Out of the Humidor, December 2018
Dear Marvin,
I enjoyed your wide-ranging interview with Alex Rodriguez in the October Cigar Aficionado. For someone as well-known as A-Rod, it was surprisingly full of revealing insights. If Hall of Fame voters had the opportunity to read the interview, I believe A-Rod’s chances of ing the Hall would greatly increase.
Rich Foley
Fayette, Ohio
Dear Marvin,
It’s been super interesting to see the way public perception of Alex Rodriguez has changed the past couple of years. In his playing days, he seemed to suffer from comparisons to Derek Jeter, despite being the superior player. I always felt like he came in for a bit too much flak.
Since then, there’s been a reversal of fortunes with Jeter’s Marlins ownership getting a ton of criticism, while A-Rod has been a huge hit as a broadcaster.
Dan Hester
Fremont, California
Dear Marvin,
I’m a new subscriber to Cigar Aficionado, and I enjoy reading each issue cover to cover. I particularly found the “Living the Dream” article [August 2018] about Matthew McConaughey interesting. He has a very honest,
no-nonsense work ethic that suits his lifestyle and good moral standards. He seems to enjoy the challenges of his craft and seems genuinely involved in all his undertakings. I respect his confidence and outlook on life and family. I particularly like the fact that he enjoys a good cigar and Bourbon on occasion. As do I.
James Farrant
Belford, New Jersey
Editors’ Response: As do we. Welcome.
Dear Marvin,
I was so pleased to read the article “The Cowboy Hat” [Good Life Guide, August 2018] that I decided to write and add my two cents. For full disclosure, I am from Wyoming—lots of cowboy hats here!
Anybody can wear a baseball cap; where is the style in that? And backwards? Please! As the article stated, get some professional guidance. Go to a good hat store, or any big rodeo, like Cheyenne Frontier Days. Get some expert advice—they will tell you if it looks good or not. Be confident that you can pull it off, don’t feel dumb. I assure you, all of your friends may tease you a bit, but deep down, they will be envious because they wish they could wear one.
You don’t have to be a cowboy to wear a cowboy hat but it will surely make you feel like one. Not everyone can be from Wyoming, but you can all feel like a Wyoming cowboy the moment you put your hat on.
Scott Ostlund
Gillette, Wyoming
Dear Marvin,
I am writing to thank you for publishing your fabulous Churchill issue [June 2018], both for its tribute to the most interesting man to walk the earth and also for the excellent article titled “Did He Really Smoke That Much?” I was fortunate some years ago to have lunch in London, Ontario, with the official Churchill biographer, a wonderful man, Sir Martin Gilbert. During a delightful lunch I specifically asked him about Churchill’s cigar smoking habit. His answer puzzled me, as he indicated that Churchill didn’t smoke cigars, that cigars were merely a prop for the unique image that Sir Winston wished to present to the world. I wondered whether this indeed could be true or whether Sir Martin was simply attempting to discourage me from indulging in my own personal enjoyment of one of life’s
greatest pleasures. After reading your article,
recounting how Churchill purchased 825 cigars during one six-month period in 1964 in the year
before he died, and then how his collection had significantly dwindled by the time of his ing, I can only reasonably conclude that he had to have consumed them.
Thank you for setting the record straight for me and for the cigar-loving world.
Dan Mailer
London, Ontario, Canada
Dear Marvin,
We have made many friends in Cuba. Their diet appears healthy, but even simple things like fish oil are not available. On our last trip, we carried in over 30 pounds of vitamins and supplements, all impossible to find in a country that cannot keep toilet paper in stock. If you go anywhere else in the Caribbean you find the World Hunger Organization, Feed the Children and hundreds of American Missionaries and their money. Cuba has no one, but they don’t beg and they don’t steal. They are proud people, survivors of the regime, survivors of the hunger, survivors of the hurricanes. I don’t care about their politics or our policies. My concern is for the proudest people I have ever known, and a prayer that someone will crack the door and restore hope to the people.
Craig Smith
Odessa, Texas
Editors’ Response: We share your sentiments for the Cuban people, who have always been kind on our visits. The challenges they face are daunting.
