The Five for May 17, 2020 – Sunday Reading

I loved the way people used to lounge over a fat Sunday newspaper. I loved the ritual, the tradition and the way each section opened up a new world of knowledge.

Today, newspapers are not nearly as thick as print subscribers continue to plummet. While I bemoan what was and still wallow at times at the decline of newspapers and the number of talented people furloughed or downsized, there’s also no going back.

Sunday remains a great day to dive into reading before the start of another work week. On a positive note, there are more easily accessible stories out there than ever before.

There has been some incredible reporting on the COVID-19 situation but we’re making this a pandemic free zone today. Here are five things I’ve read fairly recently that have resonated. As always, this list was compiled and never curated.  

1. Considering I love to read and read to Liam all the time, it is somewhat remarkable that just this week we started the first Harry Potter book. That’s a reflection of how little I enjoy fantasy books, but I always suspected this would be the one exception to the rule. So far, so good. We are really enjoying.

No matter how much I like the book, though, I know I won’t love it as much as an article the great Joe Posnanski wrote about the time his daughter picked out a gift at Harry Potter World. Katie the Perfect is a beautiful window into how one small moment, magnified by kindness, can lead to an indelible memory.

2. My friend and former colleague Johnathon Briggs keeps stringing together the most beautiful blog posts. In this one, he not only waxes poetic about parenthood, marriage and making it all work in 2020, but he proposes some new lyrics to a song by the legend Alicia Keys. Enjoy Living Life Among the Adjustments.

3. This ESPN.com story features one wild record for each MLB team. The Brewers question was which player had the best season in franchise history as defined by Wins Above Replacement? I could not believe how off I was. The person I guessed was actually only tied for fifth, which doesn’t pass the eye test but I guess passes the stat test.

4. With so many riveted to the documentary on Michael Jordan and the Bulls, this was a fun and creative look at documentaries that could be made about various Wisconsin sports. One idea was the return to prominence by the Milwaukee Bucks. In it, the two writers for the Journal-Sentinel laud the majority owners and GM Jon Horst. I have a variant view on their relative importance and value and look forward to writing about that later in the month. I did intern at Channel 4 in Milwaukee in college and still recognize the importance of a good tease.

5. This recap of the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show by Dave Barry is just one more example of why the man is still hysterical. In it, he quotes a Pepsi rep who said this “just might be the most fun and entertaining 12 minutes this world has ever seen.” Barry proceeds to write "so the bar has been set high for J. Lo and Shakira.”

Barry, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and best-selling author, can now add another honor to his prestigious career. Today, Mr. Barry has agreed to walk us off.