All Time Top Flight Winners

(I'm not just posting this because my favorite team ends up #1.)

This graph shows the all-time top flight table for English football... 📊️⚽️

📹 https://t.co/VBU8Grmlwh pic.twitter.com/z0rx4U4vcn

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 3, 2020

Brad Edwards

The January issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and features my interview with CBS-2 anchorman Brad Edwards.

Read it here.

Q&A with Bob Sirott

Robert Feder interviews the new WGN Morning man in his column today.

You can read it here.

Bob starts on Monday.

A Letter to David Stern

Those of you who read this blog regularly realize that my Minutia Men co-host is named David Stern. He used to constantly be asked "You mean the NBA Commissioner?" because the NBA Commissioner shared his name. Well, with the news of his passing yesterday (RIP former NBA Commissioner Stern), I thought it would be a good time to bring back this letter Minutia Men co-host David Stern sent him in 2006.

Needless to say, he never got a reply...


National Basketball Association
Attn: Commissioner David Stern
645 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022

July 15, 2006

Dear Commissioner Stern:

I’m worried about you. Here it is, July, basketball’s off season—and you still show up to work every day.

Yes, of course, you have a full plate. Everyone wants a piece of David Stern. But shouldn’t David Stern be allowed to go to the Hamptons for the weekend without constantly checking his voicemail and e-mail? Shouldn’t David Stern be allowed stop and smell the roses without being bombarded with work?

What if I told you that I could make that happen?

You see, my name is also David Stern. If you hired me to sit in your office for the summer, you could have the entire summer off, and nobody would be deprived of spending some quality time with David Stern.

If someone called to speak to David Stern, they could still do so…without inconveniencing you.

If someone stopped by to have a meeting with David Stern, they could still do so…without inconveniencing you.

If someone booked David Stern to deliver a speech at the National Press Club…David Stern could still do so, without interrupting your trip to Cape Cod.

Think about the possibilities. How much would your wife love it if David Stern actually picked out her gift? How honored would NBA players be if David Stern showed up at their weddings? I don’t like to brag, but have you considered how nice it would be to have everyone talking about what an incredible dancer David Stern was at Dwayne Wade’s wedding?

While I don’t look like you, I am also a relatively short Jewish guy. Nobody would be the wiser. Please give it some thought.

Sincerely,



David Stern

Free Kicks

On this last day of the "festive fixtures", the latest Free Kicks episode drops.

It includes our third episode of "Across the Pond".

Listen to it here.

Mary Dixon returns!

Great news!

SUPER EXCITING NEWS: the amazing @MaryLDixon joining @WBEZ as your new host of Morning Edition!!!!

— Lisa Labuz (@LLabuz) January 2, 2020

From inside the house

The man who ran Mitt Romney's campaign in 2012 (and many other Republican campaigns) and has been a life-long Republican, Stuart Stevens, wrote one of the most scathing op-eds I've ever read yesterday. Here's the meat of it...

Republicans are now officially the character doesn’t count party, the personal responsibility just proves you have failed to blame the other guy party, the deficit doesn’t matter party, the Russia is our ally party, and the I’m-right-and-you-are-human-scum party. Yes, it’s President Trump’s party now, but it stands only for what he has just tweeted.

A party without a governing theory, a higher purpose or a clear moral direction is nothing more than a cartel, a syndicate that exists only to advance itself. There is no organized, coherent purpose other than the acquisition and maintenance of power.

Read the whole thing here. It doesn't pull any punches.

RIP Don Larsen

Sad news to start the year. Another former Cub has passed away. RIP Don Larsen. Here's his write-up from EveryCubEver...

~Don Larsen 1929--2019 (Cubs 1967)
When the MLB channel debuted, the first full game they showed was the only perfect game in World Series history. Everyone remembers that game, pitched by the immortal Don Larsen. Not many Cubs fans realize that the same Don Larsen also pitched for the Cubs. Even though the two-time World Series champ hadn’t pitched in the majors at all in 1966, the Cubs signed him for the 1967 season. Larsen pitched a total of four innings for the Cubs, the last four innings of his major league career. His ERA was 9.00. The MLB channel won’t be showing those four innings any time soon.

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview

#MinutiaMenCelebrityInterview EP6 - Rick & Dave slip into darkness with Stan Lawrence @stanLawrenceZX https://t.co/UBe9plWs4a

— Radio Misfits (@RadiosMisfits) January 2, 2020

One last post for 2019

I'll be back in 2020. Just one last thought before I go. RIP Neil Innis, former Rutles member, and a musical advisor to Monty Python. He was on the show the day Dave & I hosted at WLS. Great guy. Great stories. And in this video from our interview, he's playing guitar...

Merry Steve Christmas Eve!

Minutia Men--Take it to the Banks

Rick and Dave discuss sketch artist hijinks, maximum efficiency toilets, Rick’s brush with Bob Newhart, and they interview sportswriter/blogger/podcaster/bon vivant, Paul Banks.

Listen to it here.

An early Christmas present

I update my website Justonebadcentury.com every single day, and though I see the number of people who read it remains pretty high, it sometimes feels like I'm doing it for no reason. This morning I got this comment in my e-mail box...

Robert C Skelly says:
12/23/2019 at 9:36 am
Rick, I read your TODAYS CUBS BIRTHDAY column daily. December 23rd’s edition moved me like no other date. Maybe it was the contrasting stories of tragedy, victory & what never was…or the prose of an inspired fan.
Whatever it was, I just voted it the Best Column of the Year!!!

Thanks Robert. I greatly appreciate that. That made my day.

Lossano & Friends

Our producer Tony Lossano gets a shout out in today's Robert Feder column...

Tony Lossano, host and producer of “Lossano and Friends” and “Nude Hippo: The Podcast,” will celebrate Christmas morning with a one-hour spectacular gathering a dozen hosts of shows produced by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network for OppihShows.com. Joining him at the Museum of Broadcast Communications will be: Steve Baskerville and Howard Sudberry of “Back 2 You”; Rick Kaempfer and Dave Stern of “Minutia Men/Minutia Men Celebrity Interview”; Marc Vernon of “The Car Guys Report”; Ed Silha of Radio Misfits Podcast Network; Tommy Mallie, Kimmy Spoons, Samuel Greenberg, Chris Cwiak and Michael Garay of “Lossano and Friends”; and Evie Olson of “Grape Insights.” Added Lossano: “I will be the Fahey Flynn holding the bow-tie shaped holiday cookies.”

Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire have a new sporting director. His name is Georg Heitz, and he comes from Switzerland with a pretty strong pedigree.

Maybe now that they are back in Soldier Field, and have a new director, the Fire can re-emerge. This past decade has been a complete waste.

Another Big Morning Change

WGN Radio announced that Steve Cochran is out as WGN Morning man, and will be replaced by Bob Sirott.

Details are here.

I have nothing against either Bob or Steve. I've interviewed both of them many times over the years.

Bob Sirott 2014

Steve Cochran 2017

The new WGN lineup is...

4-5am: Simulcast of WGN-TV “Early Morning News”
5-9am: Bob Sirott
9am-12pm: John Williams
12-1pm: Wintrust Business Lunch with Ji Suk Yi
1-3pm: Anna Davlantes
3-7pm: Roe Conn
7-11pm: Justin Kaufmann
11pm-4am: Nick Digilio

Christianity Today Urges Trump Impeachment

The magazine was founded by Billy Graham. They wrote the following...

the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.

The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.

Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.

It took some time for them to admit the immoral character, but I'm glad they did. I was starting to think that I was living in an alternative universe.

The full scathing editorial is here: Trump Should Be Removed From Office

Free Kicks, Across the Pond Episode 2

Adam and Rick discuss the state of the Premier League table (top & bottom) as the league heads into the Christmas Fixtures, and the Champions League draw. Plus, episode 2 from across the pond–from Chelsea’s training facility in England. [Ep54]

Listen to it here.

WXRT moves Lin Brehmer to middays, lets Mary Dixon go

I'm hoping this is something Lin wanted. I know how much it sucks to live that morning show lifestyle. I did it for many years myself (although not nearly as long as Lin). They are moving Richard Milne to mornings, but are canceling news in the morning show, which means that Mary Dixon is out. I personally think it's a mistake to get rid of Mary, but even a bigger mistake to get rid of news in general. As we get older, and the WXRT audience is basically my age, we need news more than ever. That's just my two cents.

Read all about it in Robert Feder's column from last night.

Of course, in my role as media writer for Illinois Entertainer, I have interviewed both Lin and Mary. Here are the links...

Mary Dixon 2014

Lin Brehmer 2018

Response from Beyond

Stealing this. pic.twitter.com/3PLG5pjRSA

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 19, 2019