Oh boy!

Here we go...

Cubs loading truck for spring training. It's happening. pic.twitter.com/8Vqmtpb0Kw

— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) February 2, 2018

Hitchhiking to the Edge of Sanity

Filmmaker Scott Petersen came to town a few months ago to unveil his latest documentary; "Hitchhiking to the Edge of Sanity". I was lucky enough to be in the audience to view it. Here's my one word review: "Tremendous"

The film is about two young Americans in 1970 who think it will make for a good story if they hitchhike across the Sahara Desert. One was an idealistic writer, and the other was a photographer. They got a great story and some great pictures alright, but the journey was about as difficult and tumultuous as you would imagine.

I only mention this because it's now out on amazon! I highly recommend it. You can rent it for $3.99 and buy it for only $9.99.

Here's the link!

After you watch it, let me know what you think.

RIP Dennis Edwards

One of the main singers of the Temptations has passed away just before his 75th birthday. Dennis Edwards was the lead singer on the following Temptation classics...

Three Floyds

One of the more underappreciated features of living in the world's #1 city (Chicago) is our close proximity to one of the best breweries in the world. Just over the Indiana border, I give you Three Floyds Brewery.

It's the top-ranked in the area, and in the top 100 in the world (which inludes Germany, by the way)

Chicago's Goose Island and Half Acre also made the top 100.

Two More Creeps Revealed

This time they are in the print media business, two editors at the NY Daily News.

Axios has the details.

Cumulus Hangs On to the Loop & WKQX

Turns out that Randy Michaels and his old Merlin buddies don't want to run these two radio stations again after all. They are allowing Cumulus to keep them...without buying them.

Robert Feder has the details.

What is football, Alex?

Turns out that Jeopardy contestants and football fans run in different crowds. I knew all five answers. :)

Nothing makes me smile more than watching these poor Jeopardy contestants flop while trying to answer sports questions — specifically football questions for the Super Bowl #SuperBowl52 pic.twitter.com/YJmBfanfbn

— Igor Mello (@SuperIgor) February 1, 2018

Minutia Men, Episode 82

EP82 – Rick and Dave discuss the most annoying word, sitcom revivals, Florida’s ranking, Republican Cubs, and Rick’s brush with Grandpa Munster Al Lewis.

Listen to it here.

Rise and Shine Woodchuck-chuckers

Happy Groundhogs Day!

A Case for Hart to Hart

Robert Wagner a ‘person of interest’ in Natalie Wood’s death, investigators say https://t.co/9av2NLvhdM

— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) February 1, 2018

How Boring is Living in Springfield?

Legislators use something called "the handkerchief trick" to amuse themselves.

Wacky.

Fred Winston

The February issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and features my interview with the legendary Fred Winston!

You can read it here.

Another Creep Revealed

This time its in the record business.

Charlie Walk, president of Republic Records, and a judge on the Fox television show The Four: Battle for Stardom.

Capetown

Capetown, South Africa is on the verge of becoming the first big city in the world to run out of water. They are going through such a terrible drought that their main reservoir is almost dry. That has to feel weird in this beautiful city along the ocean.

I was there in 2010 for the World Cup. Whenever I hear someone say "I'd like to go to Africa," I always reply "Make sure you go to Capetown". It's that beautiful.

I took a few pictures when we there. I don't think these do it justice, but it gives you an idea...

CWA Writer's Conference

Just picked up my tickets for the CWA Writer's Conference. Can't wait to attend. Should be a great learning experience. The keynote speaker will be former Chicago Tribune columnist Fred Mitchell.

It's the weekend of March 10-12 if you'd like to attend. There are still some spaces available.

Click here to sign up.

RIP Oscar Gamble

RIP Oscar Gamble. He passed away yesterday at the age of 68. Here is his Every Cub listing from Just One Bad Century...

~Oscar Gamble 1949 (Cubs 1969)
In November of 1969, the Cubs made a trade that they hoped would put them over the top. They traded pitcher Dick Selma and a young prospect, to the Phillies for former all-star outfielder Johnny Callison. Unfortunately for the Cubs, that young prospect turned out to be Oscar Gamble. Gamble was only 19 years old at the time, but he had already gotten a taste of the majors with the Cubs. How did that trade turn out? Gamble played in the majors until 1985, and hit 200 home runs. Of those 200 home runs, only one of them came for the Cubs. He went on to play in the World Series for the Yankees, and hit .358 for them in 1979. Most horribly, his best season was with the Southside Hitmen 1977 Chicago White Sox. Callison had one semi-decent year, then was done. Needless to say, he wasn’t the final piece to take them over the top. The biggest tragedy, however, was what could have been on the north side if they had never traded Gamble. After Jose Cardenal joined the Cubs in the early 70s, the Cubs could have had the greatest “fro” outfield of all-time.

The Bulls move to the Score

This had to happen fast because the basketball season is still underway, and it did. After Cumulus announced they were dropping the Bulls and White Sox last week, the Score swooped in and made it official today.

The Bulls will now air on the Score. Same announcers (Chuck Swirsky & Bill Wennington).

No word yet on the White Sox, but they do have some time. Spring training doesn't start for another few weeks.

How Creepy was Roger Ailes?

Andrea Tantaros, a former Fox News anchor, claims in a new lawsuit that Roger Ailes had a closed circuit TV in every room--including the one that Fox News women disrobed. From The Hollywood Reporter...

"There was also a bi-annual trunk show in the Spring and Fall conducted by Fox’s wardrobe department," states the amended complaint. "The trunk show was held in empty Fox offices and female talent was expected to disrobe down to their undergarments to try on new on-air dresses for the next season, without even the benefit of a curtain. The dresses were pre-selected for the women by the wardrobe department before their arrival; pants were not an option. Upon information and belief, Ailes was recording female employees disrobe without their consent in their offices and during the bi-annual trunk show."

The GOP Cubs

The Cubs have been affiliated in one way or another with the Republican Party since the days President Taft's brother owned the team. Later, William Wrigley was a big Republican donor. Minority owner Albert Lasker helped get Warren Harding elected (he was literally in that smokey room when the decision was made), and fellow minority owner Harry Sinclair was in the middle of Harding's notorious Teapot Dome scandal. The Chicago Tribune was founded by one of the most outspoken Republicans of all-time--Colonel McCormick--and the Tribune owned the Cubs for nearly 30 years. Ronald Reagan wasn't just a Cubs fan, he was a former Cubs announcer.

So, it probably shouldn't come as a big shock that Todd Ricketts was just named the chief fundraiser for the Republican party, replacing the disgraced alleged sexual harasser Steve Wynn.

As a die-hard Cubs fan and a die-hard non-Republican, I'm hoping that he keeps it to himself as much as possible.

A Bus-Sized Dinosaur Fossil Discovered in Africa

They are calling it the Holy Grail of dinosaur fossil discoveries because it's notoriously hard to find fossils in Africa (because of the terrain) and because it was in such good shape.

Reuters has the details.

Sorry, I'm a bit of a dinosaur nerd.

Chicago is #1!

From the Daily Mail...

Chicago has topped a list of the world's best cities beating London, New York and Melbourne.

For the second time in a row, the windy city was named the number one place for having fun and enjoying city life in a study by Time Out.

Each year it releases its annual City Life Index, which scores places on categories such as food, drink, culture, friendliness, affordability and happiness.

And Chicago came out on top thanks to high scores for its food and drink scene, culture, affordability and city pride. The only area where it fell short was safety.

I have been around the world, and I agree. Also love New York and London, which are in the top 5. Must check out Melbourne and Porto now (the other two in the top 5).

Emmis selling St. Louis stations

KSHE is an institution in St. Louis. From the RAMP Newsletter...

Emmis Communications Corporation just announced it's selling its St. Louis cluster of stations to Hubbard Radio and Entercom. Emmis says it has reached agreements in principle to sell KSHE and KPNT (105.7 The Point) to Hubbard Radio, and KFTK (FM News Talk 97.1) and KNOU (NOW 96.3) to Entercom Communications Corp.

Michelle Obama's First TV Interview

Last week Barack Obama emerged with his first interview (on David Letterman's new show), and this week Michelle will give her first interview too.

She'll be appearing on Ellen (Thursday).

Tacky, Tacky, Tacky

What happens when you hire Fast Eddie/Bob Rohrmann to be your president? The state of the union becomes a commercial. This is really tacky. From the Washington Post...

President Trump is seeking to parlay his first State of the Union address on Tuesday into cash for his reelection campaign by offering supporters a chance to see their name flashed on the screen during a broadcast of the speech.

In a fundraising solicitation on Monday, Trump offered those willing to pay at least $35 the opportunity to see their name displayed during a live streaming of the address on his campaign website.

If your name is Hispanic, no promises that your donation won't trigger a visit from ICE.

Bye Bye Chief Wahoo

The Indians have agreed to drop the Chief Wahoo logo because it is offensive to Native Americans.

You can certainly understand that. It is a bit cartoonish, and I've always been offended by it. But that's mainly because I heard the face was patterned after Ken Harrelson. Hawk is a Cub-hater, so I'm a Hawk-hater. Simple as that.

But according to this article, the Indians have been using Chief Wahoo since 1947, so obviously whoever told me it was Hawk Harrelson's face was inaccurate or playing a joke on me. (In fairness to gullible old me, the nose does resemble Hawk's)

The Dane Placko Hot Dog

Huge day for my good pal Dane Placko. It’s his birthday and he got a hot dog named after him. I was here to see him eat the first Dane Placko. Ingredients are beer mustard, cheese curds, and corn relish.

State of the Union Post-Game Show

A lot of the late night shows will be going live on Tuesday night so that they can report on the president's State of the Union address.

Jimmy Kimmel has booked Stormy Daniels to be on that night.

Setting the DVR.

Another Creep Revealed

Not too surprised by this name: Scott Baio.

The accuser is his Charles in Charge castmate Nicole Eggert, who was a teenager at the time.

Swift Groper Back in Radio

Radio is one medium that will seemingly always give out second chances. From Tom Taylor's NOW column this morning...

David Mueller, who lost his Denver morning gig and then a suit against Taylor Swift, re-enters radio. Last year Mississippi station owner Larry Fuss made a public offer to Mueller, saying he could get his foot back in the business at his new country sign-on. Now Mueller’s taking him up on it. Larry tells this NOW Newsletter that “I was roundly criticized in a Facebook group for offering him a job, but regardless of what he may or may not have done, does he really deserve to be banned from radio, for life?” Larry adds that Mueller’s had some personal losses in his family – and is confident that “He has lots of talent and will be great on Kix 92.7.” That’s Delta Radio’s newish country WMYQ Moorhead, Mississippi. After getting cut at Denver’s country KYGO/98.5 following a claim that he’d groped Taylor Swift’s butt, Mueller eventually sued her. She counter-sued and won a $1 verdict, leaving him with a lot of bills. Larry Fuss says his newest talent on “Kix” starts today as part of the “Jackson & Jonbob” morning show. Mueller was also “Jackson” at KYGO – and in Mississippi, he’ll be “Stonewall Jackson.”

Surprise Visit at the Grammys

We watched a few minutes of the Grammy's last night. The Elton John/Miley Cyrus duet was a snooze. The other songs didn't appeal to me (although Bruno Mars is a heck of an entertainer). But this was the one moment I enjoyed the most...

People Love Minutia Men

Here's a sampling of some of the reviews that have been left on iTunes for Minitua Men over the past month...






I could listen to Rick & Dave all day long
in iTunes by DJ Mike Zero from USA on January 27, 2018
Seriously, listening to these two guys go back and forth makes me nostalgic for my old radio days. It’s a little bit of old school and a little bit of new school. Pick a random episode and listen...you can’t go wrong!

Perfect podcast for the drive to work
in iTunes by Rob Gokee from USA on January 25, 2018
Love this show - well-produced and entertaining. I found this through the #podernfamily hashtag on Twitter - so glad I did!

A raucous blast
in iTunes by Fishbonius from USA on January 24, 2018
Great entertainment. Good sound quality. Funny stuff keeps me laughing. Good chemistry here leads to a really good time.

Awesome show
in iTunes by AwakenTheLeader from USA on January 23, 2018
Found your show today and couldn’t stop laughing. Love the sarcasm, wit, and dialogue. Must listen.

Great fun!
in iTunes by Ewinglaw from USA on January 22, 2018
A thoughful, fun, and well produced podcast. I'm hooked!

The Best Podcast about Minutia
in iTunes by Kill Things Brundlefly from USA on January 18, 2018
Hilarious and thought provoking banter, with a side of insanity.

Cubs Win!
in iTunes by Storrs315 from USA on January 15, 2018
I'll take two Merry Munchie Meals! Great show! I laughed, I cried, I chipped a nip!

I beg to differ...
in iTunes by Of Myth and Mercy from USA on January 14, 2018
Since I turned Minutia Men on yesterday, I have yet to encounter any new information I would remotely consider worthless. It's not random, varied, pointless conjecture full of info you may or may not get to use during trivia... It's actually interesting and will make you muse over topics -- and nothing too heavy or intense -- what everyone needs at least a little of.

Great Podcast
in iTunes by theudnetwork from USA on January 14, 2018
I have listened to your podcast many times and it is great and VERY ENTERTAINING!!!! I have laughed so hard that my face has turned red. Keep it up as the podcast is funny and produces great content

Good!
in iTunes by gabdrolet from Canada on January 13, 2018
Great chemistry and interesting topics!

Two cool dudes sharing things you want to know
in iTunes by TooMacabreLadies from USA on January 12, 2018
The vibe is very much like catching a beer with your buddies, and you'll find yourself randomly mulling over the minutia during the week. And the next time you're sitting cramped on a plane, you'll think "Well, at least I'm not standing." And then you’ll probably think of Dave's testicular fungus...but you'll think fondly of it. An enjoyable show!

Awesome podcast
in iTunes by TheBrothersBinge from USA on January 11, 2018
These two are hilarious! They have a great chemistry and funny banter. do yourself a favor and subscribe!

Brilliant radio show
in iTunes by That guy in the T-Rex Costume from USA on January 9, 2018
I have a special love of podcasts that are styled after talk radio shows, and I instantly got that feeling from the Minutia Men. The titular hosts of this show both have excellent radio voices and the content to back it up!

Hilariously awesome!
in iTunes by PlanetBlerdom from USA on January 9, 2018
These guys are hilariously witty, and a breath of fresh air after a long day! If you want a good laugh...press play!

Awesome!!
in iTunes by mcle123 from UK on January 7, 2018
If you're looking for an interesting, funny and engaging podcast, this is the one for you!

Five stars baby!
in iTunes by dwong23 from Canada on January 6, 2018
Extremely upset that I was tricked into learning something while listening to this clever and funny podcast. Keep up the good work my dudes!

Full of interesting information
in iTunes by Natafire from USA on December 29, 2017
Really enjoying all the random bits of information in each episode! Perfect for my commute!

Friendly, funny Talk Radio in your pocket!
in iTunes by huckersteve from USA on December 28, 2017
This podcast should serve as a benchmark for quality in how to reproduce a classic radio feel and format in a podcast. The hosts sound great, and have a matchless repoire (sp) that makes the show easy to listen to. Great workday listening for sure, and you probably won't even get yelled at by your co workers for trying to listen to yet another Conspiracy Podcast at work! Thanks for the great example, Dudes- keep em coming. -Steve at the Baked and Awake Podcast

Just listened to the latest @MinutiaMen podcast and actually choked because i laughed so hard! Give it a listen people, very funny guys! #Britpodscene #UnderDogPods #PodernFamily

— Issa the avid Podcast listener/ Podcaster! (@WurieUhuru) January 27, 2018