Crawford, Crawford, Crawford

Aren't there rules about derisively chanting someone's name? The Wild fans were doing the mocking "Crawford, Crawford, Crawford" chant while he was shutting them out.

We didn't chant "Darryl, Darryl, Darryl" after Darryl Strawberry homered. Only after he butchered a play in right or struck out.

That's Taunting 101.

Letterman's Ratings Are Up Huge

As he approaches his last show (May 20), people are tuning in bigtime.

His numbers are up 75% from last year.

I missed it last night because I had a meeting, but I'm taping every episode.

Weezie Kramer

My old boss at WJMK (she was briefly the GM there) is now a bigshot. Yesterday she was named the COO of a major broadcasting company, Entercom. From Radio Online...

Entercom announced today the promotion of Louise "Weezie" Kramer to Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Kramer is a media veteran who has been with Entercom since 2000, most recently serving as Station Group President. In this role, she spearheaded the company's reinvention efforts, focusing on enhancing the company's future growth and directly overseeing several of the company's markets. She is also a member of Entercom's Operating Committee and, since 2013, has served as chairperson.

Congrats to Weezie!

I'm like the Professor & Mary Ann

Check out this tweet about the latest episode of Lossano and Friends. I'm the one guest who isn't mentioned ("And more!") Reminds me of the original theme song of Gilligan's Island, which mentions all the characters except the Professor and Mary Ann (it says "and the rest"). Just made me chuckle when I saw it this morning...

Ryan Chiaverini, Jenniffer Weigel, and more! Laughing on #LossanoAndFriends! Listen http://t.co/q2N5cICI1W pic.twitter.com/NivOMZd0U8

— Lossano and Friends! (@LossanoFriends) May 6, 2015

Harry Caray on Letterman Last Night

An unannounced cameo by Harry last night on Letterman's show.

Watch it here.

The president was on after Harry. I'm tellin' ya, if you haven't been watching these last few weeks, you're missing something memorable.

Texas Takeover

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

Cinco De Mayo

For Cinco de Mayo Just One Bad Century celebrates all the Mexican-born players who have played for the Cubs. Would you believe there were only six of them?

Check it out here.

Somersaulting into home plate

They didn't show this on the broadcast last night...

Merle & Willie

Fascinating watching these two legends working together...

New Pulitzer Chair

The newest chair for the Pulitzer Prize board is Wall Street Journal editorial director Paul Gigot.

On the one hand, Gigot has won a Pulitzer himself. On the other hand, Gigot is a staunchly conservative partisan. Should be interesting to see who gets Pulitzers next year.

Chicago Public Media Leaps Into Mobile With Both Feet

It helps when you a get a $2 million grant from the Pritzker Foundation, but once again Chicago Public Media is leading the way to bring radio into the modern era.

Robert Feder has the details.

Their investment in mobile technology is something that all radio stations will eventually have to do. I'm sure the big corporate giants won't until they absolutely have no other choice, but this is the new reality. It's all got to be easily accessible in that phone in your pocket.

John Landecker & Dylan Gardner

My latest Illinois Entertainer column has been posted. It's about Dylan Gardner and John Landecker, and the unusual bond that ties this teenage rock star with the "don't be nervous, don't be rocky, you're our teenage guest disc jockey" radio legend.

Read it here.

John Oliver on Bud Light

I love the "commercial" at the end of this bit. I couldn't agree more. Literally the worst beer I've ever had.

Kent State

45 years ago today the National Guard shot four student protestors at Kent State University. This Slate piece (from two years ago) is an excellent primer on the story, complete with photographs.

I also interviewed radio personality Mitch Michaels about this once. Mitch was there, and this is how he recalled that day...

I was working for a radio station in Cleveland at the time, as a board op, and doing some stringer reporting for them while I was at school, and the whole weekend before the shooting had been crazy. There were sit-ins and protests, and helicopters hovering, tear gas in the air, and spotlights, it was like a movie set. The protesters burned the ROTC building on Saturday night. The National Guard members were wearing gas masks and were pounding everyone. They couldn’t see anything out of those masks. I had a press pass, and they pounded me too. On Monday I was in the car with my wife on the way to the dentist when I saw all the commotion. Police cars, sirens, people running all over, complete mayhem. I pulled over to the side of the road, locked the door, and told my wife not to move, and I went over to see what was happening. I got there just as they were carrying the girl into the ambulance. It was around 12:30 or so. By 2pm, it was completely deserted. They had closed down the campus and sent everyone home. It was eerie.

Cub Man, Blackhawk Fans

@JorgeSoler68 photobomb in the back #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Qi80m1rPwF

— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) May 3, 2015

Texas Governor Deploys State Guard To Stave Off Obama Takeover

A sitting governor of a state thinks the president of the United States is trying to take over a state that's already part of the United States.

Like any story, there are two sides to this story. On the one hand, the governor could just be an astoundingly paranoid and stupid dipshit. On the other hand, he could just be catering to his astoundingly paranoid and stupid dipshit voters who actually believe this could be true. There isn't a third hand. The Onion wouldn't have printed this story because it would have been deemed "too ridiculous". It's impossible to satirize the news these days. I can see why Jon Stewart is walking away from it.

RIP Ben E. King

From the RAMP Newsletter...

Ben E. King, the former lead singer of The Drifters and a man whose voice will forever be associated with his iconic solo hit, "Stand By Me," died last Thursday, April 30 in Hackensack, NJ. He was 76. King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on Sept. 28, 1938, in Henderson, NC and grew up in Harlem, where his father had moved the family when he was a child. He was working in his father's Harlem luncheonette in 1956 when a local impresario, Lover Patterson, overheard him singing to himself and persuaded him to join a group he managed, the Five Crowns. Lightning struck in 1958 when the group, then known as the Crowns, performed at the legendary Apollo Theater on a bill with the original Drifters and attracted the attention of the group's manager, George Treadwell, who also owned the Drifters name. He later fired the Drifters en masse and replaced them with King and three of his fellow singers.

This is the song he will always be remembered for...

$400 Million

That's how much money was pulled in from the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight.

Unbelievable numbers.

I didn't watch it. I think a few centuries from now people will look back at things like boxing and that ridiculous extreme fighting in the same way we look back at gladiators today. "Wait a second, people paid money to watch men punch each other in the face hoping to knock the other person out cold?"

But I know my opinion is not in the mainstream on this one.

Funniest Video I've Ever Seen

My boys and I have watched this video a dozen times over the weekend. We had to wipe tears out of our eyes from laughing so hard.

Clark Weber in the Hall of Fame

He's one of the most legendary Chicago radio personalities of all time, and the Illinois Hall of Fame is finally honoring him as such. Robert Feder has the details.

The surprising thing in the article to me, is that Clark has announced he's retiring. It sounds like he's really walking away from all of it. From Feder's piece...

Weber said his last radio interview will be May 19 with midday hosts Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano on Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720. His last speaking appearance will be May 22 at Chestnut Square Retirement Community in Glenview. Then he’ll take one last bow at his June 16 Hall of Fame induction.

I worked in the same hallway as Clark for several years when I was with John Landecker's show at WJMK and Clark was hosting the morning show at WJJD. I always enjoyed chatting with him. He has some incredible stories. If you ever get a chance to read his book, there are a bunch of stories in there.

He told some more (including the story of introducing the Beatles at Comiskey Park) when I interviewed him a few years ago for Chicago Radio Spotlight.

My appearance on Lossano & Friends

New Episode feat. Ryan Chiaverini, Jenniffer Weigel, Rick Kaempfer #LossanoAndFriends! Listen http://t.co/q2N5cICI1W pic.twitter.com/bFCdg0LYjL

— Lossano and Friends! (@LossanoFriends) May 2, 2015

Lossano & Friends

Ryan Chiaverini, Jenniffer Weigel, Rick Kaempfer on the NEXT #LossanoAndFriends! New Saturday: http://t.co/EzqB3kz54z pic.twitter.com/nkDsYaRPJO

— Lossano and Friends! (@LossanoFriends) May 2, 2015

Cole Hamels

Is Cole Hamels back on the front burner as a potential trade target for the Cubs? The Phillies need prospects, and the Cubs have them popping out of their eyeballs.

It could work.

That's what this article speculates.

Although how confusing would it be to have a rotation with both a Hamels and Hammel?

55 Years!

Another milestone for Dick Biondi tomorrow. The RAMP Newsletter has the details...

Tomorrow marks a very important career milestone for Chicago radio icon Dick Biondi and his legions of fans -- May 2, 2015 marks the 55th anniversary of when Biondi originally joining the legendary WLS. Yes, that was May 2, 1960! Biondi currently does the late night show on Classic Hits sister WLS-FM. This classic photo was taken in 1967 when Biondi was working at WCFL. To honor this special occasion, WLS-FM will salute Biondi all day today with special anniversary liners. In a staff memo, Jan Jeffries, Cumulus SVP of Corporate / Programming & PD of WLS-FM said, "An amazing career, and we are proud and honored to have The 'Wild I-Tralian' still rockin' nights at 94-7 WLS! We love you man!"

iHeart Finances

I knew iHeart (the former Clear Channel) was in debt, but I had no idea it was THIS much. From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

Management insists that they’ve now pushed back significant debt maturities to 2018, though (we can observe) that was at the cost of double-digit interest rates in the near-term. At year-end, iHeart’s total debt was $20.326 billion. Now it’s a bit higher at $20.486 billion.

That's why each station in the cluster has about 1-2 employees each doing 20 jobs. But they do have a plan to get out of that hole. They're going to sell your data...

As for that pile of big data that iHeart is “sitting on” – the company not only has more stations than any other group, it’s making the data from those stations available in the buying process. Bressler says they can offer “music-based psychographic groups, weather and traffic patterns, and purchase behavior.”

I'm here too, you know.

Bridget and I were sitting on the couch together last night watching a tv show and our son walked in and said..."good night mom. I love you.' And then he walked out. Going to spread myself on a bagel now because apparently I'm chopped liver.

The Greatest News Ever

The article is about a certain male body type. I call it normal. The woman who wrote it, calls it the "Dad Bod".

The title of the article says it all: Why Girls Love the Dad Bod

Look, but don't touch, baby. It's 100% real.

More NFL Draft

This photo was posted on instagram by Dave Karwowski...gives you an idea of how the NFL has taken over downtown Chicago.

This Week in Wrigley History

No Cubs game today, so maybe This Week in Wrigley history will tide you over: A double no-hitter, an inside-the-glove homer, and a 20-strikeout masterpiece are all described in vivid detail at Just One Bad Century.

The NFL Draft

The NFL Draft starts tonight...FINALLY!

I saw the most ridiculous show ever yesterday. I couldn't turn it off--it was like watching a slow motion auto accident. It was a mock draft show, where ESPN commentators played the roles of the guys in the war rooms. They discussed the possible picks, but they also got into character, fielded fake phone calls from other teams trying to trade, and referred to each other by fake names. Then, they switched chairs and did the same thing for the next team. Same guys. Different fake names. Same fake phone calls. Different chairs.

Very, very weird.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

The radio life of Dr. Oz has been snuffed out by Oprah. From today's Tom Taylor column...

Draw your own conclusion – Oprah Winfrey pulls the plug on “Dr. Oz” radio minutes. The “Daily Dose with Dr. Oz” feature was picked up by Westwood in mid-2010 and quickly grew its affiliate base. Dr. Mehmet Oz’s successful daily syndicated TV show reinforced his popularity, which began with his endorsement by Oprah Winfrey on her TV show. Now Westwood’s telling affiliates that “After many years, [Winfrey’s] Harpo Productions has decided to end production” of the Dose. No explanation, but it’s reasonable to speculate about the heat Dr. Oz is taking over some way-beyond-alternative medical treatments and ideas he’s featured on his TV show. A group of ten physicians is accusing Oz of "promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain." They’d like him dropped from his daytime job as Vice Chair of Columbia University’s surgery department. No matter how that plays out (and some of Dr. Oz’s colleagues at Columbia defend him), Westwood is moving on. It says “based on availability in your market, we would like to offer your station ‘A Better Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta’” – the TV doctor associated with CNN as its chief medical correspondent.

Beach Boys Anniversary

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this little tidbit from 25 years ago today...

April 29, 1990…The TV-movie "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys," starring Bruce Greenwood, Greg Kean, Arlen Dean Snyder, Casey Sander, Bo Foxworth, Wendy Foxworth, and Linda Dona, aired on ABC.

I remember it well. I was Steve & Garry's producer at the time, and Steve was one of the executive producers of that movie. He was the one that got the ball rolling and really made it happen. Here's a scene from that movie...

David Letterman

I watched Letterman's first Late Night show when he was on NBC. I was in college at the time. I've been making a point of watching Dave every night as he closes out that long run. I'll be watching his last show too.

Not having Dave there every night is going to be a major bummer.

This is a great piece in the New York Times about him. He very (very very very) rarely sits for an interview, but in this article he reflects on his 33 years of late night television. Highly recommended.

For the Cub Fan Mom

It's not too late to order something from the JOBC store for that Cub fan mom. We've got a nice assortment of shirts she may enjoy, including...

32 Years Ago Today

And Les Grobstein was the only one there rolling tape...(Warning: This is unbleeped)

White Sox Game Today Played in Empty Stadium

I've seen about twenty people make this same joke (including me). This is the way my friend Johnny Conlisk put it on his facebook page...

The bad news, Wednesday's game between the White Sox and the Orioles at Baltimore's Camden Yards will be played in a stadium without fans, due to safety concerns because of the riots in Baltimore. The good news? It will seem like a home game for the Sox!

Zing. Memo to White Sox fans: We only tell the attendance jokes because we know it bothers you. It's just too easy. Luckily for you, there's no shortage of Sox fans ripping the Cubs.

Bye Bye Mirabell's

I liked to stop by here after Cubs games. Last time I was there with Bridget, the owner (Jeff) told us that he was sick of the restaurant business and didn't want to do it anymore. So, this isn't a big shock to me, but it's still a bummer...

Patridge Family Death

I loved the Patridge Family when I was a kid--never missed an episode. Sad to hear the news today that the youngest daughter passed away. She was my age--52. TMZ has the details. No cause of death has been revealed yet.

This was her last appearance with her "family" from 2010...

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

An Afternoon with Dick Orkin

The most legendary radio advertising man of all time, Dick Orkin, is coming to town for an event at the Museum of Broadcasting. The date of the event is June 27. Robert Feder has the details.

I may just have to go to that one.

I interviewed Dick a few years ago for Chicago Radio Spotlight, and I've provided background info and quotes to the author who is currently writing Dick's memoirs.

National Sports Press Descends on Chicago

Is it because of the Blackhawks, Bulls or Cubs doing well?

No, the NFL Draft is taking place here this year, and wow is it spectacle. ESPN will be devoting 90 (90!) hours of programming from here beginning tomorrow. ESPN Radio is here too. From Radio Online...

Mike & Mike will broadcast from Chicago in advance of the NFL Draft. ESPN Radio will broadcast Day One of the Draft on Thursday, April 30 (coverage beginning at 7pm), and continue with Day 2 on Friday, May 1 (coverage beginning at 6:30pm). Host Dari Nowkhah, NFL analyst Louis Riddick and NFL Insider John Clayton will provide updates and analysis. Freddie Coleman will host post-draft coverage alongside NFL Insider Adam Caplan on both days at 11:30pm.

Don't Mess With Mama

This is the best way to handle the rioters. Get their moms out there...

Monty Python's Holy Grail 40th Anniversary

The guys all gathered for an anniversary event, which was moderated by John Oliver.

Some of the highlights were gathered here by The Week.

Recently watched the movie again with my sons, and it wasn't as funny as I remember it--but then again, that might be because I knew every single bit so well. This one still made me laugh...

Silver Circle Award Winners

Robert Feder has the list of this year's inductees. Among them: Fahey Flynn (postumously), Bob Sirott, Larry Wert (my old boss) and more.

Sirott also gave Feder a great picture of Fahey and Sirott together from 1969. It's worth clicking on the link, just to see that picture. Love the sideburns, Bob.

Whoops

So close...

White House Correspondent's Dinner

I know there are people who don't like this guy, but I'm not one of 'em...

He'll Never Amount To Anything

I'm posting this tweet for my kids...

15-year-old John Lennon's report card says, “Too many wrong ambitions & his energy is too often misplaced": pic.twitter.com/2xMThgXTzm

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) April 24, 2015

Switzerland is the Happiest Country in the World

Switzerland is #1. The U.S. is 15th. Who can blame the people of Switzerland for being happy. Imagine if this was what you looked at every single morning. Bridget and I visited last year and now she wants to retire there.

Champions League Semi-Finals Matchups Announced

This should be an incredible game: Bayern Munich against Barcelona.

The other game is Real Madrid against Juvenus. I'm predicting Madrid wins that one pretty easily, but the Bayern/Barcelona game will be a barn burner.

Details here.

The Bravest Man Alive

Attention South Side Cub Fans! I know you're out there. Join us on Sunday afternoon at the Beverly Arts Center. Eckhartz Press author (and former Cubs usher) Bruce Bohrer will be there...sticking his head right into the mouth of a White Sox lion...while talking about the Cubs.

Cumulus & the Loop Sued

From this morning's Tom Taylor column...

Remark LLC and Celestial Mechanix say that back in 2003, they licensed a “Remarkable Mouth” spot to Cumulus for a six-month period – but that recently, Cumulus ripped off the trademarked idea for a spot on behalf of the classic rock station it LMA’s in Chicago, “Loop” WLUP (97.9). If you’ve never seen one of these spots, they feature “a close body shot of an attractive woman...the woman speaks directly into the camera, in her own voice, to introduce the name of the station being promoted…[there’s a] camera shot of the woman’s face, with emphasis on her mouth…the woman’s voice changes to a voice or sounds not her own, as she lip-synchs to promote the broadcasting content of the subject station.” That’s the description of the “common expressive and distinctive elements” of the trademarked spots cited in the suit filed in Buffalo, against Cumulus. Mechanix says “Cumulus copied the Remarkable Mouth commercials” without permission in a “deliberate and willful” manner – and it asks the court for an injunction, damages, and attorneys fees.

Of course, what they don't mention in this piece is that the Loop made those "remarkable mouth" spots famous in the first place. Remember Lorelei in the late 70s/early 80s?

Out to Pasture

This is brilliant satire. NSFW, but brilliant. Thanks to "DS" (a gal) for pointing this out to me...

Inside Amy Schumer
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows

We are the World Album

From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this little tidbit from 30 years ago today...

April 23, 1985…The "We Are The World" album was released. In addition to the title track, the album included nine previously unreleased songs by donating artists, including Prince, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and Tina Turner, among others.

I remember it well. I was the program director of WPGU at the time. To me, this was the best track on the album...

Fact Checking

In a world where both sides of the political equation appear to be working from a completely different set of "facts", the need for fact-checking has increased. Journalists have answered that call, to the tune of a 300% increase in the past seven years.

The American Press Institute just released a study of fact checking. From the report...

*More than eight in 10 Americans have a favorable view of political fact-checking.

*Fact-checking is equally persuasive whether or not it uses a “rating scale” to summarize its findings.

*Fact-checks of inaccurate statements are more persuasive when the consumer and the politician belong to the same political party.

*Democrats, in general, have a more favorable view of and are somewhat more persuaded by fact-checking journalism than Republicans.

Those last two are not surprising to me at all. I think people are not looking for fact checking because they are searching for the truth. They are looking to debunk someone from the other side of the aisle. Democrats like it more, because Republicans who only watch, read and listen to conservative press are being told completely different stories than the Democrats--with totally different facts and figures. When a Democrat hears those stories, they go fact checking. But both sides only love fact checking when it proves they are right. Fact checking does nothing if it proves them wrong. Republicans in particular can very easily dismiss it as biased. It's what they do to any story reported by the mainstream press. Democrats do it too, if the fact-checker is from the conservative press.

It's the reason why it's literally impossible to intelligently debate politics now. It's a complete waste of time. Even "fact checking" isn't enough to change anyone's mind--it's only used to confirm already held views.

Scientists edited the genomes of human embryos for the first time

This sounds a little terrifying to me: Scientists have edited the genomes of human embryos for the first time.

From the Washington Post...

The work, led by Junjiu Huang of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, focused on modifying the gene responsible for β-thalassaemia, a blood disorder that can be fatal. They used CRISPR, a cutting-edge gene editing tool that's already made serious waves in the genome editing of other species. By going after genes at the earliest stage of human development -- in a single-celled embryo -- theoretically one can make sure all the subsequent copies of the gene are the superior version.

It doesn't take a science fiction fan to extrapolate the future possibilities, does it?

Kris Bryant Commercial

This is for Red Bull...

Frank E. Lee

WXRT will never be the same. After 35 years, Frank E. Lee has decided to retire.

Robert Feder has the details, including program director Norm Winer's memo announcing the news to the staff.

His last day is May 8th, and he'll be replaced in the regular lineup by Marty Lennartz.

Cincinnati's Lee Elia

In my book, it's not quite Elia-worthy, but it's pretty darn close...

Bears 2015 Schedule

The NFL released all the schedules last night, and ESPN had a two-hour show about it. For those of you who think all the bad pub and medical issues are damaging the NFL, let me repeat what I just wrote: ESPN had a two hour show about the upcoming NFL schedule.

Here's the Bears schedule, if you're interested.

Everybody Needs a Stu

My childhood best buddy Stu is celebrating a birthday today. He's 52, and we're still friends. 47 years of friendship. That's Stu in the front, with another childhood friend Bill (and me) celebrating our 50th birthdays in Croatia. About ten years ago I wrote this tribute to Stu as a Father Knows Nothing column. I honestly credit Stu with saving my life...

I didn’t notice this trend when we first moved back out to the suburbs. It wasn’t until my kids started school, that it started to hit me. This suburb has changed dramatically since I lived here as a boy. According to a recent story in the Chicago Sun-Times, many of the other Chicago suburbs are also changing in the same way.

And I, for one, think it’s great.

When my family moved out here in 1968, we were among the first immigrants to integrate this amazingly homogeneous suburban society. My sister and I were very young (5 & 4), and we didn’t even speak English in our household. My family had only been here slightly more than a decade, and had lived in a Chicago neighborhood with a circle of fellow German immigrant friends, none of whom spoke English in their homes either. Moving to the suburbs meant moving out of our comfortable German bubble and into America proper.

How German were we? My mother actually sent me to school in lederhosen because she had no idea how strange that looked to the other kids. I had to learn English in school. I played a sport, soccer, that the other kids in the neighborhood didn’t even know existed.

Every time I watch my sons play soccer now I relive those childhood memories. There are dozens of kids on these teams going through the same thing I went through in 1968. We have Polish kids, Mexican kids, Indian kids, African kids, Arab kids, Asian kids, and just about every other nationality you can name.

It’s not the similar experience, however, that makes me smile when I watch immigrant kids with their families. It’s the differences. For one thing, immigrant families are common now in the suburbs, and nobody bats an eye. The "normal" American kids don't consider it odd at all.

It was a little different in 1968. As my mother puts it now: "the school nurse was calling us every day." The bigger kids picked on me physically. They made fun of my name, my heritage, my sport, and our accents (Hogan's Heroes didn't exactly help, either). I felt like a freak...and I was a white kid. I can only imagine what it would have been like for an Asian kid, or an Indian kid, or an African kid.

I can point to the precise moment my life changed forever. The neighbor boy Stu rang our doorbell, and said: “Hi, I’m Stu, and I’m going to be your best friend.” Stu took me under his wing, showed me what it was like to be a normal American boy, and helped transform a dangerously shy German boy into just another kid in the neighborhood. By the time second grade started, it was effortless. I felt I belonged.

Kids today don’t need a Stu to rescue them anymore because they have a whole classroom of Stus. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. A Vietnamese boy named Phat (pronounced just the way you think it’s pronounced) moved into the neighborhood and none of the kids made fun of him. In fact, they embraced him. The “normal” kids were interested in learning about life in Vietnam, and they instinctively knew that it was their job to help him adapt to America.

That's the part that makes me smile the most.

Ode to Teachers

Every time I go into a classroom to talk to kids (as I did yesterday), I marvel at the skills of their teachers. I have three kids and I can't control them all at the same time...EVER. Teachers have 20 (or more) at a time, and appear to control them all at the same time--effortlessly. Inconceivable. I saw this in the Washington Post this morning, and thought I'd pass it along on behalf of all the teachers out there...

Eight Things Teachers Want You To Know About Them

Kermit in the Wild

A newly discovered species of frogs looks just like Kermit.

As far as I know they don't sing, dance, or tell jokes--but they do really look like Kermit. See below...

(Photo Credit: Brian Kubicki/Getty Images)

And I Love Her

Rolling Stone posted this--a rare Kurt Cobain cover of "And I love her" that he was singing to his daughter...



This is a special song to me--the first dance at my wedding. Our wedding's version was a cover too. The German Oom-pah-pah band sang it with a German accent. Let's call it a tribute to the Beatles' Hamburg days.

Dirty Deeds

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

Phil Rudd, the now-former drummer for AC/DC, has entered a plea of guilty in a New Zealand court to charges that he had threatened to kill his assistant and possession of drugs. CNN reports that Rudd, 60, had previously denied all of the allegations, but entered the surprise guilty plea on Tuesday before his trial was due to begin. Rudd was arrested last November after police found methamphetamine and marijuana while executing a search warrant at his home in New Zealand. According to a court summary, Rudd had fired several employees after his solo album flopped on the charts. A month later, he called an associate and said he wanted his personal assistant "taken out." Later, in what many legal scholars now believe to have been an all-advised move, Rudd called his assistant and said, "I'm going to come over and kill you."...If convicted, Rudd could face up to seven years in prison for the charge of threatening to kill. He's currently free on bail until his sentencing hearing on June 26.

The Blackhawks

I was fast asleep. I made it through the first overtime, but I couldn't stay up any longer. It didn't end until the third overtime. Here's a portion of the AP report from Yahoo...

They played for 101 grueling minutes, beginning Tuesday night and running into early Wednesday morning. The Chicago Blackhawks, looking for control of the first-round series. The Nashville Predators, searching for a split of their first four playoff games. Enter Brent Seabrook, a physical defenseman with a penchant for big postseason goals.

Seabrook scored on a booming slap shot 1 minute into the third overtime, and the Blackhawks beat the Predators 3-2 in the longest game of this year's NHL playoffs so far.

The Hawks only need one more win to get to the next round, but let's face it, they aren't playing great. This Nashville team is missing some of their best players.

Back to School

This morning I'll be talking to an elementary school in my area, and reading portions of "Father Knows Nothing". Looking forward to it. My favorite part is always the Q&A session afterwards. That's guaranteed to provide at least a few unexpected twists and turns.

Jon Stewart Announces Departure Date

His last Daily Show will be on August 6th.

Variety has the details.

Here Comes Another One!

Addison Russell is set to be called up to the Cubs today. He's considered one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball. He'll play 2B, giving the Cubs and infield of Rizzo, Russell, Castro & Bryant.

Details are here.

Starting to get a little giddy.

The Peabody's

The list of winners was announced yesterday, and this year it includes Comedy Central's Amy Schumer (Really?), CNN's coverage of VA & Nigeria, NBC/MSNBC's Richard Engel, and HBO's John Oliver.

See the full list here.

Landecker & Jeffries

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter, this little tidbit from two Chicago radio pros...

We thought you'd get a kick out of this vintage photo that was shared by Jan Jeffries, Cumulus SVP of Programming and PD of Classic Hits WLS-FM/Chicago. Sharp-eyed readers will recognize a couple of dashing radio icons -- that's Jeffries (right) and fellow legend John Records Landecker (left) during a much earlier tour of duty at WLS -- this photo was taken in 1985 during a station party. As Jeffries explains to RAMP, "I just happened to run across this photo in a box of old pictures -- I was PD of WLS-FM and John had just rejoined WLS. I thought it was cool that 'history is repeating itself' 30 years later at WLS."

Jan was kind enough to contribute several stories to "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" and this story of how he hired John 30 years ago was one of them.

Thanks so much, Citizens United

Corporations now spend more money lobbying Congress, than taxpayers spend funding Congress. Details are here at Vox.com.

Comcast Merger in Trouble

This is exciting news. Finally some sanity appears to be on the horizon. From Bloomberg...

Attorneys who are investigating Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposal to create a nationwide cable giant are leaning against the merger out of concern that consumers would be harmed and could submit their review as soon as next week.

Amen. Comcast will sue, of course, and the courts are stacked against the consumers, but for a brief shining moment there is a little sunshine. Although listen to the "reporter" analyzing the case Comcast has (at the link). One of his arguments, and I'm not joking here, is that Comcast can argue that their consumer relations couldn't possibly get worse after the merger because it's already the worst in America. He said that in all seriousness.

Mr. Spock is spinning in his grave. Logic is officially an endangered species.