No words necessary

Why is this shirt selling so well right now at Just One Bad Century?

It says so much, without saying a single word.

Get yours here.

Alfonso Soriano

Sucks.

Dane Placko

I just posted the full unedited version of my interview with Fox-TV reporter Dane Placko at Chicago Radio Spotlight.

You can read it here.






Coming this weekend at CRS: Updates from John Records Landecker, Steve Dale, Andrea Darlas, Jerry Agar, Dobie Maxwell, Mark Zander, Dave Benson, and Jack Silver.

Gonzo & the Brat

The man the Cubs called Gonzo was born on this date in 1967. He had the game winning hit in the World Series, but of course, not for the Cubs.



The Brat was also born on this date (in 1916). He won many pennants in his career, but none with the team that brought him to the Majors, the Chicago Cubs.

Milt Pappas

On this date in 1972, Milt Pappas threw a no-hitter for the Cubs against the San Diego Padres.

Milt is famously still upset that it wasn't a perfect game. He walked the 27th batter he faced (San Diego journeyman outfielder Larry Stahl) on a borderline 3-2 pitch.

Beatles Rock Band

OK, now this is a cool commercial...

Lou Piniella

The Onion has at least one Cubs fan on their writing staff: "Lou Piniella Lauded For Not Getting Anyone's Hopes Up This Year"

Thanks to "RR" for pointing this one out.

Lee Smith debuts

On this date in 1980, Lee Smith made his Major League debut for the Cubs. He came in to relieve Dennis Lamp in the 5th inning. The first batter he faced was Dale Murphy, the future MVP of the league. Murphy grounded out.

That 1980 Cubs team was among the worst in Cubs history. And that's saying something.

Bee stings reporter

Armadillo Cam

This is oddly compelling...

Van Morrison

It's his 64th birthday today. Here he is talking about his music...

A no-hitter

He won only 63 games in his MLB career (all but six of them for the Cubs), but for one glorious day, he was unhittable.

Jimmy Lavender pitched a no-hitter in the first game of a double header in New York against the Giants on this date in 1915. He walked one and struck out eight.

Among his teammates that season were the last two remaining members of the 1908 Champs (Wildfire Schulte & Heinie Zimmerman), and the Hall of Famer Hippo Vaughn.

With the victory, the Cubs got back to .500. Unfortunately, they lost the second game and fell back under.

KiKi Cuyler

He was born on this date in 1898.

KiKi Cuyler (pronounced Kuy-Kuy, not Kee-Kee) is a Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest players to ever wear a Chicago Cubs uniform.

Read all about him here.

1918

Probably the most fascinating season in Cubs history is profiled today in this week's bonus Tale from a Bad Century: 1918.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest "Father Knows Nothing" column at NWI Parent. This one is called "Unbridled Enthusiasm" and it's about the uncontainable Sean. You can read it here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight returns

This week I checked back with four previous interview subjects that have undergone big changes since I stopped doing Chicago Radio Spotlight earlier this summer: Charlie Meyerson, Eddie Volkman, Dan McNeil, and Melissa Forman.

Read their updates here.

Joke for a Friday morning

An Italian Boy's confession, contributed by "BK." It's an oldie, but a goodie.


'Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have been with a loose girl'.

The priest asks, 'Is that you, little Joey Pagano ?'

'Yes, Father, it is.'

'And who was the girl you were with?'

'I can't tell you, Father. I don't want to ruin her reputation'.

"Well, Joey, I'm sure to find out her name sooner or later so you may as well tell me now. Was it Tina Minetti?'

'I cannot say.'

'Was it Teresa Mazzarelli?'

'I'll never tell.'

'Was it Nina Capelli?'

'I'm sorry, but I cannot name her.'

'Was it Cathy Piriano?'

'My lips are sealed.'

'Was it Rosa DiAngelo, then?'

'Please, Father, I cannot tell you.'

The priest sighs in frustration. 'You're very tight lipped, and I admire that..
But you've sinned and have to atone. You cannot be an altar boy now for 4 months. Now you go and behave yourself.'

Joey walks back to his pew, and his friend Franco slides over and whispers, 'What'd you get?'

'Four months vacation and five good leads.'

E-mails, we get e-mails

A bunch of responses about the Ron Santo article in SI (it's also in Sporting News, and probably tons of newspapers, because it's an AP article). I got a kick out of being included in the piece.

From MD: "I love your quote--"When he's not on the broadcast I'm actually worried about his health," - I always think the exact same thing. When Ron's not there, I assume he's ill and think to myself, "I hope he's OK".

From SD: "It's not only nice you're in SI - it's WHAT you and Jeff said that mattered. Ron should be in the Hall, of course! When I was at that station that covers the Cubs, I did talk to Ron about his dog Joker...but I don't really know him. I just know I grew up thinking of him as a hero. He's one athlete, ex-athlete who really is. A shame we ignore him, ... yet pay attention to the M. Vick's of the world."

From M.E: "A great read about one of the game's finest. Thank you for contributing to a memorable piece."

Aaron Heilman

Somebody claimed him on waivers?

Have they seen him pitch? He's a less talented version of Kevin Gregg, and you all know how I feel about Kevin Gregg.

Oh well. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, I guess.

Charlie Grimm

He was associated with the Cubs, on and off, for fifty years, so naturally we've written about Charlie Grimm here at JOBC several times.

The old manager switcheroo

The 1935 World Series

The nickname Jolly Cholly

Jolly Cholly Grimm was born on this date in 1898.

Ron Santo

I had a nice chat with an AP reporter about Ron Santo the other day. They did a piece about how the team's demise is actually harming his health.

Great article.

And I'm not just saying that because I'm quoted extensively in the piece.

There's an app for that too?

Milton spouts off...again

The Chicago Tribune has another article about Milton today. He says Cubs fans are racist, and he hopes the games are only nine innings so he doesn't have to face the fans any longer than absolutely necessary.

Yikes.

Technical difficulties

Any team can have a bad century, and any website can have a bad server. If you go to www.justonebadcentury.com right now, it's having technical difficulties. It's a server problem (which means it's totally out of my control). Check back a little later today. Hopefully it will be cleared up. Today is Celebrity Cubs Fan day, and we have a feature on Jeremy Piven (if it works).

The Antelope & Fidgety Phil

The man they called "The Antelope" (Emil Verban) was born on this date in 1915. Just 14 years earlier another Cub with a great nickname ("Fidgety Phil") was born.

Read about each man by clicking on his nickname.

E-mails, we get e-mails

From "RP" regarding the Illini/Wildcats at Wrigley. I pointed out that the Bears played there for 50 years. He reminds me...

"There is a field hangup. Remember those box seats the Cubs added between the dugouts since the Bears left? A football field was already a tight squeeze. I've heard that they'll need a shoehorn with those seats there."

Thanks. Good point.

Milton Bradley

He tells the Tribune that he "faces hatred daily."

Dude, you just lost 15-6 to the worst team in baseball. Trust us, it's nothing personal.

And how about this answer? He was asked if the Cubs are demoralized. He responded: "I don't have a politically correct answer for that, so I won't answer it."

I'm booing you right now. It's not hate. It's disgust.

Sean's first day

Today is his first day of First Grade.

We have to go at 9:30, and he's been sitting in the kitchen, staring at the clock and counting down the minutes. He can't wait.

"We have to leave in two minutes, Dad!"

Better go.

Crying Cub

The t-shirt that says so much without uttering a word.

Available here.

Nice Guys Finish Last

University of Chicago Press just re-released "Nice Guys Finish Last" in paperback, and I was asked to review the book for The Beachwood Reporter. My full review is here.

Here's a short excerpt:

Durocher was a bench warmer on those great Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig Yankee teams in the late 1920s, a spark plug for the legendary "Gas House Gang" in St. Louis in the 1930s, the manager of the Dodgers when the color line was broken in the 1940s, and the manager of the Giants in the 1950s when Willie Mays came to the majors and Bobby Thomson hit the shot heard 'round the world.

His stories about his run-ins with the baseball executives of the day, including Yankees owner Ed Barrow (Leo told him to "Go f*** yourself"), Cardinals owner Branch Rickey (the tightwad Bible-thumping baseball genius), Dodgers owner Lee McPhail (the manic-depressive lunatic), and Giants owner Horace Stoneham (the distant drunk), are almost inspiring in their iconoclastic furor.

But I'm a Cubs fan first and foremost, and for me the most interesting parts of the book were the little tidbits about some of the all-time Cub greats like Pat Malone, Charlie Grimm, Billy Herman, Bill "Swish" Nicholson, Rabbit Maranville, and of course, the Cubs that Leo managed in the late 60s and early 70s.

Those Cubs years were still fresh news when Nice Guys Finish Last first came out, and while I love the inside look at my childhood heroes, this entire section does make Leo sound like he's attempting to settle some scores. He calls out Ernie Banks as a phony, and implies Ron Santo was an overrated dimwitted baby. He calls Milt Pappas an agitator, and implies Joe Pepitone was God's punishment for Leo's own behavior as a player.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the book for me, though, was Leo's portrayal of Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley. Durocher, who has almost nothing nice to say about anyone (except Willie Mays and Eddie Stanky), calls Wrigley "The finest man to work for in the world" and "The most decent man I've met."

I did not see that one coming.

Hitler likes waffles

This is the kind of stuff I get sent to me. Thanks "DS" for the tip...

Farewell to Brooklyn and NY Giants

This week in 1957, the Cubs made their final stop at the Polo Grounds in New York (August 24), and Ebbet's Field in Brooklyn (August 28). The Dodgers and Giants both moved to the West Coast after the 1957 season.

The Dodgers finished in 3rd place that season, the Giants finished in 6th, and the Cubs...they were in 7th place, 33 games behind the pennant winning Milwaukee Braves.

By the way, the Cubs did beat the Giants that last game in the Polo Grounds, but they lost a heartbreaker to the Dodgers in their last game at Ebbets Field (4-3 in 14 innings).

Joke for a Monday morning

Contributed by "BN"



An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over.. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love,
Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,
Vinnie

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you,
Vinnie

In case you missed it...

The sale of the Cubs is finally, finally, a done deal.

The Ricketts family now owns 25% of Comcast, Wrigley Field, and two corner outfielders that nobody in baseball will take off their hands.

Jimmy Cooney

He wasn't one of the best players on the Cubs, but Jimmy Cooney (born on this day in 1894) did have one miraculous day in a Cubs uniform.

Read all about it here.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. This one is called "Confession Time." You can read it here.

Lee Elia fired

On this date in 1983, the Cubs finally fired the man behind the tirade, manager Lee Elia.

I still love this merging of Lee's tirade with Eddie Vedder's Cubs song. It's performed by JOBC friend Tom Latourette.

Rolling Stones

Their unreleased 1972 documentary ("C***sucker Blues") has finally found it's way to the Internet.

Check out the story behind it, and watch a clip of it here.

When you click on the video at the link above, you can see the other parts of the film too. The quality isn't great (it was shot on Super 8), and it's pretty unflattering to the Stones (Mick snorts coke!), so it's probably for the best that they decided not to release it.

Nevertheless, it's history.

This week in...

1929

The Cubs are in the midst of a pennant winning season.

*On the same day that the first roller coaster is built in the United States, Charlie Root beats the Cincinnati Reds 9-5 in Wrigley Field. Rogers Hornsby hits his 29th homer of the year for the Cubs.



********************
1969

The Cubs are in the midst of one of their most memorable seasons.

*While the Woodstock Festival is taking place in upstate New York, the Cubs are on the West Coast taking on the Padres and the Giants. They win both series, and return home for Ken Holtzman's no-hitter. It's the high-water mark of the season. The Cubs are 31 games over .500, and have a 7 1/2 game lead over the second place New York Mets.


********************
1984

The Cubs are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since World War 2.

*On the date that the Republicans nominate Ronald Reagan for a second term as President, the Cubs win a slugfest 13-11 in Cincinnati. Lee Smith earns the save despite giving up 7 hits and 3 earned runs in his three innings pitched. Ron Cey hit his 19th homer of the year for the Cubs.

********************
1989

The Boys of Zimmer are taking Chicago by storm.

*The Cubs lose a heartbreaking extra inning game at Wrigley Field to the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 on a Domingo Ramos error. Ramos had been brought into the game as a defensive replacement. This game turns out to be Pete Rose's final game as manager of the Reds. Baseball Commissioner Giamatti suspends him from baseball for life.

Alfonso Soriano

A foot outside...SWING. Strike one.

Two feet outside...SWING. Strike two.

Two feet outside and in the dirt...SWING. Strike three.

Only five more years on this contract.

Buckle up, gang, El Sucko is in the house to stay.

Best day at the ballpark ever

Twelve Year Old Catches Two Foul Balls - Watch more Funny Videos

Fox, the new liberals

Nice twist by the Daily Show.

Fox News: The New Liberals

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Jerome Walton

He was the Rookie of the Year in 1989.

Jerome Walton earned that award because of his 30-game hitting streak.

The streak ended exactly twenty years ago: August 20, 1989.

Amos & Andy

Exactly 80 years ago today the radio show Amos & Andy debuted on the NBC Blue network. The show was based in Chicago and quickly became the most popular radio program in America.

The full story (with a Cubs angle) is here.

E-mails, we get e-mails

I got this from "JB" regarding my latest Father Knows Nothing column "Things you never thought you'd have to say."

"We were at Sawgrass Mills on Saturday and behind Bed, Bath & Beyond there is the loading dock/dumpster area. It rained heavily while we were in the mall that day. When we came out there were two boys around 11 years old, with their razors, skooting in and out of the BLACK dirty water at the bottom of the loading dock entrance (which was past their knees in water). It was the grossest thing we've ever seen. We can only imagine what types of germs they brought home. Just thought I'd share!"

Got any others? Feel free to send 'em in.

Burleigh Grimes

He is a Hall of Famer, a former Cub, and he was born on this date in 1893.

Unfortunately, the Cubs acquired Grimes just a few years too late.

Recognize the pitchman?

From 1981...

Kevin Gregg

Sucks.

Best moment at Woodstock

There's been a lot of talk about Woodstock this weekend because it took place exactly 40 years ago. For my money, this moment was the highlight of the whole weekend...

Things you don't want to hear your ace say

#1 on the list...

"My problem is I've been lazy," a contrite Zambrano said. "There are things in life you don't like to do, but you have to do them. I don't like abs [abdominal muscle workouts], but I have to do them. I have to start doing them every day and be serious about it."

$17 million isn't enough to get you serious? Are you serious?

E-mails, we get e-mails...

From "RP"...

"Harding was actually my favorite bumbling President. I did a couple of reports on him in school and have read a couple of biographies of him. Harding had even more of a Chicago connection than you note. His mistress--the first one--was named Nan Britton, and during Harding's Presidency, she lived in seclusion in Evanston, occasionally traveling to Washington on, um, business."

It's true. Read about their daughter: Elizabeth Ann Blaesing

2000 hits

On this date in 1971 Cubs great Billy Williams got his 2000th hit. It came in the 8th inning of a 4-4 game against Atlanta Braves reliever Jim Nash.

Unfortunately, the Cubs lost that game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk off home run by pinch hitter Zoilo Versalles.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest "Father Knows Nothing" column at NWI Parent. This one is called "Things I never thought I'd have to say." You can read it here.

The minor league system

Why have the Cubs been terrible for so long?

There are many, many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is their approach to their minor league system.

For this week's bonus "Tale from a Bad Century," I analyze that history. It's not pretty.

32 years ago today