MLB Network mourns the passing of Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker. pic.twitter.com/wpt3EKZvtN
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 16, 2025
Thursday, January 16, 2025
RIP Bob Uecker
Very sad to see this news...
Monday, January 13, 2025
Publishing Portal--January 13, 2025
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=Thanks to everyone who came out to see Dan McNeil this past weekend in Morton Grove. A fun time was had by all. Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave might have accidentally spent a little cash on some baseball card goodies as well.
=This week is also Julius Peppers birthday (January 18). The recently inducted Hall of Famer rates a big write up in Dan's new book.
=Don't look now but Book of the Year finalist author Ken Smoller is making the rounds this week. First he was featured in this piece in the Medium about what makes him a successful author.
=Next week (January 21) he will be appearing on the WGN-TV morning show.
=Ken will be also be doing a presentation (“A SoxFest ‘Tailgate’ presentation by Last Comiskey” author, Ken Smoller, about the lessons of Comiskey Park’s destruction and impact on Chicago’s current debate about new stadiums for the Sox, Bears, Northwestern and Fire”) at a Sox fan event hosted by Sox Fans 479 at Paterno’s Pizza & Bar (located at the corner of Milwaukee/Central on the northwest side) beginning at noon on Saturday, January 25.
=Then he'll do another signing the same day, Saturday January 25th at AU Sports at 6006 Dempster in Morton Grove from 2:00-3:30pm.
=Also, a happy birthday is in order for one of the big supporters (and featured Sox players) in the book. Jack McDowell (January 16) is not only in the book, he appeared at the big launch party at the Chicago Historical Museum...
It's the week of Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Awards (this coming Saturday, January 18). One of our books (Hospital Heal Thyself!) won this year and we'll be on hand to congratulate author Mark Taylor. But it's not the first time Eckhartz Press brought home the hardware...
Hugh Hefner's First Funeral and Other Tales of Life and Death in Chicago
=This week in 2017 (January 15), the Chicago Writers Association named Pat Colander's Eckhartz Press book as the CWA Book of the Year. This is a photo of Pat the night she accepted the award.
=We are so happy she got to experience that. Less than a year later Pat passed away.
=This week in 2018 (January 14), Eckhartz Press author M.L Collins also accepted her award for CWA Book of the year for the zany/off-beat novel Out the Door! Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave were on hand to help her celebrate.
=In 2022, Chili Dog MVP was also honored by the Chicago Writers Association. Authors John Owens (left) and David Fletcher (right) were on hand to receive their award.
EveryCubEver
=In 2019, the Eckhartz Press book EveryCubEver was also a finalist for CWA Book of the year. Don't forget that author Rick Kaempfer features a Cub every day on the Just One Bad Century facebook page. For instance...
=This week in 2017, Eckhartz Press publishers Dave and Rick had breakfast with Lee Kingsmill and made the deal to publish his outstanding novel/memoir Safe Inside. Their faith in Lee was rewarded when the book was named as a finalist for CWA Book of the Year in 2018.
=This week in 2016, TV sportscaster (and Eckhartz Press author) Rich King announced his retirement from television. At the time he had already written two books for Eckhartz Press (My Maggie, Back in the Game). His retirement allowed him to write one more. Ike and Me was a finalist for CWA Book of the Year in 2022.
=On January 18, 1974—Black Oak Arkansas appeared at the Auditorium in Chicago. The Flip Side brothers (Carl & Larry) were there, presenting the show...
Joe Jackson vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club
=Great article this week last year (January 14) in The Daily Herald about our recent book. The book is the long-lost transcript of the Shoeless Joe trial from 100 years ago. Thanks so much to writer Steve Zalusky for highlighting it.
=This week in 2023 (January 14), Chuck Swirsky made an appearance at The Windy City Bulls, and signed copies of his book Always a Pleasure. Two of the many basketball legends who appear in the book are celebrating birthdays this week, former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and Bulls player Dwayne Wade
=This week in 2012 the authors of our first book The Living Wills made an appearance on the WGN-TV Midday News. It was the first of many TV appearances by Eckhartz Press authors.
=Rarely has an interviewer and interviewee hit it off as quickly as Eckhartz Press author Richard Reeder and TV personality Rabbi Doug. This interview is from this week in 2019.
Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind
=Vicki Quade is famous in Chicago for her theater work, but she also penned a witty Eckhartz Press book Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind about her everyday encounters with Chicagoans. We love the way she organized the stories by location. For instance, an entire chapter is about her experiences in the post office. This might be good week to read that chapter. The first U.S Postmaster, Benjamin Franklin, was born on January 17.
=We have two books about soccer in the Eckhartz Press library. One is called Grun Weiss Vor! and the other is Transatlantic Passage. That second book is about the Premier League in England. Author Paul Banks was lucky enough to get to speak to some legends, including this week's birthday boy (January 18) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
=The coming of age novel was hot off the presses when the news about David Crosby's death hit the wires in 2023. Because Crosby was one of the people referred to in the book, we published an excerpt of the book (about Crosby) that year.
=Cubsesessions is a book about celebrity and die-hard Cub fans, and what Cubdom means to them. One of the featured fans was the Bleacher Preacher Jerry Pritikin, seen below at the book launch party with Eckhartz Press publisher David Stern. His birthday is this week (January 18).
Thursday, January 09, 2025
Wednesday, January 08, 2025
Minutia Men Celebrity Interview: Jeremy Roenick
Brand new episode. This week Dave and I interviewed Hockey Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick. Hawks fans will enjoy this one. radiomisfits.com/mmci167/
— Rick Kaempfer (@rickkaempfer.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 11:09 AM
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Monday, January 06, 2025
Publishing Portal--January 6, 2025
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=Dan McNeil is still making the rounds promoting his critical darling, I Bear Witness. It has gotten rave reviews in the Daily Herald and mentions on national shows like Colin Cowherd and Pat McAfee. Thanks for everyone who came out to his many appearances in December.
=It's not too late to meet Dan at an appearance. He will be in Morton Grove at AU Sports Memorabilia (6006 Dempster Street) on January 11 from Noon-1:30pm, Blue Island Beer Company (13357 Olde Western Ave.) on January 14th from 5-7pm, and at the Sportscard collectible show in Orland Park (The Orland Park Civic Center) on January 19th.
=Dan will be making the podcast rounds too. He will be on John Siuntres popular podcast Word Bubble, and here's one you might not have had on your scorecard.
*The Kiss of Night
=A new novel is coming soon to Eckhartz Press. It will be called The Kiss of Night, and the name has something to do with this sign. That's all we'll say for now. More info to come including the name of the author.
=A new and improved 7th edition of the book is coming out for Opening Day (and will feature more than a hundred photos of all-time Cubs), but in the meantime you should follow author Rick Kaempfer's Just One Bad Century facebook page. He is featuring Cubs from the book every day. Here's an example from Saturday...
=This is going to be a big year for Chili Dog MVP because the star of the book, Dick Allen, was voted into the Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be in July. You'll be hearing a lot about it in the coming months, including this interview with Chili Dog MVP co-author Dr. David Fletcher...
Sox On Tap - Dick Allen HOF Reaction w/ Dr. David Fletcher https://t.co/6IiaDIsFkc
— On Tap Sports Net (@OnTapSportsNet) December 29, 2024
=The Daily Herald featured the book this week in 2022.
=One of the other players featured in the book, the late Bart Johnson, was born this week in 1950.
=The reviews keep pouring in for The Flip Side. (Click to enlarge)
=Nice write up in the Cook County Chronicle about Larry Rosenbaum's appearance at the Arcada Theater in December. Also attending the symposium were fellow Eckhartz Press authors Rick Kaempfer from the Loop Files and Mitch Michaels from Doin the Cruise, and Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick. (Click on the article to enlarge it)
=This week in 2024, Rick Kaempfer appeared on WLS Radio with Pete McMurray and Steve Cochran.
=The Chicago Writes podcast also featured The Loop Files.
=There were some truly great reviews of The Loop Files, and perhaps none better than this one by Christopher Sutter.
=Surviving Sue is a memoir about dealing with an extremely difficult mother, beautifully written by Vicki Atkinson. Occasionally on her blog she shares the other side of the coin, dealing with a wise and thoughtful father. Recommended feel good blog post from Vicki.
=Truffle Hunt is approaching its tenth anniversary and author Brent Petersen is featuring a series of articles on substack explaining the process of how it came to be. Here's the first one: How the International Criminal Tribunal Influenced the Creation of one of my Characters.
=Brent Petersen (Truffle Hunt) was featured in Illinois Entertainer this month in 2024, talking about his podcast Destination Eat Drink.
=This week in 2018, West Suburban Living reviewed Mitch Michael's book.
=Rod Stewart is celebrating a birthday this week. You may not realize that Doin The Cruise author Mitch Michaels played a key role in Rod's song "Maggie Mae" becoming a big hit. He tells that story in the book. (That's Mitch in the middle of the pic below)
=Bobby Skafish's 2016 Eckhartz Press book We Have Company: Four Decades of Rock and Roll Encounters is a rock and roll lover's dream. Bobby has met and interviewed them all. Two of them have birthdays this week; the late David Bowie and Dave Matthews. Their stories (and these photos) are in the book. Matthews was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week.
=Randy Merkin's 2021 book Behind the Glass: Stories from a Sports Radio Producer is the sports equivalent of Bobby's book. For instance, three Hall of Famers who were born this week in history, Bruce Sutter, Bart Starr and Dick Enberg, are featured.
=Dobie Maxwell's gripping personal story about a bank robbery was reviewed this week in 2017. Dobie's book remains one of our best sellers.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=John Records Landecker's book was a finalist for CWA Book of the Year in 2013. When John was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2017, we re-released the book with additional stories and photos. Among the new photos...this one of John and his daughter Amy with the richest man in the world (at the time), who happens to be celebrating a birthday this week.
The former Chicago Daily News arts reporter (and Northwestern University professor) Jack Hafferkamp released his novel Sepsis via Eckhartz Press this week in 2017.
The Balding Handbook
=We sold out of the book, but before it went out of print, The Balding Handbook helped countless balding souls. Twelve years ago this week author David Stern was on Mancow's television show talking about it.
In 2022, Eckhartz Press released Chuck Swirsky's memoir Always a Pleasure. It features some great stories about his life as a sportscaster, and some memorable photos as well. Here he is with this week's birthday boy Lou Holtz.
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=13 years ago this week, Rick and Brendan discuss the tricky collaboration that led to the first Eckhartz Press book, The Living Wills.
=The Northwest Indiana Times also reviewed the book this week in 2012.
“You’ll love reading about what it’s like to be a soccer (always going to be football to me!) fan from multiple perspectives. Thanks to Paul and this in depth look at the evolution of international soccer in the United States, in some ways negative for the men’s game, and in some ways positive for the women’s game.”
Thursday, January 02, 2025
Welcome to 2025!
It's a new year, and once again, I'm going to be doing things a little differently this year.
I hope to start doing a regular media column again before the year is up, but in the meantime I'll be posting media updates/milestones/birthdays on my Twitter feed. If you don't follow me yet, I'm @Rickkaempfer (And no, I'm going to get verified.) Here's my post from today...
Happy birthday to the Score (1992). At first it was only on during the daytime hours at 820 AM. It later migrated to 1160 AM, before landing in it’s current location at 670 AM. The first all-sports-talk station in Chicago was a bold experiment at the time of its debut. pic.twitter.com/cmlXHTvDzo
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) January 2, 2025
Here's my post from yesterday (yes, I will continue my monthly Illinois Entertainer column)...
The new issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and includes my tribute to Chicago media figures we lost in 2024. https://t.co/Brg3TyNs7T
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) January 2, 2025
I'm also going to be featuring an EveryCubEver profile every day this year on my Just One Bad Century facebook page (Follow me there and you won't miss any of them). I'm working hard on the new edition of the book, which will be coming out for opening day. In the meantime, here's an example of how I'll be featuring it...
I'll be doing a regular Minutia Minute feature everyday on Threads and Instagram. At both places you can follow me @minutiamenofficial This is today's post on Instagram...
Publishing Portal will return here next week. Any new book announcements, author birthdays, and book anniversaries will be posted on the Eckhartz Press facebook page. If you don't follow that yet, please do.
Any new updates (new books, new articles, new podcast episodes, etc.) will also be posted on LinkedIn.
And finally, I've also joined BlueSky, which I'm finding to be a refreshing change of pace from some of the other social media outlets. If you're interested in all of these different things I post about (there must be one or two of you, right?), I'll be posting there every day. My handle is @rickkaempfer.bsky.social
They tell me that bloggers are dinosaurs, so I'm trying to learn some new tricks. It ain't easy with these short arms.
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