Every Cub Ever

My book "everycubever" is out now and available here: https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/everycubever/ It features mini-bios of literally Every Cub Ever, including today's birthday boy Bill North. Remember the year these two Cubs greats led the league in steals...(sigh)

Sunset in Mt. Prospect

One of my simple life pleasures is going out to my garage, putting on the Cubs game, having a cigar and looking out at the view of the sunset.

Everyone needs a little solitary thinking time.

This works for me.

RIP Tim Conway

He passed away at the age of 85.

With him, goes another important part of my generation's childhood...

Dave LaRoche

My book "everycubever" is out now and available here. It features mini-bios of literally Every Cub Ever, including today's birthday boy...

~Dave LaRoche 1947– (Cubs 1973-1974)
He was supposed to be the closer for the Cubs when they acquired him from the Twins before the 1973 season (for Bill Hands and Joe Decker), but LaRoche couldn’t do the job. His ERAs were 5.80 and 4.79 in his two seasons with the Cubs. Of course he managed to rediscover his touch after leaving Chicago. In the next five years he saved 90 games, pitched in the All-Star game for Cleveland in 1976 and 1977, and the playoffs in 1979 for the Angels. His sons Adam and Andy both played major league ball. (Photo: Topps 1974 Baseball Card)

Chicago Radio Ratings

Robert Feder posted the latest ratings in his column today. He has all the dayparts broken out too, if you'd like to check those out. Here are the all-day ratings...

1. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 5.9 (5.4)
2. WVAZ 102.7-FM urban adult contemporary, 5.6 (5.3)
3. WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 5.4 (5.3)
4. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 5.3 (5.8)
5. (tie) WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 3.9 (3.9); WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 3.9 (4.5); WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 3.9 (4.2)
8. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 3.7 (2.8)
9. (tie) WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.3 (3.1); WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip hop, 3.3 (3.6); WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 3.3 (3.2)
12. WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 3.2 (2.9)
13. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 3.1 (3.0)
14. WGN 720-AM news talk, 2.9 (3.1)
15. (tie) WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 2.8 (3.4); WGCI 107.5-FM urban contemporary, 2.8 (2.9); WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 2.8 (2.6)
18. WUSN 99.5-FM country, 2.7 (2.6)
19. WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 2.5 (2.6)
20. WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.2 (2.2)
21. (tie) WLS 890-AM news talk, 1.8 (1.7); WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 1.8 (1.9); WPWX 92.3-FM urban contemporary, 1.8 (2.1)
24. WEBG 95.5-FM country, 1.7 (1.6)
25. (tie) WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian, 1.2 (1.2); WFMT 98.7-FM classical, 1.2 (1.3); WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 1.2 (1.1); WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.2 (1.2)
29. WERV 95.9-FM classic hits, 1.1 (0.9)
30. WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 1.0 (0.9)

RIP Doris Day

Younger people probably don't realize what a superstar she was in the 1940s and 1950s. She might have been the most popular singer in the country. She was also a major box-office movie star. Doris Day passed away this weekend at the age of 97.

My mom has been known to hum and sing this song while she cleans. I think it's her all-time favorite (non-German) song. I've heard it all of my life...



How about this for minutia...

With Doris Day passing, Chubby Checker, Bob Dylan, Brigitte Bardot, Bernard Goetz and 2 of the 4 Beatles are the only people mentioned by name in We Didn't Start the Fire that are still alive.

— Jason Diamond (@imjasondiamond) May 13, 2019

Here's a great scene...

RIP Doris Day - Classic scene from "That Touch of Mink" featuring Doris Day and Cary Grant sitting on the bench with New York #Yankees legends Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra! (1962) #MLB #History pic.twitter.com/H7Okw0uiPB

— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) May 13, 2019

Liverpool

My favorite Premier League team came up one point short this year. It was one of the best seasons in Premier League history (only one loss all year), but it wasn't good enough to beat Man City.

On the other hand, Liverpool can win the Champions League with a victory over Tottenham. And they definitely won the cutest moment award with this...

Mo Salah's daughter scores in front of the Kop ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VjTgDmETj2

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 12, 2019

Minutia Men, Episode 134

EP134: Rick and Dave discuss the worst national anthem performance ever, a gator in yoga pants, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts gives the boys the VIP treatment at Wrigley, and an interview with a real-life rock star–The Buckinghams lead singer Carl Giammarese.

Listen to it here.

Charlie Meyerson

Congrats to my old WPGU pal Charlie Meyerson for picking up some more hardware at the Lisagor Awards last week. Robert Feder has the details...

Among other notable winners at the Peter Lisagor Awards was Charlie Meyerson, who picked up best radio newscast honors for The Chicago Public Square Newscast, a 60-episode online pilot series produced as an adjunct to his Chicago Public Square daily email newsletter. The other finalist in the category was WBBM Newsradio. Meyerson also had a hand in the winner for best podcast, Rivet Radio, where the veteran Chicago newsman works part-time as vice president/editorial and development.

If you don't subscribe to his Chicago Public Square newsletter, you really should. It's excellent.

RIP Peggy Lipton

Sad story. Peggy Lipton, the former star of Mod Squad and Twin Peaks, passed away over the weekend. She was 72 years old.

I'll never forget Peggy. She was one of the first people who made me realize I was straight. I had a serious crush on her during her days on Mod Squad. I was no older than ten at the time...

Daily Herald Part 2

Thanks again to Jim O'Donnell for mentioning me again in his column this week, and for giving the answer to that unbelievably difficult trivia question...

LAST WEEK THE COLUMN QUESTION WAS: What was the walk-up song of Cubs catcher Tom Lundstedt during his one full season (1974) with the Cubs?

That inquiry stemmed from the release of Rick Kaempfer's excellent new book "EveryCubEver" (Eckhartz Press, $25), which lists the 2,186 who have played for the ballclub since 1871 along with select minutiae about each.

The clue was: "Not the most energizing song in the solar system."

The most-popular wrong answer was "Space Oddity" by David Bowie. ("Ground Control to Major Tom.")

Among the more esoteric answers was "The Original Theme From Monday Night Football." "Lazy Moon" by Harry Nilsson completed that exacta.

Key jumpoff juncture was deducing whether "solar system" referred to "sun," "space and universe" or something even more cosmic.

"Sun" was correct. From there, exactly three winners went on to correctly adduce "Sunshine On My Shoulders" by John Denver.

The trio -- all of whom will receive a copy of "EveryCubEver" courtesy of Kaempfer -- are Cindy Menelle of Mount Prospect, Brian DeValk of Palatine and Kevin Kelley of Arlington Heights.

As for Kaempfer, he received his own singular award:

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts called and had the energizing author and Eckhartz co-publisher Dave Stern sit with him at Monday night's Cubs-Marlins game.

Josh Reilly

My book "EveryCubEver" is selling like gangbusters at www.eckhartzpress.com . It features a mini-bio of literally every Cub that ever played for the team, including today's birthday boys. One of them, Billy Jurges, was shot by a fan. (Read his story today at www.justonebadcentury.com). But I think it's even more fun to read about some of the obscure players like this one...

~Josh Reilly 1868–1938 (Colts 1896)
When he arrived in Chicago in 1896 from San Francisco, the Sporting News provided a little background information about the 27-year-old rookie, saying he had been “traded for a horse when he played in California some years ago.” Then, he created a new legend for himself right out of the box. In his first big league game he started a triple play. Though he started with a bang, he was more of a shooting star than anything. After eight games, Reilly contracted typhoid fever, and just like that, his big league career was over. He lived another forty-plus years, but he never played baseball again.

Free Kicks, Episode 38

EP38: Adam and Rick discuss the final week of the Premier League season, and preview the summer ahead (World Cup, Champions League, and Europa league finals).

Listen to it here.

New music chart

For 80 years people have been talking about the Billboard Music Charts.

Well, beginning next week, there will be a competitor. This one already has a brand name. It's the Rolling Stone Music Chart.

Details are here.

I think KB is back

Kris Bryant walks it off with a two out three run home run in the 9th inning. Oh baby! pic.twitter.com/McGc6S4dcw

— Cubs Live (@Cubs_Live) May 8, 2019

Janet on the Radio

Feeling grateful to be featured in part of the national Jim Bohannon top rated radio show which featured my book! For more info https://t.co/VmwNwkrgCL https://t.co/RZ1x3i7GOH

— Sutherland Media (@Sutherlandmedia) May 8, 2019

Rick on the Radio

Went down to Lagrange last night to do an interview with Brandon Herman about my book "EveryCubEver". When it's posted on his midwestern network, I will post it here.

Thanks Brandon for having me on.

Clearly Not A Hoax

More than 400 former prosecutors believe Trump would face obstruction charges if he weren’t president, and signed a letter affirming their beliefs.

Now Trump is blocking anyone from testifying to Congress about anything, and is refusing to turn over his tax returns.


Still think this is a hoax? Is that how an innocent person acts? No.

He's still obstructing justice right before our very eyes.

What a night at Wrigley!

Thanks again to Tom Ricketts for asking me to sit with him in his seats so we could discuss my book. We talked baseball for nine innings. Just awesome. He is thinking of buying a copy of the book for all of his alumni. I could tell he really liked it. He was leafing through it the whole time.

Unforgettable night at Wrigley Field for me--even if the end result of the game could have been better.

Whoops

Game of Starbucks...

my favorite show in the entire world forgot a STARBUCKS COFFEE CUP ON THE TABLE WHILE FILMING pic.twitter.com/60z3pOCfg9

— zane (@zane) May 6, 2019

Kid K

I was there! Freezing, rainy, yucky day...but what a performance! https://t.co/xKeMGYKCFB

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) May 6, 2019

Minutia Men, Episode 133

EP133: Rick and Dave discuss Chef Boyardee, BSing rich guys, beer you’d never drink, all the Cubs named May, Rick’s brush with ex-Cub outfielder Jose Cardenal, and they interview humorist author Sheila Moeschen.

Listen to it here.

Free Kicks, Episode 37

EP37: Adam and Rick talk about the Player of the Year awards, the craziest game of the season, and take a quiz about the dirtiest players of all-time.

Listen to it here.

Stylz & Roman out at US-99

From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

Entercom Country WUSN (US99)/Chicago has parted company with morning duo Stylz & Roman after nearly three years in the wake-up slot. Dougie Stylz (a.k.a. Doug Bobrowski) and Justin Roman caused quite the stir when they debuted on WUSN under former owner CBS Radio back on Sept. 6, 2016, replacing the previous longtime duo of "Ramblin' Ray" Stevens and Lisa Dent. After all, Stylz and Roman were both newcomers to the Country format, having spent the previous 12 years across the hall on Top 40 sister WBBM (B96), starting out as promotions interns before teaming up for nights, and later spending a decade in afternoon drive before making their big Country move. In a Facebook post, the guys expressed their gratitude, saying, "Thanks to both our B96 and US99 families for all the love! But most of all, thanks to YOU for listening over the past 15 years!"

Janet Sutherland on Radio Health Journal

This appeared on over 500 radio stations over the weekend. Thanks again to Reed Pence for inviting Janet Sutherland into the studio to do this interview.

Here's the article that accompanied the interview...

One in every 50 Americans has a chance of experiencing the type of headache that no amount of medicine can dull. One with a 40% fatality rate. Typically non-symptomatic and often undiagnosed, brain aneurysms are bulging blood vessels in the brain (picture an expanding water balloon).

30,000 people per year have the misfortune of not recognizing their brain aneurysm until it ruptures and produces searing pain. A pain the prompted brain aneurysm survivor Janet Sutherland-Madden to call her mother one March afternoon to say what she believed to be her final goodbye.

What started as one of her daily headaches ended up bringing her dangerously close to death. Soon after Sutherland-Madden dialed 911, paramedics found her seizing on her kitchen floor and recognized that she was displaying the symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm. Amazingly, these paramedics had recently undergone training on how to identify brain aneurysms––a fact Sutherland-Madden recognizes as a true miracle.

Statistically, a brain aneurysm ruptures every 18 minutes, and ruptures have been found to occur twice as often in the African American community compared to Caucasians. Sutherland-Madden discusses these statistics and other truths in her new book Nose Over Toes––a product of her new-found mission to disseminate knowledge and raise awareness about aneurysms.

You can listen to it here.

Book Signing weekend

Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend. We sold out of books at Moretti's...



And we had a great time in Wheaton...

Jam Packed Weekend

2 weekend book signings--3 great Eckhartz Press #books. 1st on Saturday from 2-4pm, at Moretti's in Mt. Prospect selling my book "EveryCubEver" along with @BeckySarwate of "Cubsessions". (#Cubs) Sunday I'll be in Wheaton for "Nose Over Toes" signing at Emmett's Brewing. Stop by! pic.twitter.com/gaAajJ2LtF

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) May 2, 2019

Sinclair Going All-In on Sports

Sinclair announced they are buying 21 regional sports networks from Disney.

That comes with a hefty $10 billion price tag.

This news follows the news that they are starting up a sports network in Chicago with the Cubs, beginning next season. Let's hope this new focus on sports causes them to give up politics.

EveryCubEver in the Daily Herald

Super appreciative of this article in the Daily Herald: So you think you know the Cubs?

If you'd like to win a copy of my book "EveryCubEver" you have a chance via this piece There's a trivia question--and it's a reeeeeeally hard one. I didn't even know the answer.

Do you?

Elvis Costello with Spinal Tap!

Janet Sutherland

This is a great piece in the Kane County Chronicle about Eckhartz Press author Janet Sutherland and her book "Nose Over Toes". I'll be in Wheaton on Sunday with her. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. I'll buy you a beer. (Another signing at a brewery? Is this how they get you to show up to all of these things, Rick?)

Paul Still Isn't Dead

Gibb worked for WKNR and led the discussion about the "clues" that pointed to McCartney's death. #radiohistory

Russ Gibb — Detroit rock visionary, schoolteacher and 'Paul is dead' prankster — dies at 87 https://t.co/a0izEW4fvc via @freep

— Len O'Kelly (@LenOKelly) May 1, 2019

May Day

My book "everycubever" is available now via eckhartzpress (https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/everycubever/). It features a mini-bio of every Cub who ever played--including all three that are worthy of featuring on May Day...

~Derrick May 1968-- (Cubs 1990-1994)
Derrick was a first round Cubs draft choice in 1986, and made his big league debut in 1990. The son of big leaguer Dave May didn’t really get regular playing time until 1992, but in his final three seasons with the Cubs he did show some promise. In ’93 he had his best campaign, hitting 10 homers and driving in 77 while batting .295. After the 1994/1995 strike, May was permitted to leave as a free agent, and later played with the Brewers, Astros, Phillies, Expos, and Orioles.

~Jakie May 1895--1970 (Cubs 1931-1932)
The little lefty (only 5’8″) pitched 14 seasons in the big leagues, the last two of which were for the Cubs. He was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen. Jakie won 7 games and saved 3. He retired after the 1932 World Series loss to the Yankees, a few months shy of his 37th birthday. He had been rocked for seven runs in only two innings pitched in that series.

~Scott May 1961-- (Cubs 1991)
Scott was a September call-up at the end of the 1991 season and appeared in two games. The right-handed reliever gave up six hits and four earned runs in only two innings (an ERA of 18.00). It was his last chance at the big leagues. He previously had a cup of coffee with the Rangers.

Jim O'Donnell

This month's Illinois Entertainer is out and features a great cover story about Steve Earle. It also features my media column about Daily Herald sports-media columnist Jim O'Donnell.

You can read it here.

Book Signing Weekend

On Saturday you'll find me (and Becky Sarwate-Maxwell from "Cubsessions") here...



On Sunday you'll find me (and Janet Sutherland from "Nose Over Toes) here...

Rick on TV

This morning I traveled down the WGN-TV studios to do a bit with the morning team (and naturally, promote my book). Here's the link to my appearance this morning on WGN-TV Morning News.

Next time I'll have to bring a photographer. These are the only pictures I have...

Last Farewell to Chet

We said a final farewell to our old buddy Chet Coppock yesterday. I thought his family and friends did a nice job creating a fitting send off service. Mark Giangreco, John McDonough, Bruce Levine, and several others including Chet’s kids gave poignant speeches, and the packed church swapped Chet stories for quite a while after the service ended. Saw a lot of my old Loop pals there including some I haven’t seen in years. Wish I could have seen them under better circumstances. Rest In Peace, Chet. We will miss you.

Teddy Greenstein of the Tribune was there (sitting just a few spots away from me), and filed this very accurate report for the Chicago Tribune.

Minutia Men, Episode 132

This week's episode of Minutia Men contains our tribute to Chet Coppock, including the last interview he did with us, and the audio to the famous Cobb Salad encounter...

Listen to it here.

Big Weekend

On Friday my first batch of books arrived...



On Saturday I did my first book signing in Orland Park. One of the Cubs showed up (Steve Trout with his grandosn)...





On Sunday I went on the Playtime wiht Bill Turck and Kerri Kendall show and did a toast for our old pal Chet Coppock, and then talked about my new book...



And this morning I'm heading in to the city for Chet Coppock's memorial service.

Tomorrow morning I'll be on WGN-TV.

Just explaining my lack of posting here. Things will return to normal soon.

Everycubever Launch Party

Yes, I will be in Orland Park tomorrow selling "everycubever", but I will also be throwing this party (below) in my neck of the woods on May 4...

Not a Lefty

Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano: "When the president asked Corey Lewandowski ... to get Mueller fired, that's obstruction of justice. When the president asked his then-White House counsel to get Mueller fired & then lie about it, that's obstruction of justice." pic.twitter.com/5k3dSpD76v

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 25, 2019

Rick Monday Saves the Flag

It happened on this day in 1976...

Pedro's Car

Just before last night's Cubs game, Pedro Strop's car was stolen. He was dealing with the police during the first few innings of the game.

Bleacher Nation has the details.

My favorite part of the story? During the 4th inning he said to the police: "SORRY OFFICER, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU BECAUSE WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BASEBALL GAME AND I HAVE TO GO PITCH IN A HIGH-INTENSITY SITUATION."

He did, too. He got the save last night.

Pacino explains acting

This is probably the best description I've heard of how to "act"

It’s Pacino’s birthday today, which reminds me of the time he gave a remarkably simple answer about the secret to acting.

(via @RealEOC) pic.twitter.com/gP8uCuZ9pZ

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) April 25, 2019

Tweet-a-holics

I tweet about once or twice a day to promote my writing or publishing projects. I just looked this morning and I've tweeted 5033 times. I've been on Twitter about ten years. If you do the math, that's about 500 tweets a year. Or about 1.3 times a day.

Sounds like a lot to me, but it's not even in the ballpark to be considered a heavy Twitter user.

According to this piece, 80% of tweets are done by 10% of Twitters users. The president, for instance, has tweeted 41,000 times and has been on Twitter about as long as I have. Former sportscaster (and radio talk show host) Bruce Wolf has tweeted 72,000 times. Local Chicago journalist Robert Loerzel (who is a great follow by the way) has tweeted 372,000 times.

Just explaining why your Twitter feed may be dominated by a few people. If it's dominated by me, you don't follow any heavy Twitter users.

Virgil!

I agree with this call. The difference between Liverpool in the pre-Virgil years and the post-Virgil years is that they used to lose games because they gave up a lot of goals. They don't anymore. The offense is still great (I love Salah, Mane, and Fermino) but without Virgil they wouldn't be where they are now.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to be crowned PFA Players’ Player of the Year | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/bBoEJqTm6M

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) April 24, 2019

The most impeachable offense

Yes, he obstructed justice (at least five counts are provable in court).

Yes, he paid a porn star off just before the election to hide the news of his affair (a criminal offense--he is named as a co-conspirator in court).

Yes, he accepted and applauded help from Russia, even if "collusion" couldn't be proven. It's still anti-American and despicable.

Both the worst thing is that he still won't do anything about Russians attacking our political system, because he thinks it will help him.

Today's bombshell: Former Homeland Security Chief Nielson was told NOT to mention her concerns about Russians attacking us again in 2020 to the President.

Rick in Orland

This is where I will be on Saturday--signing and selling my newest book "everycubever" along with fellow Eckhartz Press authors Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate Maxwell. My son Sean is coming along because of the sportscards on sale too. If you're in the neighborhood, swing by...

Chet's Last Days

This is Chet Coppock's last interview. He taped it with Rabbi Doug the week before he left on his trip to South Carolina...



Jim O'Donnell wrote about Chet's final days in the Daily Herald. This is the untold story of what happened to Chet in South Carolina, and the story of his passing.

Robert Feder has the details about Chet's memorial service...

A public memorial service for Chet Coppock will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Saint Pauls United Church of Christ, 2335 North Orchard Street in Chicago. The famed sportscaster and self-styled “Godfather of Sports Talk Radio” died April 17 in Savannah, Georgia — 11 days after he was injured in a car accident in Okatie, South Carolina. Coppock would have turned 71 on April 30. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities.

Gym Couples

I laughed out loud...

GYM COUPLES NAILED IT!!! 😲💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/QVKm9G2GVb

— Arron Crascall (@arron_crascall) April 22, 2019

Is the tide turning?

Today a former member of Trump's transition team calls for impeachment hearings.

What will tomorrow bring?

Ray Starr

My book "everycubever" is available for pre-order now (https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/everycubever/). It features mini-bios of every Cub who ever played for the team, including today's birthday boy...

~Ray Starr 1906–1963 (Cubs 1945)
Ray Starr earned the nickname Iron Man by pitching both ends of more than 40 minor league doubleheaders during his 20-year career. One of his memorable quirks? Each season he pitched fastballs and curves for two hours on the first day of spring training. (Modern Day pitching coaches faint at the mention of this ritual). As a wartime pitcher with the Reds, Starr won 15 games in 1942, and made the All-Star team. But that was really his only good year. The Cubs picked him up from the Pirates during their pennant winning 1945 season, but Iron Man didn’t exactly pitch well. His ERA was 7.42. Starr gave up 17 hits and 7 walks in just 13 innings with the pennant winning Cubs. He retired after the 1945 season.

Beer

Sponsorless beer ad, Chicago 1913 pic.twitter.com/BvJj1EkHEf

— Jeff Nichols (@backwards_river) April 23, 2019

This Weekend in Orland Park

Your first chance to get "Everycubever" in the flesh. I'll be signing copies at the Orland Park Civic Center (come on out south side Cub fans--I know you are out there) on Saturday from around 10am until 1pm or so.

They wrote an unbelievably nice piece about me in the Orland Park Patch. You can read it here.

Stephen Colbert on the Mueller Report

John Oliver on the Mueller Report

The Truth About the Mueller Report

President Trump and his Attorney General have been saying a lot of things about the Mueller Report. Most/many of those things are untrue.

The non-partisan Associated Press has fact checked them.

The AP doesn't engage in opinion or activist journalism. They are Jack Webb in Dragnet. Just the facts, ma'am. According to them, Trump and Barr are misleading and outright lying to the American people.

Minutia Men, Episode 131

EP131: Rick and Dave present an all-interview show, featuring discussions about minutia with celebrity guests (actors, musicians, athletes, billionaires, and newsmakers). You’ll hear questions that you’ve never heard asked, and celebrities you’ve never heard interviewed. Some incredibly memorable and funny stories.

Listen to it here.

Full House

We had a full house for Easter yesterday. I really enjoyed seeing everyone. These are just the kids who were here...

Rick on the Radio

Tune in tomorrow morning (Saturday) to Murph & Fred (ESPN-AM 1000) at 11am. I'll be on with the fellas to discuss my upcoming book "Everycubever" (https://t.co/9l2isBHjGz). Looking forward to it--I've always liked their show. #Cubs

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) April 19, 2019

UPDATE: The podcast can be heard here.

The Mueller Report

I gave up cable news for Lent, and yesterday was probably one of the toughest days of Lent for me. I sooooo wanted to turn on the TV and watch the experts devour the Mueller report. Instead, I followed on twitter and read something called newspapers. Remember those?

Still nothing like print newspapers... pic.twitter.com/B9xiOwM7VN

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 19, 2019

By the way, I also read the report, which was on-line and available to anyone who wanted to read it. I wanted to read it badly.

My takeaway: The media has been absolutely correct in virtually everything they have reported about this case. The next time he says "Fake News" realize that he is 100% full of shit.

Also, this is an important point. He fails as Commander in Chief because he still hasn't done anything about Russian (now proven) meddling in our elections. He won't protect us from a foreign adversary because he is hoping they help him again.

Remembering Chet

There were tons of tributes yesterday to Chet Coppock. He was even trending on Twitter.

I know my phone was ringing off the hook. Thanks to WGN Radio, WLS Radio, and the Daily Herald for calling me and allowing me to share some stories about Chet. (The WGN interview is here if you want to hear it)

Now @JohnHowellWLS and friend @RickKaempfer remember legendary sportscaster @ChetCoppock, tune in. pic.twitter.com/yP39MqsICf

— WLS-AM 890 (@wlsam890) April 18, 2019

I thought the Sun Times did a very nice tribute to Chet.

Robert Feder did a nice piece in Chet's own words.

I wrote a tribute to Chet on the Eckhartz Press website too.

Steve Dahl did a nice tribute that featured classic audio of Chet. Chet appeared on Steve's show just recently--in the closing days of Steve's show on WLS Radio. (That's where this picture was taken.)



He even got a shout out on national television. Michael Wilbon paid tribute on PTI...

Beautiful tribute to Chet Coppock from @RealMikeWilbon on ESPN’s @PTI. Chet would have loved it ...and all of today’s overwhelming outpouring of love and respect. pic.twitter.com/mTwBzHEUEv

— Jim Williams (@JimWilliamsCBS2) April 19, 2019

(I took that picture of Chet and his girlfriend at WGN Radio last year)

I will say this about yesterday. In his last few years Chet was beginning to feel that people had forgotten him, and he worried what his legacy would be. I don't think in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would receive the kind of outpouring of love that he received.

I hope that he somehow could see it or feel it or know it.

It would have meant the world to him.

Sad News

I'm still processing the news. I just talked to Chet the day before his accident, and had no idea anything was wrong. So sad. I'll miss the old Bohunk. He was one-of-a-kind. Truly. https://t.co/UGM5uYk2IA pic.twitter.com/IROkqUTJtI

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) April 18, 2019

Free Kicks, Episode 36

EP36: Adam and Rick discuss the great race for this year’s Premier League title (between Man City & Liverpool), and take a quiz about previous down-to-the-wire races.

Listen to it here.

Rick and Bridget 2039

First I have to learn how to dance, but how hard can that be?

Love this! https://t.co/bt4EIvAJiR

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) April 16, 2019

Tom Needham

My book "everycubever" is available for pre-order now, and ships on May 1st. It features mini-bios of every Cub who ever played, including today's birthday boy...

~Tom Needham 1879–1926 (Cubs 1909-1914)
Needham was born in Ireland and came to this country as a youngster. Deerfoot, as he was called, joined the Cubs in the midst of their historic run to be the backup catcher to Johnny Kling, and then Jimmy Archer. He even got to bat in the 1910 World Series against the A’s. Deerfoot was known as a good defensive player, but never hit well (career average was .209). He played six seasons with the Cubs, but didn’t quite last long enough to play in the new ballpark. In his last few years with the Cubs Needham was a player/coach. He later became the pitching coach for the White Sox.

It's also Cap Anson's birthday today. If you'd like to read about him, his more lengthy bio can be found today at Just One Bad Century.

CJ Edwards Instagram Posts

MLB is investigating racist instagram posts sent to Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr.

“We were shocked by the racist, profanity-laced social media message sent to Carl Edwards Jr. earlier this month,” said Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, in a statement released to The Athletic. “We vehemently condemn the content of the message and are supporting Major League Baseball’s investigation to identify the person responsible.”

When players like Jacque Jones and Milton Bradley complained of racist attacks--I didn't buy it. When Dusty Baker claimed to be the victim of racist attacks--I didn't buy it. I'm starting to change my mind.

This element of Cubs nation is welcome to go root for another team. We don't want to be associated with you.

RealityCon

MTV is doing a convention for reality shows. It's called RealityCon.

Has there ever been a better name for a convention?

Tommy Sewell

My book "everycubever" is available for pre-order now! (Ships May 1) It includes a mini-bio of literally every Cub who ever played between 1871-2018, including today's birthday boy...

~Tommy Sewell 1906–1956 (Cubs 1927)
Tommy had exactly one big league at bat. It came on June 21, 1927 at Sportsman Park in St. Louis. Tommy pinch hit for Cubs pitcher Percy Jones in the seventh inning against Cardinals pitcher Flint Rehm. Unfortunately for Tommy, Flint was a 20-game-winner that season. Sewell didn’t get on base and never got another chance in the big leagues. After that he played in the minor leagues for another four years before hanging up his spikes. Tommy couldn’t even brag about his big league experience when he came home to Alabama. His brother Joe was a Hall of Famer, another brother Luke also played in the big leagues, and so did his cousin Rip.

By the way, I tweeted out an abbreviated version of this, and it was my 5000th tweet of all time. Not sure I'll hit another milestone like that. It took me ten years to hit it...

My book "everycubever" (https://t.co/9l2isBHjGz) is available for pre-order now! (Ships May 1) It includes a mini-bio of literally every #Cub who ever played between 1871-2018, including today's birthday boy Tommy Sewell. He was the Tommy Aaron of his day. Brother Joe is a HOFer. pic.twitter.com/uK7vh9llJh

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) April 16, 2019

Chicago Radio Ratings

Robert Feder posted all the of the Chicago radio ratings this morning. If you want to look at the daypart breakdowns, click here to read the whole column. (Eric Ferguson is #1 in mornings, Bob Stroud in middays, and Joe Soto-WVAZ in afternoons). Here are the overall ratings...

1. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 5.8 (6.1)
2. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 5.4 (5.5)
3. (tie) WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 5.3 (5.1); WVAZ 102.7-FM urban adult contemporary, 5.3 (4.7)
5. WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 4.5 (3.9)
6. WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 4.2 (5.0)
7. WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 3.9 (4.4)
8. WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip hop, 3.6 (3.1)
9. WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 3.4 (3.3)
10. WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 3.2 (3.2)
11. (tie) WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.1 (3.3); WGN 720-AM news talk, 3.1 (3.5)
13. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 3.0 (2.2)
14. (tie) WGCI 107.5-FM urban contemporary, 2.9 (2.7); WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 2.9 (2.9)
16. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 2.8 (3.0)
17. (tie) WUSN 99.5-FM country, 2.6 (3.0); WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 2.6 (2.8); WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 2.6 (2.6)
20. WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.2 (2.6)
21. WPWX 92.3-FM urban contemporary, 2.1 (2.1)
22. WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 1.9 (1.6)
23. WLS 890-AM news talk, 1.7 (1.7)
24. WEBG 95.5-FM country, 1.6 (1.6)
25. WFMT 98.7-FM classical, 1.3 (1.2)
26. (tie) WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian, 1.2 (1.5); WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.2 (1.0)
28. WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 1.1 (1.0)
29. (tie) WERV 95.9-FM classic hits, 0.9 (0.7); WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 0.9 (1.0)

Ed Bailey

My book "everycubever" is available for pre-order now. It features mini-bios of everyone who ever played for the Cubs, including today's birthday boy...

~Ed Bailey 1931–2007 (Cubs 1965)
Ed was one of the best catchers in the National League in the late 50s and early 60s. He was a five-time All-Star, and a World Series hero during his time with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. One of his personal highlights during those years was when he caught his brother Jim (a pitcher for the Reds in 1959). The Cubs acquired him along with Harvey Kuehnn and Bob Hendley in 1965. He was near the end of his career when he came to the Cubs, but he still played well. He was clearly the best catcher on that 1965 team. The Cubs acquired Randy Hundley the following year, which made Ed expendable. He finished his career with the Angels. (Photo: Topps 1966 baseball card)

When he was with the Reds, he and his teammates appeared on "What's My Line"

Pothole Song

5 years ago today Pothole store owner David Stern released this hit song...

Jackie Robinson

Something to remember...

There’s only one MLB park left where Jackie Robinson played - Wrigley Field. #JackieRobinsonDay pic.twitter.com/Bt9tz6WPYE

— Bob Vorwald (@BobVorwald) April 15, 2019

Liverpool

I'm a big Liverpool supporter in the Premier League, and I kept flipping back and forth between Tiger and the Liverpool game. Lucky I saw the best of both. Mo Salah's goal was one for the ages, and the atmosphere at Anfield was absolutely incredible. This captures it pretty well I think...

In mid commentary flow at Anfield a few minutes after Salah’s screamer 🗣. #LFC ⁦@NBCSportsSoccer⁩. By ⁦@julesmakeup70⁩ pic.twitter.com/JwiQSisTYo

— Arlo White (@arlowhite) April 14, 2019

Eddie V

From this morning's Robert Feder column...

It didn’t take long for Eddie Volkman to land on his feet. Just days after the sale of northwest suburban classic rocker WFXF 103.9-FM cost him his job as morning personality, the longtime Chicago radio star has been hired by WSSR 96.7-FM, the Alpha Media southwest suburban adult-contemporary station. Starting today, he’ll program Star 96.7 as content manager and double as afternoon host from 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays. Volkman succeeds Scott Childers, who exited the station after 15 years last week. “It’s a shame I won’t be working with my longtime friend Scott Childers,” he said. “We go all the way back to when he was ‘Rich Scott’ doing traffic for us on B96. He has built a solid station here, and it will be an honor to inject some new energy into the operation.” In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Star 96.7 tied for 36th place with a 0.3 percent share.

(Photo: From the day I appeared on Eddie's podcast a few years ago)

Unfortunately, as you can tell from Eddie's comments above, the move coincided with the firing of Scott Childers. That was referenced in this morning's RAMP newsletter...

The sharp knife of radio strikes again," said Scott Childers, who has exited as PD of Alpha Media's suburban Chicago Hot AC WSSR (Star 96.7)/Joliet, IL after 15 years. As Childers told RAMP, "Ironic that it happened on the 95th birthday of WLS/Chicago... my last firing came on MY birthday back in 2002." [Ed. note: As reported by Robert Feder, Childers is the author of Chicago's WLS Radio, a critically acclaimed illustrated history of "The Big 89," published by Arcadia Publishing in 2008. He also created a tribute website at WLShistory.com.] Childers will now focus on his v/o work as he plans his next move. He can be reached at 630-901-9670 or scott@childers.com.

Tiger

I was glued to the tube watching this...even got a little verklempt.

Watching this on repeat. The noise level from the gallery, the hug with the kids, Tiger’s roar and genuine joy. Better than we could have imagined. pic.twitter.com/2oe3jILYKS

— Nathan Murphy (@nathanmurf) April 14, 2019

This is a great piece in the Washington Post written by Thomas Boswell. It captures the excitement, drama, and history of that magical moment incredibly well.

I was driving through a snow storm with my kids and listened to the final putt on the radio. That is without question the first time I've ever listened to golf on the radio.

Minutia Men, Episode 130

EP130: Rick gets the very first copy of his new book “everycubever”, plus Rick and Dave discuss a new class at the University of Kansas, bees in a woman’s eyes, a Cubs media debacle, Rick’s brush with Kevin Nealon, and they interview local Chicago TV-reporter Dane Placko.

Listen to it here.

Mitch in Westmont

It was good catching up with Eckhartz Press author Mitch Michaels on Saturday in Westmont. I didn't realize it was National Record Store day. It's always fun hanging out at a record store, but even better on an important day like that.

Good to see WGN Radio's Wendy Snyder there with her two sons, and former colleague John Calhoun (currently at the River, but we worked together at WJMK). Young up and comer Brandon Herman was there too. Also, met Samantha James (The River) and her husband for the first time.

Thanks to the folks at Blue Village Vinyl for inviting us out there. It was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.