Monday, June 03, 2019

Rick Kogan


The June issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and features my interview with Tribune/WGN icon Rick Kogan.

You can read it here.
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WGN Walk of Fame

They named four new members last week. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

Andrea Darlas, whose career as a news anchor, reporter and show host at WGN Radio spans more than 21 years; WGN marketing and sales pro Marlene Wells, who celebrates her 52nd anniversary with the station this October; "King John" Williams, who started at WGN as an intern, took over middays in September 1997 and moved to afternoons in 2000, and the late "Tenpin Tattler" Sam Weinstein, who hosted the longest-running radio program with one host. The show debuted on WCFL on August 24, 1935 as a 15-minute bowling program. In 1966, the show moved over to WGN Radio as a five-minute program on Saturday nights, where it ran until August 26, 1995. "There's unforgettable wisdom in each of this year's inductees," said Todd Manley, WGN Station Manager and VP of Content. "They are among the greatest WGN ambassadors and inventive entertainers." The Walk of Fame induction ceremony will be broadcast live from the Chicago Architecture Center on Friday, September 13 at 10am.

I will actually be on WGN Radio tomorrow morning at 11:35 discussing my book. I can pass on my congratulations in person.
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People are Loving Everycubever




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Back in the Blogging Chair

After a two week vacation, I'm back in the blogging chair this morning. I visited Spain, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, England, and Detroit. Yes, Detroit, Michigan.

Here are a few highlights below...

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Friday, May 31, 2019

Thanks Lin!


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Friday, May 17, 2019

Taking some time off

You may have noticed that my blogging time has gone down a bit lately as I hustle my book around the area. Sorry about that. I do really enjoy blogging and staying on top of what is happening in the world.

Unfortunately, I have another adventure I'm embarking on beginning tomorrow, and I'll have limited time and access to this blog, so I've decided to take a two-week blogging vacation.

During my time off, there will still be some episodes of Minutia Men (including a brand new one tomorrow.) If you haven't subscribed to that podcast yet, please do. This week's episode features a chat with radio legend Fred Winston.

I will return in June with some hopefully cool stories of what I've been up to. Talk to you then!


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George Will

At his induction into Illinois Broadcasters Hall of Fame had a great chat with fellow Cub fan George Will. He quizzed me on Cubs players to see if they were in the book and was thrilled I included his favorite broadcaster Bert Wilson. Also thrilled I gave him a copy. He was still clutching it tightly an hour later. Thanks George!

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Thursday, May 16, 2019

A Cubs Birthday


A college friend of mine asked me to do her a favor yesterday. It was her sister's birthday, and she's a big Cubs fan. Would I mind signing a copy of my new Cubs book (EveryCubEver) for her and surprising her at her house with it? I did, and she was very excited. Gave me a tour of their great Cubs basement, and we swapped Cubs stories. Happy birthday Marcia. Hope it was a good one!
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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Zo-No!

Shocking news...



Please oh please at least let this mean the end of that terrible "Benny & the Jets" walkup music...
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Chicago is not Trump Country

Great piece in the Washington Post today about the troubles Trump businesses are having because Trump is such a toxic name.

One of those is in Chicago. Trump Tower is hurting big-time. Nobody wants to be associated with it.

If you ever want to entertain yourself in Chicago, have a seat anywhere near Trump Tower and watch people walk by. Hundreds of them flip off the building every day. Every day. People are flipping off a building...just because his name is on it.

He claims numbers are down because Chicago's gun violence is scaring people away. That's pretty funny. Go to Trump tower and check out the neighborhood. It's packed every second. And it's completely safe.

Most Chicagoans just hate Trump.

So does most of the world.

That's just a fact. Sorry.
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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)

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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.
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Tuesday, May 14, 2019

RIP Tim Conway

He passed away at the age of 85.

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

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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)
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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)
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Monday, May 13, 2019

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...



Here's a great scene...




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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...


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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.
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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.
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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...

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Thursday, May 09, 2019

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.

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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.
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Wednesday, May 08, 2019

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.
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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.
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I think KB is back


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Janet on the Radio


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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.
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Tuesday, May 07, 2019

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.
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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.

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Monday, May 06, 2019

Whoops

Game of Starbucks...


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Kid K


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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.
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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.
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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!"
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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.
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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...

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Friday, May 03, 2019

Jam Packed Weekend


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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.
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Thursday, May 02, 2019

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?
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Elvis Costello with Spinal Tap!

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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?)

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Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Paul Still Isn't Dead


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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.
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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.
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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

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...

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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...

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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.
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Monday, April 29, 2019

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.
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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.
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