Billy Joel & Elton John

They played last night at Wrigley Field. I missed it.

Here's the review of Billy & Elton in today's Tribune. Sounds like it was a great show. I'd love to hear from someone that attended.

Lou Piniella meets the President

Here's the full story. I saw him interviewed about it during the Cubs pre-game last night. It sounds like Lou was genuinely blown away by the experience.

Lou Boudreau

The Good Kid was born on this date in 1917.

Despite the fact that he was a Chicago boy, and he broadcast the Cubs games for many years, he never actually played for the Cubs.

He did manage them for a season, however. That's a pretty weird story.

A no-handed backflip over the Thames

This is crazy.

Apollo 11 launches

It happened on this day in 1969, exactly 40 years ago today.

Unless of course you're one of those loons who believes the whole thing was staged.

This is some pretty impressive staging. Here's the video.

Keep it, kid.

On this date in 1916, the Chicago Cubs became the first team to allow their fans to keep the balls hit into the stands.

Imagine if that rule had never been instituted. Would it have made a difference on a certain date in 2003?

I love Chicago

I went downtown with the boys on Wednesday. We went to the Art Institute and then hung out in Millennium Park. I know this isn't exactly profound, but every time I come downtown I'm still blown away by the beauty of this city.

This is just one of the many pictures I took yesterday. It's the only one that doesn't have a boy making rabbit ears over another boy's head.

Bubbles

Ernest Hargrave was born on this day in 1892. His teammates called him "Bubbles," and he was a catcher for the Cubs about a hundred years ago.

Read why they called him Bubbles here.

Two more of our Arlington Park videos

Both of these videos star Quinn Ella (otherwise known as my buddy Dave).

Easy Rider

It was released 40 years ago today.

I was fortunate enough to meet the director and co-star of that movie, Dennis Hopper. He's a very interesting guy. (Read all about that meeting here.)

Enjoy a clip of the movie too. This is obviously pre-booze tax.

All Star Cubs

I was just curious about which Cubs have appeared in the all-star game over the years, so I did some research. Keep in mind that the All-Star game began in 1933, so the many Cubs greats from the first 66 years of the franchise are not included here. The photos represent the most recognized Cub at each position.


Catchers:
Gabby Hartnett (1933, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
Clyde McCullough (1948, 53)
Randy Hundley (1969)
Steve Swisher (1976)
Jody Davis (1984, 86)
Geovany Soto (2008)







First Basemen:
Ripper Collins (1937)
Phil Cavaretta (1944, 45, 46, 47)
Eddie Waitkus (1948)
Ernie Banks (1962, 65, 67, 69)
Bill Buckner (1981)
Mark Grace (1993, 95, 97)
Derek Lee (2005, 07)





Second Basemen:
Billy Herman (1934, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
Don Zimmer (1961)
Glenn Beckert (1969, 70, 71, 72)
Manny Trillo (1977)
Ryne Sandberg (1984, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)







Shortstops:
Billy Jurges (1937)
Ernie Banks (1955, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
Don Kessinger (1968, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74)
Shawon Dunston (1988, 90)






Third Basemen:
Woody English (1933)
Stan Hack (1938, 39, 41, 43)
Andy Pafko (1948)
Randy Jackson (1954, 55)
Ron Santo (1963, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73)
Bill Madlock (1975)
Vance Law (1988)
Aramis Ramirez (2005, 08)




Outfielders: Kiki Cuyler (1934), Chuck Klein (1934), Augie Galan (1935), Frank Demaree (1936, 37), Bill Nicholson (1940, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945), Andy Pafko (1945, 47, 49, 50), Hank Sauer (1950, 52), Moose Moryn (1958), George Altman (1961, 62), Billy Williams (1962, 64, 65, 68, 72, 73), Jim Hickman (1970), Jerry Morales (1977), Dave Kingman (1979, 80), Leon Durham (1982, 83), Andre Dawson (1987, 88, 89, 90, 91), Rafael Palmeiro (1988), George Bell (1991), Sammy Sosa (1995, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 04), Moises Alou (2004), Alfonso Soriano (2007, 08), Kosuke Fukudome (2008)

Pitchers: Lon Warneke (1933, 34, 36), Curt Davis (1936), Larry French (1940), Claude Passeau (1941, 42, 43, 45, 46), Johnny Schmitz (1946, 48), Bob Rush (1950, 52), Dutch Leonard (1951), Don Elston (1959), Larry Jackson (1963), Dick Ellsworth (1964), Fergie Jenkins (1967, 71, 72), Rick Reuschel (1977), Bruce Sutter (1977, 78, 79, 80), Lee Smith (1983, 87), Rick Suttcliffe (1987, 89), Greg Maddux (1988, 92), Mitch Williams (1989), Randy Myers (1994, 95), Steve Trachsel (1996), Jon Lieber (2001), Mark Prior (2003), Kerry Wood (2003, 08), Carlos Zambrano (2004, 06, 08), Ryan Dempster (2008), Carlos Marmol (2008), Ted Lilly (2009)

Ironic PSA

James Dean on safe driving...

Ricketts gets approval

The Trib and Tom Ricketts (photo) have finally come to an agreement about the Cubs. Now they just need to wait for approval from the bankruptcy court and the other MLB owners.

Dave Kaplan tells the story here on his blog.

Investment Banker Jokes

Thanks to "HJ" for sending these to me...



Q: You used to work for Lehman Brothers? How do you make a living now?
A: I sell furniture. My own.

Banker: Take me to the bankruptcy court.
Cabbie: Here we are. $20 please.
Banker: Well, I guess you better come in too.

Q: What do you say to a banker with a steady job?
A: Two Big Macs and one large fries.

Q: What’s the definition of optimism?
A: An investment banker who irons five shirts on a Sunday evening.

An investment banker said he was going to concentrate on the big issues from now on. He sold me one in the street yesterday.

A man went to his bank manager and said: ‘I’d like to start a small business. How do I go about it?’ ‘Simple,’ said the bank manager. ‘Buy a big one and wait.’

The credit crunch is getting bad, isn’t it? I mean, I let my brother borrow a tenner a couple of weeks back, it turns out I’m now Britain’s fourth biggest lender.

Q: What is the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon?
A: A pigeon can still make a deposit on a BMW.

Q: What is the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza?
A: The pizza can still feed a family of four.

Q: What does a hedge fund manager with no fund to manage say?
A: Would you like fries with that sir?

Q: What is the capital of Iceland?
A: About $3.50

I tried to get cash from the ATM today but it said “insufficient funds.” I don’t know if that meant them or me.

Mark Twain was ahead of the curve: “October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February.”

Doctor: Bad news, you have only three weeks to live.
Sales Broker: On what?

Q: Have you ever been arrested?
Structurer: No.
Q: Why?
Structurer: Never got caught.

CEO - Chief Embezzlement Officer

CFO - Corporate Fraud Officer

BULL MARKET - Statements made by banks to get you to buy their stocks

BEAR MARKET - A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex

VALUE INVESTING - The art of buying low and selling lower

P/E RATIO - The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market plunges

BROKER — What your broker has made you

STANDARD & POOR — Your life in a nutshell

STOCK ANALYST – The shrink who’s treating your depressed financial advisor

STOCK SPLIT — When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally

FINANCIAL PLANNER — A guy whose phone has been disconnected

MARKET CORRECTION — The day after you buy stocks

CASH FLOW– The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet

PROFIT — An archaic word no longer in use.

Footsie

His real name was Clarence Blair, and he was born on this date in 1900.

See why all of his teammates called him Footsie.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted another Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. It's a tribute to my dad called "Why do I write?"

You can read it here.