Old Friends

Reconnected with a couple of old pals last night in Arlington Heights. It was good seeing Bill Klaproth and Matt Bisbee. Bill was the PD of the Loop when I worked there 15 years ago, and Biz was the production guy when I worked there 30 years ago. It was fun swapping old radio stories.

Wish I would have known this when I visited Amsterdam

This week marks the 50th anniversary of John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s “Bed-In for World Peace”. Five decades later, the J-160E “John Lennon Peace Model” is still shining in the John & Yoko suite in Amsterdam. #gibson #theoriginal #onlyagibsonisgoodenough pic.twitter.com/VThs3TfI9s

— Gibson (@gibsonguitar) March 27, 2019

JRL

Happy birthday to my old pal/boss/co-author the Radio and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Landecker

(Almost) Everyone Loves Minutia Men!

We got our first meh review this week. Not bad after three years. That's to be expected as we crawl up the charts. (We're in the top 250 in the country now--out of over 50,000 poducasts).


Great show, but not a HISTORY show
in iTunes by Historybuffguy from USA on March 27, 2019
I found this podcast becasue it was a top #1p History show. The only problem is that it has nothing to do with history. That being said, this is a wonderful show. Extremely funny and the hosts are great. The have great guests too. I never listen to these kind of shows, but I've subscribed. I've listen to a dozen or so episodes.


OK
in iTunes by BillyBBoyee from USA on March 27, 2019
If you like podcasts that are like morning radio shows, this is a five-star show. These guys are great mainstream hosts. If you want and edgy Howard Stern like show, these guys are not for you. They get a little out there, but won't satisfy listerners who like edgy. Voices are great, their funny, but not for me.


Great Fun, Great Guests
in iTunes by Rtstramer from USA on March 27, 2019
Rick and Dave are really great. I love their banter and offbeat humor. Their guests or fantastic. It's clear why I found this podcast on the top charts. The Mark Cuban interview was wonderful.


R&D
in iTunes by carmapodcast from UK on March 20, 2019
Rick & Dave are great. Engaging and entertaining I am really enjoying this!


Highly recommend - TFRP
in iTunes by Aaloper from USA on March 19, 2019
Hosts are engaging and intelligent. Truly enjoyed the interviews with guests as well as the humor interspersed throughout. Can’t wait to listen to more!


Why get your news anywhere else?
in iTunes by Andrew Procter from Canada on March 11, 2019
If you're looking to catch up on current events with a little injected humour, you can't do better than this. Great show.

We're off this week, by the way. We will be returning next week.

Tarzan

My book "everycubever" comes out in April and features a mini-bio of literally every player who ever played for the Cubs, including today's birthday boy--one of three Cubs who went by the nickname Tarzan...

~Walter Stephenson 1911–1993 (Cubs 1935-1936)
Stephenson was from a small North Carolina mountain town, and he only played in twenty two games for the Cubs in 1935 and 1936. Nicknamed Tarzan for his impressive physique (He was about 6’, 180 pounds), he didn’t get to play much because he was a backup catcher to Cubs ironman catcher Gabby Hartnett. Tarzan was a memorable character though, known for his toughness and temper. In 1935, he and Billy Jurges got into a fist-fight in the dugout at Forbes Field because Jurges made a crack about the south losing the Civil War (Jurges was from Brooklyn). Tarzan Stephenson later played ten more games for the Philadelphia Phillies before drifting off into the minors.

Anniversary

On this day in 2013 we released our best selling book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name". John Landecker celebrated the release date on WGN TV & Eckhartz Press has never looked back. Thank you to #JohnLandecker, #WGN-TV, and all of you who purchased it. (It's still available, by the way)

Exciting news!

Getting ready for Opening day...

EXCLUSIVE: Wrigley Field beer menu gets a major boost for 2019, including more Half Acre, more Revolution and ... yes ... Three Floyds. (Including ... yes ... Zombie Dust.) https://t.co/3Rv29ddOhx pic.twitter.com/z7xfYw0GFd

— Josh Noel (@hopnotes) March 27, 2019

The Twilight Zone

Another reboot of The Twilight Zone is in the works. They've already filmed a few episodes.

Guess who is in the first one?

None other than our good pal Amy Landecker.

Turow on Barr

In Vanity Fair, author/lawyer Scott Turow exposes the gigantic hole in William Barr's declaration that there was no obstruction...

In most cases, if the target didn’t commit an underlying offense, he would have no reason to hinder the investigation. But that is not true in Trump’s case. Throughout his election campaign and long after, Trump denied that Russia was responsible for the massive interference in our election that Mueller has now concluded occurred. Trump made these denials “despite,” to quote Barr, “multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.” Aside from any crimes Trump or his campaign committed by being in cahoots with the Russians, there are other clear gains to Trump in hindering the investigation. The most obvious is that the Russian interference, which both Barr and Mueller say the Trump campaign knew about, calls the legitimacy of the 2016 election into question.

With our focus on whether the president is going to jail, we have run past a point that is now undeniable: Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States after a sustained series of crimes by the Russian government aimed at boosting his chances of winning. Because of the political damage to the president that Russia’s criminal interference posed, he had an obvious reason to terminate the investigation. In other words, he had something to hide, and the Mueller inquiry seems to have concluded that there was plenty of evidence that he hid it.

To argue that no underlying crime means no obstruction is therefore nonsense. That is fallacious reasoning and it impugns Barr’s integrity and his reputation as a lawyer. Worse, it represents a troubling effort to paper over the acknowledged evidence that Mr. Trump committed a crime in public view.

I like this one via Bruce Elliot...

What more needs to be said. pic.twitter.com/Q2UvvqmhsM

— Bruce Elliott (@GeriatricGenius) March 26, 2019

Tommy Edwards update

From this morning's Robert Feder column...

It looks like we’ll have to wait longer than expected to read the memoirs of Chicago radio legend Tommy Edwards. Eckhartz Press announced in August that it signed Edwards to publish his autobiography this year. Now comes word that may not happen. “It has been a wonderful experience and I am very proud of what I’ve written,” Edwards said Monday. “This is a new experience for me and I want to make sure I do it right. It is taking more time that I imagined.” Edwards, long known as the late Larry Lujack’s “Animal Stories” partner Lil’ Tommy, retired from the former WJMK in 2014, capping a 54-year career as a major market star.

That is a 100% accurate story.

Jack McCarthy

My book "everycubever" comes out in April and features a mini-bio of every Cub who ever played. This is a name you might not know--but he did accomplish one feat not likely to be eclipsed...

~Jack McCarthy 1869–1948 (Orphans 1900, Cubs 1903-1905)
Jack was a starting outfielder for the Cubs for a few seasons, but he wasn’t considered anything special. He was part of the package that was offered to Brooklyn to acquire Jimmy Scheckard, who became one of the key members of the Cubs championship dynasty. Since 1900, no player has more at bats without hitting a home run than Jack. McCarthy went 2736 at bats without one after hitting his last homer in 1899.

He was born 150 years ago today.

Breathtaking

Barry Butler strikes again...

Northern Lights in Illinois. Photo by @barrybutler9 pic.twitter.com/Y1WmSvpftH

— Julio Maiz (@maiz_julio) March 25, 2019

Dutch

My book "everycubever" comes out in April and will feature a mini-bio of every Cub who ever played, including today's birthday boy...the 40-year-old All Star...

~Dutch Leonard 1909–1983 (Cubs 1949-1953)
Dutch was one of the oldest players to ever suit up for the Cubs, and the oldest player in all of baseball during his time with the Cubs. Dutch was already 40 when the Cubs acquired the four-time All-Star (with the Senators during the war years) in 1949. They switched the knuckleballer to the bullpen, and in 1951, Dutch Leonard made the All-Star team a fifth time, at the tender age of 42. Dutch Leonard’s impressive 20-year big league career ended in 1953. He was 44 years old at the time. After his retirement, Dutch became the Cubs pitching coach for three seasons. (Photo: Bowman 1951 Baseball Card)

Mueller Probe Over, but...

This question remains unanswered. I have yet to hear a plausible explanation...

One question:
What the Mueller probe established, according to the AG, is that the Russians hacked the DNC and engaged in an aggressive, covert campaign to influence our election.
So why did @realDonaldTrump stand next to Putin in Helsinki and meekly accept his denials?

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 24, 2019

Barbra Steps In It

Babra Streisand has said some pretty controversial things in her lifetime, but this past week she really stepped in it. While discussing the Neverland special on HBO, she defended Michael Jackson, and said that Michael's sexual abuse "didn't kill" his victims.

Yowza.

She's in full apology mode now.