Blogging Vacation

No, I'm not going on vacation to blog. I'm going on vacation (with this little guy), and therefore cannot blog.

I'll still be posting a new Minutia Men podcast on Thursday, my Illinois Entertainer column about Leslie Keiling will still be posted on July 1st, and Just One Bad Century will continue to post throughout this whole time, but this little blog here is on hiatus until July 5th.

Have a great week!

RIP Jim Hickman

Sad news. Former Cub Jim Hickman has passed away at the age of 79.

Here's our write up of Jim from our Every Cub Ever Feature at Just One Bad Century...

~Jim Hickman 1937 (Cubs 1969-1973)
After eight forgettable seasons with three different teams, Jim Hickman was magically transformed from a perennial struggler to a powerful slugger. In 1970 at the age of 33, “Gentleman Jim” somehow batted .315, with 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored for the Chicago Cubs. Not bad for a player whose previous career bests were a .257 average, 21 homers, 57 RBI and 54 runs scored. He also drove in a hard-charging Pete Rose with a 12th inning single in that season’s All-Star Game (probably the most famous moment in All-Star Game history). When asked to explain his surprising turnabout, Hickman replied, “I really don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you.” His manager Leo Durocher loved him because he was a gentleman (hence the nickname) and because he would defend the boss against what Durocher considered the “trouble-making” faction of Milt Pappas and Joe Pepitone. (Photo: 1971 Topps Baseball Card)

Star Witness: A Parrot

This is a murder trial that is too strange for scriptwriters...

George Will Leaves Republican Party

I always had a soft spot for George Will because he's a Cubs fan.

Now I have another reason to like him. Will has announced he is no longer a Republican because of Donald Trump, and is urging Republicans to help defeat Trump.

George is not exactly a newcomer to the Conservative movement. He's been a prominent Republican pundit, commentator and writer since the 1970s. He joined the Republican party in 1964.

WGN Renewals

The folks at WGN Radio were busy on Friday signing contracts.

Morning man Steve Cochran has been signed through 2020.

Todd Manley, VP of Content Creation, has been signed through 2018.

Congrats to both of them.