The JOBC Contest

In honor of today's snow in Chicago, this week's Just One Bad Century quiz is about a different kind of snow. What former Chicago Cub was busted for possession of snow (cocaine) on May 23, 1980 during a customs search in Toronto? (He was found possessing 3.0 grams cocaine, 2.2 grams hashish, and 1.75 grams marijuana.)

The first person that e-mails me the correct answer at rick@justonebadcentury.com will win a commemorative Greg Maddux 3000th strikeout scorecard, plus a t-shirt from the Just One Bad Century catalog.

UPDATE: We have a winner! Bernie Cobb of Naperville knew that Ferguson Jenkins was the former Cub busted for cocaine, and was the first person to e-mail me at rick@justonebadcentury.com. Bernie wins the Maddux scorecard and JOBC t-shirt. We'll have another contest next Monday.

Say it ain't so, Snow

It was a nice day yesterday, so people were working outside doing yardwork all day. Then last night, they took their yard bags to the end of the driveway to be picked up along with the garbage (it's garbage day in our neighborhood).

Those yard bags are now covered with snow.

Never a dull moment in Chicago.

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column has been posted at NWI Parent. This week's column is about the single-minded obsession of my youngest son. It's called "Letters from Sean."

This week in 1908, 1945

Every weekend Just One Bad Century goes back in time to the last year the Cubs won the World Series and the last year they won the pennant.

This week in 1908, the Cubs play their home opener at West Side Grounds--their first game as defending champs--and Edward R. Murrow is born.


This week in 1945, President Roosevelt dies, and the Cub play opening day at Wrigley Field in his honor

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Gary Spears

The latest Chicago Radio Spotlight interview is posted. This week I spoke with K-Hits midday jock Gary Spears. You may remember him from his two stints at B-96.

The interview is here.

Coming this weekend

This coming weekend I'll be posting another Chicago Radio Spotlight interview. I spoke with Gary Spears, the former B-96 jock and current midday host at the new K-Hits WJMK. That interview will be posted on Saturday.

Sunday I'll post my latest Father Knows Nothing column. This week I feature the writing of my 8-year-old son Sean, who was forced to write (snail-mail) letters by his 2nd grade teacher. The letters have been pretty hilarious. (Unintentionally)

Now if you'll excuse me, Friday is Clean up the House day at the Kaempfer household. If you call and I don't answer the phone, it's probably because I'm in the laundry room or running the vacuum cleaner. That's right baby, I'm living the dream.

Have a great weekend!

"The Pitch"

I just finished reading another enjoyable baseball novel called "The Pitch." It's written by Hank Owens, and it chronicles the life of a 40-something year old that masters the knuckleball. It's really a wonderful novel about the minor leagues, about wish fulfillment, about getting that one chance in life to live out your dreams. I recommend it to anyone that loves baseball. You can get it here at amazon, or here directly from his publisher Pocol Press.
(As an author myself, let me just tell you that the publisher makes a lot more if you buy it directly from them--Amazon really rips off publishers.)

I got a chance to chat with the author about the book yesterday...


Rick: Your novel takes place in Keokuk, Iowa (mostly), home to the minor league Keokuk Westerns. I know there really isn't a minor league team with that name but I didn't realize until I researched for this interview that there was one in the 19th century. Is that the inspiration for your team's name?

Hank: Absolutely. I’ve always been interested in the history of old minor leagues. We’re used to A through Triple-A, but there used to be leagues down to C and D. Keokuk was one of those. Iowa today has a handful of semi-pro teams that play in small towns, and it seemed like the right place to start. And Keokuk is a great minor league town name.

Rick: For me, personally, as a Cubs history buff, I loved the names of the characters. For instance, the narrator, Orval Sheckard, is a combination of Orval Overall and Jimmy Sheckard from the 1908 Cubs. There are all sorts of examples like that in the book, and I'm certain it's no coincidence. Did you pick those names to pay tribute to the Cubs, or because you just liked the sounds of their names?

Hank: I should have known you’d figure that out! Actually you’re half right. The players’ names are borrowed in part from that year’s Cubs roster, but there’s another part to the roster names, too. Maybe I’ll keep that one under my hat for the moment. There’s something about old baseball names that seems completely timeless, and when I was writing the book I could never quite pin down exactly what decade we were in. The names all seemed like they could be minor league players from any era, which I thought made sense. It’s too bad parents don’t name their kids “Orval” anymore, isn’t it?

Rick: The minor league atmosphere in "The Pitch" really struck me as authentic. How much research did you have to do?

Hank: If by “research” you mean sitting with a beer in a minor league park, then plenty. I live near Des Moines, so every summer has a few I-Cubs games in it. I think what’s great about the minors—especially the lower divisions—is how close you are to the game. You can hear the swearing, you get a real sense for how fast the pitches are, etc. And in A-ball, you’re usually sitting with the scouts and the players’ families, which makes things more interesting. There were a handful of minor league stadiums that I used to set the stage for the Westerns. All of them were old, crumbling, but obviously much loved, and one in particular was in a notoriously buggy swamp. And all of them smelled like stale beer.

Rick: In the movie "The Graduate," Dustin Hoffman's character is advised to go into plastics. After reading your novel, I'm guessing you'd disagree with that advice.

Hank: Ha! Yeah, I guess I’d advise some other field. Or at least don’t take that advice literally.

Rick: "The Pitch" provides wish fulfillment for all of the middle aged former high school baseball players out there. Did you see that way while you were writing it?

Hank: Totally. This is the classic middle-age Faustian bargain. If you could sell your soul for an unhittable pitch, would you do it, and what would that look like? Rube Tyler doesn’t sell his soul, of course, and to me it was important that his version of that was much less abstract—no devil at the crossroads, just something very real and concrete that he looked at every day. There’s no doubt that any of us would want the ride Tyler gets—even just the first couple of games in A-ball would be enough, right? And I sort of think that this is how it would play out, from a late night tryout in an abandoned parking lot to a few weeks of pretty grinding, unglamorous work, hoping someone up the ladder takes you seriously. What you’d trade for that, though, is the real question.

Rick: Finally, the entire novel really is an homage to the knuckleball. (That's "The Pitch" the title refers to.) Do you think this current crop of knucklers will be the last, or will that pitch live on after they retire?

Hank: No other sport has a knuckleball. It’s almost like cheating, but it’s cheating using physics, and I’ve always been completely fascinated by that. There’s no special technique in, say, football that would let someone in their 40s play professionally. But in baseball, if you can figure out how to throw a ball without any spin, you’ve got at least a modest career, because even if you’re not great, the pitch has all these knock-on effects. A knuckler can throw forever, since he doesn’t have to throw it hard, so if he’s even moderately effective the bullpen can get a day’s rest. And it does apparently screw up hitters—batting averages the day after facing a knuckleball are apparently a tick or two lower since hitters’ timing has been so wildly thrown off. Of course when it’s not on, it’s hard to watch, but as long as it’s a ticket for 40-year old players to stay on, aging pitchers will keep toying with it and they’ll keep making rosters.

I think most Cubs fans this year would be really happy with a miraculous knuckleball or two…

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

"BP" writes to remind me of another reason we all watched "All My Children" in college...

"I watched “All My Children” in the 80’s, too. Since every girl at U of I watched it, it was a great conversation starter. “I can’t believe what Tab did to Dixie ” and you’re off and running. I hadn’t seen the show in years until last summer when I took off Fridays from work. I happened to flip it on and found out that someone had killed Adam’s twin brother, Stuart. Today, my girlfriend watches another soap and Dr Cliff from AMC is on it. She laughs because I am usually in another room while she watches her show but I always yell “Dr. Cliff!” or “Where’s Nina?” where I hear his baritone voice from the TV set."

Did the Cubs throw the 1918 World Series?

Comcast Sportsnet opens this subject again, this time on their website, and of course, in the White Sox column by Chuck Garfien. (Photo: The 1918 Cubs rotation--Lefty Tyler, Hippo Vaughn, Shufflin' Phil Douglas, and Claude Hendrix)

An entire book has been written on the subject, an excellent one called "Original Curse" by Sean Deveney. I've read that book cover to cover, and Garfien's column hits the highlights.

In addition to the things in the CSN column, there are a few things to consider. One, the players didn't even know if baseball was going to return at all in 1919. World War I was still going on, and many players were scheduled to report for duty as soon as the season ended. Plus, with the war going on, fans had lost interest in baseball. Attendance was WAY down. In addition, the player shares were cut to a fraction of what they were the previous years, and at one point during the series, both teams even briefly went on strike. (JFK's grandpa, the mayor of Boston, ended the strike by threatening to unleash the crowd on the players). The motivation was definitely there to throw the series.

Then there's the fact that two of the pitchers pictured above actually were accused of gambling later in their careers by Judge Landis (Douglas and Hendrix). The investigation of Hendrix' alleged thrown game, in fact, led to the investigation of the 1919 Sox. And, Douglas wrote a letter offering to get injured in exchange for some cash, and was banned for life. (He was with the Giants by then)

But honestly, the quotes from Eddie Cicotte that are posted by CSN (and featured in the book), and the speculation by sportswriters and a White Sox employee, simply aren't evidence. Neither is the future behavior of those two Cubs pitchers. There is zero evidence they did anything in 1918. No one ever admitted it. No one suddenly started spending money he previously didn't have. No one was ever formally accused. It's just a guess.

I'm not saying it didn't happen. It might have. But until someone has some proof other than a few people speculating or "hearing things," it's not fair to the 1918 Cubs. They aren't around to defend themselves.

I know it's not fashionable to say so, but let me suggest it anyway. Maybe Babe Ruth and his Red Sox were just better.

Painted Toenails and Tea Sets

I just posted my weekly contribution to Kim Strickland's "A City Mom" blog at ChicagoNow. This week's is about the uproar caused by the J Crew ad featuring a little boy with toenail polish.

You can read it here.

Say it ain't so, Joe

I just want to say a few things before you watch this video.

I like Joe Biden. He seems like the kind of guy that would be fun to have a beer with (isn't that what they always said about George W?), and he really does know a lot about foreign affairs. Behind the scenes, he's probably invaluable. But I sometimes wonder why they ever let him in public.

CBS trained a camera on him during Obama's speech yesterday, and caught Joe taking a nap. That's right, a nap. I really liked the speech, but there's no getting around this--his own VP was falling asleep during it. And it's hilarious to watch. Very mean, CBS. But very funny.

Rock Me Amadeus

25 years ago today an Austrian Disco star had the #1 hit in America, singing a song about another Austrian composer that had been dead 200 years. I suspect this situation will never ever repeat itself...



Ironically, like the subject of his most famous song, Falco died at a very age. He was only 40 when he died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. Like his idol he is buried in Vienna.

Doug Davis

There's only one problem I can see with the signing yesterday of veteran pitcher Doug Davis.

He can't pitch against the Cubs anymore. He used to kill us.

If there's one thing the Cubs have never been able to hit, it's a junkballing lefty. The rest of the league, unfortunately, doesn't have the same problem.

Dead Man's Curve

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this strange happening from 45 years ago today...

April 12, 1966…In an eerie real-life recreation of the duo's single from two years earlier, Jan Berry of Jan & Dean crashed his Corvette into a parked truck on Beverly Hills' Whittier Drive, near a stretch of road in Los Angeles known as "Dead Man's Curve." He required four years of rehabilitation to be able to talk, and it was a full decade before he could perform live again.

After you know this story, it's impossible not to think of it when you hear the song. Especially that spoken part in the middle of it...

Fans in Four Cities Miss Departed Broadcast Legends

This is a very nice piece in USA Today about baseball announcers (including Ron Santo) that have passed away in the last year or two.

I can't speak for those other three cities, but I think it captures the Ron Santo part of the story pretty well.

Dodger Fans

The recent story in the news about the Dodgers fans that severely beat up a Giants fan in the parking lot of Dodgers Stadium has been sounding familiar to me all week, and I couldn't place why until last night.

It hit me when I heard a Chicago song on the radio. I remembered that the same thing happened at Dodgers Stadium to Peter Cetera from the band Chicago. It happened in 1969, but it did happen at Dodgers Stadium. I found a quote from Cetera about that incident...

"Four marines didn't like a long-haired rock 'n' roller in a baseball park," Cetera recounts, "and of course I was a Cub fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn't do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days. The only funny thing I can think about the whole incident," he says, "is that, with my jaw wired together, I actually went on the road, and I was actually singing through my clenched jaw, which, to this day, is still the way I sing."

Andre Rodgers

50 years ago today Bahamian Andre Rodgers stepped in the batters box for his first time as a Cub. He had been acquired in an off-season trade for Moe Drabowsky.

It was opening day 1961 in Cincinnati, and the opposing pitcher was Jim O'Toole. The young infielder made his presence felt immediately. In his first at-bat as a Cub, Andre cracked a home run. (The Cubs lost 7-1)

The Cubs had high hopes for Andre, and eventually moved Ernie Banks to first base to open up a spot for Rodgers in the infield, but while his fielding was pretty impressive at times (he led the league in range, put-outs, and assists in 1963), that first at-bat homer was not exactly a sign of things to come.

He hit a total of 28 homers in his 4 plus seasons with the Cubs, and was traded to the Pirates after the 1964 season.

Eddie & Valerie

30 years ago today Eddie Van Halen married Valerie Bertinelli. They aren't married anymore, but their marriage did last for 26 years. Here's one of the first interviews after the marriage...



She was 21 years old at the time.

The JOBC contest

Starting this week we'll be doing a contest every week at Just One Bad Century for exciting prizes. This week's prize is a commemorative scorecard from Greg Maddux' 3000th strikeout, plus one of the t-shirts from the Just One Bad Century catalog.

The first person that e-mails me at rick@justonebadcentury.com will win the prize. Tell me what is wrong with the baseball card below...

UPDATE: Congrats to Dale Eggebrecht, he was the first person to e-mail me with the answer to this week's contest. The picture to the left is NOT Mike Fontenot, it's Ryan Theriot. For some reason the people at Topps pulled a major whoopsie-daisy on Mike Fontenot's card that year.

Dale wins the Greg Maddux scorecard and JOBC t-shirt. We'll have another contest every Monday during the Cubs season. Be sure to check back next Monday morning for your chance to win.

J-Mocking

I had never seen this clip before, but I stumbled onto it this morning. Jimmy Fallon & Ben Affleck on SNL doing a pretty accurate slam on the wacky morning J.

It's from several years ago, but it still stands up.

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest "Father Knows Nothing" column at NWI Parent. This one is called "Loopholes" and it's about the sneaky tricks kids pull to get their parents to say a word they almost never say--"Yes".

You can read it here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Matt DuBiel

I just posted my latest Chicago Radio Spotlight interview. This week I talked to Matt DuBiel, the man behind the Save the Loop campaign.

You can read that interview here.

Coming this weekend

I'll be posting my latest Chicago Radio Spotlight interview on Saturday. This week I spotlight the man behind the "Save the Loop" campaign; Matt DuBiel.

Just One Bad Century will go back in time to 1908 and 1945 this weekend, as we do every weekend. Some weeks we need that time travel therapy more than others. Hopefully this weekend we won't need it as much.

Also, I'll post a brand new Father Knows Nothing column on Sunday. I'd love to tease that one for you, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I still have no idea what it will be about. We'll all be surprised together when I post it.

Have a great weekend. It's supposed to be beautiful in Chicago on Sunday.

Never tell a writer what to write

I just posted my weekly contribution to Kim Strickland's A City Mom blog at ChicagoNow. This week's is about my unsuccessful efforts at guiding the creativity of my children.

You can read it here.

Cubs road record

I just wanted to be able to write this once, and today may be my only chance to do it all year.

The Cubs haven't lost a single game on the road this year.

Carlos Pena

This is a real nice piece in the St. Petersburg Times about Carlos Pena and his wife, and the difficulties of moving to a new city.

It's obvious from the tone of the piece that they loved him in Tampa, and that the Penas miss the city. Sometimes we forget that these guys go through the same things we do, and think about how difficult it would be to uproot your family and move to a new city to start all over again.

The story of the man that was traded for himself

His name was Dickie Noles, and the Cubs once traded him to the Tigers for...Dickie Noles.

That's today's Tale from a Bad Century.

Cubs lose 2 starters in one day

This is so Cubs.

#4 starter Randy Wells and #5 starter Andrew Cashner are both out for at least two weeks after suffering injuries the past two days.

Details are here.

When Harry met Sally, the Sequel

Some funny stuff here...

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

The value of education

Thanks to "DTS" for sending me this. I definitely plan on sharing it with my kids later today...

"It’s no surprise that an increasingly sophisticated and competitive U.S. economy seeks those with higher levels of educational attainment. Since January (2011), employment has grown by 521,000 jobs for Americans with a bachelor’s degree or higher…and declined by 318,000 for those with only a high school diploma (USA TODAY)…

…what a powerful statistic

Unemployment for those ages 25 and over with less than a high school diploma was 13.7% in March. For those with a high school diploma and no college, the jobless rate was 9.5%. For those with some college or an Associate’s degree, the rate was 7.4% in March. For those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher the rate was 4.4%…

Use this data wisely when your kids or grandkids say that education is just not that important. Earnings differentials are also enormous."

Let me just also say that anyone claiming that education needs to be cut in this country has got their priorities completely out of whack.

The Trick on Rick

My friend Kim Strickland's A City Mom blog today is about me.

It appears I'm freaking her out.

Heh heh. (Rubbing my hands together while cackling with evil glee)

Smallest Cubs crowd since 2002

Yes it was a Monday afternoon. Yes it was cold. Yes it was only the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yes the Cubs got off to a shaky start in the opening series against the Pirates. But still.

There sure were there a lot of empty seats at Wrigley yesterday.

The smallest crowd since 2002. Maybe reader "BP" was right. After all, the Cubs did raise the price of beer by 25 cents this year.

Maybe Lou really was phoning it in last year

This article on ESPN Chicago certainly makes it sound like Lou was just going through the motions last year.

The comments from Kevin Millar (who was with the Cubs in spring training) and Alfonso Soriano are not exactly complimentary.

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

"BP" writes...

"Rick, I just finished a book called Scorecasting. It’s Freakonomics for sports. They debunk a lot of sports myths like the hot shooting hand in basketball, why there is a home field advantage and why going for it on 4th down is always a good strategy. The last chapter concerns the Cubs and whether they are cursed. They go off on a tangent on ticket prices and find that while most MLB teams can track ticket sales closely to winning, the Cubs ticket sales are not related to winning. In fact, ticket sales have gone up when the Cubs were losing the most. The one factor that they found that tracks ticket sales is BEER PRICES at Wrigley. Beer goes up, people stay away. Which is why Wrigley has some of the cheapest beer in MLB."

Interesting indeed. I really never considered $7 beer cheap, but now that you mention it, I think it was $9.50 in Colorado when I went to a game there a couple of summers ago. By the way, I went to Wrigley this weekend and had a non-alcoholic beer (yes, they have them). It was only $3.50.

Jerry Garcia

From this morning's The Olde Disc Jockey Almanac...

"April 4, 1996…Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia's ashes were scattered in the Ganges River in India by Dead guitarist Bob Weir and Garcia's widow, Deborah."

I've been listening to the Grateful Dead again lately, and this is one of the songs that I'm just starting to appreciate...

Starlin Castro

Sure, it was a rough weekend for the Cubs (losing 2 out of 3 to the Pirates?), but there was one bright spot.

Starlin Castro certainly looks like a keeper, doesn't he?

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column has been posted at NWI Parent. This week's edition updates my progress (or lack of progress) during my self-inflicted Extreme Lent.

You can read it here.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Megan Reed

This week's Chicago Radio Spotlight is posted. I interviewed WILV's (Rewind 100) Megan Reed.

You can read it here.

The Onion and the Cubs

The Onion has some fun with the Cubbies. Pretty funny stuff.

Coming this weekend

Saturday morning I'll be posting a brand new Chicago Radio Spotlight interview. This week I interviewed WILV Rewind 100's Megan Reed.

I'm also going to the Cubs game on Saturday with my son Johnny. Looks like I'll be drinking coffee instead of beer this year. We're still in the middle of Extreme Lent.

I'll provide an update on how that's been going (Hint: Not so good) in my regular Father Knows Nothing column on Sunday.

Have a great weekend, and don't call me today.

Mr. Kaempfer can't come to the phone right now because it's opening day at Wrigley Field. Please leave a message and he'll get back to you when the Cubs are out of it...probably sometime in late May.

Two Perfect Days At Wrigley Field

I posted this week's "A Suburban Dad" guest column at Kim Strickland's "A City Mom" blog on ChicagoNow. This week's is about...you guessed it...opening day.

I highlighted my two most perfect days ever at my favorite place in the world.

You can read it here.

Wild Thing

This is one of those great rock and roll stories, and it happened exactly 45 years ago today. From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

"April 1, 1966…In London, the Troggs used 45 minutes of spare studio time to record "Wild Thing."

Obviously it became their biggest hit. It's an absolute classic...

Opening Day 1973

One of the most dramatic opening days in Cubs history had an unlikely hero.

The Cubs were down a run in the bottom of the ninth.

Joe Pepitone led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Cleo James. Ron Santo got on base thanks to an error by Expos 2B Ron Hunt, and was also replaced by a pinch runner. Glenn Beckert walked to load the bases.

The Expos brought in their closer Mike Marshall, the best closer in baseball. He promptly walked Randy Hundley to tie the game, but he buckled down and got Don Kessinger to pop out down the line, and struck out Jim Hickman.

That brought up Cubs lead off man Rick Monday. The bases were loaded. The score was tied 2-2. It was the bottom of the ninth. Marshall vs. Monday. Marshall knew he couldn't give Monday anything to hit, but he tried to be a little too fine around the plate, and eventually walked him...to bring in the winning run.

Ron Santo's pinch runner scored that winning run. He was sent to the minors after that and never again appeared in another major league game as a player.

His name was Tony LaRussa.

Donating Goats?

It's not often that the Cubs and Cubs fans make it on TMZ, but today they did. There's a story about Cub fans donating goats to needy families...to try and reverse the curse.

I suppose it can't hurt, but can't we all just agree that this goat curse is a bunch of a hooey?

OPENING DAY!

Yesterday was opening day for a lot of teams in the league, but today is opening day at Wrigley Field.

A few years ago we highlighted previous memorable opening days for the Cubs.


Here are some from the first 50 years of our bad century.

Here are some from the second 50 years.

In April, hope always springs eternal. GO CUBS!

Ain't Gonna Pee-Pee My Bed Tonight

I'm speechless...

SI and the Cubs

Sports Illustrated has put many of their old archived articles online, and I've been going through them to find some gems about the Cubs.

This one was from December 10, 1984. It's about Rick Sutcliffe's decision whether or not to stay with the Cubs. He has offers from eight teams. The cover story of this issue is about a certain rookie on the Bulls who looks like he might just turn into something.

Waiting On Deck For A Shipload Of Money
Rick Sutcliffe is in the easy chair as the Cubs attempt to salvage last season's pitching staff.

Jimmy Cagney

He died 25 years ago today, but his message is timeless and will live on forever...

Old Style and the Cubs

You gotta love the new Old Style bottle, which will be debuting later this week (photo). The full details of it's origin are here in the latest issue of Packaging Digest.

That's right, I was reading Packaging Digest. Got a problem with that?

30 years ago today...

John Hinkley took a shot at Ronald Reagan.

I was in math class, senior year of high school, when the assassination attempt was announced through the school sound system...

SI and the Cubs

Sports Illustrated has put their archived articles online, and I'm going to be featuring some of the articles they wrote about the Cubs.

This one was on July 7, 1980. It was about the fact that Wrigley Field still didn't have lights. The story about the Olympic athletes that were affected by the 1980 boycott was on the cover...

One Place That Hasn't Seen The Light
Chicago's Wrigley Field has grass on the ground and ivy on the walls and is the only park where there are never any night games.




It's another recommended time capsule. The article is about PK Wrigley; his stubborn approach and frugality, and the real reason why the Cubs still didn't have lights in 1980.

Pick a Headline

Imagine picking the top story to feature on the front page of your newspaper on this day forty years ago....

March 29, 1971…Lt. William Calley Jr., of the U.S. Army, was found guilty of the premeditated murder of at least 22 Vietnamese civilians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was the result of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968.

March 29, 1971…A jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. The death sentences were later commuted to life in prison.

Some headline writer's head must have exploded at the New York Post.

(Source: Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac)

SI and the Cubs

Sports Illustrated has put their archived articles online, and I'm going to be featuring some of the articles they wrote about the Cubs.

This one was on June 30, 1969.

Leo's Bums Rap For The Cubs
"Chicago's genteel old North Side has a pennant contender after lo these many years, egged on by a raucous bleacher section and -- Mr. Wrigley should chew on another cud -- the irrepressible Durocher."




I read the article, and I've got a good feeling about the Cubs in 1969. Maybe this really is our year.

I kid, but the article is a time capsule gem. I particularly love the part about the Bleacher Bums. Highly recommended.

Steve Vasoli

Landecker & the Legends has lost another family member.

Steve Vasoli was our keyboardist, but he was more than that. He was the life source of the band. He was always smiling, always happy, always had a great attitude. If you ever saw the Legends live, you remember Steve. He took center stage for a few of our numbers, including the old Herman's Hermits song "Henry VIII."

One of my favorite things about touring Chicagoland with Landecker and the Legends was the kibitzing before and after the shows with the guys in the band. Steve was a fun guy to talk to--he could always make me laugh.

He left the Legends after we stopped touring to care for his aging mother, but he was always a part of the band.

I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me when I heard the news yesterday that he passed away suddenly. He was only 54 years old.

It's impossible to remember him, without seeing his smile.

RIP Steve. You will be missed.

Genesis

35 years ago today Genesis began their first North American tour without Peter Gabriel. I didn't really know Genesis until after Peter Gabriel left the band (other than what I've heard on old records), so I thought I'd go back to see if there were any videos.

Here's a good example. Note the full-haired drummer Phil Collins.

Oprah's Last Show

Write this date down on your calendar...May 25th.

That's the official last Oprah Show.

Chicagoans are legally required to wear a black armband that day.

A St. Louis website reviews the Cubs

Guess what they think?

I can't say I disagree, but it still rubs me the wrong way to read it.

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column has been posted. This one is called "When you make a threat..."

You can read it here.

Carlos Silva

Bye Bye Carlos Silva, and don't let the door hit your double digit ERA or your big fat $11.5 million wallet on the way out.