Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing column is about athletic supporters. Sean wore one for the first time last week, and hilarity ensued.

You can read it here.

101 year old Cub fan

I read this story expecting to be depressed, but it's actually a wonderful story about a 101-year-old woman who literally lives for the Cubs.

Blimp

He was a big boy, and it was a much less politically correct time.

His name was actually Ernest Phelps, but his Cubs teammates called him Blimp, and he was born on this day in 1908.

Read all about him here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Jill Urchak

I just posted another new Chicago Radio Spotlight interview. This week I interviewed long time traffic reporter Jill Urchak.

You can read the interview here.

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

"BP" writes...

Thanks for turning me on to “Modern Family.” That show cracks me up. I love the gay couple. On last night’s episode Cameron said to Mitchell “I want to quit my job and go back to being a trophy wife.” Sound familiar?

Are you saying I'm a trophy wife? Hmmm. I kind of like the sound of that. Although, I read this to Bridget and she laughed out loud, so I guess it's not true.

Grandpa Lou

Deadspin has a great picture of Lou Piniella running out to the mound last week.

His fly is open.

Sights & Sounds

This week we've got film from the 1932 Pennant winning parade in Chicago, and an audio interview of Ernie Banks from 1955.


Watch and listen here.

How does the song go?

"A lot of people think it's funny, but it's really..."

Joke for a Friday morning

Contributed by KK

With all the new fertility technology , a 66 year old woman was recently able to give birth to a baby. When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, her relatives came to visit.

"May we see the new baby?" one asked.

"Not yet," said the mother, who decided to have a little of her own fun with the relatives. "I'll make coffee and we can visit for awhile first."

Thirty minutes had passed, and another relative asked, "May we see the new baby now?"

"No, not yet," said the mother.

After a few minutes had elapsed, they asked again, "May we see the baby now?"

"No, not yet," replied the mother.

Growing very impatient, they asked, "Well, when can we see the baby?"

"When it cries!" she told them.

"When it cries??" they demanded. "Why do we have to wait until it CRIES?"

"Because I forgot where I put it..."

Burt Hooten

On this day in 1972, Cubs pitcher Burt Hooton threw a no-hitter in one of his first career starts. I remember watching that game (Channel 9) on my parent's black and white basement television. I was nine years old at the time.

I didn't know it then, but I have since discovered that before he came to the Cubs, Burt Hooten was a big star at the University of Texas.

After searching for two years I've been unable to come up with any video of his no-hitter, but lookee here, there is a video about his college days at Texas.

Jackie Robinson

On this day in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

How did the Cubs react when they played him a few weeks later? Not well.

That story is here.

Tax Day

My brother Peter is a CPA, so naturally on tax day, I turn to him for advice.

Here is his guest blog about why he doesn't know anything about taxes and why you shouldn't call him with your tax questions.

A birthday mustache

This former Cubs mustache is becoming a senior citizen today. He is 65 years old.

Read all about Ted Sizemore here.

Cubs game

My kids have a half-day of school today, so Johnny will be accompanying me to the Cubs game today. If you're there too, stop by section 228, row 2, seats 5 & 6 and say hello!

(Johnny is 12 now. This picture is nine years old.)

Abe Lincoln

145 years ago today, he went to the theater to see a play. It didn't turn out so well for him.

As the poet once said, John Wilkes Booth was a very bad man, and surely not a Lincoln fan.

That poet was David F. Stern, and he has recreated his 1974 masterpiece for us here in honor of our greatest president.

A new Cubs site

It's called Agony & Ivy, and shares the same sensibilities as my Just One Bad Century site--except it's more about the current Cubs. In other words, they have an actual sense of humor...something sorely lacking in a lot of Cubs sites.

I contributed to this piece.

The brain trust of the Beachwood Reporter is involved in Agony & Ivy's re-launch. I wish them the best of luck.

Cap Anson

He was the most popular player in the first fifty years of the Cubs franchise; a living legend when he passed away on this day in 1922. His funeral drew thousands of mourners.

How popular was Anson? He had just recently visited President Harding in the White House with his wife. (photo)

And though Anson is rightly remembered as a great player, he also is remembered for one of the most shameful legacies of baseball: the color barrier.

Read all about that here.

Celebrating Cap Anson without mentioning his racism would be like celebrating Confederate History month without mentioning slavery.

Soriano told "Break out or sit out"

 I find this hard to believe, but if Barry Rozner's column in the Daily Herald is true, Soriano's been told that if he doesn't start hitting and fielding better, he'll be on the bench.

The sound you hear is the choir singing "Hallelujah."

They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

I was tuning around the radio dial yesterday, and the same people kept showing up: Tom Ricketts and his siblings. Then, during the game, they showed up on the TV broadcast singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and hung out with Len & Bob.

Melissa Isaacson has more on the Ricketts' busy day.

I know I'm just one person, but I'm thrilled that the Cubs have such hands-on owners now. That could only mean good things for the future.

On the other hand, I heard they hired a team psychologist. Let's hope that's not a bad omen, because P.K. Wrigley did the same thing back in 1938.

The Chicago Flood

On this day in 1992 Chicago was trying to deal with a flood that caused millions of dollars of damage downtown.

It's one of the weirdest stories of the past twenty years.

Read about it here, and find out what the Cubs were doing while downtown Chicago gurgled.

Anonymous Comments

I got another e-mail this week asking me why I don't allow comments on some of my blogs. First of all, let me just say, that I actually do allow comments at Just One Bad Century and Father Knows Nothing.

The reason I don't allow comments at Chicago Radio Spotlight is because I want that site to remain a completely positive place.  I'm protective of my interview subjects because I read how nasty the "comments section" can get at other sites. I hope you can understand. I just want to highlight the careers of people I respect and admire.

The reason I don't allow comments here at this blog is because I occasionally post political comedy, or make comments about political bias in the media. Those are subjects that can lead to very angry comments/responses. Here's my take on that--I try not to overdo either subject. If it's funny, it's funny. If you don't think it is, I'm sorry. If it's about bias, it seems that everyone has an opinion, and you're certainly entitled to yours. My opinions are well known (I've even written a book about the subject), and since this is my blog, when I see examples in today's media that align with the thesis of my book, I like to share those here. But allowing comments would quickly degenerate into an angry political nuh-uh, uh-huh, contest. I don't want this blog to turn out like some of the newspaper websites, which have become incredibly nasty.

In fact, those newspaper websites have gotten so bad that they are considering eliminating anonymous commenting altogether.

The New York Times has an article about that today.

I hope that answers your question.

Tiny Tim

The most inexplicable celebrity in American history (Tiny Tim) would have been 78 years old today. For you youngsters that have never seen or heard Tiny Tim, watch this. Believe it or not, he was HUGE for a few years in the late 60s...

P.K. Wrigley

P.K. Wrigley passed away on this day in 1977. He was the Cubs owner for 45 of the 101 years the Cubs haven't won it, and he played a big part in that.

The P.K. Wrigley story is here.

You know, I've always considered Wrigley one of the villains in the Cubs story, but I recently read Leo Durocher's book "Nice Guys Finish Last," and Durocher called P.K. the finest man he ever worked for.

Maybe he really was a nice guy.

Although now that I mention it, what was the name of Durocher's book again?

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted a new Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. It's called "Once in a Lifetime," and it's about a very strange experience I had this week at the doctor's office.

You can read it here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Sherman Kaplan

This week I asked Sherman (Kaplan) to set the wayback machine to 1969, his first year at WBBM-News Radio 780. We talk about his 40 plus years at the station.

You can read it here.

Cub Fans

This is a great piece in Salon by Robert J. Elisberg. Thanks to "DE" for pointing it out to me. It's called "Okay, so it's been a bad century."

There are several great lines written by this fellow Cub fan in the piece, but here's my favorite: "People marvel that there are so many Cubs fans - but they miss the point.  The amazing thing isn't that there are so many Cubs fans.  It's that there are any."

There are a few more gems in the piece. Check it out, fellow Cub fans. It gave me a chuckle.

Sights & Sounds

This week's Sights & Sounds has video of the Cubs from the 1930s (that's right, the 1930s), and audio of Walter Jacobson talking about his days as a Cubs bat boy in the 1950s.

Watch it and listen to it here.

Hef

Happy birthday to Hugh Hefner, who turns, are you ready for this...84 years old today.

Of course there was a time when Hef was as much a part of the fabric of Chicago as the Cubs.

Read about that era here.

Twin Peaks

One of the weirdest (and one of my favorite) shows of all-time debuted exactly twenty years ago today: Twin Peaks. That show was water cooler fodder over at the Loop. Many of us watched it and tried to figure out what in the world David Lynch was trying to say.

If I remember correctly, Bob Stroud even had a Twin Peaks party at his house to watch the series finale--the episode we thought would answer all of our questions. Instead, we got this...

Snow?

I was just listening to the weather forecast and they predicted it would snow in Chicago.

I did warn you that it was going to get cold again in time for the Cubs opener, didn't I? I have tickets for Wednesday's game. Hopefully I won't need to wear my winter hat again this year.

By the way, 35 years ago today the Cubs had their home opener at Wrigley Field. That game was snowed out.

We're #1!

I know it's been a rough start of the year for the Cubs, so this news should cheer you up. The Cubs do lead the league in something according to the latest stats.

This year they have the highest non-premium ticket prices!

We're #1!

Don Zimmer

On this day in 1960 the Cubs acquired an infielder named Don Zimmer, who would go on to manage the team nearly 30 years later.

Read all about the trade and why it didn't turn out so well for the Cubs.

Book Review: The Man with Two Arms

When I received "The Man with Two Arms" by Billy Lombardo and read the synopsis of the story, I put it in my very exclusive "to read" pile.

That pile is usually filled with non-fiction books; research for my websites and my own books. Very few novels make the pile because I just don't have enough hours in my day to read for fun.

I am so happy I made this novel, "The Man with Two Arms," the exception to the rule.

It's a story about the first switch pitcher in the major leagues, which was enough of a hook for me to put it in the "to read" pile. But it's much much more than that. It's a love letter to baseball. It's a beautifully told father-son story that will touch the heart of any father or son (I have three boys). It's a love story that is told with the kind of sensitivity and care you simply don't find in novels...especially those targeted to men.

It's wish fulfillment to the nth degree, especially for Cub fans (some of the most touching baseball moments occur at Wrigley Field).

I can't recommend it highly enough. I was literally smiling the entire time I was reading it. It was that joyous of an experience.

This is how deeply it touched me. On opening day when Jason Heyward hit a home run in his first major league at bat to beat my favorite team, the Cubs, I was cheering for him. They showed his father in the stands being surrounded by his friends. His father who was filled with such pride and euphoria that the tears couldn't be contained, and I'll admit it. I couldn't contain mine either.

It's a moment all of us would love to experience...as either the father or the son. If you read "The Man with Two Arms" you actually will experience it.

Are you a man that wells up every time the movie "Field of Dreams" comes on? Do you "get something in your eye" when Kevin Costner says "Dad, you wanna have a catch?" Is the highlight of your day the moment your own son wants to play catch or talk baseball with you? If you answered yes to any of those questions, read this book.

In addition to being a great story, it's simply beautifully written. Billy Lombardo is a heck of a talent.

I'm totally jealous.

That's the highest praise one writer can give to another.

The iPad

Will it blend?

Jake Hartford

Last year I interviewed Jake Hartford for Chicago Radio Spotlight. At the time he was working at WCPT, and seemed to really miss working at WLS.

Robert Feder reports this morning that Jake is now officially back at WLS.

Playing P-O-T-U-S with Obama

He may not be able to pitch (OK, he definitely can't pitch), but he can play some hoops...

James Garner

He's 82 years old today. One of my favs...

MJ

On this day in 1994 Michael Jordan made his first and only appearance in Chicago as a professional baseball player. He played right field for the White Sox in an exhibition game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

I was there. It was friggin cold.

MJ got a double in three at bats.

Opening day postscript

A lot is being said today about the Cubs opening day loss.

Yes, it's their worst opening day loss since 1884.

However, the Cubs rebounded from that loss to win the championship in 1885 and 1886. 

I just put that information in my pipe and smoked it. Aaaah. Soothing. Like a salve on a third degree burn.

Don Kessinger

What is good ol' #11 up to these days?

Find out here.

I love that his bio doesn't even mention the Cubs. I wonder if he had it expunged after opening day yesterday.

Opening day recap

So I'm sitting in the living room watching the opener when my son Sean (age 7) comes home from school. The Cubs are losing 6-3, and it's only the first inning.

Sean says "Hey dad, we're not too far behind."

Fast forward to the eighth inning. I'm in the kitchen making dinner when I hear Sean yelping in the living room. I run in and ask him what happened. He has a big smile on his face.

"We got out of a jam, dad."

"Great," I said. "What's the score?"

"16-5."

"We're getting killed," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's only one game," he countered.

The Cubs blood runs deep in that boy.

Steve Stone

Steve Stone joined the Cubs broadcast booth on this day in 1983. In his role as Harry's sidekick, he certainly had some interesting moments over the years. This one is probably my favorite...



I understand he works for another team now. Not sure which one.

Boys will be girls, Girls will be boys

This is hilarious...

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column. This one is about the unbelievably scary children's stories I used to hear when I was a boy. It's called "German Children's Tales."

You can read it here.

OPENING DAY!!!

Good luck to the Cubs today on Opening Day.

They have certainly had their fair share of entertaining and/or memorable opening days over the years.

Read about some of those here.

Read about some more here.

Have a nice Easter

Have a nice Easter weekend. I'm taking this weekend off from blogging. No new Chicago Radio Spotlight or Father Knows Nothing (until Monday).

Try not to eat too much candy.

Jokes for a Friday morning

Child Rearing FAQ, Contributed by "KK"

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: How will I know if my vomiting is morning sickness or the flu?
A: If it's the flu, you'll get better.

Q: What is the most common pregnancy craving?
A: For men to be the ones who get pregnant.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: The more pregnant I get, the more often strangers smile at me. Why?
A: 'Cause you're fatter than they are.

Q: What's the difference between a nine-month pregnant woman and a model?
A: Nothing (if the pregnant woman's husband knows what's good for him).

Q: How long is the average woman in labor?
A: Whatever she says divided by two.

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: What does it mean when a baby is born with teeth?
A: It means that the baby's mother may want to rethink her plans to nurse.

Q: What is the best time to wean the baby from nursing?
A: When you see teeth marks.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

The Monster

He was a great relief pitcher in the 1960s. So great, that they nicknamed him "The Monster."

He was also on the Cubs.

Read about Dick Raddatz here.

He was born on this day in 1937.

Billy Williams gets a statue

Here are the details on the Billy Williams statue.

Consider me one of the people applauding this move by the Cubs. Billy is one of my four all-time favorites (along with Ernie, Fergie, and Jose Cardenal).

When I played little league, I tried to imitate him once. I spit in the air and tried to hit the spit (which is what Billy did every time he came up). I missed and never tried it again.

I've featured Billy on Just One Bad Century several times. You can check it out here, here and here.

If you'd like to see Billy hit a home run in the 1964 All-Star Game, click here.

Lou Gehrig

On this day in 1938, Lou Gehrig was on top of the world. He was in spring training getting ready for another championship season (the Yankees would beat a certain team from the north side of Chicago), and his first movie, "Rawhide," was premiering in New York.

This would be his last season of baseball, and his last movie...

April Fools

I'm buckling up today, and you should too. It's April Fools Day. (My son Sean has been gearing up for this all week. I'm watching my back)

And yes, this is the night that Fox News decided would be perfect to debut the Sarah Palin show. (That's not a joke, her show airs tonight)

David Lee Roth

Exactly twenty five years ago today David Lee Roth was thinking that he was the brains and the draw behind Van Halen. He had a big hit (video below), so he told Van Halen that he would see them later. He left the band.

Now it's called "pulling a David Caruso"....

Cigarette Ads

On this day in 1970 President Nixon banned cigarette ads on television.

This is one of the last ads that aired.

You can take Salem out of the country but, you can't take the country out of Salem.

Bob Newhart

On this day in 1978, "The Bob Newhart Show" aired it's final episode.

The show was based in Chicago, and starred a Chicago Cubs fan, so it's only natural that one episode would revolve entirely around the Cubs.

You can watch it here.

Aaaah, spring.

Sat out on the deck tonight, smoked a cigar (my first of the year), listened to the Blackhawks game on WGN, and it felt like I had gone to heaven.

I'm a simple man.

1910/1935

100 years ago this week, the Cubs are preparing for another pennant winning season. Their third baseman is slated to be the mercurial Heinie Zimmerman; a terrible fielder, but a great hitter. Meanwhile, in Ohio, the Wright Brothers are preparing for their first and only flight together.



75 years ago this week, the Cubs are preparing for another pennant winning season. Their third baseman is slated to be Smiling Stan Hack, their great leadoff hitter and slick glove man. Meanwhile in Los Angeles California, Herp Albert is born. He'll start playing the trumpet when he's 8. Hack will still be the Cubs third baseman then.

LBJ gets some pants

This is one of the most priceless presidential tapes I've ever heard. It's from 1964.

LBJ is on the phone with Mr. Haggar of Haggar pants, ordering pants, and requesting very specific alterations to the ones they already sent. You gotta hear it.

Now this is music...

As I post this video, it has been viewed on YouTube nearly 4 million times. It has been rated 5 stars nearly 25,000 times. If you aren't already among the many fans, feel free to sample it here. Words do not do it justice, which is probably why it doesn't actually have any words.

Ripper

Ripper Collins was the Cubs first baseman after Charlie Grimm retired as a player, and before Phil Cavaretta was given the full-time job in the mid-1930s.

Read all about him here.

He was born on this day in 1904.

Passover Treat

OK, you probably know I'm not Jewish.

But did you know that I was once interviewed for a thirty minute television show by an actual Rabbi?

It happened five or so years ago, and you can see it now...

Cy Young

Cy Young turns 143 today.

I found this video on YouTube, and I was fascinated. Maybe you will be too. It features old timers from the deadball era talking about what baseball was like in their day. The interviews were conducted in the 1950s and early 1960s when each man was already in his 80s.

You'll hear the voices of Detroit Tigers great Wahoo Sam Crawford, Pirates and Reds great Hans Lobert, New York Highlanders/Yankees third baseman Jimmy Austin, and finally two of the greatest players in baseball history: Ty Cobb and Cy Young.

Jokes for a Monday morning

Southern Jokes...contributed by "AH"





GEORGIA
The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help.. He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University of Georgia and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000 minus 14%, how much would you take off?" The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings."

LOUISIANA
A senior at Louisiana was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana ..." When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."

MISSISSIPPI
The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!" Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?" The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

NORTH CAROLINA
A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was. The man replied, "I have a flat tire." The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?" The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put ‘flares’ in the front and ‘flares’ in the back. I never did understand it neither."

TENNESSEE
A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

SOUTH CAROLINA
The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch. The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head?" "Yep", he replied. "That's why I dumpin it here, cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage'.

Phil & Jimmy

Phil Cavaretta was one of the all-time great Cubs. He played for them in the 30s, 40, and early 50s. That's why this story is so hard to read.

Let's just say, his stay with the Cubs didn't end well. It ended on this day in 1954.






Jimmy Archer was a Cubs catcher a hundred years ago. I like to call him the Bionic Cub.

Why? The full story is here.

Jimmy passed away on this day in 1958.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. This one is called "Giving the finger" and it's about my youngest son's latest injury.

You can read it here.