ISSUE #82 - August 23rd, 2019

ONE

NOSTALGIA - We're coming up on the last Friday in August which means it's legit Friday Night Lights time here in Texas. In fact, I just checked our high school team's schedule and we're actually playing Odessa Permian, the team from the original FNL movie in a few months.  Of course, that got me thinking about Coach Gaines and Mike Winchell and Boobie Miles and the boys and I found Billy Bob Thornton's phenomenal halftime speech from the movie. "I want you to put each other in your hearts forever, because forever is about to happen here in a few minutes." MAN!!! What a line. Watch the clip here and then go run through a wall and achieve your dreams.

TWO

 FEET - I hate sitting at a desk, which is why when I'm writing I either chose to be in some kind of reclining position or, more likely during the day, I try to stand as much as I can. Definitely helps out posture, but the flip side is if you don't have comfortable shoes with strong soles, your feet take a beating.  I've tried Dr. Scholl's and a few other insoles over the years to replace the ones that wear down (or aren't great in the first place) in my sneakers and I think I've found my new favorite. The insoles are made by Walk Hero and I've been walking/standing in them for over a week and they're solid. They're a little stiff at first, but if you stick with them, your feet won't feel like they've been whacked all day with a Wiffle bat when you take off your shoes. Here they are.

THREE

BOOKS - I used to call legendary Sports Illustrated writer Steve Rushin "Wordsmith Von Wordsmithson" because he plays with words in his sentences and paragraphs like he's Hendrix on the guitar, riffing and jamming and taking wordplay to another level.  His memoir, Sting-Ray Afternoons came out two years ago (it was outstanding) and now the follow up to that book, Nights In White Castle arrived in my mailbox this week (my dog sniffed it to make sure there were no actual burgers inside in one of my favorite pics right here). If you love Rushin, or just enjoy well-told, funny, heartwarming and uniquely-written memoirs, I highly encourage you to give this one a read.

FOUR

WRITING - My favorite story that I read this week involves a 40ish sportswriter tracking down one of his Little League umpires to apologize for flipping him the double bird when he was twelve years old.   The writer is NJ.com's Steve Politi and the "double bird" moment is something he has regretted for much of his adult life. For any of you reading who played Little League, the story is filled with the details that made youth baseball so great, including his team's name (Bill Tone's Deli), the way parents and coaches behave, and how we become legends (or not) in our own minds. It's a hugely fun read.

FIVE

A DEEP QUOTE ABOUT MEMORIES:

"Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.”   – Bob Dylan

Thanks for reading! - Jon  Questions? Ideas? Comments? E-mail me (reply to this e-mail) or hit me on Twitter HERE.   And don't forget to FORWARD THE FF5 to a friend! *  *(If you do, I'll send you an awesome "Mean" Joe Green bookmark)