Moving Day Chicago

Eckhartz Press publisher David Stern is walking in Moving Day Chicago, the National Parkinson's Foundation fundraising walk on October 20th. What is Moving Day? We'll let the NPF explain it in their own words...

Moving Day is your chance to speak up about Parkinson’s disease and move others to take action. It is a movement for change—towards more awareness, more funding, and more understanding of a disease that affects so many of our family and friends. We use movement as a symbol of hope and progress because of its essential role in treating Parkinson’s. So choose to move any way you can by walking, stretching or doing yoga in our signature Movement Pavilion. Every move you make and every penny you raise will bring us closer to beating Parkinson’s!

Here are the details for the Chicago portion of Moving Day, if you'd like to participate in the event.

Moving Day Chicago will take place in Lincoln Park at Grove 2, just south of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s South Pond. Grove 2 is located just east of 1730 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago, IL. 60614 which is north of LaSalle Street.

9:00 a.m. Registration Opens
10:00 a.m. Welcome and Warm-Up for Walk (Main Stage)
10:30 a.m. Walk Begins (Ribbon cutting on path)
12:00 a.m. Closing Ceremonies (Main Stage)
1:00 p.m. Close

Even if you can't participate in the event, you can help support the cause. Become part of the Eckhartz Press team, by clicking here. Our humble goal is to raise $1000 for Parkinson's research. Any little bit you can donate would be greatly appreciated.

An important part of our mission at Eckhartz Press is to serve the greater good, and this charity drive certainly qualifies. We hope you find it in your heart to come join us; in person or in spirit.

Saying Farewell To Father Knows Nothing

When I started writing this blog eight years ago, I debuted a weekly column called "Suburban Man." It was really just a humorous chronicle of my inept transition from radio producer to work-at-home-dad. I was in way over my head, and I thought people might get a kick out of it (or least feel better about themselves) when they read about my trial and error method of learning.

When Shore Magazine started a parenting magazine two years later, they asked me to bring "Suburban Man" over to their website and magazine. The name of the column was changed to "Father Knows Nothing" (which, I'll admit, is much better), and I wrote a column for them every week the last six years.

I loved it too. It kept me sane. When things were going badly in my house (which was every day), it forced me to look for the humor in every situation. A funny thing happens when you look for the humor in every situation. You start to enjoy life a lot more. I honestly credit Father Knows Nothing for doing that for me.

Before I knew it, I was savoring the experience of raising my boys. I was appreciating the little moments, something I had never been able to do before. And these columns did something even more important in the long run. They chronicled three childhoods. Tommy, Johnny, and Sean were 10, 7, and 3 when I started writing about them. Now they're 18, 15, and 11. (You're welcome, future therapists. You'll be able to pinpoint the exact moment I caused irreparable harm to their psyches).

I've written more than 400 columns about my boys and my wife and my life these past eight years. 400 columns that sometimes evolved into something totally different than I thought I was going to write when I sat down at the computer. The column helped me become a better writer, and it helped me become a better father. Without even realizing it, it forced me to spend hundreds of hours just thinking about my boys--trying to understand and help them.

It was a complete bonus to me that people really seemed to like it. The critics even liked it--which I still find hilarious. It was nominated for the Peter Lisagor Award (as best blog in Chicago) twice in the last three years by the Chicago Headline club. I've also been blown away by the many comments, letters, e-mails, and suggestions I've gotten from readers. I'll never be able to repay all of you for the times you made my day with a kind word.

But after eight years and 400 columns, I've decided that the time has come to hang up my keyboard. I let the editors of the magazine know about my decision yesterday. "Father Knows Nothing" is a column no more.

I'm not going to stop writing. I'm not even going to stop writing about my boys or my wife or my life. There will be frequent posts right here on this blog. But over the next year I'm going to convert Father Knows Nothing the column into Father Knows Nothing, the book. That seems like the perfect way to tie it all up with a little bow.

My goal is to release it at Christmastime next year (2014).

Can you guess which lucky publisher is going to release it?

Scott Miller

When I worked at WJMK, Scott Miller was a little kid who used to show up at station remotes. He called into Landecker's show, and became pals with Dick Biondi. I wasn't surprised in the least when he decided to go into radio after he grew up. I've been following his career since it began. He worked for Oprah's radio network, and the ill-fated Randy Michaels news-talk station, and he is now at WGN working as producer/sidekick for Pete McMurray.

Scott recently competed in the "Chicago's Funniest Media Personality" contest at the Laugh Factory against Eddie Volkman, WLUP's Pat Capone, WGN-TV's Ryan Salzwedel, Red Eye's Amy Guth and others. And he won it.

Nice job, kid.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Dan Bernstein ‏@dan_bernstein 1m
Within days there will be a @bobnightengale Dusty Baker story that references racist mail of unknown origin that nobody ever sees.

Steve Scott ‏@SteveScottWCBS 2m
NOT MAKING THIS UP: Shares of #Tweeter Home Entertainment soar 1000%, as investors confuse it with #Twitter. http://tinyurl.com/pvb8kj6 Crazy!

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS 6m
There's procedural way moderate Rs could force vote on clean CR, & there's precedent for it working in 80s: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/04/moderate-republicans-could-help-reopen-government-right-now-if-they-wanted-to/ …

Bob Nightengale ‏@BNightengale 14m
MLB fights back on A-Rod suit: It is nothing more than a desperate attempt to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Bob Nightengale ‏@BNightengale 11m
Oh, and #MLB also says that A-Rod used testosterone and HGH over a number of years and violated the CBA with a coverup.

MLB ‏@MLB 12m
Fenway looks glorious. #postseason pic.twitter.com/9jjESGQOrA

Roger Simon ‏@politicoroger 4m
Sen. Cruz live: "So many Democrats have described me as the root of all evil in the world."

The New Yorker ‏@NewYorker 6m
Four days after the government shutdown, @RyanLizza explores John Boehner's options: http://nyr.kr/16nryUl

Gawker ‏@Gawker 7m
Yale's poop crisis escalates: Shit-stained shirts strung up around campus. http://gaw.kr/u5YrVbi

Josh Fruhlinger ‏@jfruh 8m
DON'T THINK WE CAN'T SEE YOU EATING UP THIS BUS'S FEEBLE INTERNET CONNECTION, DUDE WHO KEEPS TRYING TO WATCH NETFLIX ON HIS LAPTOP

Stars & Stripes

When I lived in Germany, The Stars & Stripes was my only connection (along with Armed Forces Radio) to the United States. It was really the first newspaper I read on a daily basis. Every morning I eagerly leafed through it to find the Cubs box score, and wondered who the players were because only their last names were listed. (Ontiveros? Who is this guy playing third base?)

I was bummed to read this about the Stars & Stripes this morning. They are having a "sad and difficult time". Layoffs are coming.

I hope they can stay afloat.

Compromising

Thanks to "AD" for sending me this...

The Twitter IPO

They admit that the company is not profitable. And they are saying its worth $1 billion. That's billion with a B.

I don't think I will ever understand the world of finance.

Public vs. Private

The government shutdown is still going on with no end in sight. If you watch Republicans discuss it in public, they do a fairly good job of pretending like they are unconcerned.

What they say in private is completely different. I love this account in today's New York Times about "the lynch mob" of GOP Senators who went after Ted Cruz in a closed door meeting this week.

Here's my favorite part:

Ms. Ayotte was especially furious, according to two people present, and waved a printout from a conservative group friendly to Mr. Cruz attacking 25 of his fellow Republican senators for supporting a procedural vote that the group counted as support of the health law.

Ms. Ayotte asked Mr. Cruz to disavow the group’s effort and demanded he explain his strategy. When he did not, several other senators — including Mr. Johnson, Mr. Coats and even Mitch McConnell, the minority leader — joined in the criticism of Mr. Cruz.

“It just started a lynch mob,” said a senator who was present.

Despite the uproar, Mr. Cruz did not offer a plan for how his party could prevail in the shutdown battle...

They really did all of this without the slightest idea of how to win it, how to stop it, or how to even save face when it blew up. Unbelievable.

Keep that in mind when you hear them speak between now and the day that they have to give in to the president.

5 Years Ago Today

On this day in 2008, the team with the best record in baseball (The Cubs) were swept out of the playoffs in three games.

I knew with utter certainty at that moment that I would never see a World Series championship in my lifetime. I wrote about it for Father Knows Nothing and Just One Bad Century. The Associated Press quoted me.

I sold more Just One Bad Century shirts in one day than I've sold since. Dave and I had hire people to help us ship them out.

"Life Behind The Camera" Available for Pre-Order Beginning Today!

For the past thirty years, Chuck Quinzio has been filming life on the streets of Chicago as a television news cameraman. “Life Behind the Camera” is his vividly colorful memoir; a chronicle of the news stories of the last three decades, told from a cameraman’s perspective.

*Stand alongside a young gangbanger lying on the streets of Chicago, struggling to stay alive.

*Chase down celebrities (Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, Michael Jordan, Harry Caray), politicians (Harold Washington, Rod Blagojevich), and criminals (including mob bosses).

*Cheat death as you hang out of a helicopter, or slink out of a housing project amid a flurry of flying bullets, or maneuver your way around the gruesome underbelly of Chicago.

*Hang out in Chicago’s television newsrooms—and learn the behind the scenes machinations of assignment editors, reporters, news directors, anchors, and crew.

*Spend time with a network television news crew, flying into such hotspots as Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio.

*And of course, experience the joy and splendor of the city of Chicago.

Quinzio’s storytelling paints a picture of Chicago and the television news business you’ll never forget; tragic, gritty, frightening, and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Pre-order your copy today! The book ships on October 31st.

Savoy Truffle

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this tidbit from 45 years ago today...

October 3, 1968…At Trident Studios in London, the Beatles began recording the new George Harrison song "Savoy Truffle," inspired by friend Eric Clapton's love of chocolates. The track was completed on October 14.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




CNNMoney.com ‏@CNNMoney 19m
Dow drops sharply and slips below 15,000 as stock selloff accelerates: http://cnnmon.ie/1fLQivq

Slate ‏@Slate 22s
The shuttering of NASA shows just how stupid, embarrassing, and ironic the shutdown is: http://slate.me/172WHYQ

Salon.com ‏@Salon 1 Oct
Hundreds of thousands face furloughs and work stoppages -- and conservatives are downright euphoric! http://slnm.us/VckRfX6

Ronan Farrow ‏@RonanFarrow 1h
Cost of shutdown to American economy: $300 million a day. Cost of shutdown to American dignity: priceless.

ABC News ‏@ABC 30m
Obama: House Speaker John Boehner is the only thing standing in the way of reopening the federal government. http://abcn.ws/GB5fkM

Breaking Politics ‏@breakingpol 11m
Report: House Speaker Boehner told colleagues he'd be willing to pass a debt limit increase, lawmaker tells @nytimes http://nyti.ms/17x8G5f

Taegan Goddard ‏@politicalwire 45s
Meanwhile, the Treasury isn't talking about its backup plans if Congress does't raise the debt limit
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/10/03/boehner_tells_republicans_he_wont_let_country_default.html …

Jesse Rogers ‏@ESPNChiCubs 5m
Following up on @jcrasnick tweet from yesterday, hearing NOT a ton of mutual interest re Brad Ausmus for Cubs job..waiting on Girardi

Entertainment Weekly ‏@EW 17m
Sinead O'Connor pens open letter to Miley Cyrus: 'Don't let the music business make a prostitute of you' http://ow.ly/psTOa

Groovyhoovy ‏@Groovyhoovy 3m
Relaxation drinks are entering the market which promise to do the opposite of energy drinks. Hmm. We have that already. It's called wine!

Rover Indicted on 13 Counts

Remember Rover, the short-time morning show host at WCKG? Well he got in trouble a few months ago in his hometown of Cleveland, and it's not looking good for him. From this morning's Tom Taylor column...

The charges all relate to a July 4 holiday weekend arrest. About 3:40am in the morning, after some partying, an off-duty police officer asked Shane (“Rover”) French to stop shooting off illegal fireworks on his boat. The WMMS (100.7) morning jock allegedly starting shooting fireworks at the cop, then objected when the cop stepped on something he’d been using as an ignition source. They tangled. French and another man were arrested (July 8 NOW), and now WKYC TV reports a grand jury’s returned indictments on 13 counts. Those include attempted felonious assault, vandalism, resisting arrest and inducing panic. French’s companion got the same 13 counts. On Clear Channel’s rock WMMS, Rover later said “the allegations are absolutely absurd, ridiculous, and not based in fact whatsoever.” He asked listeners to “resist the temptation” to form an opinion “until all the facts are out there.” We'll see how Clear Channel handles the heightened legal situation.

Michael Jackson Trial Verdict

Another Michael Jackson trial, and another verdict. This time the jury found that AEG was NOT liable for Michael Jackson's death.

At some point are we just going to admit that Michael Jackson himself might have a teeny bit to do with it?

It's Not Everyone's Fault

If you look at the newspapers across the country and the way they have reported the government shutdown story, it's nice to see that there is agreement on who is to blame. It's not both sides. It's the Republicans' fault. Plain and simple.

So says The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Chicago Sun Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, and Denver Post.

That's not the "liberal" media saying it. It's across the spectrum, left, right and center.

Ronan Farrow

Mia Farrow and Woody Allen had a lot of children together, but most of them were adopted (including, famously, the one the Woody is now married to). Only one of them was their biological child--the one pictured here with Mia, Ronan. Well, Mia let it slip the other day that Ronan might not be Woody's biological child after all. She also had "relations" with another big celebrity around the time of Ronan's conception. Take a look at the picture of Ronan. It's pretty obvious who it is.

Sorry, Woody. The boys a dead ringer for Ol Blue Eyes (who was 77 years old at the time of Ronan's birth)


Credit: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Obamacare vs. The Affordable Care Act

Sting

Happy birthday to Sting, 62 years old today...

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Breaking News ‏@BreakingNews 3m
Report: Bestselling author Tom Clancy died in a hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday, his publisher confirms to @nytimes - @juliebosman

Jake Tapper ‏@jaketapper 13m
WH: 4.7 million unique visitors to Obamacare website, 133k calls, 104k web chats requested. WH claims not to have # for folks enrolled.

Deadspin ‏@Deadspin 13m
Hey, it's Gary Bettman sleeping at the Blackhawks game! http://deadsp.in/hJvfXVr

Daniel Gross ‏@grossdm 32m
Me in DB: People make light of the shutdown's effect on tourism. They shouldn't it's a huge export business. http://thebea.st/GzDeK3

Robert Feder ‏@RobertFeder 17m
A tough year for @wlsam890 just got worse: http://bit.ly/1eYy3BI

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS 6m
Shorter conservatives: Why won't Obama show leadership by brokering a compromise in which only Dems make concessions?

Groovyhoovy ‏@Groovyhoovy 9m
Government Shutdown Watch: Be on the lookout for Nicolas Cage trying to steal the Declaration of Independence.

Deadspin ‏@Deadspin 13m
South Carolina's trying to wipe out this week's Steve Spurrier Show, featuring a slurring HBC. We've got the video: http://deadsp.in/yKpne7z

Michael Beschloss ‏@BeschlossDC 41m
These are RIchard Nixon's 1972 historical All-Star picks (asterisk=active at time): pic.twitter.com/ud1DXGg721

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 39m
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock's "Gravity" is being called "extraordinary" http://huff.to/18O8hvD

Swany

My latest Illinois Entertainer column is about the man behind the scenes at the Eric & Kathy show--their long-time producer John "Swany" Swanson.

Read it here.

While the FCC's away...

...the radio and television folks can play. The F.C.C. is part of the government shutdown.

From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

You could run zombies through the halls of FCC headquarters at the Portals, and not interrupt anybody. Only a handful of FCC staffers – 2% - are left during the government shutdown, and valuable online resources are unavailable. Not having the CDBS (Consolidated Database) will be a hardship for engineers, consultants, group executives and more – but not nearly as much a hardship as the shutdown is for the furloughed Commission staff members. Still on the job are “up to two employees working per shift at each location,” including the FCC Operations Center, for emergencies.

Slang Phrases From the 1920s

I got a big kick out of this. Thanks to "KS" for pointing it out to me...59 Slang Phrases From The 1920s That We Should Start Using Again

Here's a few...

Cancelled stamp: a shy, lonely female, the type one would describe as a “wallflower”

Cash: a smooch

Cake-eater: in the 1920’s refers to a “ladies’ man”; later, slang for homosexual

Choice bit of calico: a desirable woman

Dewdropper: like lollygagger, a slacker who sits around all day and does nothing, often unemployed

Four-flusher: someone who mooches off the money of others in order to feign wealth

Facebook Messages about Gov Shutdown & Obamacare

I think I've de-friended most of my Facebook friends that post nasty racist screeds against the president and the government, and also those who post nasty anti-Republican screeds. I still have lots of politically-minded facebook friends, but only reasonable ones. (And by the way, there are tons of reasonable people on both sides).

Here are a few of their political posts that really caught my eye...

Roman Sawczak (Republican)


Deborah Stern Harris (Democrat)


Spike O'Dell (Republican)
Our government is a train wreck. I know...I've just stated the obvious, but I have just had it with these idiots. Both sides. Unbelievable.

Randy Richardson (left leaning gov employee)
Federal employees are often the butt of jokes. I get it. I am a federal worker, and I frequently make light of my job. But I still take my job seriously, because I think the work that I do is important. I’m sorry, but what our elected representatives in D.C. did today to federal workers is not funny. I am one of those anonymous 800,000 federal workers who reported to work today for a four-hour “winding down.” No, that does not mean that we were drinking wine and getting massages. What did I do in those four hours today? I wrote a decision awarding disability benefits to a homeless man so that he has the money to pay for public transportation to get the antiviral medication he needs so that he doesn’t die from AIDS. Without that decision, there are no benefits and this young man very likely dies on the streets. There are no guarantees that he uses this money to get the treatment he needs or that it is not already too late. But at least with the decision I wrote today, there’s some hope. In the eyes of our government, my job is currently deemed non-essential. Tell that to the homeless man dying of AIDS. I am truly saddened by what has become of our so-called leadership in Washington. Their behavior is disgraceful, and they should be ashamed that they are continuing to collect paychecks while so many of us suffer because of their childish behavior.

John Magnus (right leaning gov employee)
From the "insult to injury" department - today, in a pretty good HR mixup, I had to give myself, sign for as the presenter and receiver, my own furlough notice while I was giving them to my staff. "C'mon man!"

Andy Dashiell (Democrat)
Went on to the Obamacare exchange website for Colorado this morning. Assuming it stays in effect and the extremists in Washington don't blow up the entire government and national economy, I am going to see my monthly premiums cut almost in half! And that's *without* any subsidy! Obamacare. I'm a fan.

Rob Schmidt (Democrat)
Government's shut down, might as well have a beer.


Kent Winrich (Republican)

Casey Kasem

One of the most famous DJs in the world, Casey Kasem, is apparently gravely ill. But this story about Casey in the Guardian is about more than just his illness. In fact, the illness isn't even mentioned. It's about his children and his brother.

They are protesting outside of Casey's house because his wife will not allow them to see him. Check out the article. There are lots of photos of the protest. It's one of the oddest things I've ever seen.

I'm not going to question the motivation of the children or the wife (who is not the mother of the children) because who knows why things like this happen. To me, the sad part of the story is that Casey is obviously estranged from his family. I've recently run into a lot of this--Good friends who haven't spoken to a sibling or parent in years. I know that sometimes things are said or done that seem unforgivable.

But forgiveness is as much for you as it is for the person you're forgiving. Forgivers rarely regret it. At least that's been my experience.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Jose Canseco ‏@JoseCanseco 8h
I will bring CansecoCare to Washington and fix this crap if I have to. #yeswecanseco

Leonard Nimoy ‏@TheRealNimoy 13h
Members of my family have been denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. They'll get coverage with Obamacare. LLAP

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS 13s
63% of moderates say gridlock in DC is fault of GOP wanting to "block any Obama initiative" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/01/the-morning-plum-republicans-enter-the-danger-zone/ …

Matt Yglesias ‏@mattyglesias 2m
Now with working link—here’s what you need to do on Obamacare launch day: http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/01/obamacare_launch_day_what_you_need_to_do.html …

daveweigel ‏@daveweigel 3m
Beginning to think that the GOP made a mistake going into a gov't shutdown battle without any idea of how to win.

Colin Joliat ‏@FlintSkinny 9h
RT @BCAppelbaum: Midnight. The National Zoo has released its lions. Good luck to everyone in Northwest D

Rebecca Berg ‏@rebeccagberg 1h
What comes next for House Republicans on govt shutdown: Nothing. There's no new plan except to wait. http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-government-shutdown-fight-house-republicans-dont-know-what-comes-next/article/2536637 …

Xeni Jardin ‏@xeni 4m
So 86% of CDC is furloughed; many air safety personnel are too. If you're a zombie space horde planning an aerial plague invasion, NOW.

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte 16m
Whine all you want about the shutdown, America, but Daddy GOP told you not to elect the black President and now you must be punished.

Catherine Thompson ‏@KT_thomps 7m
Darrell Issa: "Not funding the government is part of funding it." http://bit.ly/1dTVIAf

The Daily Show Nails It

This pretty much sums up the ridiculousness of the government shutdown...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Chicago Radio Ratings

From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago – Bears football may help explain the 4.9-4.9-5.4 jump for CBS all-newser WBBM and its FM simulcast at 105.9. It now ranks #2. Just above it is CC’s urban AC “V103,” with its 17th win in the last 18 books. But “V” is drifting southward, down 7.4-6.7-6.2. (Read "V103 celebrates 25 years at the top" from Chicago media observer Robert Feder here.) Third place goes to Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX, 5.3-5.0-5.2. Then come CBS Radio’s country “US 99.5” WUSN, 4.9-4.5-4.5 and Clear Channel’s top 40 “Kiss” WKSC with a one-year best (4.1-3.9-4.3). It’s the fanciest PPM ever for CBS-owned adult alternative WXRT (2.8-3.5-3.8). But there’s a down-trend for Merlin’s classic rock “Loop” WLUP, 3.4-3.0-2.6. In talk, Tribune’s WGN drops 4.6-4.6-4.0. Cumulus talker WLS can’t break a 2-share, 1.8-1.7-1.9. In sports, it’s the CBS “Score” WSCR, 2.0-2.2-2.3 and Disney’s WMVP, 1.0-1.0-1.1. Three stations manage a cume larger than two million – CHR “Kiss” at 2,254,700, hot AC “Mix” at 2,063,400 and CBS Radio’s rhythmic “B96” WBBM-FM at 2,046,000. B96 ranks #10 in share

JRL in Carol Stream

John Landecker will be making his first appearance in the Western suburbs to promote his book “Records Truly Is My Middle Name”. He’ll be at the Carol Stream Public Library from 2-4pm this coming Sunday, October 6th.

John is bringing along his home movies from his days at WLS in the 1970s, and will be reading excerpts from his book. After the presentation, he’ll take questions from the audience. These last few library appearances have been smash hits. Come on out and enjoy a fun afternoon with a radio legend.

Carol Stream Public Library is located at 616 Hiawatha in Carol Stream.

Quitting via Video

This is a real story, apparently. This woman quit her job via video. At the risk of sounding a thousand years old, I'm thinking that when she interviews for her next job, she's going to regret this.

Badfinger

The final scene in the final episode of Breaking Bad featured my son Sean's favorite band, Badfinger. I'm guessing they chose it for two reasons. Badfinger, and the opening line of the song...

Cubs Fire Another Manager

I was born in 1963.

Dale Sveum has just become the 26th fired Cubs manager in my lifetime.

Babe's Called Shot

It supposedly happened on this day in 1932, during Game 2 of the World Series. Cubs 365 has the details.

Green White History

One of my on-going writing projects is chronicling the history of Green White Soccer Club, a club co-founded by my father in 1956. Every month I write about one year in Green White history. This month it's 1980.

You can read it here.

South Side Story

If you know anything about me, you know I'm a die-hard Cubs fan. My son Sean might even be a bigger Cubs fan than me, if it's possible. So when he said he wanted to go to U.S. Cellular for his birthday, I was a little surprised.

"I just want to see another ballpark," he said to me. "We've driven by it, but we've never gone in."

"OK," I said, "but you can't wear any Cubs stuff. I took your brother to a Cubs-Sox game at Comiskey when he was five years old and an entire section of White Sox fans booed him for several innings because he was wearing a Cubs hat. They booed a five-year-old."

"Really?"

"Really," I said. "I'm not kidding. No Cubs stuff. We'll just go enjoy a ballgame."

"I promise," he said.

I let him bring four of his pals and we spent Saturday night at the park. Had a good time too. We were in the front row of the centerfield bleachers (the seats even have backs!). Seven homers were hit that night, so we saw lots of fireworks. Plus, after the game, they had an actual fireworks display. And because the White Sox won, we got free fries at McDonald's.

Other than listening to five boys screaming non-stop for several hours (where in the world do they get the energy?), the Cell was a very positive experience. It's still not Wrigley, but if I had brought five boys to Wrigley, I would have had to take out another mortgage.

Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

Good news, bad news. I believe this dead skunk is the one that has been tormenting my dog for the past few months. Unfortunately, it's on the road right in front of my house, and it reeks so much I had to close all the windows.

I know that skunks are all part of the circle of life, and that they are necessary for something, but I can very easily imagine a world without them.

11 Famous Songs You Didn't Know Were Sued for Plagiarism

I had no idea about some of these, including "Folsom Prison Blues", "Come Together", and "Do You Think I'm Sexy". You should check it out. The article provides videos of the "original" songs. I personally think "Come Together" is a bit of a stretch, but you can decide for yourself.

Fuse posted the article.

Joel Daly

Former ABC anchor Joel Daly is appearing on stage in Evanston. Robert Feder has the details.

I've gotten to know Joel a bit over the past few months because Eckhartz Press is going to publish his memoir after the first of the year. (More details to come.) If there ever has been a true Renaissance man, Joel is it: Reporter, Anchor, Attorney, Pilot, Actor, Singer, Performer.

The guy does it all.

College Radio Day

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

College Radio Day is tomorrow. It started with a professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey named Dr. Rob Quicke, and has quickly spread around the world. Quicke tells NorthJersey.com that it’s now “a global event…we have 37 countries signed on.” As the organizing website says, “the aim is to raise a greater, international awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate around the world, by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day.” Why is college radio important? They say it’s “the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis. Indeed, many famous and successful bands today, owe their initial break to being played on college radio.” College Radio Day began in 2011, grew to 585 student stations in 29 countries, and could be even bigger this year, as it’s celebrated tomorrow, October 1.

I am a big supporter of college radio. It's how I got my start in radio way back in 1981 at WPGU in Champaign-Urbana. See if you can spot me in this picture...