriers emit pulses designed to repel the carp and give them a non-lethal jolt if they don't turn away.

Also pledged was $13.2 million for construction of barriers to prevent the carp from bypassing the electric devices by slipping into the canal from the adjacent Des Plaines River during flooding.

An additional $9.5 million will be spent to promote commercial fishing of carp, research chemical treatments to kill off the carp if the electric barriers fail, and study other control techniques such as preventing carp from spawning or developing poisons that would kill the carp but not other fish.

Agencies also will speed up their analysis of DNA samples and continue exploring the waterways in hopes of determining whether Asian carp have actually gotten past the electric barriers -- and if so, how many.

The carp battle involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the navigational structures; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Fish and Wildlife Service; and the Coast Guard. State and local agencies also are taking part.

Toyota Accelerator Probe Turns to NASA, Science Panel

Business Week

Toyota Motor Corp.’s accelerator flaws and electronic vehicle controls will be examined by engineers from NASA as the U.S. expands its probe into incidents linked to at least 51 deaths.

The government also recruited the National Research Council, part of the congressionally chartered National Academy of Sciences, to investigate unintended acceleration and electronics in vehicles from all automakers, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday in an interview. The research will cost $3 million, he said.

The studies will focus attention on the reliability of computers that help run today’s vehicles. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has said it found no evidence that the systems are at fault for sudden bursts of speed that led to a worldwide recall of more than 8 million cars and trucks. Consumer advocates and lawmakers have urged an investigation of vehicle electronics.

Congress “thought there was more to these issues, more to these problems with automobiles than just floor mats and sticky pedals,” LaHood said in the interview. “They felt electronics were a part of it. Even though our review does not show that and Toyota’s review does not show that, we felt we needed to address what Congress’s concerns are.”

The Japanese automaker has blamed mechanical flaws for sudden acceleration, modifying pedals it says can stick and replacing floor mats it says can snag on the accelerator.

The NASA study should resolve whether electronics are involved, said David Champion, director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports magazine.

‘One Way or Another’

“It’ll answer the question one way or another,” Champion said in an interview. “I don’t think anybody’s going to question the expertise of NASA.”

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which designed and managed U.S. missions to the moon, has experts in electronics, hardware, software, hazard analysis and complex problem-solving, the Transportation Department said. Nine NASA experts are involved in the sudden acceleration investigation.

Results from the National Research Council are possible within 18 months while NASA will report “probably sooner,” LaHood said.

“We want answers today,” he said. “We’re as impatient as the Congress, and we’re as impatient as car customers are and car drivers are that own Toyotas and also own other cars that have had issues.”

John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota’s U.S. unit, said the company welcomes the new inquiries.

Toyota’s Response

“We heartily support investigations by any and all credible third parties,” Hanson said. “We look forward to the results.”

Toyota’s American depositary receipts, each equal to two ordinary shares, rose 27 cents to $81.25 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading and dropped 3.5 percent this year. The company has lost $15.6 billion in market value since announcing a recall on Jan. 21.

‘More Brains’

“It’s a good thing that people are trying to find answers,” said Steve Berman, a partner in Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, a firm that has sued Toyota on behalf of people who bought and leased the company’s cars, asking the automaker to take back the vehicles. “The more brains that are working on this, the better off that consumers will be.”

NHTSA data show complaints alleging 110 deaths linked to sudden acceleration, with 51 in Toyota cars and trucks and 20 in Ford Motor Co. vehicles. At congressional hearings last month, lawmakers urged LaHood, whose agency includes NHTSA, to consider electronics-related causes. The agency ran 141 investigations into the phenomenon since 1980 and closed 112 of them without taking corrective action.

The company today said it will create technology centers to speed decision-making on quality issues. Toyota will increase North American centers to seven, from one, and set up seven in Europe, six in China and more in other regions.

LaHood said his department decided to seek help from outside scientists and engineers for a fresh look.

“They have no vested interest in NHTSA or DOT and they can be very unbiased, unvarnished,” LaHood said.

$3 Million Cost

The National Research Council’s study will cost $2 million and NASA’s will add $1 million, LaHood said. The studies will include the possibility that electromagnetic interference can cause the controls that run today’s vehicles to go awry, LaHood said.

Auto-safety advocate Joan Claybrook, a former head of NHTSA, said bringing in NASA scientists “really breaks the mold” for an agency that has concluded driver error caused many of the accidents.

“They have finally come to the view that this is a vehicle issue,” she said today in an interview.

LaHood said he also asked the Transportation Department’s inspector general to determine whether NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has sufficient funding and staff. The office faced criticism during congressional hearings for its handling of sudden-acceleration reports and for staff that left the office to go directly to work for automakers.

Electrical Engineers

LaHood told lawmakers last month that NHTSA has two electrical engineers among 125 engineers. The agency’s budget request would add 66 positions. The inspector general’s findings will help determine to which offices those people go, he said in the interview.

“NHTSA’s done a lot of work, but nobody seems to believe they’ve done the job correctly,” said Consumer Reports’ Champion, referring to the NASA and research council studies. “This is a way of getting an independent agency to look at it and say one way or another, is it electronic or not?”

Recovery Could Skip Michigan

The Detroit News

Irv Reid, the former Wayne State University president turned big-idea impresario, puts it simply: Could the nation's nascent economic recovery pass Michigan by?

Auto sales are surging, a harbinger that Detroit's automakers at long last may be poised to make solid money again. Stock markets are moving higher. Consumer confidence is improving. There are even encouraging, if somewhat contradictory, signs coming from unemployment reports -- all of it signs an economic recovery is starting to take hold.

Could the Big Mitten miss out this time?

"Michigan does not have the robustness in its future right now that has been in other states," Reid said in advance of a daylong symposium being held today at Wayne State -- "The Michigan Economy: Will it get better, can it get worse?"

He continued: "We do not have a steady structure here that will bring us back. We have a shifting economy," whose emphasis on the service sector over traditional manufacturing disciplines is a "changed paradigm" that too many still have not come to accept.

The impact of the shift cannot be overstated. The state's per-capita income, now ranked 37th out of 50, is declining. Payrolls are slimmer. Tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs are gone, never to return. Tax revenue is evaporating, pressuring education budgets, public pay and benefits and the services offered by state and local government.

Even more troubling is a lack of consensus about how to attack the decade-long malaise. In politics, Democrats -- starting with Gov. Jennifer Granholm -- want more federal aid, an expanded sales tax and to target politically acceptable business sectors with tax incentives. Republicans and pro-business Democrats focus on the business environment of taxes, regulation and whatever measure of certainty can be had in Lansing.

There's not much consensus in business circles, either. Some blame the lack of access to capital and bureaucracy; others blame the heavy hand of organized labor and the costs associated with it. The net effect, as the national economy shows signs of revving, is a Michigan economy stuck in lower gears for what seems like forever.

"You have to start with where you are," said Alice Rivlin, a visiting professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and a former vice chair of the Federal Reserve, in town to address Reid's symposium. "Focus on skills, infrastructure and making Michigan an attractive place to do business."

Easier said than done, professor. We can't even agree on what "an attractive place" looks like much less how to get there with enough conviction to capture the sustained attention of would-be investors who have choices, lots of them.

"When you're coming out of a deep recession, there's bound to be uncertainty," said Rivlin, also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of the Clinton White House's Office of Management and Budget in the mid-1990s. "The private sector is always hardest hit in a recession. What makes the public sector a stabilizer is it doesn't go down in a recession."

But a heavily indebted public sector, reaching historic levels in the Age of Obama, is a threat to the overall economy. Ask Rivlin to identify the biggest threat to the U.S. economy -- and, by extension, a recovery for Michigan -- and she doesn't predict a "double-dip" recession or point to the likelihood of rising income tax rates or the prospects of slow growth and a slow recovery in employment.

"We've got to start quickly to address the deficit and the debt problems of the federal budget," she said, an unsustainable trend that has implications for everything from tax rates and entitlement programs to foreign policy and the value of the U.S. dollar on world markets.

We know a thing or two about entitlements, unsustainable trends, crushing debt and unrealistic assumptions about the present and future. We know it doesn't end well because we lived it -- and in many respects still are.

Dealers Call Chrysler's Reinstatement Offers 'Ridiculous'

The Detroit News

Chrysler Group LLC's letters of intent to reinstate franchises -- sent to 50 dealers -- include conditions that dealers described Wednesday as onerous and ridiculous.

A copy of the letter, obtained by The Detroit News, is a laundry list of conditions and means for Chrysler to terminate any reinstatement offers.

"These so-called 'letters of intent' are absolutely ridiculous. This is the same nonsense they pulled throughout months of our negotiations to find a non-legislative solution to restoring dealers," said Tammy Darvish, owner of Chrysler and other brand dealerships in Silver Spring, Md.

A company spokeswoman described it as a standard letter of intent.

"Chrysler Group is speaking with the dealers involved; we have not released any additional information at this point in time," the automaker said in a statement.

Chrysler terminated 789 dealers last June, and since then 36 have been reinstated. An additional 50 started receiving letters this week that would allow them to pursue reopening their franchises.

Among Chrysler's stipulations outlined in the letter: Should "anyone file a protest or lawsuit, demand arbitration or otherwise challenge" the proposed reinstatement, or if the matter is not dismissed or resolved within 30 days, Chrysler can unilaterally stop the reinstatement.

If there is no challenge, the dealer to be reinstated will be notified and has 90 days to submit architectural plans that meet specifications that include arches as part of the exterior, and use specified materials.

The dealership also must also have customer lounges consistent with the vehicle brand, plus covered service drive-in areas, a children's play area, refreshment section, Mopar accessory display area and specific signs.

Once the plans are deemed acceptable, the dealer has 90 days to begin construction.

There are financial requirements to cover inventory as well as working capital, and reinstated dealers must enter into a minimum five-year lease.

During those five years, the dealer cannot protest or challenge any Chrysler decisions to put another dealer in the vicinity.

Dealer responses must be completed and returned within 10 days, and those who accept must withdraw their arbitration demand they have filed with the American Arbitration Association. In December, Congress mandated arbitration for Chrysler and General Motors Co. dealers who were terminated by the automakers as part of their respective bankruptcy restructuring.

Chrysler dealers have 60 days to file a site proposal. If Chrysler doesn't approve it within 30 days, it is deemed automatically rejected.

The letter of intent expires in 90 days if the facility the dealer plans to use meets Chrysler's conditions; it expires in eight months if renovations are necessary and in 18 months if the dealer is building a new facility.

Failure to meet any deadlines can result in termination of the offer in the letter.

"They have zero intention of being decent about this," Darvish said.

Jack Fitzgerald, who has dealerships in Maryland and Pennsylvania and is a leader of the lobby group Committee to Restore Dealer Rights, agreed.

"Chrysler is not dealing in good faith," he said.

Neither Darvish nor Fitzgerald has received a reinstatement offer.

GM sent letters of reinstatement to about 660 of its 2,000 terminated dealers. The GM letters were standard and reasonable in their terms, said Mike Charapp, a partner with Charapp & Weiss LLP in McLean, Wash., who represents dealers who have been terminated by both automakers.

"I have not seen that detail in a letter of intent before," Fitzgerald said of the Chrysler terms.

Chrysler said last week it also is seeking to resolve disputes with other dealers -- those who aren't being offered reinstatement -- outside of arbitration.

About 400 disenfranchised Chrysler dealers filed for arbitration, a process that must be wrapped up in June.

Nissan Announces Leaf will Cost $25,000

CNN Money

Nissan announced Tuesday that its Leaf electric car will come with a sticker price of $32,780. But after a federal tax credit of $7,500, the car will only set you back about $25,280.

That would make the Leaf considerably less expensive than General Motors' Chevrolet Volt, which is expected to cost around $40,000, or about $32,500 after the federal tax credit.

The Leaf expected to go on sale in December, one month after the Volt.

By keeping the sticker price low, the Leaf will be profitable for Nissan, said Mark Perry, Nissan's director of product planning. That means customers should expect more variants of the Leaf in coming years, he added.

Nissan has already said that there will be a luxury Infiniti version of the car.

Industry analysts have frequently said that electric cars would not be profitable for years to come because of the high costs associated with the vehicles batteries.

"We've been working in lithium ion car batteries for 17 years," Perry said. "So all that advanced research and engineering work we've [already] paid for."

The Leaf and Volt are not quite directly competitive, although both are electric battery cars. The Leaf is an all-electric car with an around-town driving range of about 100 miles. The Volt has a range of only 40 miles, enough for a typical days driving, but it also has a gasoline engine to generate electricity for further driving up to about 300 miles.

Nissan had previously said that it expected to price the Leaf competitively to similar gasoline-powered cars such as a well-equipped Honda Civic.

The Leaf's standard features will include navigation and Bluetooth telephone connectivity, said Perry.

Nissan already has a list of more than 80,000 people who have expressed interest in the Leaf, Perry said. And in coming weeks, Nissan will begin taking refundable $99 deposits for the car.

Those who submit deposits can have their homes inspected to make sure they have appropriate space and wiring to install a charging dock, Perry said. Nissan expects about half those expressing interest to submit a deposit, he said.

Nissan also expects many customers to lease the car. That way, they won't have to worry about filing or refiling their taxes go get the benefit since it will factored into the lease payments, Perry noted.

The car will lease for a $349 a month with an initial down payment $1,999.

"Our goal there was to get our total operating cost, vehicle, electricity charging station, all in, around $400 a month," Perry said.

In some states there are also state incentives for the purchase of an electric car. In California, for example, there is a $5,000 credit which would reduce the cost to just over $20,000, Perry said.

Nissan has partnered with an outside company, AeroVironment, to install home chargers for the car. Installation of the charger will typically cost $2,200, Perry said, but there is a tax credit that will cover half the cost up to $2,000.

Mastering Italian Fails to Impress Marchionne

The Detroit News

National Automobile Dealers Association Chairman Ed Tonkin sought to impress Sergio Marchionne with his mastery of Eye-talian when he introduced the Chrysler-Fiat CEO on Tuesday at the NADA/IHS Global Insight Conference in New York.

"I've been practicing my pronunciation," he boasted.

"It's Mar-chee-ohhhhh-nay," he said. "I also know how to say Fair-rahrrr-rhee."

Marchionne was unimpressed. "There's an easy American pronunciation of my name: Marchionne," he said. "And let's just stick with Ferrari."

Yearning for a sole mate

At Tuesday's "Learn, Meet, Succeed" seminar hosted by the Engineering Society of Detroit, arrivals to the society's Southfield headquarters were baffled by the sight of a lone lady's black high-heeled shoe on the sidewalk. It didn't seem like traditional engineering attire -- until the Insider realized the errant shoe was indeed in the right place to be reunited with its owner. Obviously, she was a hydraulic engineer.

"And how did you know that?" a co-worker asked.

"Because," Insider replied, "it was a pump."

Find a tiki, win a Wrangler

At Chrysler Group LLC, the spirit appears to be strong even if the pace of new product launches remains weak.

The Auburn Hills automaker is filling the gap until this summer's launch of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee with some wacky Jeep Wrangler giveaway contests. They harken back to the days of the prankster Chrysler that liked to have Jeeps slam through huge windows or corral bulls in downtown Detroit at auto shows -- before stern new owners and dwindling resources extinguished the carefree spirit.

A feistier Chrysler is scheduled to kick off a Jeep promotion today by inviting five trivia winners, including a man from Wixom, to the New York auto show to dig through a giant sandbox to find a hidden tiki and win a Wrangler Islander. Three more tikis will be hidden across the country, and the first treasure hunter to find each tiki and call the attached phone number wins another Islander.

Would-be winners must go to Jeep Tiki Web sites, Twitter and Facebook pages for clues about the tikis' whereabouts. The stunts may not add directly to the goal of breaking even this year, but they promise to turn Wranglers into the 21st century's version of buried treasures.