RIP Ann B. Davis

Bummer. Alice from the Brady Bunch has passed away.

The Today Show had a piece on her passing this morning.

Harry Caray's Diary

Neil Steinberg got his hands on Harry's diary from 1972. Turns out that Harry lived pretty much exactly the kind of lifestyle you thought he did.

Read Steinberg's take on it here.

Phil Collins Performed 'In The Air Tonight' With Son's Middle School Band

This would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? It happened in Miami, Florida...

100 Years Ago

William Harley and Arthur Davidson, 1914. The tattoos are obviously covered by their starched white shirts.

Just One Bad Century--June 2

The Cubs are off today after losing their 14th consecutive road series over the weekend.

Over the weekend we also posted a few gems on JOBC in case you missed it. This Week in 1945 features Nazi loot, the second tallest building in Chicago (in 1945), Marilyn Monroe before she was Marilyn, and a real life Stooge. This Week in 1908 is about white slavery and a Cub who only got one at-bat during a championship year.

Today's Cubs birthdays include a 24-game winner, the poster child of the Dusty Baker era, and cups of coffee from the 60s and 90s.

Tdoay in Wrigley History goes back to 1956, and the A/V Club is a great video about the 1970 Cubs.

And finally, today's Historical Event is President Grover Cleveland getting married in the White House. Where were the Cubs?

Proud Moment

I got a little verklempt...

Back on Monday

It's crazy time here at the Kaempfer homestead. We're getting ready for high school graduation (and a host of other related things).

I'm taking a few days off from blogging to attend to those matters. Back on Monday!

Keep the Day Job, 50 Cent

The Rapper Ain't a Pitcher...

Just One Bad Century--May 28

I have been trying to process the news that the Cubs hired Manny Ramirez to be a minor league player/coach at Iowa. On the one hand, it seems like a completely crazy idea. Here is a guy who was kicked out of the league for using PEDs, and was such a notorious Diva even before he got caught that they coined the phrase "Manny being Manny".

And yet, if there's anyone who would know Manny's foibles it would be Theo Epstein. He was his general manager in Boston. Jed Hoyer was there too. He knows Manny well. Those two guys seem to believe that Manny has something to offer to young players in the Cubs minor league system. I'm willing to withold judgement for the time being. I really hope these guys know what they are doing (and flickers of doubt are beginning to emerge), because if we get burned by them, I don't think Cub fans will ever trust anyone again.

We posted a whole new week's worth of Wrigley field history today. Today's entry goes back to a bench clearing brawl in '36, a fire in '61, and a couple of very dramatic games in '66 and '70.

Today's Historical Event is the creation of Volkswagen by the German (Nazi) government. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs birthdays include a first round draft pick from the 70s, plus cups of coffee from the '60s, '80s, '90s, and '00s.

The A/V Club goes back just two years and reminds us why things are slowly but surely getting better.

As the Sumner Turns

From today's Tom Taylor column. Read between the lines here and it sounds like the end could be near for Sumner...

Sumner Redstone has sold $300 million in CBS and Viacom stock this year. The real flurry of activity came in the last two weeks, says the Wall Street Journal, which quotes people close to him saying he’s “clearing up his estate to take advantage of tax benefits.” That's the standard answer in these cases, but there might be more to it. Sumner’s the executive chairman of both Viacom and CBS (the company he carved out of Viacom in 2006). The Journal values his holdings in the companies at around $6 billion, and last year he took salary and bonus of $10.2 million from Viacom and $11.75 million from CBS. The survivor of a famous hotel fire in Boston just turned 91 years of age. Sumner’s voice has sounded particularly strained on the last couple of quarterly calls. There's more along those lines - the Journal says that at last Thursday’s CBS annual meeting, “a curtain was pulled back to reveal Mr. Redstone already seated alongside other executives on the stage.” Sumner famously said back in 2010 that “I will never, never sell Viacom or CBS.” Selling off about $300 million of a $6 billion holding could well just be estate planning. But folks around the two companies have to be thinking about a post-Sumner world. CBS and Viacom are controlled by the Redstones through their National Amusements Inc. Sumner has 80% of it and daughter Shari (a corporate lawyer) 20%. Years ago, Sumner reached a separate arrangement with Shari’s brother. The Journal ends the story like this – “potential acquirers have long believed that at least Viacom would end up on the block, in part to pay down the family’s tax bill.”

Steve Perry Re-Emerges

From today's RAMP Newsletter...

One of the major pop culture highlights of the three-day Memorial Day weekend turned out to be the surprising (and much welcome) reemergence of Steve Perry from his nearly two-decade public performance hibernation. Fans of the former Journey frontman are still buzzing after the reclusive Perry made a surprise appearance at an Eels show in St. Paul, MN, of all places. Much to the shrieking delight of the crowd filling the 1,000-seat Fitzgerald Theatre, Perry was invited onstage during the band's encore. After quipping, "Where have you been all my life?" Perry performed the Eels' poignant hit, "It's A Motherf***er." After that, Perry (who was in great voice) and his temporary back-up band switched gears and ripped into a couple of familiar Journey classics, "Open Arms" and the crowd participation fave, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin.'" It was awesome. It's no secret that Perry, now 65, has suffered some health issues over the past few years, including chronic arthritis and a hip replacement, but according to those in attendance, he looked and sounded great.

Here's a video I found of it on YouTube. His voice sounds pretty good...

Sunday Morning Talk Show Ratings

Don't mess with the old guy. Bob Schieffer is #1 for the entire season.

1. Face the Nation, CBS
2. This Week, ABC
3. Meet the Press, NBC
4. Fox News Sunday, Fox News

I have to admit I no longer watch any of them.

5 Reasons Why Media CEOs Are the Highest Paid

This article comes from the AP, who felt it necessary to analyze the fact that 6 of the top 10 highest paid CEOs in America are media CEOs, and that is soooooooo out of whack.

1. The stock outperformed the S&P 500
This one sounds legit to me. The stock does well, the CEO should be rewarded. (But not this much)

2. Talent Quotient
It's a high profie biz with high-profile hits and lots of high paid talent at every level. They figure...why should a star make more than a CEO?

3. Voting Power
Why would the board of directors approve such obscene salaries? Because the board of directors is completely controlled by the one or two people.

4. Other Industries Declined
Like banking. Like financial industries. Normally they would be at the top of the list.

5. All Boats Rise
This one doesn't make any sense to me, AP. You just spent the first 4/5 of the article pointing out how specifically out of whack the media CEO pay is.

Look Who Has a Copy of the Eckhartz Press Book "Life Behind the Camera" by Chuck Quinzio

Is he saying "Don't Stand So Close To Me"? Possibly, but he clearly is holding a coveted copy of Chuck Quinzio's "Life Behind the Camera" (Chuck is the one on the right).

You can get your own copy here.

Or you can also get one at the Printer's Row Litfest. Chuck will be there on June 7th, between 10am and Noon. Look for him in the Chicago Writers Association tent.

Crazy Week

I'm afraid I won't be posting much this week. Our soccer club Green White is having tryouts over the next few days, and I'm on the youth board, and involved in all of the planning of those tryouts. It's going to be a bit hairy for the next three days. Then, as soon as that is over, it's time for my oldest son's high school graduation.

Next week things should return to normal.

Just One Bad Century--May 27

Did Jeff Samardzija really win a game yesterday? Yes he did. Would have been a funnier story if the bad luck continued, but I'm still happy for the guy.

This Week in 1908 and This Week in 1945 were both posted over the Memorial Day weekend. The 1908 entry has an incredible story about two Cubs teammates getting into a clubhouse fight that landed both of them in the hospital. Today it would probably land both of them in jail too. The 1945 entry shows how this country treated Memorial Day during a World War.

Today's Cubs birthdays include the least popular Cub of my lifetime, a Cub who drank himself to death at 30, and a mediocre Cub who became a coaching legend.

Today in Wrigley history goes back to the war year of 1942, and the Memorial Day celebration.

Today's Historical Event is the sinking of the Bismark. Where were the Cubs? As a special bonus, enjoy this Johnny Horton classic about that famous event...



Finally, check out the A/V Club today. There's a Punky Brewster episode about the Cubs. You read that correctly.

Guest Speaker

I'm officially ready to be a grandfather. This cornball joke made me laugh. Thanks "LH" for sending it...

Pastor Gas

Thanks to "JP" for sending this. Somebody out there is an inspired genius. Especially knowing that this guy was busted for fraud.

Gregg Jarrett Arrested

Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett was arrested over the weekend for an incident at an airport bar in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Star Tribune has the details. I wasn't even going to post this story, but I got an e-mail from former WGN-AM morning man (who currently works for Bloomberg) Greg Jarrett pointing out that if I did report it, would I mind pointing out to Chicago that it wasn't him: "So Gregg Jarrett of Fox was busted for drunk and disorderly not Greg Jarrett of Bloomberg. Two Gs in Greg. Not one."

Duly noted.

Just One Bad Century--May 23

The big news yesterday was this announcment by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts...



Looks like they're going to court. Amid all the hubbub, did anyone notice that the Cubs actually won last night (5-1 over the Padres)? I'm a big fan of these late night West Coast games. There's something soothing about falling asleep to the sound of baseball.

Today's Cubs birthdays include Augie, Algie, and Duke. The Augie, by the way, is not Ojeda. This one was an all-star, and the A/V club shows a silent movie of him playing in the all-star game.

Today in Wrigley History goes back to 1926. Somebody hit the scoreboard with a homer. Find out who did it.

Today's Historical Event is the end of the line for gangsters Bonnie & Clyde. Where were the Cubs?

I won't be posting a new "Today on JOBC" update until Tuesday, but rest assured the website will keep on pumping out the info. There are new Cubs birthdays posted every day. This week in 1908 and 1945 will be posted over the weekend, and the A/V club will be updated too. Lots of reasons to stop by over the weekend.

Here's to hoping everyone has an enjoyable holiday weekend!

Jon Stewart Ripping Philadelphia

And it all begins with beloved Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg. Stick with it...it's the last 2 1/2 minutes of this bit.

Just Gonna Jump Over This Chain

Throwback Thursday

I understand they are going to let Garry do one last show on WGN-AM this afternoon. In honor of that, my Throwback Thursday picture is from Steve & Garry's 10th anniversary show at the Chicago Theatre in 1989. I was one of the Cliff Dancers. I believe we danced to Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People". The other Cliff Dancers were Mike "Igor" Davis (facing Cliff), Mike Bramel, David Stern (hidden behind Cliff), Cabin boy Jim, and Shemp DeYoung. Proud Moment.

Just One Bad Century--May 22

Samardzija leaves the game with a 2 run lead. The Cubs put in their gold glover for defense to protect it, and their closer has been 5 for 5 in save opportunities. The closer gives up two doink hits and the gold glover makes an error, and just like that Samardzija still has ZERO wins in late May despite leading the league in ERA. That is so Cubs.

I hope Jeff can see the humor in the situation. I know I do. If this continues he could actually be having a historic season. At the very least it gives us something to root for.

A whole new batch of historical events were posted this morning. Today's historical event is Jerry Lee Lewis announcing he married his 13-year-old cousin. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs birthdays include baseball's first sports psychologist. (The A/V Club has the scene he inspired in a baseball novel/movie). There are actually quite a few Cubs celebrating birthdays today including two guys nicknamed "Hooks", the guy who got us Jose Cardenal, and a little used third baseman from just a few years ago that gave my son a day at the ballpark he'll never forget.

Today in Wrigley History goes back to 1990 and 2002.

I have a feeling that yesterday's game will appear in a future edition.

Radio Shocker: WGN Boots Garry Meier

I didn't see this one coming at all. I just spoke to Garry recently, and I can guarantee you he didn't see it coming either. Yesterday was his last show on WGN Radio. Robert Feder has the details.





The new WGN lineup is...

Steve Cochran--5-10am
John Williams (yes, the same John Williams who used to be on WGN)--10-Noon
Bob & Marianne--Noon to 3pm
Bill Leff & Wendy--3pm to 7pm
Pete McMurray--7pm to 11p
Patty Vasquez--11p to 2am
Nick Digilio--2am to 5am

I have to give credit to Jimmy de Castro for having the cojones to do this. I feel bad for Garry, but he will still be getting paid for the next year and a half, and will be doing his show on wgn.fm

Just purely from a listening point of view, I think that Bill & Wendy have the best show on the station right now. I'm happy for both of them that they are finally getting their big time chance.

Do You Wash Your Jeans?

The CEO of Levi's says you shouldn't...ever.

Consider it done.

Pat Sajack Versus the Twittersphere

I've met Pat Sajack a few times. He seems like a nice guy. It doesn't bother me at all that's he's a Climate Change Denier. (I know many of them who are fine and upstanding citizens)

But he's been tweeting some very weird stuff lately, and the twittersphere is going after him.

The Twittersphere, by the way, is often quite funny.

22 Words That Have A Completely Different Meaning In Chicago

The list is here.

Pretty clever, although I'd eliminate about ten of them, and have a great top 12 list.

Just One Bad Century--May 21

I think we can all agree that Tanaka was a little intimidated by the Cubbie machine yesterday. His 42-starts-without-a-loss streak is now over.

Don't mess with this juggernaut, pal.

We posted a whole new week's worth of events at This Week in Wrigley History. Today's entry goes back to 1935 (the Babe's final Chicago at-bat) and 1939.

Today's Historical Event is the establishment of the Red Cross. Where were the Cubs? (As a sidebar, let me just say that this is clearly the only website in the world that links Clara Barton and the Cubs. Just sayin')

Today's Cubs birthdays include one of the six mustaches that roamed the outfield for the 1982 Cubs, a name that rhymes with Happy, a backup catcher with a name that sounds like a gangster's, and a Dick

Resurrecting Murray Saul

I read all the radio trade publications every day to keep up with the business, and they are filled with self-congratulatory stories about how radio is as popular as ever. Stories about how there's nothing to worry about. Of course, we all know it's nonsense. (Here's an example from this morning) Radio may have as many listeners as it used to have (I doubt it, but let's pretend it does), but the listeners simply aren't as passionate as they used to be--and no paid study will convince me otherwise.

I'll tell you why I don't believe it: Radio doesn't have any larger than life figures (other than politically toxic ones) anymore. You may still like to hear CCR, or want to hear people talking about your favorite sports teams, but there's really nobody on the air who just pops out of the radio. No one who explodes through the microphone. In short, there's no appointment radio.

Radio doesn't have any Murray Sauls.

Read this story about the recently deceased Cleveland radio great Murray Saul. I never heard him on the air, but reading this piece reminded me that every town in America used to have someone like him. I know there are characters out there somewhere now, but they are reading liner cards, or being told that the PPM ratings tell you nobody wants to hear you speak. Or more likely, they aren't on the air at all, and don't even have radio on their radar.

If I was running a radio station these days, I would constantly be on the lookout for someone I could throw on the air as a sidekick (at first)--someone who could just be unleashed. Maybe he's a waiter who has perfected his shtick, or she's a Southwest Airlines flight attendant who has them rolling in the aisles, or he's a tour guide on a double decker bus. He or she may eventually crash and burn like Murray Saul did, but I bet you would remember them for the rest of your lives.

Is there anything on the air today that remotely fits that description?

I know what radio programmers and executives would say to my theory. They would say that listeners are different now. They don't want that. To which I would reply: "Listeners don't even realize it's an option." Because right now, it isn't. Radio has been bland (by choice) for an entire generation. The most desirable advertising demo in America doesn't even know that radio can be exciting. It will take a young guy or gal to show them. And an old guy or gal who has enough guts to give them a chance.

10 Fabulous German Words That Have No English Equivalent

I didn't know all of these, but my German is admittedly a little rusty these days.

I have heard #1 and #8 used in conversation before--but not the others. Although, this is what I love about German, as soon as I read the words I instantly knew what they meant.

How To See A Baseball Game For Free

This is funny...

Today's Best Tweets (May 20)

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




Daily Herald ‏@dailyherald 3m
Severe #weather rolling into #Illinois: People in Illinois are being warned of a slight risk of severe weather... http://bit.ly/1jmQqlj

Breanna Deutsch ‏@BreannaDeutsch 6m
A new report confirms what you already knew - your opinion means nothing in Washington. http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/19/report-special-interests-more-influential-than-public-opinion/ … via @DailyCaller

Eric Alper ‏@ThatEricAlper 10m
Happy 68th Birthday to Cher! Here are 10 things artists can learn from the legend: http://ow.ly/x3p6M

Gawker ‏@Gawker 9m
Man is shot in the face by his brother, spits out bullet http://gaw.kr/9eyIjbg

People magazine ‏@peoplemag 11m
"I would eat food off his body." - Guess which athlete Russell Brand is talking about? http://peoplem.ag/x1ljl

Newsweek ‏@Newsweek 14m
After a toxic battle, a slice of Transylvania looks set to become Europe’s biggest gold mine http://j.mp/1qRydBL

WXRT Chicago ‏@93XRT 16m
Led Zeppelin is Being Sued Over ‘Stairway to Heaven’ http://cbsloc.al/1jmxtiN

BillMoyers.com ‏@BillMoyersHQ 19m
Free speech much? NC GOP want to make it a crime to reveal fracking chemicals. http://billmoyers.com/?p=77041 #MorningReads

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan 20m
Soriano's back in town, under the cover of Jeter Week. http://trib.in/1j5hiC1

Slate ‏@Slate 31m
How far underwater will your city be by 2300? Here's San Francisco, AT&T Park--PHOTOS: http://slate.me/1qRVymS pic.twitter.com/J4tjO6KRqP

Alphabet Soup Joke

Gettin' lots of jokes in the e-mail box today. Like this one from "CC"...

10 Engineer Jokes

Sent to me by "DK". I'm not an engineer, but I am the son of one...



1. Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.


2. To the optimist, the glass is half-full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.


3. A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers.

The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!"

The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!"

The priest said, "Here comes the green-keeper. Let's have a word with him."

He said, "Hello George, what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"

The green-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group fell silent for a moment.

The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"



4. What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers? Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.



5. The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"



6. Three engineering students were gathered together discussing who must have designed the human body.

One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints."

Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections."

The last one said, "No, actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"



7. Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting coefficient of friction. Interrupting coefficient of fri.... mmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu (μ)



8. Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want." The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway."


9. An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do ANYTHING you want." Again, the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess and that I'll stay with you for one week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."


10. A wife asks her husband, a software engineer..."Could you please go shopping for me and buy one carton of milk, and if they have eggs, get 6!" A short time later the husband comes back with 6 cartons of milk. The wife asks him, "Why the hell did you buy 6 cartons of milk?" He replied, "They had eggs."

Just One Bad Century--May 20

Derek Jeter makes his last stop at Wrigley Field beginning today. The weather forecast looks a little iffy.

It's fitting that today begins his last visit here, because This Day in Wrigley History will point out that in 1935, an even bigger Yankee icon made his last trip to Wrigley Field on this day as well. He wasn't wearing a Yankees uniform anymore at the time. 1967 in Wrigley history is featured as well.

Another former Yankees great is featured in Today's Cubs birthdays and the A/V Club: Bobby Murcer. His A/V Club appearance is especially entertaining--he's a mystery guest on "What's My Line?"

There's a big hub-bub in the news recently about the Cubs accidentally painting Charles Lindbergh into a Wrigley mural, even though he appeared at Comiskey Park. Well, today's Historical Event is Charles Lindbergh's famous flight...and the Cubs weren't too far away when he took off.

This week in 1908 has also been posted. How long ago was 1908? This week the Cubs raise their (1907) championship flag on the same day oil is discovered in the Middle East for the very first time.

Cubs Last Link To World Series

There's a story in the New York Times about the last surviving member of 1945 Cubs, Lennie Merullo. Lennie was their starting shortstop, and he's still alive in Massachusetts. He's 97 years old.

It's a charming story about the man.

I once wrote a snarky piece about Lennie at Just One Bad Century. It was about the day he made four errors in one inning. A half-dozen comments were sent to me that day from people who knew or know Lennie, and all of them took me to task for mocking such a fine man.

I never saw Lennie Merullo play the game, but I can tell you that the people who know him, think he's the very best. That's more important than baseball anyway, isn't it?

Stealing Home

My son Sean told me that his number one goal this baseball season was stealing home. He pulled it off yesterday...taking such a ridiculous lead off third base that the pitcher had no choice but to throw it to third. When he did, Sean bolted toward the plate.

That was a fun moment. He'll be picked off next time he tries it, but for one sunny Sunday afternoon, he gave the fans in the stands a thrill.

The Commencement Bigots

This is a well-written piece that takes both sides of the political spectrum to task for stifling free speech in commencement speeches.

Fair and Balanced. Seriously.

Smooth Operator

This kid has got a future...

Michael Jackson Hologram Appears on the Billboard Music Awards

The story explaining his appearance is here.

Or you can just watch it here (with Spanish dubbing)...

AT&T To Buy DirecTV

You know what I was thinking? We need even fewer conglomerates running the telecommunications/media world.

Wish granted! AT&T is going to buy DirecTV.

Cloning John Lennon?

This is beyond creepy. From MSN News...

Sean Lennon has branded plans to clone his father John Lennon from DNA extracted from the late rocker's teeth as "bizarre, futuristic and dystopian". Last year Canadian dentist Michael Zuk handed a rotten molar from The Beatles legend to scientists so they could extract Lennon's unique genetic code. Zuk - who purchased the tooth for $30,000 (£20,000) - hopes experts will one day be able to clone the Imagine singer. However, Lennon's son Sean is unsure of the project and hinted it could end up the subject of legal action. He tells NME magazine, "It's interesting thinking about what rights we have over our discarded DNA. Cloning in general is a legal area that's bizarre, futuristic and dystopian - and this about my dad's tooth definitely falls into that category."

Turn me on, dead man.*


*The alleged backwards message in a Beatles song that "proved" Paul was dead.

Just One Bad Century--May 19

In case you missed it over the weekend, the Cubs won a series against the Brewers. That's two series wins already this season. Where on earth did I put that champagne? (Of course, the one game I went to on Friday is the game that they lost. The picture above of the green painted marquee was taken on Friday.)

If you didn't stop by JOBC over the weekend, there is a very cool video up on the A/V Club right now. A home movie of Jackie Robinson's first game at Wrigley. I left it up there today for another day, because I wanted more people to see it.

Also, This Week in 1945 was posted yesterday. Bogie & Lauren Bacall get hitched, Pete Townshend is born, and the Cubs are in the midst of a bigtime losing streak.

Speaking of Pete Townshend. The writing of "My Generation" on his 20th birthday is today's Historical Event. Where were the Cubs?

Today in Wrigley History goes back to 1961 and 1987.

Today's Cubs birthdays include the very last big league Fritz, a pitcher who won nearly 200 games, Turk, Pop, a 1990s mustache, and 1890s cup of coffee, and the guy who inadvertantly helped the White Sox win the World Series in 2005 by allowing A.J. Pierzynski to cheat.

As for the latest Cubs prospects, would you believe there was another no-hitter in the minors this weekend? It's true. At that link you'll also discover that Baez finally hit another homer, and Albert Almora is heating up. This story is about Arismendy Alcantara, who won a game with a homer this weekend.

Don't read this one, however: 5 Chicago Cubs Prospects Who Never Panned Out. You already know about all of those guys. No need to start your week with a big bowl of bummer salad.

The Truth About Autism & Immunizations

This seems like a very sane analysis...

Net Neutrality

I'm not sure how he didn't know this would happen, but the FCC chairman is getting bombarded with complaints and outrage about his little "give the big boys a better internet than everyone else" rule he tried to pass. The New York Times has the story.

The FCC is literally getting millions of complaints and angry protests around the country. As someone put it very wisely--"the future of the internet is the future of everything."

Exactly. I'm actually proud of the public for not sleeping through this attempted change.

Just One Bad Century--May 16

I've got tickets to the Cubs game today. Do you think they'll get it in, or will it be rained out? I want to see the green and gold marquee.

Today's Cubs Birthdays include Big Daddy, Rube, Lefty and Bob. Big Daddy is featured at the A/V Club too. A home movie from opening day 1980.

Today in Wrigley History goes back to 1958, 2001, and 2008.

Today's Historical Event is the passing of the Seditino Act in 1918. Where the Cubs?

Throwback Thursday

November 2001. Tommy telling jokes to John Landecker in the Dominican Republic.

40 Albums Baby Boomers Loved That Millennials Don't Know

This list comes courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.

I owned 22 of the 40, including this one (photo)

Cat saves boy from dog attack in California

This is really something to see.

I have no idea why this dog attacked the kid (video at the link), but the cat saved the boy. He had to get a few stitches, and will probably be afraid of dogs forever, but he is going to fine.

Ryan Gosling wearing a T-shirt of Macaulay Culkin wearing a T-shirt of Gosling wearing a T-shirt of Macaulay Culkin

Just One Bad Century--May 15

It's a big day in Cubs history. On this day in 1960, Don Cardwell threw a no-hitter against the Cardinals. The full writeup can be found at This Week in Wrigley History. The A/V Club has the video.

Today's historical event is something that happened on the same day. Find out what that was here. (We've posted a whole new week's worth of historical events, by the way)

Today's Cubs birthdays feature a painful one that got away, a World Series hero, and the man who invented the curveball.

As for the current Cubs, at least they didn't lose yesterday. Afternoon game today in St. Louis.

Anchor Rips Into Complainers

I like her spunk...

Net Neutrality Has One Foot in the Grave

Here's the headline in the Hollywood Reporter this morning: FCC Will Vote on Net Neutrality Thursday Despite Protests.

It's not dead yet, but it doesn't look good. It appears the F.C.C. Commissioner has the votes to allow cable giants to start charging extra for faster service even though nobody in the country wants this to pass...except the three or four companies who are demanding it. Not only don't we want it, we are flooding the F.C.C. offices with millions of complaints.

Doesn't matter.

It's official. Nobody in Washington gives a crap about you unless you have billions. Then you can get whatever you want no matter how unpopular it is.

Movie Outtakes

Parents At The Beginning Of The School Year Vs. The End

I can relate to this.

Buzzfeed explains it to us in gifs.

Just One Bad Century--May 14

The Cubs lost in extra innings last night in St. Louis. They should have saved some of those runs from the night before. I thought the Heckler's take on that game was funny: EVERY CUBS POSITION PLAYER SUSPENDED FOR SUSPICION OF PED USE AFTER MONDAY NIGHT’S 17-RUN EXPLOSION

We posted a new batch of Wrigley history stories this morning. Today in Wrigley history goes back to 1960. That day against the Cardinals went a little better than last night. There seems to be a recurring Cardinals theme at JOBC today, because the A/V Club is about Stan Musial's last game.

There are three Cubs birthdays today: Dirt, Wimpy, and Andy & Adam's daddy.

Today's Historical Event is the establishment of the State of Israel. Where were the Cubs?

If you're going to a Cubs game in this next homestand (like I am on Friday), enjoy the 1930s theme.

Let It Be

From Bob Dearborn's Almanac....

May 13, 1970…The Beatles' last film, "Let It Be," had its North American premiere in New York City.

This one never gets old.

Where is Casey Kasem?

This story is just unbelievable. Casey Kasem is missing.

His daughter won the right to see his medical records, and now his wife claims he is somewhere out of the country.

What a horrible way to go. Casey is suffering from advanced dementia.

Broadcasters Sue F.C.C.

You could see this coming. This is all about the F.C.C. cracking down on these shady "sharing" agreements that broadcasters have begun to use to avoid F.C.C. media ownership rules.

It was a three step process.

1. Billionaire Broadcasters figure out way to avoid rules.
2. F.C.C. calls them on it, and says "no more".
3. Billionaire Broadcasters sue.

If there's one sure thing in America, it's that billionaires will get what they want eventually. Rules don't apply to them, and if they do, they will have the rules changed.

Just One Bad Century--May 13

The Cubs scored 17 runs to beat the Cardinals last night, but would you believe a Cubs loss to the Cardinals in 1958 was even more painful for Cardinal fans? It's true. Check out today in Wrigley history. You'll also get the scoop on what happened on this day in 1969 and 1996. Two very good days for the Cubs in their home park.

Today's A/V Club features a moment that may never occur again. It happened on this day in 1991--Three generations of broadcasters all did the Cubs-Braves game together. Harry, Skip, and Chip Caray. (I guess it's possible the Brennamans could do it)

This week in 1908 has also been posted. How long ago was 1908? Wait until you read about the umpire situation in those days.

Today's Historical Event is the shooting of Pope John Paul II. Where were the Cubs?

There are four Cubs celebrating birthdays today, including the Bionic Cub. I kid you not. The other three include the guy they handed the 2B job to after they traded Hall of Famer Billy Herman, plus one of their first draft picks, and one of three Cubs named Bob Smith.

As for the latest Cubs news, check out how the prospects are doing down on the farm. Kris Bryant is hot, hot, hot. The rest of them, not so much.

Also, you have to love this story: Mitch Williams goes bonkers at U-10 kids game, yelling expletives at the umpire.

Chicago Radio Ratings

I love the way Robert Feder posts the radio ratings these days. He has a photo gallery of the top ten at each timeslot.

Mornings

Middays

Afternoons

WBBM-AM is #1 in the morning, and WVAZ is #1 in the middays and afternoons. Steve Cochran made a big jump. He is now tied for #2 in the mornings (with Eric & Kathy).

Tom Taylor's NOW Column has some more ratings info for those of you who like to look in the ratings weeds:

Another sign that Winter is finally releasing its grip – the 6.6-6.1-5.6 downward move of CBS all-newser WBBM and its FM simulcast. It’s now second, behind urban AC “V103.” That’s Clear Channel’s WVAZ, going 6.5-6.5-6.7. Third place goes to Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX, 5.0-4.9-4.7, and there’s a tie in fourth place. Tribune’s WGN has its best month since last August, 3.7-3.8-4.5. It’s right there with Clear Channel’s top 40 “Kiss” WKSC, 4.5-4.8-4.5. Nice little charge for CBS Radio’s country “US99.5” WUSN, 3.8-4.0-4.3. Cumulus classic hits WLS-FM is up, 3.1-3.3-3.5. Hubbard’s AC “more music/more variety” WILV/100.3 produces its largest share since May 2011, trending up 2.3-2.7-3.1. The three-way sports contest is between CBS Radio’s “Score” WSCR, the White Sox standard-bearer, 2.0-2.0-2.3. Disney’s “ESPN 1000” WMVP, 1.4-1.7-1.9. And Tribune-run Channel 6 audio “Game” WGWG, 0.6-0.3-0.4. (The Cubs still belong to WGN – at least for this season.) In talk, there’s Cumulus’ WLS, 2.2-2.0-1.7, and Chicago Public Media’s non-com news/talk WBEZ, 1.7-1.5-1.7. Clear Channel-owned/Midway-managed African-American talk WVON is out of the book, after going 0.3 in February and 0.2 in March. Chicago’s cume leader, by a margin of 200,000, is CHR “Kiss” at 2,436,200.

Today's Best Tweets--May 12

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




Chicagoist.com ‏@Chicagoist 3m
We could have a repeat performance of Sunday's storms this afternoon. http://bit.ly/1mReX17

VANITY FAIR ‏@VanityFair 15m
Russell Crowe and Ricky Gervais got drunk together and live-tweeted their night http://vnty.fr/1jy0V5H

King Of Uranus ‏@UranusTweets 20m
Coming Soon: The Uranus Muffler Shop – “Trust Us With Your Tail Pipe.”

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM 22m
No hesitation airing Michael Sam draft reaction http://bit.ly/1sE0gCj pic.twitter.com/ToV3Tz4iiA

Newsweek ‏@Newsweek 24m
Clippers owner Donald Sterling apologizes on CNN, feels "entitled to one mistake" http://j.mp/1sDZV2s pic.twitter.com/q50SrmdPqk

David Haugh ‏@DavidHaugh 32m
Blackhawks winning ugly, sitting pretty after Toews' gritty goal beats Wild. Column http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-haugh-column-blackhawks-spt-0512-20140512,0,4446813.column

Jim Wiser ‏@JimWiser 33m
Boy scouts rescue NBC's Ann Curry after hiking accident http://www.chicagotribune.com/os-ann-curry-rescued-by-boy-scouts-20140511,0,1376294.post …

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM 43m
Daily Show's Larry Wilmore to replace Stephen Colbert http://bit.ly/1lbGSXm pic.twitter.com/QRlmYOss4n

Guardian news ‏@guardiannews 45m
Western Germany more socially cohesive than east, study finds http://gu.com/p/3p6bc/tw

Art Gallery ‏@AGC_LONDON 1h
ON THIS DAY in 1967, Jimi Hendrix released his début album, Are You Experienced in the UK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzCyTz_3TIU … pic.twitter.com/ddq0piLevR

Canceled

The television networks canceled a ton of shows this past week. Hope you weren't a fan of any of these shows. I didn't see a single episode of any of them...


- NBC -
"Believe"
"Community"
"Crisis"
"Dracula"
"Growing Up Fisher"
"Revolution"
"The Michael J. Fox Show"
"Sean Saves The World"
"Welcome To The Family"
"Ironside"

- FOX -
"Dads"
"Rake"
"Surviving Jack"
"Enlisted"
"Raising Hope"
"The X Factor"
"Almost Human"

- ABC -
"Suburgatory"
"Trophy Wife"
"Super Fun Night"
"Lucky 7"
"Mind Games"
"Mixology"
"Once Upon A Time In Wonderland"
"Killer Woman"
"Betrayal"
"The Assets"
"Back In The Game"
"The Neighbors"

- CBS -
"Bad Teacher"
"The Crazy Ones"
"Friends With Better Lives"
"Hostages"
"Intelligence"
"We Are Men"

- The CW -
"The Carrie Diaries"
"Star-Crossed"
"The Tomorrow People"

A Statistical Appropriate Climate Change Debate

Love this...

Just One Bad Century--May 12

I didn't get a chance to see any of the Cubs games this weekend, but I just read that they were swept in Atlanta, and that Samardzija lost another shutout. Don't think I need to read more.

Today at JOBC, we go back to two big moments in Wrigley history. A no-hitter was pitched on this day in 1955, and it was a wild one. That story can be found at Today in Wrigley History. Also, on this day in 1970, Mr. Cub hit his 500th homer. The A/V club has the video.

This Week in 1945 was posted over the weekend. Chicago celebrated Mother's Day, Phil Cavarretta led an incredible comeback, American generals began coming home from Europe, and more.

Today's Historical Event is Harry Blackmun being confirmed to the Supreme Court. Where were the Cubs?

Today's Cubs birthdays include the ace of the 1945 Cubs, a starter from the 1998 playoff team, a man nicknamed Bird Eye, a member of the first Cubs team to play at Wrigley, and cups of coffee from the 60s and just a few years ago.