CHICAGO — Here are some stories we're reading around the web on this sunny Wednesday.
Chicago's Most Instagrammed Foods: First We Feast just ruined our diet. They rounded up the most popular Chicago foods on Instagram. The list includes Au Cheval's beloved burger, Big Star's fish tacos, Piece Pizza and a whole lotta deep dish 'za from Giordano's to Pequod's and beyond. Sweet treats also made the cut, including cake batter cupcakes from Molly's and a doughnut ice cream sandwich from Firecakes. It's the most glorious display of food porn we've seen in awhile. Check out the full list here.
Throw like a girl: Yes, says senior editor Andrew Herrmann, there is such a thing as a professional female softball player. The professional part, though, if defined by being paid, is a struggle: the average salary for the National Pro Fastpitch League is $5,000 to $6,000 per season. Are things looking up? NPFL commissioner Cheri Kempf tells ocolly.com that the five-team league, around since 2004, didn't lose money last year and its TV contract with CBS Sports expands to 25 games this season. But the long-term future might be in corporate-sponsored teams, such as those that exist in Japan where players can make $60,000 annually, Kempf said. The Pennsylvania Rebellion coach, Craig Montvidas, notes the Japanese teams "draw pretty big crowds." The NPFL's Chicago Bandits open the season May 24 in Rosemont.
David Simon on Baltimore: David Simon, the creator of "The Wire" and a former crime reporter in Baltimore, gives the long view of the slow breakdown of the police force that lead to the wave of demonstrations this week in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. Sam Cholke is reading the Marshall Project's interview with Simon about the perverse incentives put on cops at the start of the war on drugs that failed to reward officers for solving cases and instead promoted cops for clearing corners and locking people up on low-level charges.
Former Gov. Walker Mourned: Reporter and political junkie Heather Cherone is reading the Tribune's obituary for Former Illinois Gov. Dan Walker, who died Wednesday at age 92. Walker campaigned for the state's highest office by hiking across Illinois with a red bandana tied around his neck. He went on to serve only a single term as governor — and spent 17 1/2 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.4 million in bank loans after he left office. The best detail in the obituary? Walker's first two wives were both named Roberta.
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