Instant Karma

Bart Shore does a podcast called "Time Warp Radio" and I'm a subscriber on Facebook. Every now and then he plays a song that is really interesting, and today is one of those days. This is a very cool version of "Instant Karma" before Phil Spector added his wall of sound. I think I like this stripped down version better than the one he released.

Cubs 365, September 12

On this day in 1998, Sammy Sosa became the first Cubs player to hit 60 home runs in a season. He did it in the sixth inning of a wild slugfest against Milwaukee Brewers reliever Valerio de los Santos.

Sammy's homer was memorable, but it wasn't the most dramatic homer of the game. On a day the wind was blowing out, eight other players also hit roundtrippers; three for the Brewers and five for the Cubs.

After 7 1/2 innings, the Brewers led 12-5, but the Cubs chipped away at their lead. They scored four in the bottom of the seventh, and added another in the bottom of the eighth. The Cubs entered the bottom of the ninth down by a score of 12-10. The Brewers brought in Bob Wickman to close it out for them, but on this particular day, Wickman didn't have it. The Cubs managed to string together three singles and a walk, scoring two runs to tie the game.

Then, with runners on first and third, pinch hitter Orlando Merced came to the plate. The Wrigley Field crowd sensed that something big was going to happen. They were cheering before, during, and after Merced sent Wickman's pitch into the Wrigley Field bleachers.

Final score: Cubs 15 -- Brewers 12.

The win gave the Cubs a half game lead over the New York Mets in the hunt for the 1998 Wildcard.

Eric & Kathy Fundraising

I know not everybody is a fan of the Eric and Kathy show, but you have to give them credit for the great work they do fundraising. This is really incredible. From today's RAMP Newsletter...

"Another year, another stunningly spectacular display of monstrous fundraising for WTMX (101.9fm The Mix)/Chicago morning duo Erik & Kathy, whose legions of generous listeners once again turned out in force and came through with flying colors, generating an amazing $1,722,153 for Lurie Children's Hospital during the duo's 13th Annual 36 Hour Radiothon! The fundraiser ran from 6am last Friday, Sept. 7 and ended at 6pm on Saturday. For the first time, Eric & Kathy did their broadcast live on-air and online from the Crown Sky Garden of Lurie Children's, airing heartfelt stories of heroic children who are battling critical or even fatal conditions. With the help from corporate sponsorship from companies like Walgreens and Fifth Third Bank, every dollar raised during the Eric & Kathy 36 Hour Radiothon stays in the community to support the work of the hospital! As we speak, someone from Lurie Children's Hospital is on their way down to the local bank to see the Giant Cardboard Check Deposit clerk...Since it began back in 2000, the Eric & Kathy 36-Hour Radiothon has raised over $22 million for Lurie Children's!"

When I was in broadcasting we did several big fundraisers, and if we raised over $10,000 we considered it a success. This is truly remarkable.

Oh Local News, You Do Amuse Me

Magical Mystery Tour

The actual tour started on this day in 1967, according to Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

September 11, 1967…The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" bus started cruising the English countryside "just to see what would happen." Unfortunately, nothing did. There was no script, no clear idea of exactly what was to be accomplished, not even a clear direction about where the bus was supposed to go. The film was a disaster and received scathing reviews. It was called the Beatles' first failure.

Yes, the film was a failure, but the songs on that special are among the best Beatles song ever. Including this one...

Inside Scoop on Obama's and Romney's Facebook fans

I thought this article was pretty interesting. It's an analysis of the interests of the two candidates' facebook fans...


Some favorite activities of Romney’s fans:

Basketball
Guns
Gardening
Football
Church
Quilting

Some favorite activities among those who like Obama:

Camping
Meditation
Stand-up comedy
Power walking
Playing computer games
Jigsaw puzzles

I thought that was interesting and a little surprising (Guns & Quilting? Power Walking & Puzzles?), but not as surprising as the things the two groups of people have in common. The answer...

Both enjoy a good game of football or soccer.
Both shop at Target.
Both get a good laugh from The Hangover.
“Family Guy” is a hit on both sides of the political spectrum.

"Family Guy"? Wow. I officially don't know anything about anything anymore.

Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey

If you haven't heard about the novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" you might be living under a rock. It's the best-selling erotic novel (actually a trilogy) that every women's book club in America has read--and it's very naughty.

The book is written by a woman (EL James). Her husband has a book coming out too, but as you might imagine, everyone that interviews him isn't asking him about that. They just want to know if he and his wife have the kinky and adventurous sex life that the characters in "Fifty Shades of Grey" have. Is he anything at all like the seductive billionaire who turns a college student into his sex slave?

His answer is here.

By the way, this is the reason that there are no sex scenes in my books, and never will be. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would make the real people in my life feel. Although I'm fairly certain no one would ask me if my seductive billionaire character is based on me.

New Uses for Television

This is an interesting article about television usage in America. More and more people are getting rid of cable and satellite, but they aren't getting rid of their TVs...

"Many of these homes are satisfied to use their TVs for games or get programming through DVDs or services like Netflix or Apple TV."

I'm not quite ready to go there yet, because I still like watching live news and sports, but I can see a day in the not too distant future when I'll be perfectly happy watching those through the computer.

Cubs 365, September 11

On this day in 2001, on what might have been the worst day in American history, the Cubs were at home and were scheduled to face the Cincinnati Reds. They were in third place at the time, but still in the race, only six games behind the division leading Houston Astros.

Needless to say, after the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, all baseball games were cancelled that day. In fact, all of that week's games were cancelled as well. When the season resumed the Cubs were on the road--and it wasn't kind to them. By the time the Cubs returned to Wrigley Field on September 27th, they were out of the running.

But on that day, something truly memorable happened. Sammy Sosa hit a home run, his 59th of the season, and as he passed by first base, he pulled out a tiny American flag.

Sammy carried that flag around the bases during his home run trot--his tribute to his adopted country--a country still in mourning and shock.

Ian Punnett

Ian and I went to college together a thousand years ago at the University of Illinois, but he is probably best known to you for his time at WGN Radio or WLS (as the weekend host of Coast to Coast).

He's now on the air in Minneapolis/St. Paul and is undergoing some medical problems associated with Tinnitus. The full story is here. It sounds like it's painful. I wish him a healthy and speedy recovery.

If you'd like to read my Chicago Radio Spotlight with Ian from a few years ago, that's here.

Hashtag Backfire

Here's the headline: Republicans’ #areyoubetteroff Hashtag Backfires when Twitter Responds ‘Yes’

Whoops.

Here's the money paragraph from the Media Bistro article...

"#areyoubetteroff was combined with the word “yes” more than 1,800 times in its first 24 hours, while it was only paired with “no” around 600 times during the same time period. Since then, the yes/no ratio has been an embarrassing 5 to 1. To make matters worse for the Romney campaign, their problem child of a hashtag has already spawned rebuttal hashtags like #iambetteroff and #betteroff."

To be fair, I think it's important to point out that the Twitterverse is not exactly the go-to location for typical Republican voters.

Teachers Strike

While I watched the coverage of the Chicago teachers strike last night, I did have some sympathy for both sides--the teachers and the city. However, my main sympathy goes out to the parents who are all scrambling today trying to figure out what to do with their kids.

I'm so happy we moved out to the suburbs.

The Jeff Probst Show?

There are a slew of new daytime talk shows debuting this week, all hoping to claim Oprah's old throne. One of them is hosted by Survivor's Jeff Probst.

Details are here.

No offense to Jeff, but I have a feeling I know which daytime talk show will be the first one voted off the television island. (Although after reading the article about it, it does sound like it's not the same old stuff--which is refreshing).

J.K. Rowling's New Book

She is publishing a novel for adults, and her publisher is having a difficult time deciding how to market her.

This Ad Age article discusses the dilemma.

Little Brown considers her an "unknown entity" as a novelist for adults.

Little Brown, you've got to be kidding me. You think that publishing a J.K. Rowling book is taking a giant risk? This is a perfect example of why I hate the publishing industry, and why I decided to start my own company instead of dealing with you people.

Comparing Convention Coverage

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Cubs 365, September 10

On this day in 1918, the Cubs and Red Sox played Game 5 of the World Series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox were up 3 games to 1, so the Cubs had to win to keep the series alive, but before the game, the teams decided to do something that hasn't been done before or since.

The players on both teams got together and threatened to go on strike. They were very upset that baseball was reducing player shares because of the war. In 1917 the players on the winning team each received more than $3600. In 1918, they received $1103.

The start of the game was delayed for more than sixty minutes as the players representatives held talks with the national commission—they were holding out for $2000 a man. The commission, led by Boston Mayor John Fitzgerald (JFK's grandfather), wouldn't budge. With the crowd getting angry, and the realization hitting them how bad they would look if they held out for money when the country was at war, the players buckled and played.

Hippo Vaughn shut out the Red Sox, forcing a Game 6.

In that game, Cubs outfielder Max Flack dropped an easy fly ball which allowed two runs to score. The Red Sox won that game 2-1, and the series.

Did the Cubs throw the series? That's been the claim by some, and it's easy to see how they could come to that conclusion based on the player revolt, and the dropped fly ball, but nothing has ever been proven and no-one ever admitted a thing. Baseball looked into the allegations while they were investigating the 1919 Series (that the White Sox did throw), and found no evidence at all of the Cubs cheating.

The pitchers obviously weren't jaking it. Only 18 total runs were scored (10 by the Cubs, 8 by the Red Sox). The two staff aces, Hippo Vaughn for the Cubs and Babe Ruth for the Red Sox, both pitched magnificently.

Legitimate or not, neither the Red Sox nor the Cubs won the World Series the rest of the century.

Father Knows Nothing

My latest "Father Knows Nothing" column has been posted. This one is about my suave abilities in the kitchen. I call it "Mr. Smooth"

You can read it here.

Woman Accused of Teaching Cockatoo to Swear at Ex-Husbands Girlfriend

Love this story in USA Today...

"In court documents, the newspaper says, Kathleen Melker, of Warwick, R.I., claims she was within earshot of Willy, the neighbor's cockatoo, when the pet repeatedly called her "whore."

I don't know why this makes me laugh, but it does.

The Boss at Wrigley Field

It's pouring rain outside right now, but I'm still looking forward to seeing Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley Field tonight...

Cubs 365, September 7

On this day in 1962, Cubs rookie second baseman Ken Hubbs set a National League record for most plays handled without an error.

This is what it sounded like.

The record was broken in 1965 by Jerry Adair of the Dodgers.

By then, Hubbs was dead. He tragically perished in a plane crash in February of 1964.

Ratings Shocker

The Democratic Convention got higher ratings than the opening night of the NFL season.

Has that ever happened before? Two big NFL draws too...the Giants and the Cowboys.

Bubba's still got it. (The ratings were from Wednesday night, not Thursday)

Survey Says...

Cubs 365, September 6

On this day in 1948, Cubs second baseman Emil Verban did something he never did before, and never did again.

They called him the antelope because of his speed, but by the time Verban played for the Cubs, he wasn't exactly tearing up the basepaths. In his three seasons with the Cubs he stole a total of seven bases.

To say that Verban wasn't exactly known for his power would be an understatement. The Antelope had 2911 career at-bats, and hit exactly one home run. He hit it against Johnny Vander Meer (the man who once threw consecutive no-hitters) on this day, September 6th, 1948.

Verban's name lives on thanks to the Emil Verban Society, formed in 1975 by a group of Washington based Cubs fans. Among the original six members: Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, Dick Cheney. Later members included President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

The Antelope passed away during the Cubs playoff season of 1989. He was 72.

Clinton's Ad-libs

Bill Clinton's speech last night was amazing for several reasons. One of those reasons was that it was obvious he was just riffing up there, and unlike Clint Eastwood last week, Bill really knows what he's doing.

According to Vanity Fair, all ten of these comments were completely ad-libbed on stage...

10. “Are you listening Ohio and Michigan?”
9. “This Republican narrative, this alternate universe. . .”
8. “It passes the arithmetic test and more important, it passes the values test.”
7. “We gotta deal with this before it deals with us.”
6. “Democracy does not have to be a blood sport.”
5. “The old economy is not coming back.”
4. “Now you’re having a good time but this is getting serious and I want you to listen.”
3. “This is personal to me.”
2. George Washington was accused of being a “surveyor with a bad set of wooden false teeth.”
1. “You got to admit, it takes some brass to attack a guy for what you did.”

Just from a performance point of view...that's pretty amazing. I don't think either President Obama or Mitt Romney could do it.

Beaver Attack

Strange story in the Washington Post this morning about a rabid beaver going after an old lady in a lake.

It sounds like something out of a horror movie. This was the energizer bunny of rabid beavers.

E-mails, we get e-mails

This just in...my e-mail box. It was written by "KR", and he makes a good point...

"I like your comparison of Rupert to Snidely Whiplash, but I've been thinking about it and that may not be the most perfect analogy. I'd go with this guy."

Point taken. That probably is a better choice.

A Website & Magazine for Billionaires

I kid you not, South African multi-millionaire David Leppan (not a billionaire himself...yet) ,has launched a website and a magazine for billionaires. According to Leppan, there are about 2000 of those worldwide.

Think they'll be able to sell any ads for that target audience?

Message in a Bottle

A bottle was found floating in the ocean this week...and it contained a message that was written in 1914. 98 years ago.

Or to put it in proper perspective, it was written only six years after the Cubs last won the World Series.

It was an SOS to the world...

Cubs 365, September 5

On this day in 1918, the Cubs faced the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 of the World Series; a series started a month earlier than normal because of World War I.

The Cubs felt that their new ballpark (now known as Wrigley) was too small, so they asked and received permission to play their home games at the White Sox ballpark Comiskey Park. Unfortunately for team owner Charlie Weeghman, people were apathetic about baseball in the war-obsessed nation, and a growing flu pandemic made still others reluctant to go out in public, so this series was one of the worst attended in baseball history. Only 19,274 fans were on hand.

Nevertheless, Game 1 was one of the greatest pitcher's duels in World Series history. It featured Cubs ace Hippo Vaughn (photo) going against Red Sox ace Babe Ruth.

Ruth was masterful, scattering only six harmless singles through nine innings of shutout ball. Hippo Vaughn allowed only five singles himself, but two of them came in the fourth inning. George Whiteman knocked in Dave Shean for the only run of the game.

The Red Sox took Game 1, 1-0.

A Business That Loves the Citizens United Ruling

My old business, radio. Why? Maybe this little tidbit from Inside Radio today will explain it...

"Radio’s political ad forecast pumped up. Political ad spending remains hit-or-miss depending, on the market. But where it’s raining it’s apparently pouring dollars. Based on what’s been spent so far, Wells Fargo Securities is raising its political ad forecast for radio by 4%. The firm now expects radio to sell $270 million in election ads this year, up from an earlier forecast of $256 million."

When the candidates spend, they spend it on media. Think about that next time someone complains about the biased media. In my experience the only bias I've ever seen in the media is bias in favor of advertisers. That is, bias toward the people who directly pay their bills for them. When political parties and politically connected groups become the biggest advertisers...

Steve Edwards Resigns

This was rather surprising news, via Robert Feder this morning. Steve Edwards, host of the afternoon show on NPR/WBEZ, resigned yesterday.

Steve has been with WBEZ since the late 90s, although he did take a sabbatical once before (for a special fellowship at the University of Michigan). This sounds like more than a sabbatical. This time he's going to work for David Axelrod.

I've met Steve a number of times over the years. We did a symposium together at the Publicity Club of Chicago. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight a few years later. Then, when $everance came out, he had me on his show.

Super nice guy. I wish him the best.

50 years ago today

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

September 4, 1962…At EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles recorded six songs including "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You," which became the two sides of their first single. Producer George Martin originally wanted to release their version of the Mitch Murray composition, "How Do You Do It?" but it was recorded by and became a hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers instead. The Beatles rendition remained unreleased until 1995 when it appeared on "Anthology 1."

Moon Dies

He was the leader of a religious movement (the Moonies), but he was also the owner of the conservative Washington Times.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon passed away over the weekend at the age of 92.

Definitely Not Clint

For Those About to Rock, We Arrest You

A woman in New Hampshire was arrested four times in 26 hours for playing her music too loud. She's not a kid, either. She's 53.

Her music of choice? AC/DC.

In her defense, when you listen to AC/DC, it's not like you can play it quietly.

Cubs 365, September 4

On this day in 1935, the Cubs began the longest winning streak in baseball history.

The Cubs were in third place in the National League 2 1/2 games behind the first place Cardinals, and a half game behind the second place New York Giants. They had been flirting with first place for most of the season, but nobody on that Cubs roster could have predicted what began on that September day.

The Cubs beat the Phillies at Wrigley Field 8-2 behind the pitching of Larry French (photo) and two homers by Augie Galan, and they wouldn't lose again until September 28th. It remains the most incredible winning streak in baseball history.

They beat all comers in every way imaginable. They swept the Phillies, the Braves, the Dodgers, and the Pirates at home, and then won another three at St. Louis. They won slugfests and they won pitchers duels.

Seven different Cubs pitchers won games, but Larry French won five, and Charlie Root and Lon Warneke each won four. The lineup was impressive, featuring four Hall of Famers (Gabby Hartnett, Billy Herman, Chuck Klein, and Freddie Lindstrom) and two of the all-time great Cubs (Phil Cavarretta and Stan Hack).

But the hottest hitter of all was their lead-off man Augie Galan (photo). He hit 5 of his 12 home runs that season during the streak, and batted an astounding .358 to finish the season at .314. There were only two games he didn't reach base.

The city of Chicago got more and more excited as the streak wore on. In that first win, only 5000 were in attendance. By the time the Cubs won their 18th in a row at Wrigley, 40,000+ packed the joint; despite the fact that the country was in the darkest days of the Great Depression.

There really weren't too many close calls, but two of the games did go into extra innings. The Cubs pushed across a run in the bottom of the 11th to win the first one (Charlie Root pitched all 11 innings), and in the bottom of the 10th in the next one (Lon Warneke pitched all 10 innings).

Probably the best game of the streak was the 19th win in a row. Lon Warneke and Cardinals pitcher Paul Dean both entered the game as 19-game winners, and both men pitched their hearts out. Dean threw a seven hitter, but Warneke allowed only two hits. But the streak wasn't the only thing at stake during this game. The Cubs were only three games ahead of the Cardinals with five games to play in the season, and all five games would be head-to-head in St. Louis.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the difference in the game was one single mistake pitch by Dean, which was smacked over the fence by Cubs first baseman Phil Cavarretta. That gave the Cubs a nearly insurmountable 4 game lead with 4 games left in the season.

The 20th win in a row the next day clinched the pennant, and the 21st win in a row came the same day in the second game of the double header. Whether or not the Cubs celebrated that night a little too ferociously is lost to time, but they did drop the meaningless final two games of the season.

WGN Gives Studio to Museum

The old WGN studio that once was home to Wally Phillips, Bob Collins and Spike O'Dell has been dismantled, and will be given to the Museum of Broadcasting. (Robert Feder has the details).

I know that they have a brand new studio now, and that the showcase studio on Michigan Avenue will still be used, but I've been a guest on WGN about a dozen times over the last eight years, and I even worked there briefly as a producer during that time, and that old studio was my favorite one.

In my twenty plus years in radio that was the biggest and most impressive studio I have ever seen. There must have been fifteen working microphones that were hooked up and ready to go for each broadcast. It was impossible to sit in that studio and not think you were participating in something important.

To me, even the showcase studio wasn't as impressive. It was shiny and all, but it wasn't historic and dramatic. My last time on WGN was in January (on Rick Kogan's show), and that was the last time I was in the old studio.

I guess the next time I see it, I'll have to pay for the privilege.

Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing column is called "Losing the Husband Vote" and it's about a story Mitt Romney told in his acceptance speech.

You can read it here.

Sarah Palin

Savvy Fox News watchers may have noticed something during the coverage of this year's Republican National Convention. Despite having been the star of last year's convention, and being on the Fox News payroll (for a cool million a year), Sarah Palin was conspicuously absent from their prime-time coverage.

Turns out, there's a bit of a backstage kerfuffle going on there.

Is it just me, or is she always surrounded by needless drama? I don't know if it's typical of politics, but it's definitely typical of show business. She claims to hate Hollywood, but she'd fit right in.

As I get older and more removed from the media business, I fear that I could no longer do the job as diplomatically as I once did. When I was a producer, I was known for my ability to deal with difficult personalities. Now, I'm pretty sure I'd just say something like: "Hey lady, guess what? The world does not revolve around you. Nobody gives a crap."

Producers who talk that way don't last very long.

Cubs 365, August 31

On this day in 1915, Cubs pitcher Jimmy Lavender made his mark in history. 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.

Lavender pitched a no-hitter in the first game of a double header in New York against the Giants. He walked one and struck out eight. With the victory, the Cubs got back to .500. Unfortunately, they lost the second game and fell back under.

1915 was the last season the Cubs played their home games at West Side Grounds, and it was a year of transition for the team. Among Lavender's teammates that season were the last two remaining members of the 1908 Champs (Wildfire Schulte & Heinie Zimmerman), and the man who would lead them to the World Series a few years later, pitcher Hippo Vaughn.

Eleanor Rigby Cellist Dies

The cellist that performed memorably in the Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" has passed away at the age of 87. His name was Ingus Naruns, and he was a Latvian refugee.

Debating Empty Chairs

Did you happen to see Clint Eastwood at the Republican National Convention last night? If not, you missed an 82-year-old man debating an empty chair.

I've always loved Clint, but whoo boy, that was one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen at a convention. It has created an instant internet meme, especially on Twitter. Lots of people were taking pictures of themselves debating empty chairs.

You know what's funny? I think the chair won the debate.

It's getting more pub today than the nominee, ol' what's his name.

New Orleans

My wife has family in New Orleans, so every time one of these horrible weather events happen in the Gulf, we watch it with special interest. Based on where the flooding is occurring, it looks like Bridget's family didn't get hit this time.

But there are lots of stories about people who moved out of New Orleans into "safer" areas after Katrina, and some of those people just got hit again.

My heart goes out to them. That's got to be horrible.

Kiss-FM Loses a Programmer

If you're over the age of 35, you may not realize what a ratings juggernaut 103.5, Kiss-FM is. They are the #1 station in Chicago for 18-34 year olds, and #2 for people between the ages of 25-54 (the money demo). I confess that I've got ten FM pre-sets on my car radio, and Kiss-Fm isn't one of them...but then again, I'm a dinosaur.

Well, yesterday the program director (Rick Vaughn) that took them to those heights resigned to take a job in Atlanta. Details are here.

We'll see if that has any impact on the ratings. I don't know who is responsible for getting the numbers where they are, but I do know that when Rick Vaughn came here four years ago, Kiss-FM's numbers were nowhere near as strong as they are now.

What Kind of Book Reader Are You?

I enjoyed this piece in the Atlantic examining all of the different types of "book readers". The writer breaks them up into the following categories...the hate reader, the chronological reader, the book buster, the delayed onset reader #1, the delayed onset reader #2, the book-o-phile, the anti-reader, the cross under, the multi-tasker, and the sleepy bedtime reader.

After reading all of the descriptions, I'd probably consider myself to be the chronological reader. Once I start a book, I feel compelled to finish it no matter what...and I won't pick up another one until I finish the first book.

It's the German in me.

And it's also the reason I have fifty books in a pile that need to be read.

Cubs 365, August 30

On this day in 1948, Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley took out an ad in all of Chicago's newspapers apologizing for his terrible team.

The Cubs had gone with a youth movement, and it had utterly failed. Initially the young team appeared sparked by the angry flame their owner lit under their bottoms, winning seven of their next ten games. Unfortunately, they followed that up with a ten game losing streak, and ended the year with 90 losses. At the time, it was the worst record in team history.

Needless to say, it's no longer the worst.

Lennon's Killer

This article about Mark David Chapman is hard to read.

Not because he was actually up for parole (it was denied). Not because he doesn't show any remorse (he does). But because it just reminds us of how incredibly senseless Lennon's killing was.

Chapman only did it to get attention. How sick is that? And even though we've been told for 30 years that he called out "Mr. Lennon" before he shot him, he actually didn't say anything at all. He just shot shot him in the back. In the back. For no reason at all.

Darwin Barney

In one of the worst Cubs seasons in history, there have been a few bright spots. One of them is Darwin Barney. He set a record last night for most consecutive games without an error at 2B. (114)

He was given an error for a few minutes last night, but after looking at the replay, the official scorer gave the error to the third baseman instead. I was watching...(I know, but someone's gotta do it. What should I have watched instead? The Republican convention?)...and the scorer did the right thing. That throw was right on the money. The third baseman just missed it.

Full details are here.

Green White History

One of my on-going writing projects is writing the history of the Green White Soccer Club, a club co-founded by my dad. This month, I wrote about 1967.

You can read it here.

Cubs 365, August 29

On this day in 1918, the Cubs clinched the National League pennant with a double-header sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Lefty Tyler won his 18th game in the opener, and Claude Hendrix won his 20th game in the nightcap.

It was the earliest any team in National League history clinched a pennant, but that record comes with a big asterisk. The nation was fighting in World War I. The government announced that September 2nd was the last day for anyone who was of draft age to report for duty, or to find a war related job. This included the ballplayers themselves—although a waiver was granted for anyone playing in the World Series. Baseball wasn’t considered essential.

The Cubs faced Babe Ruth and the Red Sox in that World Series, and lost it in 6 games. The Red Sox wouldn't win another World Series for 86 years.

The Liberal Media

Actor Jon Voight went on a rant at the Republican Convention last night about "the liberal media". (Details are here.)

As a twenty-plus year member of the liberal media, I think it's time to make a confession. I could get my membership revoked for revealing this, but here goes. It's all true.

Once a week we meet in secret places in every major city in America (not the real America--just the blue states). At these meetings, we usually say a pledge to Karl Marx (although some will free-lance a little and praise either Lenin, Stalin, Mao, or Obama), and then we plan out the best ways to silence the most discriminated against people in this nation--Conservatives. It's not easy to keep the only good people in America down, but that's our mission, and we won't rest until we succeed. After that, we usually eat something "European" while drinking a Latte and smoking a marijuana cigarette we just lit with the burning embers of the American flag. The meeting always ends with our "Death to America" chant (in Arabic or Spanish), and our "Viva Satan" dance.

Then, it's back to work at one of the six multi-billion dollar corporations that own the media (and by the way, contribute millions to the Republican party.)

If I had a dime for every time we sat around a table and laughed at you (that evil arch-villain kind of laugh), I'd be a millionaire too.

Like Jon Voight.

And wow, would I be pissed off at my good fortune.

Roeper Joins Windy City Live

Richard Roeper was named the movie critic of "Windy City Live" on Channel 7 (ABC-Chicago) yesterday. Paige Wiser had been doing movie reviews for the show, but she has been moved over to the TV beat, which she previously covered for the Sun Times.

Robert Feder has the full details.

Emmis Gives Out Cash To Employees

Emmis Broadcasting used to own the Loop and Q-101 in Chicago before selling it to Merlin Media. At the end of the Emmis era in Chicago, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and times were incredibly tense. I'm sure those former Emmis employees in Chicago were thrilled to read this today in Radio Online...

"If you notice your friendly neighborhood Emmis employee walking around with a particularly happy smile today, here's why: Outlined in a memo from CEO Jeff Smulyan, all Emmis employees will be receiving cash bonuses in their next paychecks. Full-time employees are to receive $1,000 with $250 going to all part-time workers. Smulyan says the gesture is to show his appreciation "for their loyalty and dedication." In the memo Smulyan writes: "Emmis is now a smaller, leaner company that can compete with its peers. We have emerged as one of the least leveraged companies in media."

Beatles history

Another big day in Beatles history, with a few more stories containing details I had never heard. Once again, courtesy of Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

August 28, 1964…Right after finishing their set at New York's Forest Hills Tennis Stadium and on the same day they made their first appearance on the cover of LIFE magazine, the Beatles returned to their suite at the Hotel Delmonico to meet journalist Al Aronowitz who introduced them to his friend Bob Dylan. John Lennon asked the folk singer what he'd like to drink, and Dylan replied, "cheap wine." The Beatles offered Dylan some speed, their drug of choice, but Bob and Al suggested marijuana instead, which the band had never tried. This shocked Dylan, who said he always thought that in their song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," they were singing "I get high." Lennon corrected him saying the lyrics are, in fact, "I can't hide." John made Ringo smoke the joint first. Eventually each member of the band got his own private marijuana cigarette. Paul was quite taken with the thoughts it produced and ordered Mal Evans to follow him around with a notepad to write down all his marijuana-induced insights and observations.

August 28, 1966…The Beatles performed at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles in front of a crowd of 45,000 people. After the show, their attempt to escape the stadium in an armored truck went awry when they reached the main gate and found it locked. The Beatles had to spend two hours sitting in the back of the truck before they could leave the stadium.

August 28, 1968…At Trident Studios in London, the Beatles began recording a new John Lennon composition, "Dear Prudence." They built the song instrument by instrument, utilizing the 8-track equipment at Trident that was not yet available at Abbey Road Studios. John and George played guitars while Paul played drums in place of Ringo, who had temporarily quit the band less than a week earlier.

Love this song...

Katie Couric

Her daytime show starts up on September 10th, and she talked to Howard Kurtz about it at the Daily Beast. Sounds like the show will be trying to emulate Oprah, which is obviously a pretty good idea.

Just so you know, my pointing this article out is legitimate media coverage, not just another cheap excuse to post my all-time favorite Katie Couric photo.

The More Things Change...

...the more they remain the same.

This is supposedly a campaign film for Woodrow Wilson in 1912. It's about the different rules for rich guys versus wage earners. 100 years later we're having the exact same debate.

Cubs 365, August 28

On this day in 1957, the Cubs played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn for the very last time. (The Dodgers would move to Los Angeles for the 1958 season.)

On the mound for the Dodgers that day; Sandy Koufax.

Koufax wasn't yet the dominant pitcher he would become, and he didn't really have it for his last start in Brooklyn against the Cubs. He gave up a home run to Dale Long in the fourth, and was out of the game by the sixth inning.

Ed Roebuck came in to relieve him, and ended up pitching the next nine innings. That's right, nine innings in relief. Roebuck gave up only three hits, struck out six, and kept the Dodgers in the game until they could eke a run across in the bottom of the 14th inning.

That run was scored by former Cub Handsome Ransom Jackson.

Isaac

I know it's not cool to joke about a tropical storm or hurricane because the devastation is real, and it's tragic. I'm not making light of that--really I'm not. But this radar image of Isaac reminds me of something. I can't quite place it.

Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing is called "Doggy Heaven" and it includes my vision of what doggy heaven might look like.

You can read it here.

Soccer Time

I spent the whole weekend in Buffalo Grove coaching my youngest in a tournament. Ninety degree heat on day one. Downpour on day two. But the lad shows some promise...

Cubs 365, August 27

On this day in 1917, future Cub Peanuts Lowrey was born.

His nickname came from his grandfather, who described him as "no bigger than a peanut." He was also a child actor, playing bit parts in silent films. Supposedly, actress Thelma Todd got him to perform with promises to buy him peanuts.

Peanuts played with the Cubs from 1942-1949, and was a starter on the last Cubs World Series team, but he never totally lost the acting bug. He also had a speaking part in "The Winning Team," which starred Ronald Reagan as Grover Cleveland Alexander. (He plays a pitcher that beans Ronald Reagan.)

While the public and press called him Peanuts, that nickname was only used some of the time by his teammates, who gave him another one...they also called him "Goober."

Lowrey's Cubs career ended in 1949 when he was traded to the Reds for Hank Sauer; one of the best trades in Cubs history.

E-mails, we get e-mails

This was in my e-mail box this morning from "KB"



"Hi, Thanks for the Cubs' history. My father has a memory of a Cubs' game that he attended in the late 1940s. As he recalls, the Cubs were playing the Brooklyn Dodgers and the game was moved from Wrigley Field to Comiskey Park because of concerns about the northside community's reaction to Jackie Robinson. Is this accurate? Thanks for your help."

My response: It is correct that there was concern about the community reaction to Jackie Robinson before his first game at Wrigley (1947), and it was discussed that the game would be played at Comiskey, but they decided to play it at Wrigley after all--and it remains to this day the largest crowd in Wrigley Field history. Mike Royko was at the game.