Should Epstein Come To Chicago?

Two ESPN.com writers debate the pros and cons.

Also, ESPN Radio's Marc Silverman begs him to come, via video.

A Fifth of Beethoven

Beethoven meets disco. Believe it or not, this was the #1 song in the country exactly 35 years ago today...

RIP Bear Tracks

His nickname was Bear Tracks, but his actual name was Johnny Schmitz.

He was a member of the Cubs during some of their darkest days, but Schmitz was also one of their best players. He actually won 18 games (and appeared in the All-Star game) for one of their worst teams of all-time, the 1948 Cubs. So of course, they traded him.

Bear Tracks passed away this weekend in Wisconsin at the age of 90.

Bartman Night is Cancelled

The Dayton Gems minor league hockey team announced and planned a Steve Bartman night at their pre-season game October 14th. The idea was to leave a ticket at the box office for Bartman, and to allow anyone dressed as Bartman to come in for free.

It sounds like Bartman's people were less than thrilled with the idea.

It will no longer be a Steve Bartman night.

Hit the Road Jack

This was the #1 song in America exactly 50 years ago today. It stands the test of time, don't you think?

Hank Jr. & The Dixie Chicks

My weekly Suburban Dad contribution to the City Mom blog at ChicagoNow has been posted. This week's is about the Hank Williams Jr. controversy, and how much it reminds me of the Dixie Chicks story from several years ago. That story had a direct impact on my life.

Read it here.

Cubs Ask Permission To Speak To Espstein

So says the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy, who is about as clued in as anyone.

This is beginning to get very interesting.

Bleeding Cubbie Blue

A song that attempts to explain the self torture of being a Cubs fan...

Free $everance?

Until Nov. 15, my $everance publisher ENC Press is offering a free download of $everance as an e-book (PDF). For details, visit their page - www.facebook.com/ENCPress - and click on the Welcome tab under their profile pic.

Steve Bartman Night?

Looks like the "Catching Hell" special on ESPN is having repercussions in the hockey world too. A minor league hockey team in Fort Wayne is having a Steve Bartman night. They're leaving a ticket for him at the gate, and anyone who dresses like Bartman (from that infamous night) will get in free.

Somehow, I don't think Bartman would approve.

Details are here.

Theo Is "Very Interested"

That's Theo Epstein, the general manager that brought the Boston Red Sox two World Series championships in the past seven years after they had ZERO for the previous 86 years. And the thing he's allegedly "very interested" in is the Cubs general manager job.

Sign him up now. I'm serious.

I have friends that live in the Boston area and they've soured on Theo, and blame him for the demise of the team this past year, but it seems to me that they've got a ridiculously short memory in Boston. They've already fired the manager of those two championship teams, and now they're ready for the GM to leave too.

We'll take them both off your hands.

We already know what Francona would look like wearing a Cubs hat...

Father Knows Nothing

I just posted my latest Father Knows Nothing column at NWI Parent. This week's column is called "Hand-Me-Downs".

You can read it here.

Final picture from Italy

This is the last picture I'm going to post from my Italy trip. (I'm saving a half dozen or so for the magazine articles I'm writing).

This is Pesaro's fountain at night. We left six hours after this picture was taken.

The Streets of Italy

The thing that I really found interesting in this part of Italy was how narrow the streets were. This one was in Urbino...

The Streets of Italy

The thing that I really found interesting in this part of Italy was how narrow the streets were. This one was in Fano...

The Streets of Italy

The thing that I really found interesting in this part of Italy was how narrow the streets were. This one was in Loreto.

The Streets of Italy

The thing that I really found interesting in this part of Italy was how narrow the streets were. This one was in Pesaro.

The Ceilings of Italy

After spending time in Italy, I realized that I've been wasting all the ceiling space in my home by painting them plain white.

This might be another way to go...

The Cubs on Catalina Island

From 1921-1951, the Cubs had their spring training on Catalina Island...

The Ceilings of Italy

After spending time in Italy, I realized that I've been wasting all the ceiling space in my home by painting them plain white.

This might be another way to go...

The Ceilings of Italy

After spending time in Italy, I realized that I've been wasting all the ceiling space in my home by painting them plain white.

This might be another way to go...

The Ceilings of Italy

After spending time in Italy, I realized that I've been wasting all the ceiling space in my home by painting them plain white.

This might be another way to go...

The Ceilings of Italy

After spending time in Italy, I realized that I've been wasting all the ceiling space in my home by painting them plain white.

This might be another way to go...

Legless Torso Book Promotion

I just posted my weekly Suburban Dad contribution to Kim Strickland's City Mom blog at ChicagoNow. This week's column is about the unique way I handled the challenges of book promotion when my first novel came out.

You can read it here.

Bridget in Italy

In Pesaro at night, with her husband.

Bridget in Italy

At the old Roman wall in Fano...

Bridget in Italy

On one of Pesaro's wide streets. Yes, cars did drive here...

Bridget in Italy

Overlooking the Adriatic...

Catching Hell

If you saw "Catching Hell" last night on ESPN, you saw a moment in our history that wasn't exactly Cubs fans finest hour. I actually thought the filmmaker did a really nice (and fair) job of capturing the zeitgeist. One of the participants in the program was Fox 32's Dane Placko--and they asked him to participate because they saw this video on my website Just One Bad Century...

Meatloaf

Happy birthday Meatloaf. He's 64 years old today...

Urbino

A 15th century city (and birthplace of Raphael) that is completely intact...

Acqualagna

Took this one during our truffle hunt (full story of that day to come).

Italian Roads, Take Me Home

Granted, we weren't exactly in the highest population centers of Italy, but this is pretty typical of the roads we traveled on the entire time we were there.

Mornings on the Adriatic

Took this one as we prepared to get on the bus for an excursion...

Pesaro, Italy

This is an outside wall, and no, it's not attached to a library...

Fano

An arch built by the Roman Emperor Augustus around two thousand years ago. The original etchings are still on the wall...

Loreto

The Basilica behind me was built around the birth home of the Virgin Mary, brought back to Italy during the Crusades. The church was only 700 years old. The fountain was only 500 years old.

An Italian Vineyard

We had an amazing lunch here last week in the hills above Fano, Italy. The food was delicious. The wine was incredible. Yes, that's right, wine for lunch. And lots of it...

The Italian Riviera

This was the view from my hotel room in Pesaro, Italy last week...

Rube Waddell

This is finally the last merciful week of the baseball season, so this is the last week of stories to come from Just One Bad Century.

The final Cubs Hall of Famer for the season is Rube Waddell.

Father Knows Nothing

Just got back from Italy, and this week's Father Knows Nothing column is about the very strange circumstances surrounding the day I left Chicago. It's called "An Italian Birthday."

You can read it here.

Italia

I'm on assignment this week in the Marche region of Italy, which is along the Adriatic. (Seriously, I am. Who knew this writing thing could be so fun...er...I mean grueling.)

I'll be here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I'll be back this coming weekend.

Coming soon: An official announcement about my second novel. Until then, Ciao!

(P.S. That photo is not taken in Italy. It's at Elvis' grave at Graceland. It's the closest I could find to a religious picture--I'll be seeing lots of churches in Italy.)

This week at Just One Bad Century

I'm out of the country this week, but just because I'm gone, and the Cubs haven't shown up for months, doesn't mean that we aren't still going strong at Just One Bad Century.

We'll still have our weekly Cubs Hall of Famer: Bruce Sutter

We'll still have our weekly Great Nickname: The Rajah

We'll still have two Tales from a Bad Century: Bill Veeck Jr. and Norman Rockwell Nails the Cubs

We'll still feature Sights & Sounds

And of course, go back This Week in 1908, and This Week in 1945.

But even more importantly, our souvenir stand remains open, and wouldn't you like to buy one of our snazzy shirts or hats?

That's what I thought: Buy those here.

Father Knows Nothing

I'm posting this week's Father Knows Nothing a day early because I'm leaving the country tomorrow. In this week's column, I discover a new sleeping disorder.

You can read it here.

GM Hunt

Fox Sports analyzes the Cubs search for a big-name GM.

Sounds like they don't think any of them will be coming to Chicago.

Beer

My latest article is out in SHORE Magazine, and it was a grueling piece of reporting, let me tell you. I had to tour all of the microbrews in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan.

You can read it here.

The Lone Ranger

It debuted on television on this day in 1949. I got hooked on it when I was a boy. WGN showed it on Sunday mornings, followed by the Cisco Kid. My son Johnny loved it when he was a boy too.

Why? I'm not sure I can explain it. There's just something about the Lone Ranger.

9/11 with Eddie Munster

I just posted my weekly Suburban Dad contribution to the City Mom blog at ChicagoNow. It's about my very strange memories of 9/11.

You can read it here.

Green White Soccer Club

My father was one of the founders of the Green White Soccer Club in Chicago in 1956. The current president of the club (my sister) has asked me to write the history of Green White, and I've agreed to do it.

But here's how I'm doing it. Every month I will feature another year in Green White history on a blog I've created just for this. If you are also a Green White member, or were once a member, please feel free to comment on each month's offering. It's like a group project. I was only born in 1963, so I haven't been around for all of this history. I need help. I've interviewed about a dozen of the old-timers already, but I need to interview a few more. I'm hoping at the end of five years (in time for the club's 60th anniversary), we'll have an actual book-worthy accumulation of stories and photos.

The first one (1956) has already been posted.

Smells like Teen Spirit

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

"September 13, 1991…Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The band was thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight."

It's still a good song, even if it's 20 years old today and I still can't understand most of the lyrics...

The Monkees

45 years ago today America was introduced to the Monkees. You may notice something slightly different about the opening theme song of that first show. It's sung by Boyce & Hart instead of the Monkees themselves...

Oktoberfest

Last night we had a mini-Oktoberfest at the Kaempfer house. I went the extra mile to present an authentic atmosphere. It's the first time I've worn the lederhosen anywhere other than on stage with Landecker and the Legends. And yes, that mini-keg of Spaten is long gone.

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column has been posted at NWI Parent. This week's column is about my wedding rings. (Yes, that's plural)

You can read it here.

Star Trek

45 years ago today Star Trek began its five year mission to explore new worlds and civilizations. I was a big fan of the show, though not quite at the go-to-conventions level. I saved the extreme geekitude for things like baseball cards and the Beatles.

This song was put together for the Howard Stern show a few years ago, in honor of Howard's frequent guest George Takei. Pretty funny.

$everance

Between now and September 28th, my publisher ENC Press is doing a contest giveaway with my novel "$everance" at the Good Reads website.

If you'd like a chance to win the book, click here.

(At the very least, click on the Good Reads site and give me a nice review. You know I'd do it for you.)

Embarrassing Confession Time

My weekly contribution to the City Mom blog at Chicago Now is posted. It's called "Embarrassing Confession Time."

You can read it here.

Dylan Gardner

I've known this young lad since he was born. He's the son of Landecker and the Legends guitarist Mark Gardner, and he was born around the same time as my oldest son Tommy.

We used to go to Mark's house every year for a Legends Christmas party, and little Dylan would be playing the drums in their basement (I seem to remember him doing this at a ridiculous age like 3 or 4). Dylan has also appeared on stage with Landecker & the Legends, most recently in 2009 when he performed the Doors song "Roadhouse Blues" at the age of 13.

The Gardners moved out to Arizona shortly after that show, but it's obvious that Dylan's musical career is just getting started. He plays guitar, bass, and piano on the song. I'm very impressed with the youngster.

Happy Labor Day!

Father Knows Nothing

My Father Knows Nothing column for this week has been posted at NWI Parent. This week's column is called "Emerging from Hibernation."

You can read it here.

This week in 1908, 1945

Every weekend JOBC goes back in time to the last year the Cubs won the World Series (1908) and the NL Pennant (1945).

This week in 1908, the Wright Brothers take the world`s first one hour flight, Frank Chance celebrates his 31st birthday, and the Cubs are still in third place behind the Pirates and the Giants.

This week in 1945, Gen. MacArthur accepts Japan's official surrender, the Palmer Castle is razed in Chicago, and Cubs third baseman Stan Hack gets his 2000th career hit.