No Saturday Newspaper

I have a few long-standing, old habits that I really enjoy. One of them is the ritual of sitting down at my front window in the morning light with a cup of coffee and a newspaper each day.

From the time I first started reading the sports section in the Times Herald as a kid living down on Washington Street here in the Big Town of Savage (BToS), I've enjoyed browsing the paper in the morning. I'd spend an inordinate amount of time in the sports section reading about my favorite American League Washington Senators. There was no other sport in the early 50's, baseball was it. I'd memorize all the statistics of the Senators players and trivia about the other 7 teams in the American League. I knew the National League existed, but it was a non-entity for me until the World Series appeared each autumn.

As I got a bit older, I discovered the comic section. I guess like most people, I had my favorite which was Blondie, or Dagwood and Blondie as I knew it. I was never a big comic kinda kid, but as I aged a bit I began to read more strips and enjoyed them more.

As a kid I never got beyond the sports and comics, but that was more than enough to get the through the morning with my legs propped up on the side of the fridge reading that paper by the light from the dining room window. I could read and look out the window at the same time. You never knew what would be happening outside, it might even be snowing.

Today my interests have changed considerably. Sports have ceased to be sports and are mainly commercials for overpaid participants and sponsors. I still scan the sports section, but hardly ever read articles about players. Over the years I've determined that the driving force in sports is the owners and managers vice the players. I'll read a good article about an owner or coach and relate to it, but while articles about players lives (not their play or lack of) are the core of the sports section, give me some management info any day. I spend little time in today's sports section.

Today I read the comics, local news, front section and skim the personalities section. I still enjoy the paper and miss it when the delivery is late or doesn't happen one day. About 6 months ago, I got no Saturday paper (Washington Times). I figured it was just the delivery guy. This went on for about 3 weeks before I got around to calling the Times subscription folks. I told the lady that I had gotten no Saturday paper for about the last 3 weeks. She then advised me that the Washington Times was no longer printing a Saturday edition!

As you know today is Saturday. I have no Washington Times to peruse. Reading news items on websites is not the same as having a newspaper in your hands with a hot cup of coffee. You miss all those neat little articles and fotos on web sites; headlines don't always lead you to read an article the way a newspaper foto does. No, once again this morning when the sun comes up I will be missing my newspaper.

JD

PS - I tried reading the online edition of the Washington Times, but the user interface just doesn't get it. The Frederick News-Post has a very user-friendly online edition and I actually spend money each month to subscribe to it. The Washington Times could take lessons from the Frederick News-Post.

PPS - I used to subscribe to the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post. I cancelled both subscriptions when I saw how badly they were bashing Sarah Palin each day. I've been a subscriber of the Post for as long as I can remember, but given their demonstrated anti-Palin/love-Obama bias in the last election, I may never subscribe to either again.