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Happy Hump Day!
Today's collection excavates histories that powerful institutions preferred remain buried. We're examining predators who weaponized beloved pastimes, therapists who shattered families with pseudoscience, and the Victorian roots of our modern self-optimization anxiety—reminders that accountability delayed is accountability denied, and that some forms of damage compound across generations.
Grab your lunch. Let's go.
Ernie Lorch built the most dominant youth basketball program in America from a Manhattan church basement, sending 60 players to the NBA including Hall of Famers. For 40 years, the millionaire attorney allegedly used that power to systematically abuse impoverished children. Twenty-six former players now testify that Lorch fondled, digitally raped, and beat them in locker rooms, on road trips, and in church rooms only he accessed. When 16-year-old Byron Walker arrived late to a tournament, Lorch attempted rape at halftime. Robert Holmes received $2 million in hush money before finally speaking out in 2002. Lorch died in 2012 without facing consequences. Now Riverside Church—where MLK preached—faces tens of millions in damages while claiming it had no duty to protect children because it's "not a school."
Before Timothée Chalamet portrays him in Marty Supreme, Marty Reisman was America's greatest table tennis champion and the sport's most flamboyant hustler. "The Needle" would agree to play with any handicap—Coke bottles, garbage-can lids, shoes, lightbulbs—to lure suckers into wagers at his dingy Broadway club. But behind the theatrics was genuine brilliance: Reisman won the 1949 British Open at Wembley Stadium, defeating Hungarian legend Victor Barna in a feat no American man has matched. His rivalry with Dick Miles defined ping-pong's "hardbat" era, when marathon rallies lasted hours and the sport packed stadiums. Then Japan's Hiroji Satoh arrived at the 1952 World Championships with a foam-rubber paddle that muted the ball's reverberations, rendering worthless the instincts honed over thousands of hours. Reisman stubbornly refused to adapt, calling the innovation "fraud and deception." His obstinacy cost him glory as China soon dominated the sport. Still, Reisman cobbled together a career smuggling gold bars across Asia, touring with the Harlem Globetrotters, and operating underground clubs. At 67, he won the 1997 U.S. National Hardbat Championship—probably the oldest person ever to win an open national racquet title.
Bobby Lerz sent his 16-year-old daughter to an eating disorder clinic in Missouri. Four months later, she testified that he'd been raping her since age four, along with his bar patrons and local police officers. She acted out different "parts" on the witness stand—firefighter, protector, manager—pirouetting out of the courtroom after graphic testimony. A judge ruled her account "incredible." Investigators found nothing. The allegations were expunged. Bobby spent $45,000 defending himself and hasn't spoken to his daughter in 14 years. The treatment? Internal Family Systems, a trendy therapy embraced by Gwyneth Paltrow and Alanis Morissette that treats personality "parts" as literal beings. At Castlewood Treatment Center, patients crawled like babies, ran screaming in circles, and accused parents of satanic cult involvement. Four lawsuits alleged therapists implanted false memories of rape and ritualistic abuse. The founder, Mark Schwartz, lost his license; the facility shut down. Yet Schwartz now trains 15,000 therapists annually, charges $11,000 for certification courses, and recently announced that "parts" are actually "spirits" sent by ancestors. No randomized controlled trials prove IFS works for any psychiatric disorder.
Before Instagram influencers preached 5am workouts and gratitude journals, Victorians were obsessing over pre-printed diaries, tracking everything from church attendance to chess victories. This historian traces how mass-produced commercial diaries transformed from spiritual reflection tools into optimization machines—with John Letts selling 250,000 yearly by 1900. Teenage schoolboy Robert Nunns meticulously logged his weekly class rankings and weight, gleefully noting when rivals got zeroes. William Gladstone kept 41 volumes recording daily meetings and books read, using Greek letters to code self-flagellation sessions after viewing pornography. Anne Lister developed symbols for orgasms (X) and sexual encounters (a curled Q). The pattern persists: diaries became records of perpetual failure, filled with apologies for missed entries and confessions of wasted time.
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That’s it for this today.
Really hope you enjoyed the selection of stories today. I am always interested in hearing from you. If you have thoughts on how I can make this email even better, do not hesitate to reach out.
Brett
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