Rick Kaempfer

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

11 Little Known Facts About Lefthanders

This piece is in the Huffington Post. I found it interesting as the father of a lefty, and a grandson of one (not to mention son-in-law, and brother-in-law of lefties).

Fact #8 perfectly explains my son Johnny. (Photo from about ten years ago)

Just One Bad Century--April 9

Another tough loss last night against Pittsburgh, but once again, there was a silver lining (I'm beginning to feel like Jack Brickhouse saying that all the time). Last night we saw the re-emergence of Starlin Castro, who hit two homers and drove in four runs.

At JOBC, there's lots of new content today. The latest This Week in Wrigley History has been posted. Today's entry takes you back to opening day 1963, and also 1989.

Today's historical event is the Chicago 8 Trial. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs Birthdays features 8 Cubs, including one of their best pitchers of all-time (with a great nickname) and the pitcher they actually believed would replace Greg Maddux. It's also Hef's birthday, and the A/V Club has a look at his years in Chicago, when several prominent Cubs were known to visit his mansion and club. (Leo? Is that you? How old are you?)

As for the latest Cubs news, it looks like the new radio home for the Cubs could be WBBM-AM.

Also, I love this interview with die-hard Cubs fan Pete Wentz. He's the lead singer of the Mountain Goats, a popular alternative band, who did this song ("Cubs in Five") about two decades ago.

Watch it here...

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

My Kind Of Town

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

April 8, 1964…At United Recorders in Hollywood, Frank Sinatra recorded "My Kind Of Town."

Media Spotlight--April 8

Clear Channel Chicago just announced some significant evening personality alterations on both Urban WGCI and Urban AC WVAZ (V103) -- longtime WGCI Whispers In The Dark host Chris Michaels (top) will cross the hall to do nights on sister WVAZ, while DJ Moon Dawg has been upgraded from weekends to nights on WGCI, effective immediately. V103's Quiet Storm with Chris Michaels will now air Sunday-Thursday from 10pm-2am, followed by the syndicated Keith Sweat Hotel.

~This American Life Considers Self-Distribution
Not technically a Chicago story, but we do claim them, don't we? The New York Times has the details.

~Tony Fitzpatrick Is Leaving Chicago
According to this piece in Chicago magazine, the artist and former radio host is moving to New Orleans next winter.

The Pundits

~Al Sharpton was an FBI Informant?
According to today's New York Daily News (who got it from Smoking Gun), he tape-recorded conversations that helped bring down the Genovese family. Who knew?

~Barbara Walters Leaving on May 16
Good for the 84-year-old Walters. You'll be seeing a lot of her that week. ABC is planning an all-out farewell. Details at the link.

~Ezra Klein's New Venture Vox.com Goes Live
The other co-founders are Matt Yglesias and Melissa Bell. I like the concept of trying to "explain the news". It used to be called journalism.

The Radio Biz

~Breitbart.com Rips Cumulus
The firebombing right-wing website Breitbart.com has turned its guns on Cumulus broadcasting, blaming them for destroying talk radio in this country. Even if I agree with the general conclusion, I don't agree with this reasoning for why it is happening...

"Conservatives say the Dickeys exacerbated Cumulus’ woes when they decided to add Mike Huckabee to the Cumulus lineup in an effort to soften the conservative message by bringing, as Huckabee put it, “more conversation, less confrontation.”

Yes, that's it. Too nice. That's the reason talk radio is dying. Not because of the actual good points made in the article up until that point. Read the article. It's actually good up until that moment.

15 Things You Didn't Know About "Major League"

The movie was 25 years old yesterday. Yahoo Sports has some good behind-the-scenes stuff about the movie at the link.

To me, the only thing I remember from that movie is Bob Uecker. I thought the rest of the movie wasn't that great--certainly not compared to "Bull Durham" (which came out the year before) or "Field of Dreams" (which came out a few weeks later).

Penn & Teller Take on the No-Vaccinations Crowd

Nicely done...

Peaches Geldof Dies At 25

Bob Geldof's daughter died yesterday at the age of 25. This is a shocker. A lot of us who follow the music world remember her birth, because that was at the peak of Geldof's international fame, and her mother Paula Yates was also famous. (And to be honest, we made fun of the fact that they named her Peaches).

Mom died of a heroin overdose at age 41. Now the daughter is gone too (cause of death still unknown).

The Huffington Post has more on the story.

Today's Best Tweets--April 8

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

TIME.com ‏@TIME 9m
Anonymous launches new cyberattack against Israel http://ti.me/1hyJWu1

Byron York ‏@ByronYork 26m
On Fox, Bush gave impression of someone who'd like to be president but has been out of the game for a while… http://ow.ly/vynMQ

Joe Trippi ‏@JoeTrippi 14m
As a Democrat who saw Jeb Bush at College Station he would be tough opponent. GOP reaction is interesting http://washex.am/1mURjE3#.U0PnOihbRzM.twitter

MLB ‏@MLB 36m
40 years ago today, @HenryLouisAaron passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list: http://atmlb.com/1hWVUlP #Icon pic.twitter.com/h9hobT2Al7

sabr ‏@sabr 15m
40 years ago today, @HenryLouisAaron hit one of the most iconic HRs in baseball history. Read his #SABR bio here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5a36cc6f …

The Verge ‏@verge 26m
Twitter is about to look a lot more like Facebook http://vrge.co/1ip78Mq

Taegan Goddard ‏@politicalwire 29m
The man at the center of Chris Christie's "Bridgegate" scandal is cooperating with prosecutors
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2014/04/08/christie_prosecutor_gets_star_witness.html

The Daily Beast ‏@thedailybeast 39m
Don't hate Rob Lowe because he's beautiful http://thebea.st/1g10u1S pic.twitter.com/iRX8zArvhF

NPR Politics ‏@nprpolitics 40m
This story raises the question, is there such a thing as a private indiscretion for members of congress? http://n.pr/1g09jJe

Richard Lewis ‏@TheRichardLewis 53m
Two sober lunatics. pic.twitter.com/boxxNQKrGW

Just One Bad Century--April 8

The Cubs are back in action today. They'll be taking on the Pirates at Wrigley Field tonight at 7:00pm. Edwin Jackson vs. Charlie Morton. I don't need to tell you this about an April night game, but I will anyway. Dress warm. Game time temperature is expected to be 42 degrees.

Speaking of 42, Today's Cubs birthdays include the evil villain of the movie "42", plus the actual goat from the 2003 playoffs (not the Billy goat, and not Steve Bartman)

This Week in 1908 was posted yesterday. This week we take a look at the many newspapers in Chicago in 1908, plus we learn about a new rule in baseball called the "tidy ball" rule. The Cubs season hasn't started yet.

Today in Wrigley history is the very memorable story of Willie Smith's walk-off opening day homer in 1969. The A/V club features video of him hitting it.

Today's hisorical event is the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994. Where were the Cubs?

And the Cubs website has a nice article today about the history of the Wrigley Field Marquee.

Monday, April 07, 2014

Is this really spring?

A boy (Sean) and his dog (Ivy) catching some rays on our deck yesterday. We were outside all weekend for the first time in six months.

Joel Daly at the Beverly Arts Center (Photos & Commentary)

Joel was at his best yesterday on stage at the Beverly Arts Center. Penny Golden asked all the right questions, and Joel had the audience in the palm of his hand. The highlight of the afternoon was probably the moment he read one of his old commentaries from the book...about the first day of school for his daughter. He teared up in the middle of it, and so did every single person in the auditorium (even this emotionless German-American reporter).

"Sorry," he said, after regaining his composure, "It's the Irish thing. We have bladders of tears behind our eyes."

He stayed for quite a while after the interview, answering audience questions, signing autographs, and chatting with everyone...

Today's Best Tweets--April 7

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

The AV Club ‏@TheAVClub 7m
Bob Saget on his first dirty joke and first time meeting Rodney Dangerfield http://avc.lu/1e5a4Sz

The New York Times ‏@nytimes 9m
Well: Circumcision Benefits Outweigh Risks, Study Reports http://nyti.ms/1fWBed0

ABC News ‏@ABC 11m
Temptation of meat-on-a-stick proves to be too much for a 1-ton, man-eating croc: http://abcn.ws/1kzYlK6 pic.twitter.com/B4RKRakyuH

Taegan Goddard ‏@politicalwire 16m
New poll shows that those who didn't know where Ukraine is located on a map were more likely to support intervention
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2014/04/07/those_who_dont_know_where_ukraine_is_support_intervention.html …

Crain's Chicago ‏@CrainsChicago 23m
Calling it "the most American of American cities," #Chicago pitches itself to global tourists: http://fw.to/2b05vHh @ChooseChicago

David Plotz ‏@davidplotz 26m
What happens when you install a Japanese wonder toilet in your house. Whatever you're imagining, it's better. http://slate.me/1e58q39

Pee-wee Herman ‏@peeweeherman 33m
International Beaver Day! http://www.beaversww.org/about-us/international-beaver-day/ … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohzL9jo014k … pic.twitter.com/pIlRskuoq7

WGNMorningNews ‏@WGNMorningNews 15s
Adorable 3-Year Old Dancing blows away Chinese reality show judges (and @WGNRobin) WATCH: http://bit.ly/1kCOCTq pic.twitter.com/zimlmM1U1w

Dana Milbank ‏@Milbank 2m
Duuuuuuude! The Congressional marijuana press conference has been delayed an hour, so I'm chilling.

natasha korecki ‏@natashakorecki 6m
Neighborhood schools in Chicago outscore Charter Schools. So why the Charter push? (WATCH) http://bit.ly/1jUMXu7 via @dmihalopoulos #twill

Unsung Hero

It's an insurance company ad...but it's very well done...and has a wonderful message.

RIP Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney was 93 years old, and was well known for nearly his entire life.

We had him on every show I ever produced. The last few times I crossed my fingers when the microphones went on, because Mickey was a non-stop monologue, and every interview had the potential of going south.

He'll be remembered most for this movie I watched a dozen times or so when I was a kid (because it was one of my dad's favorites)...

8 Beers You Should Stop Drinking Immediately

According to the website World Truth. There are eight beers that contain GMO Corn Syrup, GMO Corn, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fish Bladder, Propylene Glycol, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), GMO Sugars, Caramel Coloring, Insect-Based Dyes, or other related ingredients.

Only one of the eight is a beer I ever drink, but I'm sure my wife isn't going to happy see this list: Newcastle Brown Ale, Budweiser, Corona, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, Guinness, Coors Light, and PBR.

Guinness, the only one I ever drink from this list, has fish bladder and high fructose corn syrup. That's a bummer. I enjoy it's milky goodness in the winter. Maybe I'll have to go back to the old standby.

You'll notice what's not on the list: Every German beer. Thank you very much Reinheitsgebot Law of 1615.

RIP John Pinette

I met him a few times during my radio career. He was a gifted comedian, and a heck of a nice guy in person. At one point I was part of a writing team that worked on a TV pilot script for him. (It never went anywhere)

Sad to hear about his passing at the way too young of 50. Pinette was overweight for many years, although he had slimmed down considerably in the past five or six years. I thought he was getting healthier, and was very surprised by this news.

Media Spotlight--April 7

Colbert's contract to host The Colbert Report on Comedy Central runs through the end of 2014, which would free him up in time to move over to CBS when Letterman ends his 33-year run in late-night TV.

~"Captain America" Sets April Box Office Record
April is normally not a big month for movies, but the nearly $100 million that "Captain America" pulled in is very impressive.

~Fox Considers Wife-Swapping Reality Show
Just when you thought reality television couldn't go any lower. Deadline Hollywood has the story.

The Radio Biz

~Passion For Your Team Does Matter in Radio Ratings
From Tom Taylor's NOW Column:

The Chicago Cubs lost 30 more games than they won last year, while the Pittsburgh Pirates won 26 more games than they lost and galvanized their western Pennsylvania fan base. Guess how their respective radio flagships did on Monday, Opening Day, when the Cubs visited PNC Park? Nielsen Audio says the age 12+ AQH cume for Cubs flagship WGN (720) was 133,700. But Pirates flagship “93.7 the Fan” KDKA-FM, beginning its third season with the team, drew a cume of 190,100. Remember that Chicago has a far larger population. Looking at share, the Pittsburgh station’s AQH share was 26.9%, versus 6.6% for the Cubs and their 1pm game on WGN. Nielsen says a flash study of that contest and three other Opening Day games shows that passion “may be the most important factor in determining the ratings for an opening day forecast – even more so than what time the first pitch was thrown, what the weather was like, how the team performed.”

~An Article Sure To Be Forwarded By Everyone in Radio
It's called: The Remarkable Resilience of Old-Fashioned Radio in the U.S. According to the results of this study, 90% of Americans still listen to it. (Warning, before you click on the link, you should know that you'll be greeted by a huge picture of Rush Limbaugh.)

Just One Bad Century--April 7

The Cubs lost 2 out of 3 to the Phillies this weekend, but all everyone is talking about is this video: Billy the Cub punching a guy in the face who takes the head off his uniform. Oh, Billy, will you never learn that you live in the age of phone cameras?

JOBC has a whole slew of stuff for your pleasure today.

Today in Wrigley History goes back 20 years to Michael Jordan's only appearance at Wrigley (there's a photo), and features 1977, 1987, and 1988. The A/V Club also has a great interview--Harry Caray interviewing Michael Jordan on the field before the game.

Today's Historical Event is John Wayne winning his only Academy Award for "True Grit". Where were the Cubs?

This Week in 1945 was posted over the weekend and features a video of the Allied air invasion of Germany, a recap of the Cubs only spring training road trip (to Louisville), and much more.

Today's Cubs Birthdays include two pitchers who threw no-hitters. One did so after leaving the Cubs, and the other did so before coming to the Cubs.

Friday, April 04, 2014

Joel Daly Photo Gallery

What are some of the things that Joel Daly might talk about this Sunday from 2-4pm at the Beverly Arts Center? Maybe these photos from the book can spark some questions. (The Beverly Arts Center is located at 2407 W 111th St, Chicago, IL)

martin luther king, jr

The Shrine Is All Dressed Up Today

(Photo by Bernie Tafoya)

Today's Best Tweets--April 4

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

ChiTribSports ‏@ChiTribSports 10m
Bryant's HR highlights Cubs minor league openers http://trib.in/1luCu8w

Time Out Chicago ‏@TimeOutChicago 11m
Couldn’t get tickets for the Cubs home opener? Here are 10 Wrigleyville bars to watch the game: http://tmout.us/vf5YJ

David Kaplan ‏@thekapman 12m
Tom Ricketts on @KapandHaugh: When we get ballpark + media deals done there’s no reason we aren’t 1 of the top spending teams in the game."

Wayne Drehs ‏@espnWD 14m
Wrigley Field has stood longer than the Lincoln Memorial or Golden Gate Bridge. Yet it's still missing one thing: http://vimeo.com/90348244

Barry Butler ‏@barrybutler9 2h
Opening Day @cubs @ChooseChicago @mlb #baseball #wrigleyfield pic.twitter.com/kzZqmLoJSR

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM 4m
ICYMI: McConnell challenger Bevin says the Founding Fathers were "very involved" in cockfighting http://bit.ly/1kxyIJS

Keith Olbermann ‏@KeithOlbermann 8h
Farewell to the Babe Ruth of modern television, David @Letterman (and tales of being his Ed McMahon for one day) http://j.mp/1ikHA4b

ChicagoNow ‏@ChicagoNow 16m
5 of the worst healthy foods for your body http://www.chicagonow.com/get-fit-chicago/2014/04/5-of-the-worst-healthy-foods-for-your-body/ …

John Lewis ‏@repjohnlewis 1h
I'll never forget hearing the news 46 years ago today that my friend, my mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated.

NPR News ‏@nprnews 28m
Racing's Michael Schumacher Has 'Moments Of Consciousness' http://n.pr/1fGcbuF

Media Spotlight--April 4

*Adweek: David Letterman Announces His Retirement During Late Show Taping
*Reuters: Letterman retirement gives CBS chance to draw younger viewers to late night
*New York Times: After 3 Decades, Letterman Says He Will Sign Off
*USA Today: Two words: Letterman's retiring (There's a good video of Dave's top ten here)
*Mashable: David Letterman to Retire From 'Late Show' in 2015

Broadcast News

~Jenna interviews her dad
This is news because Jenna's maiden name is Bush. Video highlight at the link.

The Advertising Biz

~Honey Maid: Wholesome ad
I like what they've done with this. It's a unique/feel good approach that will win the company many more fans than enemies...

The Difference Between Men and Women

This post in the San Francisco Times is brilliant.

Sums it up perfectly, and without insulting either men or women.

Hey...these guys stole my dance!

Bridget and I have been doing this exact dance (ahem) for years now...

Just One Bad Century--April 4

One of the sure signs it's Opening Day at Wrigley is that you can't swing a stick around the ballpark without hitting a morning radio show. WXRT's Lin Brehmer and Mary Dixon are at Yakzies, ESPN's Silvy and Waddle are at the Cubby Bear, WGN's Steve Cochran is at the Captain Morgan Club at Wrigley, Ramblin' Ray Stevens of US-99 is at Houndstooth Saloon, and I'm sure I'm missing a few. It's one day all radio formats unite and rally around the Cubs. This year the Cubs come to Wrigley riding high on a one-game winning streak!

Remember though, this is not the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. That comes on April 23.

At JOBC we've got it covered.

Today in Wrigley Field history features the sloppy Harry/Hillary kiss, Wild Thing's debut, a Sammy Milestone, and a dramatic finish.

Today's Historical Event is the founding of Netscape. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs birthdays include five different Cubs; an infamous catcher, a knuckler, a cup of coffee from the 1880s, a tragic story, and a late arrival.

The A/V Club today has video of all three Tuffy Rhodes homers. By the way, the great Eckhartz Press book "Lost in the Ivy" ends on that day in 1994. You should pick up the book if you're a Cubs fan. It's a good read. You can buy it in the JOBC store.

If you missed it yesterday, the Chicago Sun Times had a great blog post commemorating Wrigley's 100th anniversary. Lots of really great photos and trivia. Highly recommended for my fellow geeks.

In the latest Cubs news: Cubs owners are considering selling minority stakes in the club, Jason Hammel pitched great yesterday but he appears to be prepared for an inevitable trade, and I have a very strong feeling that Jose Veras won't be the closer by the end of the season. Jesse Rogers takes a look at the prospects of that.

If you want to feel good about the future, read Bleacher Nation's Top 40 Cubs list. He said he had a hard time cutting it down to 40 because the farm system is so deep.

And finally, I was excited to read this. My favorite beer is Bell's, which is brewed in Kalamazoo (had one last night, in fact). I've loved it since I first tasted it about ten years ago, and I had no idea until this morning that the founder of that brewery is a die-hard Cubs fan who intends on attending all 81 games this year.

If they start selling Bell's at Wrigley, I may never see my family again.

Thursday, April 03, 2014

Joel Daly Returns to his Old Stomping Grounds

Joel Daly was on WLS radio this morning with Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft, promoting his Eckhartz Press book "The Daly News". Although, it was touch and go for a little while there. Joel got stuck in that horrendous traffic this morning, and barely made it to the studio in time for the interview. He and the WLS guys talked about meeting the Beatles and Martin Luther King Jr., and of course, they wanted to hear a yodel. Joel obliged.

After the interview, Joel walked over to the WLS-TV side of things (in the same building) to visit old friends. Dave snapped a few pictures of Joel in his natural habitat...

Joel at WLS-TV

Media Spotlight--April 3

Every weekday in 2014, I'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in the media. My focus will be on some of my favorite subjects...the moguls, the pundits, the broadcast news biz, show business, and the publishing business. (Read "$everance" if you want a crystallization of my positions on those subjects.) And, of course, I'll also keep tabs on Chicago's media.

Chicago Media

-WBEZ wins a Peabody
Three reporters for “This American Life” embedded themselves at Chicago’s Harper High School, winning a Peabody for WBEZ. Non-Chicago related Peabody winners below.

Awards

~The Peabody Winners
To me, the Peabody Awards are the most impressive, because they are only given out for the highest quality, and don't seem to be influenced merely by popularity. This year's winners include Netflix' "House of Cards", HBO's documentary "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God," PBS' documentary about NFL concussions, and AMC's "Breaking Bad". Read more at the link. This YouTube video from two college students in Oregon even won a Peabody. Nicely done.

The Radio Biz

~What Obama Just Taught The Radio Business
Radio consultant Fred Jacobs has a smart piece (linked above) about what Obama's use of radio during the ACA rollout can teach radio. I agree with him entirely. If I didn't, would I be sending all of my authors to radio stations to do interviews? (Joel Daly was on WLS this morning) Radio is an underappreciated way to sell your product. Hell, we're selling potholes (www.potholestore.com) on the radio. Brandmeier called David Stern this morning. Those who write radio off, leave a viable option off the table for no reason.

The Internet

~The Wolf of Buzzfeed
This is very well done...

Terrible Call in US-Mexico Game Last Night

They called the game-winning goal offsides, and I don't think it was even close...

Today's Best Tweets--April 3

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

Greg Kot ‏@gregkot 1m
100 years of Wrigley Field and 17 concerts. The good, the bad and the curfew busting: http://bit.ly/PpXpy2 http://fb.me/3emR8dcFW

NYDN Entertainment ‏@NYDNEntertain 3m
Save it for the cameras! Couple busted for hotel brawl before "Maury" taping about his alleged affair with her mom. http://nydn.us/1mMUYnk

Ted Cox ‏@tedcoxchicago 5m
Aldermen seek to stamp out surreptitious "upskirt," "downblouse" smartphone pix in @ChiCouncil http://dnain.fo/1or3Gtr

James Finn Garner ‏@jamesfinngarner 9m
MAD Magazine meets baseball in a salute to dirty-sounding names: http://bit.ly/1k3cvHT #gradeschoolhumorstillworks

ESPN ‏@espn 17m
Before leaving Houston, Derek Jeter got some Derek Jeter cowboy boots from the @Astros. pic.twitter.com/U5KeKGOuSY

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 17m
My thots on demands of megawealthy to give 10s/100s of millions into political process & not be allowed 2b criticized http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-brittle-grip-part-

Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat 3m
As of now, #Cubs Villanueva still on schedule to start Sunday vs Phillies. Renteria says they'll talk about options on Friday in Chicago

Total Cubs Move ‏@TotalCubsMove 4m
Bonifacio is the first #Cubs player in the last 100 years to get at least 4 hits in each of his first 2 games as a Cub. #WorldSeries2014

Slate ‏@Slate 3m
Looks like wealth inequality is even worse than we thought: http://slate.me/PnfGwp pic.twitter.com/WMp4XlXbI1

Al Yankovic ‏@alyankovic 4m
Now that I’m back from vacation, I finally bit the bullet and got that new gate for my driveway. pic.twitter.com/t9jPXDXNFt

Sarah Palin on Jimmy Fallon

I only screamed at the television once, which is a new record for a Sarah Palin appearance. Actually, this bit had it's moments...

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday. David Stern and I did a radio show together in Champaign-Urbana back in 1985, and we thought it would be fun to run for U of I Homecoming King and Queen as the anti-candidates. (Dave was chosen for queen because he had the mustache.) We couldn't get on the ballot, so we took out this ad in the newspaper to get write in votes. We got some votes too...even though Dave and I didn't bother to vote ourselves...

LATE UPDATE: I had forgotten all about this, but Dave posted this on Facebook: My good friend, Rick Kaempfer has failed to remember a couple of key points. First, I was pegged as the queen because I was visiting my mom and he placed the ad in the D.I. Second, we got over 300 votes and should have been included in the royal court. but the Panhellenic Council pitched a fit. We were ahead of the curve with our support of gay marriage.

Just One Bad Century--April 3

Who stayed up and watched that game last night? I have to admit that I did. The Cubs lost in the bottom of the 16th inning. I have one observation about this season's Cubs: That closer (Jose Veras) reminds me of Mel Rojas. (For you youngsters and non-Cub fans...that's not a compliment.)

On to better topics...

Today in Wrigley Field history goes back to 1998. The first game without Harry in the booth. Find out who the first guest conductor was.

Today's Historical Event is Eddie Vrdolyak's re-election to the Cook County board in 1984; a poke in the eye to Harold Washington. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs birthdays include the prospect that lured the Pirates into trading us Aramis Ramirez.

In the latest Cubs news: Don't look now, but Emilio Bonafacio leads the majors in hits, ex-Cub Matt Garza took a no-hitter into the 7th last night (and lost), and Carlos Villanueva has lost both games this season.

Although let's be realistic...the pitching has looked pretty good so far. They've only given up five runs in 26 innings.

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

The Complete Batman Cameo Video Collection

Thanks "ND" for pointing this out to me...

Today's Best Tweets--April 2

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

NPR Politics ‏@nprpolitics 8m
In a 5-4 ruling, U.S. Supreme Court strikes down overall donation limits, allowing individuals to donate to more candidates, parties & PACs

John Dickerson ‏@johndickerson 23m
I'm a broken record, but SCOTUS ruling on campaign finance bolsters the lede of this piece. More good news for 1%. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/03/barack_obama_the_1_percent_and_income_inequality_why_the_rich_don_t_need.html

LOLGOP ‏@LOLGOP 24m
It's almost as if electing GOP presidents results in a Supreme Court dedicated to protecting the civil rights of billionaires exclusively.

James Finn Garner ‏@jamesfinngarner 20m
You can't put a price on money. Thanks for clearing that up, SCOTUS.

Jake Tapper ‏@jaketapper 30m
Common Cause prez says SCOTUS decision further open "floodgates for the nation’s wealthiest few to drown out the voices of the rest of us"

RainnWilson ‏@rainnwilson 33m
I want to thank the Supreme Court for protecting the rights of the minority group who's voice can now, finally, be heard: THE BILLIONAIRES!

Gawker ‏@Gawker 10m
A man somehow survived after he got a chainsaw stuck in his neck while 20 feet off the ground. http://gaw.kr/zHJzQVr pic.twitter.com/XOEcxGasVg

WGNMorningNews ‏@WGNMorningNews 21m
"Keep up the good work" @LarryPotash to 99-child sperm donor who does it the old fashioned way.

Baseball Tonight ‏@BBTN 25m
We had a replay fiasco last night. @Buster_ESPN says it's already clear system is flawed: http://es.pn/OdgXVE pic.twitter.com/z0ZvSpG9Bk

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 29m
ICYMI: Founder of 2012 Unskewed Poll Movement now trying to debunk Obamacare sign up totals http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obamacare-unskewed-polls …

Media Spotlight--April 2

Every weekday in 2014, I'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in the media. My focus will be on some of my favorite subjects...the moguls, the pundits, the broadcast news biz, show business, and the publishing business. (Read "$everance" if you want a crystallization of my positions on those subjects.) And, of course, I'll also keep tabs on Chicago's media.

Chicago Media

~Chicago Public Media Names New CEO
Her name is Goli Sheikholeslami, and the Robert Feder article linked above has some fascinating details about her. She's not from Chicago. She's not a broadcaster. And she doesn't even listen to the radio. Sounds like they are going to be concentrating more on digital and streaming. Also, did you know there are 140 employees working there? That's roughly the number of employees for all the rest of the FM radio stations in Chicago combined. (A bit of an overstatement, but sadly, not too much)

~Bob & Marianne
In case you missed it yesterday, my Illinois Entertainer column this month is about Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano.

The Moguls

~The Wall Street Journal Analyzes Rupert's Son
He's been running the News Corp empire in Australia, so the Wall Street Journal (owned by Rupert) analyzes how he has done.

Broadcast News

~60 Minutes Has To Apologize Again
This time they added car noise to a story about the nearly silent Tesla car. Why did they do this? Nobody seems to know. The network says it was an "audio editing error."

~Fox News Actually Apologized
They apologized for a totally misleading chart about Obamacare yesterday. This is pretty shocking. You won't find a news organization less willing to admit it's mistakes. The last time I remember them apologizing is when Sean Hannity was caught editing in bigger crowds to Tea Party rallies.

Showbiz

~Conan 360
Advertiser ATT is offering a new 360-degree view of Conan's show online. It's different, I'll give them that.

The Radio Biz

~April Fool's Day Recap
I've never been a huge fan of April Fools Day radio bits, but I have one rule about what makes a good one. It's either got to be funny, or interesting. This one in neither. From Radio Online:

Connoisseur Media's Rock WPLR-FM/New Haven, CT, and Classic Rock WFOX-FM/Stamford/Norwalk, CT, morning hosts Chaz & AJ played a prank on taxpayers on that "April Fooled" the entire state of Connecticut and overwhelmed the Department of Revenue Services (DRS). All morning the duo reported that Connecticut state taxpayers can double their tax rebate check from $55 to $110 by registering with a new database program instituted by the Department of Revenue Service.

~Obamacare Enrollment's Secret Weapon: Radio
This Yahoo! story from yesterday has been linked by every single radio trade publication this morning. I can understand why. What they don't say, however, is that radio played a similar role in making it unpopular in the first place.

~Another Potential Competitor for Radio
Tom Taylor's column this morning points out a study that I believe is totally correct. All of my sons' friends learn about new music this way.

YouTube is “radio’s quiet competitor,” says new Edison study. “Over a third of Americans 12-and-up used YouTube to watch music videos or listen to music in the last week,” says a deeper breakout of the latest Infinite Dial study. And eventually, eyeballs and time-spent lead to advertising revenue for the Google-owned YouTube video service. VP of Music and Programming Sean Ross says “While radio has spent much of the last year focusing on Pandora and SiriusXM, YouTube remains a major destination for many formats’ P1 listeners.”

Just One Bad Century--April 2

We're debuting another new feature today that will run the rest of the baseball season. It's called "Historical Events: Where were the Cubs?" When your team has been around as long as the Cubs have (142 years), there are bound to be stories about where they were and what they were doing when important events in history occured. We decided to find out. Every week we'll post the historical events from that particular week in history and find out what the Cubs were up to...at least one event from every day. Today, it's the anniversary of President Wilson asking Congress to declare war on Germany.

If you missed it yesterday, This Week in Wrigley Field history was posted. Today's entry (April 2) tells you what happened there on this day in 2001. It involves a team that doesn't exist anymore.

There are eight Cubs featured today in "Today's Cubs Birthdays", including one of my all-time favorite stories. The man who made the mistake of beaning Frank Chance one too many times.

The A/V Club celebrates the anniversary of the baseball strike ending, with President Clinton weighing in on the subject from the White House briefing room.

In the latest Cubs news, the Cubs signed Joel Piniero to a minor league deal, the Cubs were pranked by Bing on April Fool's Day, and if you watch this video you can see that the Ricketts family has had it with the rooftop owners, and I personally don't blame them...

26 Minor League Logos

There are 26 of them here, but I think this one is my favorite.

Coldest Winter Ever

Don't believe me, believe the National Weather Service, which released this official statement yesterday...

THE IMPRESSIVE COLD THIS PAST WINTER CONTINUED DURING MARCH...WITH A MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 31.7 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH. THIS RANKS AS THE 19TH COLDEST MARCH ON RECORD IN CHICAGO. HOWEVER...OF EVEN MORE INTEREST IS THE FACT THAT WITH THE ABNORMALLY COLD MARCH ACROSS THE AREA...THIS MADE THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE DECEMBER THROUGH MARCH PERIOD IN CHICAGO 22.0 DEGREES...WHICH IS THE COLDEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD FOR CHICAGO DATING BACK TO 1872!

HERE IS A LIST OF THIS YEARS DECEMBER THROUGH MARCH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE RELATED TO THE OTHER COLDEST SUCH PERIODS ON RECORD IN CHICAGO:

RANK AVERAGE YEAR
DEC-MAR TEMP
-----------------------------
1. 22.0 2013-14
2. 22.3 1903-04
3. 22.5 1977-78
22.5 1892-93
5. 22.7 1978-79

What Classic Rock Band Are You?

I took the quiz. Thought for sure I'd get the Beatles.

Got the Jimi Hendrix Experience instead: Simply put, there is no one else like you. You are a special, extremely unique person. This uniqueness also makes you brave, and you're a great leader when you put your mind to it. Some people think you're a little wild, but just ignore them - the rest of us see how amazing you really are.

Okey doke.

Although a few notes: There is no such thing as "extremely unique". I'm about the furthest thing from wild you'll ever meet. And I hope I don't die by choking on my own vomit.

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

RIP Marvin Gaye

He died 30 years ago today. From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

April 1, 1984…Singer (You're All I Need To Get By, Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing, If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, Your Precious Love, and Ain't No Mountain High Enough w/ Tammi Terrell, It Takes Two w/ Kim Weston, Sexual Healing, Got To Give It Up, Let's Get It On, Trouble Man, Inner City Blues, Mercy Mercy Me, What's Going On, That's The Way Love Is, Too Busy Thinking About My Baby, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Ain't That Peculiar, I'll Be Doggone, How Sweet It Is, Pride And Joy)/songwriter/musician Marvin Gaye was shot to death at age 44 by his father following an argument. Marvin, Sr. received probation after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

He was obviously a troubled man, but he was one of the all-time greats...

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM 3m
The Daily Show has a field day with Chris Christie's self-exonerating report (VIDEO): http://bit.ly/1hZ1ZdV pic.twitter.com/BFBa7F3nld

Manu ‏@ManuclearBomb 1h
Shaughnessy: Game 2 is a “must-win” for the Red Sox http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/01/shaughnessy-game-2-is-a-must-win-for-the-red-sox/ … via @HardballTalk

DaWeave ‏@TJW36 14m
Just when u think #Nike can't screwup the #USMNT jersey's anymore;from great classic designs the #French flag?#FAIL pic.twitter.com/UpVA7AgcRk

Chicagoist.com ‏@Chicagoist 18m
Frankie Knuckles, 'Godfather Of House Music,' Dies http://ow.ly/vi0ke

Desipio.com ‏@desipiodotcom 15h
If they weren't idiots they wouldn't be Brewers fans @bigleaguestew: Ryan Braun gets standing ovation in return from PED suspension

John Arguello ‏@CubsDen 3m
Worried about Rizzo? Top NL LH hitters Heyward, Bruce, Cargo, & Headley have gone a combined 0 for 23 with 14 Ks vs. Liriano. Votto 2 for 10

Slate ‏@Slate 5m
Josh Charles went on Olbermann as Dan Rydell this weekend, and it was amazing--WATCH: http://slate.me/1gKHtkM pic.twitter.com/X1ZsUJBIgy

Josh Liss ‏@JoshLissSports 5m
Some athletes skip the "White House visit". Others blend in. Johnny Gomes OWNS IT.
MT @davidortiz Love...Gomes outfit pic.twitter.com/ZTsdOnhxOK

The Heckler ‏@The_Heckler 8m
Renteria happy to get season’s first loss under his belt http://ow.ly/2Ffq7E

Los Angeles Times ‏@latimes 4m
Angels' Don Baylor breaks leg in bizarre ceremonial first pitch mishap http://lati.ms/vi9oX

Classic Batman Scene

Bruce Wayne talks to Batman. Love it...notice the complete lack of voice changing...

Bob Sirott & Marianne Murciano

My latest media column for the Illinois Entertainer is about Bob Sirott & Marianne Murciano.

It's posted right here.

51 Things You'll Never Hear A Chicagoan Say

This list comes courtesy of TimeOut Chicago, and it's a pretty good one. I'll quibble with only a few of them. #3 for instance...I saw the Who there and it was incredible. And I know lots of people who really have been Blackhawks fans for decades (#49).

Number 26 made me laugh out loud.