Have a great Thanksgiving!

A parting thought from this year's dinner...

Supper Club

Kim Strickland is a fellow author ("Wish Club," Three Rivers Press, 2007), and blogger (A City Mom), but she's much more than that to me. She's been a good friend since college, and I don't need to tell you how many years ago that was.

I know what you're thinking as you look at her picture. You're thinking: "She's the same age as you, Rick?" No, actually she's not. She's significantly older (twelve days).

Her latest blog for Chicago Now is about our every other month gathering of college friends called "Supper Club."

You can read it here.

OK, this made me laugh

"BP" sent me the following e-mail in response to my item about the Medill School of Journalism changing their name...

"Shortly after renaming the school, the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications intramural softball team complained about the Library Sciences team running up the score on them."

Cubs programming note

From my e-mail box, this reminder from the MLB network...

"Chicago Cubs Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers will be featured in a new episode of MLB Network’s Prime 9: Double Play Combinations at 7:00 p.m. CT. The Tinker-Evers duo will be ranked alongside other combinations, including the Orioles’ Mark Belanger and Bobby Grich, the Indians’ Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar, and the Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley."

John F. Kennedy

47 years ago today...



I was four months old.

Weird Cub Vibe

I know some people wondered if Larry Rothschild had nude photos of Jim Hendry, considering that he has survived through all of these managerial regimes, despite the pitching staff not exactly tearing it up. And because he had another year left on his contract, I don't know anybody that saw this coming.

Larry Rothschild left the Cubs to take a job with the Yankees.

I was at a party with friends last night (nearly all of whom are Cub fans), and this was a big topic of conversation. Doesn't it feel like something isn't quite right with the Cubs?

They bypassed their Hall of Famer to hire Mike Quade. They have made ZERO player moves. The payroll will be cut. Their pitching coach left the team. The owner is saying that he needs the state to bail him out. The Cubs convention is not sold out.

At the end of last year I went to three different games, and the left field bleachers were empty all three times.

Despite my initial excitement about this new ownership, I have a funny feeling we're heading toward another PK Wrigley era. And let me tell you youngsters, that was NOT a good era for the Cubs. (I know, I know--when were the good eras for the Cubs? But in a century of bad eras--the PK Wrigley era was the worst.)

Buckle up, Cub fans. I suspect we're in for a few really bad years.

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column has been posted. This week's is all about Sean's commercial shoot for the U.S. Soccer Players Association.

You can read it here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Ed Tyll

I just posted my 200th interview at Chicago Radio Spotlight. This week I spoke with former Loop talk show host Ed Tyll. You may not like what he says, but he'll say it anyway, Ed Tyll.

You can read it here.

That's going to be my last Chicago Radio Spotlight interview for 2010. I'll have some more after the first of the year. 

Quinn vs. Quade

I contributed to this little intellectual exercise at the Beachwood Reporter.

You can read it here.

Achtung Baby!

On this day in 1991, just three days after my wedding, U2 released one of their best albums: "Achtung Baby." This is my favorite song from that great album...

First basemen

 I've been following the rumors about who the Cubs are pursuing to fill that glaring hole at first base.

The two names that keep coming up are Carlos Pena and Chris Davis. Pena hit .196 last year. Davis hit .192.

I'm guessing Gonzalo Marquez is no longer available, but his stats match up pretty well.

Never say "Unbreakable"

It doesn't matter what language you say it in, either...

Not a good off season for Harry Caray

First his statue is cracked.

Now his Wrigleyville restaurant closes.

It only lasted two years across the street from the ballpark. The old Hi-Tops will now be known as "Benchwarmers."

Harry Nilsson

One of the more under-appreciated figures in rock and roll is getting a documentary. The man who did the "US vs. John Lennon" documentary, and the "We Believe" Cubs documentary has turned his sights on Harry.

The film is called "Who is Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talking about him)"

The title is a reference to his biggest hit, the theme song from the film "Midnight Cowboy," and a song that doesn't really get played anymore...



Harry died years ago. He literally drank himself to death.

Tear down Wrigley?

Message to Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune: No.

E-mails, we get e-mails...

"RP," a Northwestern grad, takes issue with my portrayal of this weekend's Illini-Northwestern game...

"I can't wait, either. I'll have my "house divided" flag out in front of my house, as my wife went to Illinois. But the marquee SHOULD play favorites. Here's a little school on the North Shore, about one-fifth the size of the U of I, aggressively laying claim to being Chicago's Big Ten team. Illinois should have such good marketing. I know Illinois fans will be there (we had to give them SOME tickets) but it is a Northwestern home game. And by the way, the name is Dyche. Not Dyke."

Whoops. Sorry about the spelling. As for the 'little school on the North Shore,' puleeze. Northwestern could buy and sell Illinois. :)

Proud Papa

If you watch the USA-South Africa match on ESPN2 today, look for the commercial about the US National Men's Team. My son Sean is featured in the closing seconds of the spot, representing the "next generation".

You can watch it here too.

19 years ago

Today is my 19th anniversary.

I wrote about that in my Father Knows Nothing column this past weekend, in case you missed it.

Happy anniversary, Bridget. Here's to 19 more.

Programming Note for Cub fans

Got this e-mail from the MLB network this morning...

"The 1906 Chicago Cubs infield will be featured in a new episode of MLB Network’s Prime 9: Infields tonight at 7:00 p.m. CT.

The ’06 Cubs will be ranked alongside other infields, including the ’13 Athletics,’27 Giants, ’34 Tigers, and ’82 Brewers. New episodes of Prime 9 will air every Tuesday in November beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT."

That's a picture of them above. L-R: Harry Steinfeldt (3B), Joe Tinker (SS), Johnny Evers (2B), and Frank Chance (1B). 

Tinker and Evers didn't speak to each other because of an argument about a cab, Frank Chance had been beaned in the head so many times he would eventually die from it, and Harry Steinfeldt was like the Pete Best of this outfit. He was their MVP in 1906, but wasn't included in the poem about the team because his name didn't sound poetic.

Worst Movie Ever

It was released on this day in 1978...



Even more embarrassing all these years later.