Friday, July 23, 2010

Thursday, July 22, 2010

John Dillinger

On this day in 1934, the law finally caught up with John Dillinger outside the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. It was a blistering hot July day.

Most people remember Dillinger as Public Enemy #1.

I also remember him as a Cubs fan.

Marla Collins



On this day in 1986 the Cubs did the unimaginable...

They fired ballgirl Marla Collins.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Come Together

On this day in 1969, the Beatles woke up early, went to Abbey Road studios and recorded "Come Together." They never performed it live, but John Lennon did...

Bye bye Lou

The news broke yesterday that Lou Piniella will retire at the end of the season.

This obviously isn't much of a surprise, but it does officially render my video obsolete at the end of this season. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

The Cubs make another change

This was a popular week for big changes in Cubs history.

On this day in 1951, the Cubs fired Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch and replaced him with the Mr. Cub of the first half of the 20th century--Phil Cavarretta.

Needless to say, it didn't end well for Phil either.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Joke for a Tuesday morning


 This one made me laugh. Thanks to "DS" for sending it to me...




I met a fairy today who granted me one wish.

"I want to live forever " I said.

"Sorry" said the fairy, "I'm not allowed to grant wishes like that!"

"Fine" I said, "I want to die when the Cubs win the World Series!"

"You crafty bastard," said the fairy.

The Cubs make a change


On this day in 1938, the Cubs sent their manager Charlie Grimm to the broadcast booth, and named their catcher Gabby Hartnett manager.

A camera crew was on hand to record the strange day.

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Rick Kaempfer interview

I was interviewed by Margaret Larkin for her podcast a few weeks ago, and she posted it last night.

You can hear the interview here.

Mark Koenig

How did this Cubs shortstop incite Babe Ruth?

It's not what he did. It's what his Cubs teammates did to him.

It was one of the biggest story lines of the 1932 World Series.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column. This one is called "A little appreciation" and it's about the reception I got from my family when I returned from my African vacation. It was a shocker.

You can read it here.