Big Win for US Soccer

The next game will be tougher (vs. Mexico in Mexico)...

Weighted to perfection. pic.twitter.com/6lzAPuQUJL

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 9, 2017

Cubs Issues

This 2017 season is starting to feel like a repeat of the 1985 season. That year the entire Cubs pitching staff, which had led them to the brink of the World Series in 1984, went down with injuries.

The second Cubs starter went down this week. Kyle Hendricks is on the DL.

But more disturbingly, Addison Russell has been placed on leave, after being accused of domestic violence. MLB is investigating.

Not good.

On the other hand, this was a touching moment last night...

What an incredibly special moment! Ben's dad surprised him by throwing out the first pitch to Ben at tonight's ga… https://t.co/NnwNmm62p4 pic.twitter.com/WudMC51kUl

— Julianna Zobrist (@JuliannaZobrist) June 9, 2017

Minutia Men, Episode 54

EP54 – Rick and Dave discuss embarrassing misspelled searches, a man truly committed to mowing his lawn, Jenkins shutting down an airline, and Rick’s brush with Charlton Heston.

You can listen to it here.

Is there something on TV today?

Hunkering down for a little daytime TV.

When the Watergate hearings were happening, I was mostly ticked off because they interupted my Dick Van Dyke show reruns.

This time I have a box of popcorn.

JRL in Union, IL

This Saturday from 10am-4pm as part of the 42nd Annual Phonograph & Vintage Music Show, 8512 S. Union Road, Union IL, 815-923-7000.

Dave and I will be there too.

Mark Gelinas on HLN

Eckhartz Press' very own Mark Gelinas on national television...

Another one out of middle school

We took him out for ice cream after the ceremony...

Graduation Day

Son #3 is graduating from 8th grade today.

Back to blogging tomorrow.

John Landecker in Union, Illinois

This Saturday beginning at 10am, I'll be joining John Landecker in Union, IL for a phonograph & vintage music show. Should be a great time. John will be signing and selling copies of his book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name"

Details about the show are right here.

This is an area we've never gone before, so any of those Landecker fans in that general vicinity should come on out! A good time will be had by all. John is bringing some of his own personal records to sign as well.

John Williams Back in Chicago Full Time

From this morning's NOW Newsletter...

John Williams has had one foot frozen in Minneapolis and the other one planted in Chicago, but now he’s leaving the Twin Cities – and its reticent listeners. The talk-host tells the Star Tribune that Chicago audiences – like the ones he’s entertained on Tribune’s talk WGN/720 – “are much more forward. They tell you what they think.” While Minnesotans “are more inclined to text or tell you what they feel at a cocktail party.” He says getting listeners of CBS Radio’s news/talk WCCO/830 to call in and voice opinions “always felt like an uphill battle.” John just did his last 3pm-6pm show for ’CCO last Friday, and is moving to Chicago where he’s got family. He’d been originating a Saturday morning show for WGN after moving to the Twin Cities, and in recent months he’s also created a 1pm-3pm weekday show for WGN – followed by that three hours on WCCO. Doing two markets every day, he says, is “not good for your mental health.” He started offering $50 to a caller’s favorite charity if they caught him using the wrong call letters.

Cumulus Wants No Dickey

The people who run Cumulus broadcasting have noticed that their former chairman has been slowly amassing a war chest of cash, and they are getting nervous. From this morning's Inside Radio...

The plan includes what’s known as a “poison pill” which would automatically be triggered if someone buys more than 4.9% of the company’s stock on the open market. It comes as former chief executive Lew Dickey’s newly created Modern Media has amassed a $207 million war chest seeking acquisition targets.

Once activated, Cumulus’ poison pill would award shareholders with incremental shares of stock or give them the option to buy shares at a significant discount if the company becomes a takeover target. Either action would effectively dilute the acquirer’s position to 50% or less of what they’ve acquired.

Dickey may be the founder of Cumulus, but there's a good reason he was forced out. Many people believe he is the biggest reason the company stock is now less than a dollar a share.

Must See-TV

How big is this Jim Comey testimony on Thursday?

The networks are covering it live. It could be several hours of no ads. That's how big it is.

ABC, CBS, CSPAN, and all three cable news channels will be covering this sucker.

The question is this: Will the president be live tweeting it, or will his staff succeed in hiding his phone from him?

RIP Jimmy Piersall

Cubs coaches recall working with Jimmy, who passed away this weekend.

I told my brush with Jimmy in a previous episode of Minutia Men. You can listen to that here.

Jimmy was immortalized in film by Anthony Perkins in "Fear Strikes Out"...

Bill Maher

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like Bill Maher if I got to know him better. I met him once, and it didn't go well. On the other hand, I do watch his show every week and think he does provide a valuable service. He is an unwavering liberal, as aggressive in his beliefs as the standard conservative is on his or her side.

But this weekend I did cringe when he flopped out the "N" word, trying to make a joke about himself. First of all, the joke wasn't funny. Secondly, that's a word that should just be dropped into the bins of history.

To his credit, Maher did something the day after that he never does. He apologized.

Somebody is actually hiring

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

They’re hiring, at Chicago Public Media’s not-for-profit news/talk WBEZ Chicago/91.5 – “a dozen reporters, editors, producers and hosts,” says media blogger Robert Feder. The newsroom’s already at 56 people and CEO/President Goli Sheikholeslami aims to take that number “to 68 by December and to 90 by 2020.” With Chicago’s two daily newspapers perhaps merging and Tribune Media apparently going to Sinclair Broadcasting, the CEO says there’s more need for independent media – like WBEZ.

The World Series Ring

At a charity event this past weekend I got a chance to wear a Chicago Cubs World Series ring. it belonged to the Cubs trainer, who was kind enough to let me wear it. We might have gotten a little carried away...