Happy Birthday Joel!

Today's Best Tweets

Some of the tweets I found this morning, puttering around on Twitter...




Jeff Greenfield ‏@greenfield64 5m
My next book: a collection from various Comments Sections, entitled: 'The Triumph of the Id."

MLB ‏@MLB 9m
Let's do this: @MLB.com staffers are ready for the #IceBucketChallenge.

steve rosenbloom ‏@steverosenbloom 13m
Just throwing, um, stuff against the wall, such as D-Rose's bad knees and worse cover stories.The RosenBlog: http://trib.in/1pNyrrB

Tim Mak ‏@timkmak 24m
Sen. Rand Paul considering a bill that would create church/state boundary in weapons from military to law enforcement http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/21/swat-lobby-takes-a-shot-at-congress.html …

Sports Illustrated ‏@SInow 26m
Pete Rose wants incoming @MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to give him a second chance: http://on.si.com/1s3J3AT

Potash ‏@LarryPotash 25m
Did Hackman grab Rooker's balls in Miss.Burning? He just told me: absolutely. #mustwatch @WGNMorningNews

ChicagoCubsOnline ‏@TheCCO 27m
#Cubs : The Daily CCO: Cubs Might Move Edwin Jackson to the Bullpen and Other News http://bit.ly/1sX7uEm #MLB

ABC News ‏@ABC 39m
JUST IN: DOJ has announced a $16.65 billion settlement with Bank of America over mortgage probe http://abcn.ws/1ttPZZ5

Howard Fineman ‏@howardfineman 56m
The War Of Glenn Beck's Worlds - http://huff.to/1AAENxZ . My #HuffPost # ThirdMetric invu in w Glenn Beck. Says he's had a "change of heart."

Gammons Daily ‏@GammonsDaily 31m
'Kyle Hendricks' Sinker is the Real Deal' by @alecdopp http://wp.me/p3BWRG-5Ne #Cubs #MLB

Ice Bucket Challenge

It seems that everyone in the country is doing it, and I did it too. If you want to see the video, it's on my facebook page. I can't figure out how to embed it here. (Tech-moron alert!) I knew we had gotten to the point where everyone was doing it when I walked outside my house and saw three of the church elders from the church across the street do it yesterday. If you're wondering how it started, check out this piece in the Huffington Post. It identifies the guy.

Then this morning, I got this photo in my e-mail box from about seven or eight people. I had to post it. I make no political statement by posting this, other than to say I found it very funny...

Robert Deniro

When I heard about Katie Couric going to Yahoo!, I was a bit confused about how this was going to work. This is the first thing I've seen. Deniro is a famously difficult interview, and she did a very good job.

School's Back In Session

Last year I rewrote the Alice Cooper song "School's Out" for the much more exciting day "School's Back". With apologies to Alice Cooper...

Well we’ll have no noise,
No more screaming boys,
No toys left to destroy,
No siblings to annoy,
Well, we can’t help smiling,
Watching you pout,
Don’t let the door hit ya,
On the way out.
School’s Back in Session
School’s Back For Autumn
School, They’re All Yours Now
No more “I’m bored”,
No “When’s Lunches?”
No more Wii games leading to punches,
While they’re sitting in class,
And hoping that they pass,
Our stereo’s at full blast,
Where’s my cocktail glass?
School’s Back in Session
School’s Back Completely,
School, They’re All Yours Now

I'm currently editing the "Father Knows Nothing" book which comes out for Christmas this year. Not sure whether or not this will make the final cut.

Oh Happy Day!

Two of the boys are back in school right now. I can't get this song out of my head today...

RIP Don Pardo

This is a bummer. Don Pardo, the long-time voice of Saturday Night Live (and many other shows), has passed away.

He was 96 years old.

Here he is with Frank Zappa...

Nice Press for Eckhartz Press

It's been a good couple of days for our two newest authors. Last night, Bruce Bohrer ("Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher") was on Pete McMurray's show on WGN Radio. Here are a few "action" shots...



Chicagoland Radio & Media also did a big write up about our upcoming book "Back in the Game" by Rich King. You can read the entire article here, but a short excerpt is below...

In 2007, King released his first book, "My Maggie." The heart-wrenching true tale was about King's incredible love story with his wife, Maggie. It covers Maggie's life from being diagnosed with hearing loss as a child, to her meeting and falling in love with King when they were both young, their 1970 marriage, to her progressive blindness, to her three battles with cancer, to her death in 2002.

The self-published "My Maggie" was released as a hardcover book, and later as an audio CD, to rave reviews. Proceeds from the sale of the book went to the American Cancer Society and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind.

The late John Callaway of WTTW-TV said of the "My Maggie" book: "Rich King has written one of the most powerful stories of life, love, and loss you will ever read. His lovely, courageous Maggie will be forever etched in your heart and mind."

For many years after the loss of his wife and soul mate, Maggie, Rich King found himself feeling lost and depressed. With the help of friends and loved ones, King was eventually able to pull himself up and start dating again, connecting with a woman named April, who would later become his second wife.

Rich King's new book, "Back In The Game," is the follow-up story to "My Maggie." It covers the period of his life after Maggie's passing and his courtship with April. King also interweaves stories from his broadcasting career into the book. Just as with "My Maggie," the new "Back In The Game" is an inspirational true story about the power of love.

Helping King with the writing and editing of the new book was Lindsay Eanet, whose last name should be familiar to Chicago sports news fans. Lindsay Eanet is the daughter of WGN-AM Sports Director/sports anchor and Northwestern Wildcats play-by-play announcer Dave Eanet. She is a 2010 Journalism graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia, who has been professionally writing and editing for the last few years.

"Back In The Game" will be released in mid-September as a trade paperback. It is being published by Chicago's Eckhartz Press, the local boutique publisher that also recently released autobiographies of famed Chicago DJ John Records Landecker, Chicago TV news cameraman Chuck Quinzio, and beloved Chicago TV news anchorman Joel Daly. In fact, it was the exceptional publishing and marketing job done by the company on those three books that led Rich King to contacting Eckhartz Press co-owners Rick Kaempfer and David Stern about working together on this new book.

Pre-orders for Rich King's "Back In The Game" will begin on September 1st at this link HERE. The first printing of the book just rolled off the press in the last couple of days and will be ready for shipping in under a month from now to those who place a pre-order at the start of September.

Eckhartz Press is also working with King to create a new e-book version of "My Maggie."

And CBS Chicago did this nice piece about Bruce Bohrer's "Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Usher". Here's a short excerpt...

For nine years beginning in 2003, Bohrer saw good games and bad games, good fans and bad fans and his share of marriage proposals.

“I was amazed at the number of young men who would come up and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to ask my girlfriend to marry me today … could I come down here and do that and you take a picture?'” he said. “I did that numerous times. One couple was so happy with the way things came out they literally invited me to the wedding.”

He’s written about it all in a new book called “Best Seat In The House.”

So, how do you know if you’re usher material? Bohrer said it’s pretty simple: “If you’re a people person, and you happen to like the Cubs and you like being outdoors, absolutely.”

“Best Seat In The House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher” is available from Eckhartz Press.

Back in the Game

One of the greatest moments of being a publisher is the moment you hand the author the first copy of his book. This is Rich King holding a copy of his upcoming Eckhartz Press book "Back in the Game". It's the sequel to "My Maggie", which he released a few years ago. Congratulations Rich! The book will be available for pre-order beginning September 1st.

Why don't you allow comments, Rick?

I was listening to the Cubs game yesterday and was annoyed that every other commercial break was filled with a toxic political ad. The whole point of listening to the Cubs was to escape, to avoid the ickiness of the news, so I posted on facebook that it seemed like there was now officially nowhere to go where you aren't bombarded by political talk.

So what happened?

Political talk broke out on my facebook page.

(Sigh)

That's why I don't allow comments on this blog.

Casey Kasem's Body

The saga of Casey Kasem's body is a strange one indeed. It's been confirmed. He's going to Oslo, Norway. From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Daughter Kerri Kasem confirms to The Hollywood Reporter the speculation you heard last week – that Casey’s second wife Jean intends to bury him in Oslo, Norway. A private investigator working for Kerri confirms that a Norwegian government official has said “It is arranged. He is going to Oslo.” That is, Casey’s earthly remains are headed there, to the consternation of his three adult children and many friends in the radio industry. Kerry’s spokesman Danny Deraney says “we don’t know what [Jean’s] plans are…we just know that she wants to keep Casey away from [his] family and friends and by the looks of it, hiding from law enforcement.” Kerri’s pursuing her own theory of elder abuse by Jean. But Kerri’s P.I. on the case, Logan Clarke, says “I don’t think we need to exhume the body, [because] we have so much evidence – video, photos, witnesses - and the police have collected so much evidence.” Clarke says “if this is not elder abuse, there is no such thing.” He also vows that “if the police drop this case, I’ll take it on the 6 o’clock news.” Casey reportedly had very different ideas about where he was to be buried – like L.A.’s Forest Lawn Cemetery.

A new Craig Ferguson show?

I was a fan of his old Late Night show, but ever since he was passed over to replace Letterman, Ferguson has been going through the motions. He already announced he is leaving CBS...he's just finishing up his contract.

Now comes word (in Variety) that he is in talks to host a 7pm nightly talk show through the Tribune. That's an interesing development. Would a talk show work in that time slot? I don't see why not.

What is Rupert Going to Do?

Following Rupert Murdoch as closely as I do (it's a hobby), makes for some interesting reading. (Photo: Rupert Murdoch) The reporting on his alleged pursuits and plans can make you dizzy. For instance, this morning...

Rupert is sniffing around start ups in San Francisco. (The Telegraph)

OR

Rupert definitely NOT pursuing any more content companies after Time Warner rejection. (Associated Press)

OR

Rupert may take another shot at Time Warner (according to a hedge fund investor) (Reuters)

Is it possible that all three of them are correct?

Not likely. And those are three pretty reputable sources.

Gregory Out, Todd In

I wasn't a huge fan of David Gregory on Meet the Press, but doesn't it feel like he was shoved out the door in an unseemly manner? Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age.

Chuck Todd is going to be the new host.

And I thought the drinking was what would kill me...

Turns out it wasn't the binge drinking I did in college that was detrimental to my health (not that it was good for me). According to this article there was another staple of my college years that was even more damaging. Would you believe it was Ramen Noodles.

Woodstock

45 years ago today, the Woodstock Music festival was going on in upstate New York. I obviously wasn't there (I was 6), but I have watched the movie. To me, this is the highlight. Incredible performance by Joe Cocker...

The Culture Club

I did not see this coming. From today's RAMP Newsletter

Big news for the many fans of '80s icons Culture Club -- for the first time in over a decade, the band has reformed and will be going out on tour with the original line-up -- (l-r): Jon Moss (drums and percussion), Mikey Craig (bass guitar), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards) and Boy George (lead vocals). Culture Club was formed in 1981 and enjoyed massive success during the '80s, as radio stations pumped out their hits like "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," "Time (Clock of the Heart)," "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," "Karma Chameleon," "Miss Me Blind," and "Church of the Poison Mind."

I have my own Culture Club story. It goes back to 1985. Boy George was one of the most famous singers in the entire world, and his band The Culture Club had just released their third album. Unfortunately, their third album was a flop. The record was floundering, and the crowds were not coming out to see the concerts. I think the best way to describe how badly it was going for them was this--one day the program director of a radio station in Champaign-Urbana received a phone call offering up Boy George as an in-studio guest.

That program director was me.

I accepted the offer immediately, of course. I was also doing the afternoon show on WPGU at the time, and Boy George was far and away the biggest celebrity I ever had the opportunity to interview. I researched his controversial career diligently, and had a long list of questions ready.

He was scheduled to arrive at 4:00 p.m. Around 3:15 one of the WPGU staffers came into the air studio to tell me that a huge crowd was forming outside the radio station door. That was certainly a new phenomenon for us, and only made me more nervous. Around 3:45 the same WPGU staffer told me that a limo had pulled up to the door, seen the big crowd and left. By 4:30 it was pretty clear that Boy George had been spooked by the rabid fans, and had decided to cancel the interview without telling us.

I did what any professional broadcaster would have done at that moment. I asked my friend Dave to come into the studio and pretend like he was Boy George. We were having a great time goofing around. Dave talked in the worst British accent you’ve ever heard, jokingly referred to himself as “Oy George” (Dave is Jewish), and began describing his favorite sandwiches in ridiculous detail. Imagine our surprise when a newspaper photographer arrived at the studio about ten minutes later.

“I was listening on the radio and heard you had Boy George here,” he said.

“Did he sound like this?” I asked, pointing to Dave, who used that same horribly fake British accent in front of the photographer.

“Yeah,” the photographer said. “Where is he?”

RIP Lauren Bacall

She was 89 years old. This is my favorite scene from her movie career...

Heaping Abuse on the Survivors

This is just sick. What has Robin Williams' daughter seen/heard since her father's tragic death? Tweets of his photoshopped dead body. Snippy comments about the lack of photos of the two of them together. Rush Limbaugh's comments claiming Robin killed himself because he was a liberal.

Wow, just wow.

The Invention of Golf

Not suitable for work, but highly entertaining...

Jimmy de Castro

Robert Feder interviewed my old boss Jimmy de Castro. It's an entertaining interview. Jimmy is upbeat, as always. I worked for him at the Loop for several years in the late 80s, and that's just the way he's wired. He's one of the most memorable people I worked with in my career. On the other hand, last time I saw him and said hello, he had no memory of me at all. Not even a flicker of recognition, and I worked about ten feet away from him for about three years. Guess I'm not one of those memorable people. :)

The Continuing Saga of Casey Kasem's Dead Body

From Tom Taylor's NOW column this morning...

The Associated Press reports that after having Casey’s remains shipped (inexplicably) across the Canadian border to a funeral home in Montreal, his widow Jean Kasem may be preparing to send them across the Atlantic Ocean to Oslo, Norway. That’s what TMZ hears, about Jean’s possible plans. Casey was already far from his Los Angeles home when he died on June 15. Now the three adult children from his first marriage wonder if he’s being transported even further away – as daughter Kerri continues to explore the question of whether this is a case of elder abuse, when Casey was under the care of Jean Kasem. Kerri wonders if Jean is trying to avoid a legal investigation.

Chicago by Ryan Chiaverini

The co-host of Windy City Live on ABC-Channel 7 has released a song and video about Chicago...

Dead Poet Society

A really great movie. RIP Robin. This scene still gets me...

Joel Daly Reviewed & Interviewed by the Chicago Bar Association Record

The Chicago Bar Association Record has a great review and interview with Eckhartz Press author Joel Daly in their August issue. Below is the interview section of the article, written by Ruth Kaufman...

Former Channel 7 news anchor and reporter, attorney, pilot, singer and actor Joel Daly’s memoir, The Daly News: A Life on Television News, might never have been written if not for his granddaughter, Kate Scott Daly. After hearing his stories at family Sunday dinners, she told him she wanted to write his biography. So he assembled background information for her, including the Commentaries he wrote for WLS-TV. She recorded some of Daly’s tales, but then got too busy to complete the project. When painters came to his house, he had nowhere to sit. So he went to his office and decided he'd write the book, since he’d already done most of the preparation and background work.

“I didn't know if I could write a book or not, or if I had enough to say,” Daly said. “I knew I didn't want to start with, ‘I was born.’ I pride myself on being fairly good writer, which is why I enjoyed doing the Commentaries.” It only took him a couple of months to write.

Daly first self-published, then heard a story about Eckhartz Press, which had done WLS-FM and former WLS-AM DJ John Records Landecker’s memoir. He contacted Eckhartz because he wanted his book to reach a bigger audience.

But going with a publisher meant making a few changes. For example, just mentioning The Beatles wasn’t enough for his editor, who wanted to know more about them and also George Wallace, former governor of Alabama. “Everyone thought, ‘Oh, you met The Beatles,’ but it wasn’t a big deal to me at the time,” Daly says.

Since publication, he’s done a few book signings and interviews, including one on WGN radio with Bob Sirott and on Channel 7’s Windy City Live. He answered audience Qs at a signing at the Beverly Art Center.

“It just all happened,” Daly says of the major events in his life. “I was more of a reactionary, opportunities came up. I'm a lucky guy. I was always that way. In retrospect, I always wanted to keep learning. So when I became a pilot, I became a commercial pilot then a flight instructor. I wanted to be better, and the way to do that was to get more ratings.”

He continued, “The whole singing thing was a fluke. I was writing an article on country music for the Tribune, and went to a Sundowners concert. They said, ‘Hey, Joel Daly is here.’ I sang as a guest because of my yodeling.” He performed with them for years.

Going to law school had been on his mind for thirty years, even as an undergrad. But his decision to attend at age 50 was as spontaneous as described in the book. “I never sat down and said, ‘I want to do this.’ It just happened. If I hadn’t been taken off the 10:00 news, I wouldn’t have become a lawyer. That’s serendipity.” He “really enjoyed law school,” but said “some professors were dubious at first,” because he was still anchoring the 4:00 news.

Though The Daly News is jam-packed with Daly’s accomplishments, a couple were left out. He’s been doing radio shows at the Chicago Cultural Center with the SAG-AFTRA Senior Players for 20 years and also performs in dramatic readings of movies in “Films for the Ears.” His favorite role in the former was the Lone Ranger, and in the latter, Howard Beale from Network.

What’s next for this Renaissance man? His main role right now is taking care of his wife, but he’d like to do more acting.

Naturally this fabulous book is available one place...Eckhartz Press. Get your copy today.

McCartney to Close Candlestick

From today's RAMP Newsletter...

August 29, 1966 marks an historic date for Beatles fans worldwide -- it marked the band's final official concert, and the site was San Francisco's legendary Candlestick Park. With the Giants now playing at Pac Bell Park and the 49ers moving into their new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara this season, Candlestick is scheduled to be demolished. Therefore, it's only fitting that, nearly 50 years after that landmark Beatles concert, the final event ever to be held at the venerable venue is Sir Paul McCartney's "Farewell To Candlestick" concert this Thursday, August 14.

Soccer Talk

NBC is going the extra mile to support it's coverage of the Premiere League this season. From Variety...

NBCSN said it had lured Embassy Row President Michael Davies and writer Roger Bennett to its fold to produce soccer program “Men In Blazers” for TV and digital outlets in an attempt to burnish the network’s investment in English Premier League soccer. The two had previously been contributing soccer commentary to ESPN during recent World Cup coverage and contributing a soccer-related podcast to the Walt Disney unit’s Grantland outlet. “Men In Blazers” will air on NBCSN and stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app weekly on Mondays beginning in the first month of the Premier League season. The show will follow NBC Sports Group’s weekend Premier League coverage. Bennett will also serve as a special contributor on television, providing on-site features from the U.K. and making monthly studio appearances alongside Premier League Live host Rebecca Lowe. He will also contribute long-form features to NBCSports.com.

Pre-Mork Robin Williams

Everybody I saw yesterday was saying the same thing. "Can you believe he's gone?"

I was watching all sorts of clips of his stand up last night, and this is one I really like. Maybe not the funniest thing he ever did, but this was in his pre-Mork days. You can see him totally take over a room even when nobody had any idea who he was. Incredibly brave comedy...

Landecker in Georgetown, Illinois

I posted a full report about our memorable weekend in downstate Illinois on the Eckhartz Press blog. There are a bunch of photos too.

Check it out here.

The Alma Mater

I hadn't been back in several years. Dave and I stopped by the old school in Champaign-Urbana on our way to the John Landecker appearance in Georgetown, Illinois...

New Market Manager for Hubbard

A few months ago, Hubbard quietly pushed out their market manager (Jerry Schnacke) to oversee the Mix (101.9), the Drive (97.1) and FM 100.3, and the position has remained open until last week.

The new market manager is John Gallagher, who once managed the ABC stations in Chicago.

Amazon's Fight Against Hachette Gets Nasty

Amazon took a very unusual step over the weekend. They sent out a letter to their customers, to get them to send nasty e-mails to the CEO of Hachette.

They framed it as amazon fighting for the little guy (you) in it's fight againt the big publishers who want to charge you more money (Hachette), and it actually gave out the e-mail address of Hachette's CEO.

Look, you may believe whatever you want, but if you believe amazon is on the side of the little guy (you), you are living in an alternative universe. Amazon is trying to take over the world.

Double Header Day

Had a tremendous day yesterday with my son Sean and nephew Joey. We went to the Cubs game AND the Bears game. I don't think I'll ever be able to pull that off again. Thanks boys for hanging with the old man...

Jim

Thanks for this one, MC. I'm definitely going to use this...

The Bruce Bohrer media tour continues

In case you missed it, "Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher" author Bruce Bohrer has been making the rounds.

Perhaps you heard this interview on WJRN Afternoon News: Listen here.

Or this piece on Chicago's top rated radio station, WBBM News Radio: Listen here

Bruce has got a few more appearances coming up in the near future.

On August 18th at 9:30pm, Bruce will be on with WGN Radio's Pete McMurray.

On September 10th at 7pm, Bruce will be at the Brookfield Library.

On October 7th at 11:30am, Bruce will be at the Buffalo Grove/Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce.

If you'd like to book Bruce to be on your radio/television show, or appear at your organization's event, contact Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer (rick@eckhartzpress.com) or David Stern (david@eckhartzpress.com).

"Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher" is available here at Eckhartz Press. It's also available on amazon as an e-book.

Going to the Country

This was John Records Landecker's facebook post last night...

Saturday Night At The 70's!!! This weekend Aug 9th at the Georgetown Fair in Georgetown Illinois. (about 10 miles south of Danville) John Records Landecker in person!! Trivia contests!!! Music !!! Best Dressed contest!! Copies of "Records Truly Is My Middle Name"..7-10pm!!! Presented by 980 WITY !!!!!

It's an old-fashioned country fair. Come for the goat contest, and stay for the 70s night. Come for the Demolition derby, and stay for the book signing. Should be fascinating.

Here's the actual schedule for the event from the Georgetown Fair's website...

Saturday, August 9th
8:00 a.m. – American Dairy Goat Association Sanctioned Sr. Dairy Goat Show (Milkers) – VanBuskirk Arena
8:00 a.m. – Registration for Pretty Baby Contest
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – Release-Home Ec. Entries
9:00 a.m. – Pretty Baby Contest – Sponsored by GRHS Class of 2004
9:00 a.m. – Llama and Alpaca Show
9:00 a.m. – Open Poultry Show
1:00 p.m. – Ponytail & Piggytail Contest
1:30 p.m. – Pedal Tractor Pull
1:00-5:00 p.m. – Kiddie Day at the Carnival (Armbands)
5:00 p.m.-Close – Armband Night in Carnival
7:00 p.m. – Demolition Derby – Sponsored by 94.9 K-ROCK & NAPA Auto Parts, G & K Inc.
7:00 p.m. – Showcasing – Saturday Night at the 70s – with John Records Landecker (more details)

The Eckhartz Press Publishers, Rick and Dave, will be there too. We're bringing the books and CDs.

Frampton Grabs Camera-Phone From Audience and Throws it

When Peter Frampton says "no flash photography or videos", he means it.

One couple just found that out.

Back in the Game

We have a cover for our next book. It will be coming out in September. Looking forward to working with Rich King, and his book is very inspiring...

Hillary on Colbert

Colbert really has a great show. I hope he can figure out a way to translate this sort of bit to a mass audience when he takes Letterman's slot.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive

Something to Keep in Mind

Old WMET Commercial

I did listen to this rock station when it was on the air in Chicago, but I don't remember this ad from 1983...although in my defense, I was living in Champaign at the time. It stars Geena Davis...

Apparently Kid

This video has gone viral. They are calling him Apparently Kid...because he constantly says the word apparently.



It caught my attention because I had my own Apparently kid about seven or eight years ago. I didn't even remember this until I started working on my Father Knows Nothing book. Over these past two weeks I read all 400 of my Father Knows Nothing columns. This column was written was back in 2008, and may be included in the book...


My youngest son Sean has always had a parrot-like ability to pick up the language. It was through four-year-old Sean that I discovered my overuse of the word “apparently.” Apparently I said apparently all the time, because apparently Sean picked it up and began to say it in every sentence, apparently.

“Apparently I have to go to the potty.”

“Apparently Pokemon cards are all over the floor.”

“Apparently Johnny wants to punch me because I say the word apparently too much.”

Sean and I went cold turkey together, and after a brief period of shaking and sweating, we came out of the other side of the apparently tunnel stronger than ever. We attend Apparently Anonymous meetings every Tuesday. Apparently we’re completely recovered.

After Sean starting attending school all day, a new word replaced “apparently.” He said the word “Snap!” a thousand times a day. This word doesn’t have the utility of “apparently,” but it can be used in quite a few situations.

It can be an exclamation of regret (”Snap! I forgot my mittens.”), an exclamation of delight (”Snap! French Fries!”) or a valuable part of a gloating song and dance (”Oooh Snap! You got pwnd.”)

“Pwnd” was the other new word entered our house. This ultra-cool 21st century word was introduced to the household by my middle son Johnny. It was his favorite word. “Pwnd” has various different uses. An individual can “pwn” an opponent in a debate by presenting an argument that simply can’t be countered. He can be “pwnd” in a game by decisively outsmarting his opponent. And, in rare cases of total domination, the victor is able to bask in “pwnage.”

If the “pwnr” is Sean, you were sure to hear the word “Snap!” during the pwnage aftermath.

Apparently he really likes that word.

11 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Beatles

I actually did know three of these, and a couple others are slightly questionable.

But still worthy of reading for my fellow Beatle-geeks. You can read it here.

Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher is now also available as an e-book

Bruce Bohrer has been receiving rave reviews for his book "Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher", and for those of you who were waiting to purchase the book for your kindle, you can now do so.

You can get the e-book at amazon, by clicking here.

Of course the trade paperback is still available right here at Eckhartz Press.

Future's So Bright, Gotta Wear Shades

Mock away, but I'm drinking the Kool-Aid right now. The Cubs youth movement inspired this new t-shirt we're offering at Just One Bad Century.

Get your very own right here.

Chicago Radio Ratings by Dayparts

I like the way Robert Feder breaks down the radio ratings these days by dayparts.

Top Rated Morning Shows
(I noticed that Brant Miller was #6 in the mornings. Wonder why WLS is looking to replace him.)

Top Rated Midday Shows
(Surprised to see WGN is not in the top ten)

Top Rated Afternoon Shows
Robert Murphy, my next interview subject for the Illinois Entertainer, comes in at #7.

Top Rated Evening Shows

The one station I notice largely missing from the ratings is the Drive. I suspect there's some tumult there these days.

Kaempfer Boys

My two oldest boys both had big days yesterday. Son #1 finally got his driver's license. Son #2 visited Old Faithful at Yellowstone.

CNN Lawsuit

Yowza. This is a wild one. CNN correspondent Arwa Damon allegedly bit two paramedics in a drunken rage at the U.S. Embassy in Bagdad. CNN is being now being sued.

TV Newser has the story. Here's the basis of the lawsuit...

The lawsuit was first reported by TMZ, which says Damon and CNN are being sued for $1 million by two EMTs who claim they suffered injuries after Damon became “seriously intoxicated” and “unruly and violent” at the Embassy. The lawsuit claims “CNN knew Damon had a history of becoming drunk and abusive, and had a penchant for violence, even when sober,” according to TMZ.

Wow. I wonder if she knows Fox News anchor Greg Jarrett? Sounds like they'd make a lovely couple.

Rupert Backs Off on Pursuit of Time Warner

That's the report in this morning's New York Times. Although this little portion of the article set off red flags in my head...

Tuesday, the chief executive of Time Warner Inc., Jeffrey L. Bewkes, received an unexpected email.

“On behalf of our board and senior management team, I am writing to inform you that we are withdrawing our offer to acquire Time Warner, effective immediately.

Sincerely, Rupert Murdoch.”

A hand-delivered letter bearing the same message arrived soon after.

Hmmmm. This has a Lucy/Charlie Brown football sort of feel to it, doesn't it?

The only thing that makes me believe it's real is that Newscorp stock has gone down since Rupert announced his pursuit. That's literally the only thing that can get his attention.

But if I was Jeffrey L. Bewkes, I would hire guards to watch to my back.

(Photo: Rupert Murdoch)

New Night Jock at FM 100

From today's RAMP Newsletter...

Robb Rose is officially hired to replace Cara Carriveau, who was recently upped to afternoon drive. Rose segues from the state capital of Springfield, IL, where he was Operations Director of Saga's six-station cluster and morning personality on Country WLFZ (101.9 The Wolf). As WILV PD Marty Bender stated in a staff memo, "You might recognize Robb's name and voice already. He has actually been a weekend personality at WILV off and on since 2009." Bender added, "We set the bar pretty high with this particular hire. We were looking for someone with an overall great radio background and had on-air experience in all the key dayparts. Thus, [Robb] will be handling all the key weekday fulltime fill-ins." Rose is actually filling in this week on afternoons for the vacationing Carriveau and will assume his new 7-midnight shift next week.

Power Pop

Great song from 1979. Just had a hankering for some power pop. We used to play this on WPGU all the time...

Chicago Radio Ratings

No big surprises in the latest Chicago radio ratings. From Tom Taylor's NOW Column...

*Urban AC “V103” WVAZ tops the market again, 5.6-5.9-6.1.

*Next is CBS Radio’s all-news WBBM and its FM partner, 5.0-5.0-5.5.

*Third is Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX, 4.9-5.0-4.9.

*CC’s top 40 “Kiss” WKSC (4.1-4.3-4.5), tied with CBS Radio’s country “US99.5” WUSN (4.4-4.4-4.5) and just ahead of CBS’s rhythmic “B96” WBBM-FM, 3.9-4.5-4.4 and Cumulus classic hits WLS-FM (4.3-3.4-4.4).

*Notable month for Univision’s regional Mexican WOJO, 3.0-3.5-3.7. But a bad month for Cubs baseball flagship WGN. The Tribune-owned talk station may be paying for some talent changes, including moving Garry Meier off of PM drive, as it goes 4.6-4.0-3.6.

*Chicago Public Media’s news/talk WBEZ is a bit softer, 1.8-1.7-1.4. That ties it with Cumulus talker WLS, 1.6-1.4-1.4.

*In sports, there’s CBS Radio’s “Score” WSCR, 2.4-2.0-1.9 and ESPN-run WMVP, 1.9-1.5-1.6.

*Chicago’s cume leader is CHR “Kiss” with an average weekly cume of 2,365,600.

Javier

Here he comes, Cub fans. Javier Baez is making his debut tonight for the Cubs. I'm going out with a fellow Cubbie geek to watch the game on television together.

I realize that's a little ridiculous. My fellow Cubbie geek (who is actually double the geek I am, if you can believe it) warns me that Baez has struggled every time he has been brought up another level, at least initially. It happened at High-A ball, Double-A, and Triple-A. It will probably happen in the big leagues too.

But we're still going out tonight to watch him on television together. We're like alcoholics who haven't had a drink for years, sitting at the bar, drinking a cup of foam, waiting for the next keg to be tapped. The foam doesn't quite cut it. It's bitter and slightly disgusting, but it has the taste in it...and that taste is being brought up from cellar any moment.

Hmmm. After reading that metaphor, I'm thinking I may have more pressing problems than what happens to the Cubs.

Explaining the Downside of Native Advertising

Thank you John Oliver for explaining why it's a slippery slope...

Pete McMurray

My latest media column has been posted at the Illinois Entertainer. This month I interviewed WGN's Pete McMurray

You can read it here.

Ten Cubs To Forget by Stuart Shea

Stuart Shea is the author of Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, published by University of Chicago Press in spring 2014, as well as of Fab Four FAQ (with Rob Rodriguez) and Pink Floyd FAQ. He has edited five baseball annuals and is assistant editor of Who’s Who in Baseball. Stuart and I both contributed pieces to the book "Cubbie Blues", which is when I got to know him.

He was kind enough to contribute this guest piece about the Cubs to Just One Bad Century. I hope you enjoy it...


The Cubs have employed plenty of heroes both long ago (Banks, Williams, Jenkins, Brown, Chance, Santo, Hartnett, Dawson) and in the recent past (Sandberg, Grace, Wood). But considering this team’s storied but often unsatisfying history, we’d like to forget that some guys ever wore the pinstripes. For every Billy Herman, Stan Hack, or Greg Maddux, there’s a Jeff Kunkel, Anthony Young, or Andrew Lorraine. Or two.

Some fans would like to forget Sammy Sosa’s tenure, which produced more than 500 home runs in Cubs garb but ended in dissension, bat-corking, and suspicions of PED use. But that’s a point still to be argued. Among the ten Cubs to forget on this list, it would be hard to find a defender for any of them. All of them were bad players—at least by the time they got to Wrigley—and some were also malcontents, malingerers, clubhouse cancers, or simply incapable of handling the pressure of the major leagues.

Most of these players are from the team’s last two decades of play, both because the team has often been jaw-droppingly bad in that span and because most of us remember these guys. So let us forge ahead, exhale, and say, “I’m glad that guy’s gone.”

Jeff Blauser: Following a huge season for the Atlanta Braves in 1990, in which he hit .308 with 17 home runs and 70 walks (numbers well above his career norms), the 32-year-old Blauser came to Chicago on a two-year, $8M contract. Unfortunately, he stunk up Wrigley Field for the entire run of his deal. Troubled by nagging injuries, he not only hit .226/.343/.342, but also established a reputation as a clubhouse problem. His playing career ended with the last paycheck he drew from the Cubs.

Milton Bradley: The talented but troubled Bradley hit—and wore out his welcome—everywhere he played. Whether arguing with fans, fighting with other players, or getting into trouble off the field, Bradley was expert at being in the wrong place doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. After a superb 2008 with the Rangers, Chicago GM Jim Hendry inked Bradley for three years at $30M. Sadly, Bradley exited the gate poorly and never got the fans on his side. Benched by manager Lou Piniella, on September 20 he was suspended for detrimental comments about the organization. Bradley did well at Wrigley Field but hit just .214 on the road with three homers. That winter, the Cubs unloaded him to Seattle for pitcher Carlos Silva, who was coming a 4-15, 6.46 season—a classic “you take my problem, I’ll take yours” swap. At least the Cubs won that deal.

Ernie Broglio: It’s an awful fate to be remembered as a punch line. Ernie Broglio was a good pitcher for St. Louis; in 1960 he was 21-9 and in 1963 went 18-8 with a 2.99 ERA. But he struggled early in 1964, and the Redbirds were happy to pack him off to Chicago in a ¬six-player June 15 deal that netted young outfielder Lou Brock. While the Cubs thought they were getting a top starting pitcher, by 1964 the 28-year-old Broglio had already thrown more than 1,900 professional innings—and as a guy who walked and struck out a lot of men, those innings weren’t easy. Almost immediately he began to struggle with a sore elbow, losing bite of his curve and MPH off his fastball. Elbow surgery late in 1964 didn’t help, and he went 3-12 in 1965 and 1966, his last action in the majors. And Brock? He had a decent enough career in St. Louis.

Todd Hundley: Fans who remembered the grit and smarts of catcher Randy Hundley could have been forgiven for feeling optimistic when the team signed his son Todd after the 2000 season, in which he’d hit .281 with 24 homers in Los Angeles. But Todd, raised in suburban Palatine, never turned on the jets in Chicago. Amid talk of personal and health problems, Hundley hit .187 and .211 in 2001–02 with the Cubs, showing only occasional power and playing defense that reminded nobody of his father. He last played in 2003, and in 2007 was cited in the Mitchell report as a suspected user of performance-enhancing drugs.

Howard Johnson: “Hojo” had suffered through three straight bad seasons before the Cubs brought him on board as a free agent in 1995; even playing in the heady air of Colorado hadn’t inflated Johnson’s batting line. For some reason the Cubs tried him anyway, signing him for $325,000 on April 13 once the strike had ended. Unfortunately Johnson’s bat was permanently warped, as he hit just .195 in 87 games with seven homers overall (just .098 with one home run on the road). Johnson wasn’t any help on defense either, and Wrigley was his final stop.

Neifi Perez: While Perez did inject the Cubs’ lineup with some attitude and hustle, he was a terrible player. Acquired from the Giants in mid-2004, the already well-traveled Perez hit .371 over 62 at-bats the rest of the way, therefore endearing him to manager Dusty Baker and GM Jim Hendry. Perez, who hit a lot of singles but did nothing else well with a bat, compiled .681 and .610 OPS in 2005 and 2006 before the Detroit Tigers acquired him. Once departed from Chicago, he was cited for repeat violations of rules against amphetamine use, which explains a lot. This guy, with his .297 lifetime on-base percentage, made more than $20 million playing baseball.

Ruben Quevedo: Supposedly a mound prospect, Quevedo came to the Cubs in a July 31, 1999 deal sending Jose Hernandez and Terry Mulholland to the Braves. At age 21, he began the following season in Chicago’s bullpen, headed back to Triple-A to get in more innings, and was recalled for good in late July. He made 15 starts for the Cubs, only six of which rated as “quality starts.” His 3-10 record and 7.47 ERA made him palatable only to Milwaukee, who acquired him the next season in a minor league deal. Was Quevedo rushed by a Chicago front office desperate to prove its spurs? Certainly. Was he good after he left the Cubs? No.

Ken Reitz: As a regular for the Cardinals in the 1970s, Reitz played every day, made one All-Star team, and in 1977 hit 17 homers. He was highly overrated because of his batting average and fielding percentage. Reitz hit around .260-.270 and fielded most chances cleanly…but had little pop, never walked, ran like he was stuck in a tar pit, and had poor range, meaning he didn’t get to many balls to begin with. After assembling a typical season in 1980 (.270/.300/.379), the 29-year-old Reitz was unloaded on the Cubs, with Leon Durham and Tye Waller, to obtain Bruce Sutter. While Durham enjoyed a few fine seasons with Chicago, Reitz—who was supposed to plug the team’s third-base hole—instead batted .215 with two homers in 1981; over a string of 38 games he drew just two bases on balls. The Cubs released him the following spring.

Steve Swisher: This okay-field, no-hit catcher was actually the Cubs’ all-star representative in 1976, which should tell you something about the Cubs in 1976. Swisher was the White Sox’ first-round draftee in 1972 but was packed off to the north side the next winter in the Ron Santo deal. Even in the minors he barely hit his weight, and after four seasons (1974–77) the Cubs sent him and Jerry Morales to the Cardinals for Heity Cruz and Dave Rader. While he had a strong arm and was a gamer, Swisher just could not plug the holes in his swing or curb his frequent defensive mistakes.

Don Young: A speedy outfielder with a light bat, the 19-year-old Young made his big-league debut on September 9, 1965—the day Sandy Koufax fired a perfect game. Following his 2-for-35 stint that year, Young didn’t appear again in the majors until 1969, when he surprisingly won the Cubs’ center field job in spring training. While he didn’t hit, his glove kept him around—at least until July 8, when he misplayed two balls in a critical loss at New York. Teammate Ron Santo, always emotional, called Young out for his miscues, and some fans piled on. By September, stuck around .230, Young was forgotten, appearing in just seven games during the team’s month-long swan dive. He never made another major league roster and was out of baseball by 1972.

I'm Not Quite There Yet

I feel this screenwriter's pain. He calls his Village Voice piece: I Will Not Read Your F***ing Script

Like the screenwriter in this piece, I am inundated with people sending me things they have written (all publishers are). Like the screenwriter in this piece, I have two piles--a must read pile, and a want to read pile. My must read pile is so big I don't even have time to read it all. My want to read pile is from friends and people I admire. Those are the people I feel terrible for, because it's going to take me months to crack that pile, and they check back with me regularly to check on my progress. Like the writer of the piece, I feel a constant extreme guilt about this.

I can't say yes to everyone for obvious reasons, but the writer of the piece articulates another less obvious reason. It's the ultimate Catch 22. If I say I won't read it, I'm a dick. If I say I will read and don't, I'm a dick. If I read it and don't like it and tell you that, I'm a dick. If I read it and don't like it and lie to you and say I love it, I'm a dick.

My solution is to very carefully pick and choose who I agree to read.

His solution is to say to everyone: I will not read your f***ing script.

I'm not quite there yet. I made a vow to myself years ago when I was working so hard at getting published that I would always remember that helpless "nobody will read my stuff" feeling if the shoe was ever on the other foot. I'm trying. I really am. I just never knew there was also a helpless "I don't have time to read this" feeling on the other side.

RIP Pete Van Wieren

He was the longtime announcer for the Atlanta Braves, and on-air partner to Skip Caray. Van Wieren died over the weekend at the age of 69.

The Atlanta Journal Consistition has the details.

Alan Freed’s ashes no longer welcome at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

From Tom Taylor's NOW column this morning. The drama around Alan Freed and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

It’s quite a local story for the Plain Dealer, which explains that the Hall’s not eliminating references to legendary jock Alan Freed altogether – they just no longer want his remains kept there. This NOW Newsletter hears that Freed’s family may pick up his ashes as soon as today, but it was an upsetting episode. Freed was the charismatic radio DJ who popularized the term “rock & roll” and who started doing rock & roll concerts and dances in the early 1950s. One of the things that made them noteworthy is that they were racially integrated, and on the air, Freed played music by both white and black artists. Freed was a pied piper, both on the air and at his live gigs, but unfortunately after he came to New York, he got into big trouble with allegations of payola, and he died in 1965 at the young age of 43...The Plain Dealer’s Laura DeMarco says Freed’s remains were brought to the museum in 2002, with the okay of his family. Now the museum is changing its mind – and the family hopes Freed’s importance won’t be downgraded in the exhibits.

Green White on the Front Page

So thrilled to see this yesterday. Green White was on the front page of the Daily Herald, with a very positive article about our club, our history and our future! It's also on the Daily Herald website, but subcription necessary.Thanks to Daily Herald writer Matt Arado, and Green White members Rudi Mayer, and Steve Samuelson for contributing. My dad (one of the club co-founders) would have been so excited!

Check it out here.

Terri is Back

After a lengthy recuperation from knee replacement surgery, Terri Hemmert is back in the saddle beginning today at WXRT.

Robert Feder has the details.