Book Clubs

We're proud to say that "The Living Wills" has been chosen by several Chicago area book clubs. Thank you!

For those of you considering "The Living Wills" for your book club, keep in mind that Brendan and/or I would happily come to your book club to join in the discussion (schedules permitting). Brendan is already going to a book club on the North Side of Chicago, I'm going to one in Des Plaines, and both of us will be going to another one in Beverly.

There is no additional cost involved. (Although, both of us will not reject your free alcoholic beverages, if offered). If you'd like more information, you can e-mail me at rick@eckhartzpress.com.

Pinewood Derby

This weekend is Pinewood Derby time, so it's time to once again pull out my Pinewood Derby essay. This year I'm contributing it to the City Mom blog at ChicagoNow. If you haven't read it before, or you'd like to read it again, it's here.

By the way, this is going to be our 11th (!) Pinewood Derby.

It's WAR!

Between book sellers.

As I learn more about the publishing business, I find it more difficult to pick sides between the two feuding giants Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Barnes & Noble just announced they will not sell any books published by amazon.com because the Web retailing giant has "undermined the industry" by trying to sign exclusive agreements with publishers, agents and authors.

That's totally true. Amazon is actively trying to become a monopoly by getting rid of the middle man (the bookstore). That's pretty obvious.

On the other hand, and I can tell you this as a publisher, Barnes & Noble already is a bookstore monopoly and they are demanding outrageous discounts from publishers.

We chose not to have the hard copy of "The Living Wills" available at either place, because we would actually lose money on each book sold (once shipping costs were factored in). That didn't seem like such a great business idea.

For the time being, both of these behemoths are still allowing publishers to make money on e-books (which is why the e-book of "The Living Wills" is available at both places), but trust me, once one of them succeeds in crushing the other, those same ridiculous discounts will be demanded.

Hence my dilemma. I'm rooting for both of them to stay alive to keep each other in check, but I don't like either one of them.

Colbert's Super-PAC

Stephen Colbert started up his Super-PAC as a comedy bit to show how ridiculous the whole electoral system has become since the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, but I'm guessing he never really believed it would raise this much money: More than a million dollars and counting.

30 Years of Letterman

Tonight is David Letterman's 30th anniversary of doing late night television.

The New York Times has the story. Don't expect any big deal from Letterman himself.

Global Warming and the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is getting a lot of heat for publishing an op-ed signed by 16 scientists that said global warming is no big deal. The week before, The National Academy of Sciences sent them an essay signed by 255 scientists claiming exactly the opposite. And it was ignored.

I don't claim to understand global warming and what causes it, but one thing I think is ridiculous is the belief that a worldwide cabal of scientists are engaged in a massive conspiracy to create an imaginary crisis, and that only a handful of "brave truth tellers" should be believed. Especially when those "truth tellers" are funded by major oil companies.

Let me put it slightly differently.

What are the motives of those scientists at the National Academy of Sciences? The Wall Street Journal theory is that they obviously created this nonsense so they could secure funding for future studies. On the other hand, they claim that the scientists that have already secured funding from the people who may have their profits cut if we move away from fossil fuels are to be believed because...

Hmmm. Anyone else see a flaw in this logic?

Layoffs, Sabotage & Suicide

What does that headline describe?

Would you believe, life at the Los Angeles Times?

When you read this story remind yourself that the company inflicting this on their employees is the same company that has paid lawyers over $200 million in their bankruptcy proceedings. The LA Times is owned by the Tribune company.

Why Am I Hearing An Echo?

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

"A new study from integrated marketing company 11mark reports that an alarming three-quarters of Americans admit to using their mobile phones in the bathroom. After surveying 1,000 cell phone users in October for its IT in the Toilet report, 11mark found that 74% of men and 76% of women used their phone while, ahem, otherwise occupied -- and not just to catch up on Facebook or Twitter. The company also discovered 63% of respondents actually answered a phone call while in the bathroom, and 41% actually initiated a call themselves. "The writing is on the stall," says 11mark Principal Nicole Burdette, being all punny. "This study confirms what we all know -- that the last private place is no longer private."

Please, Verizon, Please. Do not do a commercial there with the "Can you hear me now" guy.

Bain invests $300 in Seacrest

Still think Ryan Seacrest isn't a media mogul?

His investment holding company (Ryan Seacrest Media) just made a deal with Bain "designed to drive business growth across multiple media platforms."

He's not just a radio guy and the goofy host of American Idol. He's Dick Clark, Jr.

Cubs 365, February 1

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 2007, the Cubs signed outfielder Cliff Floyd as a free agent. The native Chicagoan is typical of the kind of free agents the Cubs have signed over the years. He was 35 years old (in his 15th season in the big leagues) and was coming off an injury plagued year with the Mets.

The Cubs got exactly what you'd expect under the circumstances. Floyd managed only 322 at bats that year, and though he hit a respectable .284, he was clearly not the player he once was. He hung around for parts of two more seasons (one with Tampa and one with the Padres) before calling it quits after the 2009 season.

Ahab the Arab

50 years ago today Ray Stevens released this song. I think it's safe to say it was a different time...

Rupert's PR Person Quits

From the New York Observer...

"Teri Everett, News Corp’s top PR person, is leaving. The reason given? From the News Corp press release...“The past decade has, without a doubt, been the highlight of my career,” commented Ms. Everett. “News Corp. executives are a peerless group and I will miss them immensely. I will always be grateful to Rupert and Chase for their support over the years and am thrilled that Julie will be succeeding me. While it may be a tired cliché, I am ready for something new.”

I would be ready for something new too, if my job was to try to spin the news coming out of England these days. Imagine if every morning you picked up the newspaper, there was a story about one of your company's employees getting arrested.

A Lucrative Bankruptcy

Who says that bankruptcy doesn't pay? Tell that to the lawyers working on the Tribune bankruptcy case. Their current bill, just for the legal bills, is $231 million.

You read that correctly: $231 million.

But to be fair, it's not like they are gouging the Tribune. Only $212.9 million of that is for actual legal work. The other $17.8 million is for expenses. Oh, and by the way, for that money, they still have no resolution.

Gee, I wonder why?

Cubs 365, January 31

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1931, Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks was born. 22 years later he became the first African American player to play for the Chicago Cubs.

The way he became a Cub is almost a fluke. At the end of the 1953 season, Gene Baker was called up to be the first African-American Cubs player. Ernie was signed shortly thereafter from the Kansas City Monarchs. They signed Ernie strictly because they needed another black player to room with Baker. If they didn’t have Baker, they wouldn't have signed Banks. They honestly had no idea what they were getting in Banks, either. One of the Cubs coaches, Ray Blades, gave Ernie a book called "How to play baseball" even though he had hit .380 for the Monarchs.

Banks only got in the lineup first because Baker was hurt (he got into a game three days later). At the time, inserting Banks into the lineup was a very controversial move, because shortstop was considered a "thinking man's" position, and Banks was the first African-American in Major League history to play shortstop on a regular basis.

Needless to say, it worked out just fine.

Waveland Bowl

Ever since "The Living Wills" was released in December, we've been hearing from Chicagoans who love all the Chicagoland locations in the book. One of the main locations is an actual bowling alley on Western Avenue in Chicago. It's called "Waveland Bowl".

Well, no one was more excited to have a novel taking place at Waveland Bowl than the owner of the establishment. He has given us free bowling coupons to give out with every new purchase of the hard copy (not e-book) version of "The Living Wills".

Thanks so much Waveland Bowl! And, of course, get your hard copy of "The Living Wills" exclusively at eckhartzpress.com

A Fine Mess

The good people at SHORE Magazine have given me my own column. Beginning with this current issue of SHORE, there will be a Rick Kaempfer column in every issue. They asked me to come up with a name for the column that describes my "everyman" attempts at slogging through life.

It will be called "A Fine Mess".

There are no restrictions to what I can write about, although it won't be about the kids (I already have a column for that). I'm generally going to tie in to the theme of each issue. This first issue's theme is food.

Here is the debut column of "A Fine Mess"

Cubs 365, January 30

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1904, Andy Frain was born. Frain's first job was in the stockyards, but he quickly discovered that he had the skill of keeping peace. He approached the owner of the Blackhawks first, and after he did a good job for them, he pitched his services to William Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs.

The year was 1928, and Wrigley Field was known as a place that ushers would take bribes to allow people into the good seats. Frain offered to give back Mr. Wrigley's money if he wasn't completely satisfied with his performance as an usher. Wrigley was so impressed he hired Frain to run the entire show, and gave him $5000 for uniforms.

Those uniforms became his company's trademark.

In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the Notre Dame blue and gold Andy Frain uniforms were on hand at every major sporting event in Chicago, including football, baseball, and hockey games. They also kept the peace at political conventions, the Kentucky Derby, and more.

Here are a few tips for keeping the peace, directly from the mouth of Andy Frain...

*"Never trust a man with a mustache or a man who carries an umbrella"

*"No muscle is gonna clip me. I never had a nickel. Finally after a lot of hard work I made something of myself. They're gonna take that away from me?"

*"Ninety percent of the public wants somethin' for nothin'. When you run a big sports event, every one of those seats is there to be cracked. They throw every gimmick in the book at you."

*"The only color I'm interested in is the color of the customer's ticket."

*"There's nothing like a six-footer in uniform to control a panicky crowd. Besides that, a tough guy isn't so likely to give you an argument if you're lookin' down on him. That's psychology."

*"Never let a standee sit down. Once they sit down, you can't get 'em up."

Andy died in 1964. His sons carried on the company until 1982 when they sold it to a group of investors from Cleveland. The people that bought it went belly up a few years later and the Frain brothers repurchased the company once again. They finally sold it off for good in 1991.

Will the Nook save Barnes & Noble?

That's the question the New York Times is asking.

I have another question: If you have a Nook, have you checked out this page?

Rupert's in Even Deeper Doo Doo

You may have missed this story over the weekend, but it's getting even deeper for Rupert Murdoch in England. Five more people were arrested in the police bribery investigation, including a police officer and four journalists from Rupert's tabloids.

Yesterday police searched the offices of Rupert's headquarters in the UK, and the homes of all those arrested. (The New York Times has the details)

This story is not going away, even if he settles with the aggrieved parties of the phone hacking (which he has been doing quietly). This scandal goes much deeper than that.

Jean Shepherd, part 2

Last week I wrote a post about a tribute to Jean Sheppard, the late writer/narrator of the movie "A Christmas Story", and I got this e-mail from another Jean Shepherd fan, "KR"...

Rick, here are some links to Jean Shepherd CD's & DVD's: flicklives.com and sheptapes.com. I have 6 VHS tapes that I got from this guy about twenty years ago. "The Great American Fourth of July and other Disasters" and "The Phantom of the Open Hearth" are really funny. Matt Dillon is Ralph in The Fourth of July. It was made in 1982 and was on PBS. It's a great website about Jean Shepherd."

There you go, Jean Shepherd fans.

Facebook IPO

A Facebook IPO is supposedly on the docket for this week. The company is currently being valued at $100 billion. You read that right, $100 billion. A hundred thousand millions.

You buyin' it?

Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing has been posted. It's called "The Joy of Defeating Dad".

You can read it here.

Cubs 365, January 29

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1915 one of the best pitchers of the Cubs dynasty, Big Ed Reulbach, hung up his MLB spikes so he could sign with the new upstart Federal League. After starring in the Federal League, he came back to the National League with the Boston Braves (1916 and 1917), but wasn't nearly the pitcher he once was.

During his years with the Cubs, Ed was a superstar. It seemed that Ed always saved his best performances for the most crucial games. He pitched a one-hitter in the 1906 World Series against the White Sox (one of only 5 one-hitters in World Series history). In 1907 he won another World Series game for the Cubs. In 1908 he did something truly remarkable; he pitched two shutouts in one day! Those late September games against Brooklyn were crucial to the Cubs pennant hopes. He was rewarded for his heroic performance by being given the ball for Game 1 of the 1908 World Series, which he also won.

His final World Series appearance for the Cubs came in Game 3 of the series against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1910. Big Ed's luck run out that day, as the A's beat the Cubs 12-5 at West Side Grounds.

Ed was the last surviving member of the last World Series Champion Cubs team when he passed away at age 79 in 1961.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Brendan Sullivan

This week's Chicago Radio Spotlight interview is with former Brandmeier producer/writer Brendan Sullivan. You can read it here.

Coming next week: Captain Whammo!

Cubs 365, January 28

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1967, the Chicago Cubs had the first pick in the amateur draft. Most of the teams in the league agreed the top two picks were outfielder Ken Singleton and catcher Carlton Fisk. The Cubs disagreed with most teams.

They chose a pitcher instead; an 18-year-old high schooler from California. His name was Al Distaso. The Cubs considered him the second coming of Don Drysdale. He didn't have Drysdale's size or fastball, but he did resemble him physically. And at first, he showed some promise. In his first two minor league seasons he struck out 225 in just over 300 innings.

But he also hurt his elbow, and by the time spring training rolled around in 1969, he wasn't the same pitcher. Leo Durocher took a chance he could rediscover the magic, and named him the 10th man on the pitching staff going into the season. Al debuted on April 20th against the Expos and pitched two scoreless innings.

He came in again on April 22nd, but this time he wasn't facing the Expos. He was facing the fearsome Pittsburgh Pirates. Richie Hebner, Matty Alou, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Stargell all got hits against Al in what turned out to be his final major league appearance.

He was sent down to the minors after that and never returned.

But Al found a higher calling after leaving baseball for good in 1970. He became a police officer; a decorated homicide detective in the roughest neighborhood of Los Angeles. Al retired from the force in 1994, and as a gift for the other guys in his unit, he presented all of them with a copy of his 1969 Cubs Rookie card.

Al Distaso passed away in 2009.

RIP Epstein

I'll admit that I had a moment of panic this morning when I heard on the radio that Epstein died unexpectedly. I thought they were referring to Theo.

Nope. It was Robert Hegyes, who played Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter.

Here's the final "Welcome Back Kotter" reunion...

Rupert History

This is an excellent piece about Rupert Murdoch from "The Age" in Australia. The title of the article is "How an unpretentious charmer became fixated on a conspiracy of liberals"

It's a great summary of how Rupert became who he is today, and what that means to the world's media landscape.

Highly recommended.

Cubs 365, January 27

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1982, the Cubs acquired veteran shortstop Larry Bowa from the Philadelphia Phillies for Ivan DeJesus. The Phillies also threw in a minor league infielder to sweeten the deal. (Photo)

His name escapes me at the moment. I need to check how his career turned out.

Jean Sheppard

The only thing I knew about Jean Sheppard is that he was the writer and narrator of one of my all-time favorite movies "A Christmas Story".

I didn't know he was from Indiana, or that he was a major radio star in New York, or that he inspired the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Olbermann. I also didn't know that he died in 1999.

I only know it now because I read this story in the NWI Times about him, and the tribute that was done for him in New York.

Sounds like he led a fascinating life.

The Ronnie Wood Show

A new syndicated radio show is coming to America, and this time it's coming from across the pond. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has got his own radio show. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

"Premiere imports The Ronnie Wood Show to North America. Already an award-winning series over in the U.K., this new-to-us offering stars the famed musician, known for his time with The Birds, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces and The Rolling Stones, as he plays some cool tracks, has some musical friends stop by and shares some stories from his career -- and given his history, those tales definitely should be entertaining. Plus, he might just break out his guitar and strum a few chords while on the air! "I'm so excited to have my own radio show in America," Wood said in a cool English accent. "I love going down the archives every week playing some of my favorite music of all time while reminiscing and taking a trip down memory lane. It's more than a music show, it's an education, so sit back and enjoy the ride!"

Ronnie Wood was a guest on the Loop way back when I worked there, and I remember one thing about that interview. I couldn't understand a word he was saying.

The American Breed

I already mentioned (a few items below this) that today is the 45th anniversary of that 1967 blizzard in Chicago. What I didn't realize, until I read Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, was that the blizzard is responsible for something else...

January 26, 1967…The American Breed was signed by ACTA Records after the label president saw them perform while he was stuck in Chicago during a blizzard.

Remember the American Breed? They had one hit, but it was a big one. Check out the drummer in this video. I've seen bad lip-synching before, but never such atrocious fake drumming. He's not even coming close to the drum kit.

Why not Chicago?

Reader "BP", a HUGE Springsteen fan, answers my question about why Bruce Springsteen is not coming to Chicago on his upcoming tour...


"Funny you mention the bypassing of Chicago on the first leg of Bruce’s latest US Tour. There has been this “Bruce hates Chicago” conspiracy theory floating around for a few years now.

I can say, as a veteran of at least a dozen Chicago Springsteen shows dating back to 1981, that this is nonsense. I’ve seen Bruce in Chicago, Wisconsin, and Indiana as well as New Jersey, Boston, New York, Rhode Island and North Carolina. The Chicago shows have been every bit as good as the others. That said, Springsteen’s popularity has waned in the Midwest and South over the last two decades (one of the reasons I have made trips to Boss hotbeds like Jersey and, believe it or not, North Carolina to see him with the rabid fans). In Europe, however, Bruce is more popular than ever. For proof, check out the Hyde Park DVD or better yet, Live in Dublin, where the crowd sings along to songs with the passion of an 80s Springsteen stadium concert.

By the way, it looks like the reason Chicago is not on the first leg is because Springsteen is saving Chicago for a Wrigley Field show in September. If Springsteen does play Wrigley in the fall, it will be the most important event at the Friendly Confines in September since 1984.

Here is the story in the Sun Times. Can someone ask the good folks at the Sun Times to update their stock photos of Springsteen?"

Ooh. Springsteen at Wrigley. Now that sounds like a good idea to me.

Newt's Truth

Remember when Newt Gingrich went off on the media for daring to ask him about the "open marriage" claim of his second ex-wife?

In his moment of sanctimony he even suggested that this was a hit job on ABC's part because he had offered witnesses to rebut the ex-wife's testimony, but ABC wanted no part in telling his side of the story.

Well, it turns out he didn't offer witnesses at all. His campaign quietly admitted that yesterday.

Whoops. Easy mistake. Anyone could have made it during a moment of completely fake anger.

Bruce on Tour Again

Bruce Springsteen has a new album coming out on March 6, and is going on tour with the E-street Band shortly thereafter (without Clarence Clemons for the first time).

Unfortunately, the first leg of the tour does not include Chicago. The closest he's coming to Chicago is Detroit. Full details are here. Hopefully after he returns from Europe, he'll make another tour of the U.S. that will include a date in this little inconsequential city in the middle of our country.

The Blizzard of 1967

It happened 45 years ago today, and it's still the most legendary blizzard in Chicago history because it took us all by surprise.

The full story is here.

RIP Dick Tufeld

You probably don't recognize his name, but you do recognize his most famous phrase: "Danger Will Robinson". Dick was the voice of the Lost in Space robot.

His obituary is in the LA Times this morning.

Cubs 365, January 26

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On this day in 1932, Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. passed away. It was a great loss for the Cubs, not only because Wrigley was a savvy businessman. He was also the last owner before Tom Ricketts that LOVED baseball. This is William Wrigley in his own words, in Time Magazine in 1930...

"Outside of school hours, when I was a boy in Philadelphia, I worked for my father. This seemed to me a cruel conspiracy of the fates. He was a kind man, but he belonged to a generation which was work-minded. Baseball was nothing to him. My work took me directly past the ball park of the Nationals (the Phillies). That was the trouble! I hadn’t a chance in the world to get away to the ball game on any of the familiar alibis. The near relatives of my boy friends were buried regularly on ball game days. No use to tell my employer of the imaginary funeral in my family, for he was my father and had the death statistics of the family down to the minute. No other excuses worked. Whenever I came to the ball park and heard the wild cheering within, I was in a state of rebellion. One day when the cheering was particularly wild in the park, I resolved that one day I would own a ball team and a ball park. My interest in the game has never relaxed for one instant from that moment to this.”

On his deathbed, William Wrigley made his son Phillip promise never to sell the team. Even though Phillip didn't much care about baseball, he honored his father's wish, and held on to the Cubs until his own death in 1977.

Under the son, the Cubs atrophied and became the worst team in baseball, but they still played, and continue to play in the stadium that is named after his father; baseball lover William Wrigley.