Saturday, May 09, 2020

Minutia Men--Grocery Bags & Body Bags

Rick and Dave discuss the lighter side of the virus with stories about Dave’s senior advantage, a woman who doesn’t quite get the concept of the mask, the best place in the world to be quarantined, and a government employee who just made one heck of a goof. Also, two interviews–recently inducted HOFer John Records Landecker, and Emmy-award winning comedian Dwayne Kennedy. [Ep179]

Listen to it here.
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RIP Roy

2020 will definitely be the year of the celebrity death. RIP Roy. A tiger couldn't kill you, but this virus was too much.

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RIP Little Richard

Sad to hear this news, although it's been expected for a while. Little Richard, the king AND queen of rock and roll, has passed away at the age of 87. I met Richard once at an outdoor Oldies concert in the 1990s. He has the biggest head I've ever seen, and there must have been five inches of pancake makeup on it. But once the show started, he lit up and rocked.



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Friday, May 08, 2020

Video proof

I agree with the assessment of this former George Bush speechwriter...

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Shelter in Place Schedule

Got a kick out of this, written by one of my friends, author Christine Sneed.
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Brian May

I can think of a few fat bottomed and Freddy Mercury jokes, but I choose to take the high ground. Hope he recovers fully. Great guitarist.

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Robbie Rist

This week's Minutia Men celebrity interview is with the man who played Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch, Robbie Rist. His take on his place in Brady history..."If you think a nine year old can destroy a show, your show might have bigger problems." https://radiomisfits.com/mmci19/

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Thursday, May 07, 2020

Pick Your Bundesliga Team

The German Bundesliga will be the first to return. They begin play next weekend. For those of you who don't follow the league, here's a handy guide for picking a team...

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John Landecker

Robert Feder has a few more details about Landecker's induction into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame...

Good news for fans of John Records Landecker: When the legendary Chicago radio personality is inducted in the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Hall of Fame next week, we’ll all be able to watch it live. The ceremony had been set for April 20, but the coronavirus shutdown canceled the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. So now it’s happening online at noon May 14 on NABShowExpress.com. Registration is free. (Here is the link.) Previous NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductees from Chicago include Larry Lujack, Dick Orkin, Tom Joyner, Wally Phillips, Harry Caray and Paul Harvey.

Look at that group he's joining. Talk about the elite of Chicago broadcasting elite.
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Wednesday, May 06, 2020

The First One to Return



Count me in! Going through withdrawal here.
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NAB Hall of Fame

John Landecker was scheduled to be inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame in April but it was postponed because of the virus. Now they are going to do it virtually. He forwarded me this info, if you'd like to watch it live...

John, I want to make sure you know that we are airing your induction at NAB Show Express during our Achievement in Broadcasting session on May 14 beginning at 12noon EST. Registration for the event is free and is now open at NABShowExpress.com.

I'll be watching!
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Obscure Stat



Here's the Willie Mays baseball card my mom threw out during one of her "pick up your baseball cards or I'll throw them out" tantrums. I bought it back as an adult. It remains my only Willie Mays...

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RIP Florian

Very sad news. Another great has fallen. Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider has died at the age of 73.

The German electronic band Kraftwerk was an innovator and one of the most influential bands in electronic music history. It's also the band that my son Tommy and I bonded over...we both loved them. They were scheduled to do a rare world tour and we were going to see them, but it was canceled because of the virus.

RIP Florian!

My two favorites...



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20 strikeouts

May 6, 1998

I was there, sitting in my regular seats, freezing my butt off that day. I must confess, I didn’t recognize at first the magnitude of what I was watching. I remember thinking, “boy he’s got a lot of strikeouts,” but I had no idea he had as many as he did.

At one point I leaned forward and tapped the shoulder of the guy sitting in front of me. He was listening to the game on the radio.

“How many strikeouts does Wood have?” I asked him.

“12,” he answered.

That’s when I really started paying attention. The Astros, it should be noted, were in first place, and had a very formidable lineup that day including Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell, and Moises Alou.

You could almost feel the ballpark catching on to what was happening, slowly but surely. With each successive strikeout, the cheers got louder and louder. This might have been the most dominating performance in baseball history. The Astros only managed to hit it out of the infield twice, two weak fly balls. Wood only allowed two runners, a squib infield hit by Ricky Gutierez, and a hit-by-pitch to Craig Biggio.

In the ninth, the few thousand of us who braved the really horrible weather conditions to stay, all rose to our feet as Wood struck out pinch hitter Billy Spiers for his 19th strikeout. We applauded when Biggio grounded out.

And we roared when Wood struck out Derek Bell to end the game.

20 strikeouts.

A game I’ll never forge
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Tuesday, May 05, 2020

RIP Salty Saltwell



Here's his write-up in EveryCubEver...

~Salty Saltwell 1924--2020 (Cubs GM 1976)
His actual name was E.R. Saltwell, but everyone called him Salty. In 1975, after the long reign of General Manager John Holland ended, P.K. Wrigley replaced Holland with the only logical choice on the payroll: the team’s former concessions manager E.R. “Salty” Saltwell. P.K. was no longer just thinking outside of the box; he didn’t even know where the box was anymore. Salty was the GM of the Cubs for only one season (1976) but he made his mark. Who could forget his fleecing the Cardinals of Mick Kelleher? Or his stealing of Rick Stelmaszek from the Yankees? He also acquired big names like Mike Garman, Ramon Hernandez, Tim Ireland, Tom DeTorre, and reacquired the incredibly washed-up Randy Hundley. Salty’s deft touch in the draft was something to behold as well. In 1976, the Cubs had two first round draft choices. They selected Herman Segelke with the 7th overall pick, and Karl Pagel with the 20th pick. Salty knew better than to waste his time with the other future stars selected in that same first round: Steve Trout (White Sox), Mike Scoscia (Dodgers), Leon Durham (Cardinals), and Bruce Hurst (Red Sox). Salty’s crowning moment as general manager, however, had to be when he unloaded future slugging All-Star Andre Thornton for reserve outfielder Larry Biittner (and Steve Renko). Renko won 10 games in his Cubs career, Biittner hit 12 homers in his Cubs career, and Andre Thornton hit more than 30 homers three times. In September 1976, Steve Stone informed Saltwell of his impending free agency and attempted to get a contract. Salty responded by telling Stone that Mr. Wrigley was in the middle of a divorce and he would have to get back to him. Salty was demoted shortly after that. To this day, Salty Saltwell remains the only general manager in baseball history to rise from concessions manager to general manager and then back again to Director of Park Operations.

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Roger Badesch

Can you tell that Roger is getting a little impatient about his book not being out yet? :)

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Cinco De Mayo

On this Cinco de Mayo we celebrate all of the Mexican-born players who have played for the Cubs. All of them are featured in EveryCubEver…

~Jesse Flores (Cubs 1942)
The first Mexican-born pitcher in big league history made his debut with the Cubs during the war. He only pitched in four games and posted an ERA of 3.38 before the Cubs sent him down for more seasoning. He later pitched for the A’s and the Indians. After his playing career, Jesse became one of the best scouts in baseball. His signings for the Minnesota Twins included Bert Blyleven, Lyman Bostock, Bill Campbell, Rick Dempsey, and Jesse Orosco.

~Hector Torres (Cubs 1971)
The Cubs aquired Torres in a straight shortstop for shortstop swap with the Houston Astros. The Astros got Roger Metzger in return. Torres hit .224 backing up Don Kessinger and Glenn Beckert in 1971. It was the Mexico native’s only season with the Cubs. Metzger, meanwhile, was the Astros starting shortstop for the next seven years, and won a Gold Glove. Torres was nicknamed “La Malita”.

~Horacio Pina (Cubs 1974)
The Mexican-born Pina was acquired from the Oakland A’s for Bob Locker in November of 1973. He was only two years removed from his most productive season in the big leagues, when he saved 15 games for the Rangers, and a month removed from contributing to the 1973 World Series Champion Oakland A’s, but he was a total bust for the Cubs. In 59 innings pitched, he allowed an astounding 89 baserunners. Not the kind of numbers you need from someone you expect to be a key member of your late inning bullpen. The Cubs traded him to the Angels by the end of July. After the season, Horacio went back to his native Mexioo. He pitched a no-hitter there in 1975, and a perfect game in 1978.

~Daniel Garibay (Cubs 2000)
Garibay was born and raised in Mexico, and didn’t get his first shot at Major League Baseball until he was 27 years old. The Cubs used him as a spot starter and a reliever, and he didn’t do well in either role. He went 2-8 with an ERA over 6.

~Ismael Valdez (Cubs 2000)
The Cubs acquired the former 15-game winner along with Eric Young, and immediately placed him in the starting rotation. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Valdez developed blister problems and had a hard time staying healthy. He won a grand total of two games in Chicago. Before the season was over, they traded him back to the Dodgers. He later pitched for the Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Padres and Marlins. He won 104 big league games, but he also lost 105. He was known as “The Rocket”.

~Rodrigo Lopez (Cubs 2011-2012)
The Mexican-born Lopez was a two-time 15-game winner for the Orioles, but by the time he came to the Cubs, he was getting by on fumes. In 30 appearances over two seasons his ERA was over 6, and he allowed 18 homers. Chicago was the last stop of his big league career.
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Merica

I'm really starting to worry about this country...

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Just Sign This, And I'm On Board

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Monday, May 04, 2020

Kent State

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Hilarious

This is really well done.

Family Guy - Griffin vs. Trump fight from Cody Stumma on Vimeo.

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The Last Kick

After the Last Dance series ends in a few weeks, look for the 10-part series about the glorious run to the quarterfinals (or was it the semi-finals?) of the 1980-1981 Prospect High School varsity soccer team. Never-before-told stories of practice skirmishes which led to running laps with "that Swedish kid". The unforgettable advice the assistant coach, "you know the guy I mean--the biology teacher" gave to the boys right before that big game against "that orange team". Vague memories. Gripping drama. Bad Haircuts. Don't miss it.

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