Happy Sunday, everyone! Welcome to the Six.
There’s nothing worse as a sports fan than being stuck in “fan purgatory.” A short definition: When the owner is terrible and the team sucks. And due to the rapid rise in franchise valuations, the owner has no interest in selling. It’s a hopeless feeling.
Chicago White Sox fans have felt that pain for about two decades, most glaringly the last two years. The White Sox lost 121 games in 2024, the most in MLB history. They are destined for another last-place finish in 2025. Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner who bought the team for next to nothing in 1981, remains in charge. It’s clear he has no idea what he’s doing anymore. But amidst the darkness, a ray of hope came on Thursday.
The club announced a “framework to transfer a future controlling interest” from longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf to Justin Ishbia, the billionaire heir to a mortgage business and already a minority investor in the team. Not exactly a sale, but the beginnings of one.
Here’s the bad news: Reinsdorf, 89 years old and not a golfer, boater, or traveler—activities that usually occupy the time of wealthy old men—will remain in charge of day-to-day operations as the transfer plays out. That ensures the White Sox will continue to lose in the short-to-mid-term.
But if you’re a Sox fan, this news is worthy of cautious optimism. Your purgatory just might be coming to an end.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
DONALD AND ELON, THE BREAKUP
Even when it became public Elon Musk was backing Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, there was an inevitability about their partnership. If Trump won (he did), Musk would burrow himself in Washington for a short time as the DOGE dude. Then, after some time, Musk would leave. After all, he has a handful of billion-dollar businesses to run. And at his departure publicity event, everyone put on a happy face and gave the obligatory thank yous and symbolic parting gifts. Next comes the inevitable part: Musk would start sniping on TwitterX, and Trump, not one to stand for disloyal soldiers, would crack back. That all just happened this past week. They will likely bro hug and make amends at some point. Let’s just say the relationship is “evolving.” All of it is good for business for anyone owning a media outlet. In the old days, newspaper editors would gleefully shout out in crowded newsrooms, “Feuds between rich people make for great copy!”
THE HILARITY AND INSANITY OF BIDEN BOOK
The Elon/Trump feud has diverted some attention away from former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and the cover-up. I think the ultimate question in all of this comes down to: Who was making decisions? If it wasn’t the president, then who? We still don’t know exactly and likely won’t unless a close Biden aide writes his or her book and stakes a claim. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, of course, wrote his book, which Racket News’ Matt Taibbi read. He gives an entertaining take, saying the “mass media apologia is leaps and bounds more demented than the book's subject, Joe Biden.”
THE POISON PILL
One of the better documentaries I’ve seen in months is on the Tylenol murders, one of the more frighteningly bizarre events of the past half century. In 1982, several people died in the Chicago area and other parts of the country when they swallowed Tylenol laced with cyanide. The murders remain unsolved. This piece is a riveting, groundbreaking retelling of the poisonings that horrified and gripped America.
STRIP MALL FROM HELL
I thought this was an interestingly produced story… about a Massachusetts strip mall in steep decline, told entirely through the reviews customers have left online for its various businesses. Clever and creepy. Women are disappearing from the nail salon, there's a "bad taste in the water" at the gym that seems to cause agoraphobia, and "Coffee Sensations" only serves cold coffee, no matter how many times the employees try to warm it up. Weirdly fascinating.
HOW TO AVOID AN AIRLINE BAN
A travel expert reviews case studies of passengers who managed to get themselves banned for life from major airlines. The advice is fairly straightforward: don't drink to excess while waiting for a delayed flight, don't make physical contact with an airline employee, don't fly with forged documents, and don't generally be a crummy person. Losing your temper may be justified for United charging an extra $75 for a carry-on while allowing a healthy passenger to be accompanied by a “Cuddle Puppy,” but it won’t end well for the agitated.
“IS THAT MORRIS OR PIERRE?"
And finally… the above airline story got me thinking of funny airport scenes in movie history. Can’t go wrong with any scene from “Fletch” (which turns 40 this year), but this hilarious exchange with the Pan Am Airlines worker is movie gold.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for The Kerr Report? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.