Minnie Minoso

He turned 90(!) yesterday. Saw this in Robert Feder's column today...

"Family and friends of Minnie Minoso celebrated the White Sox legend’s 90th birthday Thursday at a screening of a documentary about his life and career...Baseball’s Been Very, Very Good to Me: The Minnie Minoso Story will debut at 10pm December 11 on WTTW-Channel 11. Produced by veteran Chicago documentarian Tom Weinberg, it was completed as a Kickstarter.com project with backing from more than 160 fans."

Minnie was on the John Landecker show several times during our time at WJMK. We always had him on for the same reason: You can read about that here.

Today's Best Tweets



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




Isabel Lara ‏@isalara
"In Diane Sawyer’s newsroom, staffers say, the anchor uses xo so frequently its omission can spark panic." @TheAtlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/12/the-xo-factor/309174/#.ULi0UsBzE5F.twitter …

Marcus Leshock ‏@marcusleshock
I dreamed a dream in time gone by. Pretty sure cleaning poop out of my two year-old's jams at 7am wasn't part of it. #Fatherhood

The Associated Press ‏@AP
Comedian Gilda Radner: Gone and forgotten? A Wisconsin cancer support group changes its name: http://apne.ws/Vage40 -BW

Talking Points Memo ‏@TPM
Jon Stewart: Fiscal cliff is like an asteroid barreling toward Earth that we created and fired at ourselves http://tpm.ly/QS78ND

Lizz Winstead ‏@lizzwinstead
Why is it Obama's fault if John Boehner can't control in the flea infestation wing of his caucus?

Publishers Weekly ‏@PublishersWkly
On Vonnegut's letters: "it seemed like Kurt Vonnegut’s biggest obstacle to happiness was Kurt Vonnegut" | The Millions http://pwne.ws/V9VsU7

Richard Lewis ‏@TheRichardLewis
I gave myself a break once and it back-fired.

Ricky Gervais ‏@rickygervais
Isn't Twitter the most fun ever.

The Associated Press ‏@AP
Report: David Wright and the NY Mets agree to $138 million, 8-year deal; richest in franchise history: http://apne.ws/118FKwN -BW

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN
The Dodgers met with Zack Greinke Thursday. Industry expectation is that they will offer him Long Beach and parts of Bakersfield today.

Romney & Obama's Lunch

Nobody was allowed to witness it. No questions were taken about the subject of their conversation. But one important thing was revealed; the lunch menu. Obama served "a lunch spread of white turkey chili and chicken salad."

And some conservatives saw that as a slam on Romney.

(Sigh)

Is there a worse job in the world than President of the United States?

The F.C.C.

I know this is a story that the public at large doesn't care about at all, but it appears that not everyone is going to sit on the sidelines while the F.C.C. once again relaxes media ownership rules.

There was a teleconference yesterday by civil rights groups, unions, and public interest groups urging the F.C.C. not to do it. Radio Online has the details.

And then, there was this impassioned plea by Charles P. Pierce at Esquire Magazine, who pointed out that relaxing this rule is a gift to the one person that shouldn't be given the gift of further media ownership: Rupert Murdoch.

He writes: "There is simply no reason for any country anywhere in the world ever to do favors for Rupert Murdoch ever again. His British operation has been exposed engaging in outright criminality. (And anyone who thinks that criminality stopped in the UK is fooling themselves.) His television network in the United States has turned to outright buffoonery and is starting to stagger in the ratings. He is the Bhopal in any media ecosystem in which he is allowed to flourish. There never has been a better time to break what power he has left. Instead, it appears that we are going to streamline ourselves right into enhancing his power in minor markets like Chicago and Los Angeles. It appears to me that this ought to be of some concern to an administration on which Mr. Murdoch has painted a bulls-eye since January of 2009. Vengeance is not always a bad thing."

I don't know if anyone is hearing these voices, but I'm happy that they are out there. I was starting to feel a little lonely on this soapbox.

The Who Review

Went to the Who concert last night with my oldest son Tommy. He really really loved it. ("Better than Pink Floyd, but not quite as good as McCartney" is the way he classified it). When they did "Who are You", he leaned over to me and said: "Whatever money you paid for this was worth it just to hear and see that."

I liked it too, although to be totally honest, it's the sixth or seventh time I've seen them, and they have sounded better in the past. Roger couldn't quite hit some of the notes anymore, particularly that last "LOVE" scream on "Love Reign O'er Me"

But they were not going through the motions at all. The thing that always astounds me when I see them live is that they don't just play the songs--they attack them. It's a violent, desperate act. I think that's one of the reasons that the Who is most certainly a guy's band. As always at a Who concert, men outnumbered the women dramatically in the crowd last night.

My favorite moment of the concert actually happened in the bathroom. I heard a guy say to another guy at the urinals: "Last time I saw 'em, I dropped acid. Now I'm dropping antacid."

I'm totally stealing that line.

Cubs 365, November 30

On this day in 1977, the Cubs signed slugger Dave Kingman. All the elements were in place for a wonderful long term marriage between the Cubs and Dave Kingman. He was a prodigious slugger; his home runs were already the stuff of legend. The Cubs were having trouble drawing fans, and he was the kind of player that brought people to the ballpark. In addition to that, he was a local boy (Prospect High School) returning to play in front of his home town fans. He even lived up to his billing; slugging home runs onto Waveland Avenue with regularity.

Yet, by the time Kingman left Chicago, he might have been one of the most hated players in Cubs history.

How did things go so horribly wrong?

His first year with the Cubs (1978) he hit 28 homers, and some of them were dramatic, but his personality was already rubbing people the wrong way. His 1979 season was one of the best in Cubs history (he hit 48 homers), so his teammates and fans looked the other way as he said and did things that irritated one and all.

It wasn't until 1980 that things really got ugly, and they got ugly in a hurry. In April Kingman caused a stir when he threw a bucket of ice water on a newspaper reporter for the Daily Herald. This unprovoked attack (the reporter was interviewing someone else--Lenny Randle) led to a reprimand from the league office, but not much else.

In June, Kingman didn't show up for a game. He had been given the previous day off to fly to San Diego after his home was burglarized, but he didn't make it back in time for the next day's game. The Cubs fined him for that. When he finally did show up the next day he showed up with a sore shoulder and had to be put on the disabled list. He was out for two months.

During that time on the DL, the Cubs scheduled "Dave Kingman Day" at the ballpark. They gave away 15,000 Dave Kingman t-shirts, and even though he was in town that day, he didn't show up at the ballpark. He did a paid gig promoting Jet Skis instead.

By the end of that season people hated him. Mike Royko, who had been a Cubs fan for forty years, publicly switched his allegiance to the White Sox because he despised Kingman so much. (He called him Ding Dong instead of his previous nickname King Kong).

In the off season the Cubs did what they had to do; they traded Kingman back to the Mets. After news of Kingman's trade became public, his teammates all expressed relief that he was gone. Royko even became a Cubs fan again.

And though Dave Kingman continued to slug homers (he hit another 172 in his career), and retired with the most career homers of any player not in the Hall of Fame, he never even got a sniff from Hall of Fame voters.

It's hard to get votes from baseball writers when you're remembered for throwing ice cold water at one of their colleagues.

The Who

Going to see them tonight with my son Tommy (who wasn't named after the rock opera--but might as well have been). The Who will be performing "Quadrophenia" in it's entirety. I can't wait. The BBC recently did a special about that great, great album.

Dick Clark

ABC is airing a 2-hour special about Dick Clark on New Years Eve. It seems only fitting after all his contributions to New Year's Eve in America over the past fifty years.

Clark passed away in April at the age of 82. I met him many times during my broadcasting career and always found him to be a gentleman. He was truly one of the titans in the television business, but he never forgot that he came from the world of radio. He always had a soft spot for radio guys and gals.

I'm glad to see we'll have him with us for one more New Years Eve.

The Levenson Inquiry

Lord Levenson's inquiry into the conduct of the British press has been released today in England, and it is not too kind to Rupert and his paper. The New York Times has the details this morning, but I thought I'd highlight a few of them.

For instance, Lord Levenson said the now defunct News of the World exhibited a “general lack of respect for individual privacy and dignity.” He also said that "reporters regularly obtained illegal information about their subjects, harassed and threatened subjects into cooperating, and concealed their identities in pursuit of stories."

And my favorite observation. The paper was "casual in its approach to truth."

Is there anything worse you can say about a newspaper? I think not. The good news about this whole case is that it looks like it could lead to some new regulation of the press in England. Clearly the press there was a little out of control.

But to be honest, I think Rupert won't be terribly upset by this report. It doesn't conclude that there was widespread corruption between politicians and the paper (although it hints that there was a hidden agenda). It also doesn't conclude that the relationship between the police and the newspapers is a widespread problem.

All in all, it could have been much worse.

Julian

Julian Nieh, one half of the morning show at B-96, has left the show. Robert Feder has the details this morning.

It sounds like he's leaving because he wants his own show. He had been at B96 for seven years.

I interviewed Julian for Chicago Radio Spotlight shortly after he came to town. That interview is here, if you're interested.

Cubs 365, November 28

On this day in 1960, the Johnsons had a baby boy. They obviously had a sense of humor, because they named their son Howard, the same name as a famous hotel and restaurant chain.

His nickname naturally ended up being the same thing as the restaurant's nickname (HoJo), but he had the last laugh. Howard Johnson became a big leaguer.

He was a great player in his day (over 200 homers and stolen bases), but by the time he joined the Cubs in 1995, he was 35. It was his last season in the majors, and he only hit .195.

Press for The Balding Handbook

Over the past few days information about "The Balding Handbook" has been on radio stations around the country (mostly thanks to this "obituary" that ran in the Seattle Times)

It's also starting to find it's way into newspapers.

If you've ordered the book, it's in the mail as you read this. You should be getting your copy any day now.

If you haven't ordered the book...get with the program! It's available right here at the Eckhartz Press store, and has been submitted as an e-book to amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Sony.

As soon as they give us the thumbs up, we'll let you know where to get your copy!

McStuffins?

How do you officially know you don't have little kids anymore?

When the #1 rated television show for pre-schoolers is a show you've never heard of before.

McStuffins? Sounds like something you might find on the McDonald's Thanksgiving menu.

A New Boss at CNN?


According to the LA Times, it could be former NBC executive Jeff Zucker.

Today's Best Tweets



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





Marc Alghini ‏@marcafterdark
Odds of me winning Powerball's 1/2 billion > then me earning 1/2 billion.

Lin Brehmer ‏@LinBrehmer
Odds of winning #Powerball? 170 million to 1. Odds of being canonized a saint? 20 million to 1. I'm redirecting my efforts. #StLin

USA TODAY ‏@USATODAY
If you join an office lottery pool to win the #Powerball, you may want to consult a lawyer first: http://usat.ly/SpYN25

Ray Stevens ‏@RamblinRay995
Jesse Jackson Jr and his family gathering for their favorite holiday movie, "the Bi Polar" Express.

ABC News ‏@ABC
South Korea to Strip Jill Kelley of Honorary Position http://abcn.ws/U18KPK

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm
DC media sounding really surprised upper income tax hikes REALLY popular & Raising Medicare age REALLY unpopular.

New York Times Arts ‏@nytimesarts
Bill Murray, Star of ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ http://nyti.ms/UbIcgI

HuffPost Chicago ‏@HuffPostChicago
.@suntimes columnist @NeilSteinberg gives his reasons why NYC can't ever beat Chicago http://huff.to/SdCJ9s

DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT
Golf's ruling bodies ban belly putters... http://drudge.tw/U2r7Ud

NBC News ‏@NBCNews
Lava flows to the ocean in Hawaii, creating rare natural show http://nbcnews.to/Tl7cRV @NBCNewsPictures

Powerball

The Powerball drawing is tonight, and the prize is now $500 million. I know the odds are only 1 in 175,223,510, but what the heck.

I bought one ticket.

According o this Detroit Free Press article, you have a slightly better chance of randomly picking the name of one specific female in the United States: 1 in 157 million, according to the latest census.

If you put it that way, it doesn't seem too bad. I guess "Jennifer"

Cubs 365, November 28

On this day in 1927, the Cubs acquired a future Hall of Famer, and it barely made the newspapers.

Why?

There was another big story in the news that was captivating the city. It involved one of the most notorious gangsters in Chicago (Machine Gun Jack McGurn) and one of the biggest stars of the stage, singer-comedian Joe E. Lewis (photo).

McGurn was outraged that his club’s (the Green Mill) star attraction had refused to renew his contract. Lewis went to a competitor instead, playing to a full house at the New Rendezvous.

On November 27, three of McGurn’s men stormed into Lewis’ hotel suite, beat him and then cut his throat from ear to ear. The comedian survived the attack, and was even able to recover his singing voice, but McGurn's boss--Al Capone, was very unhappy with his lieutenant's behavior. He advanced Lewis $10,000 so that the performer could get back on his feet.

While newspaper headlines blared the story of the McGurn/Lewis confrontation, the Cubs quietly traded their second baseman Sparky Adams and outfielder Pete Scott for a disgruntled star outfielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates. His name was Kiki Cuyler.

Cuyler went on to lead the Cubs to pennant in 1929, a near miss in 1930, and another pennant in 1932. Even though the Cubs didn't win the World Series in either year, Cuyler wasn't the reason. He hit .300 in the 1929 Series and led the team in RBI. In 1932, he homered in the same game that Babe Ruth supposedly called his shot.

Cuyler also provided something for the Cubs that they wouldn't have for another 45 years: speed. He led the league in stolen bases in 1929 and 1930. Between 1930 when he stole 37 bases and 1975 when Jose Cardenal stole 34, not a single Cubs player stole more than 30 bases in a season.

Machine Gun Jack McGurn's impact would be felt in an entirely different way. After allegedly being the mastermind of the St. Valentines Day massacre, McGurn was gunned down on the anniversary of that crime a few years later.

Obituary: Hedda Haire

Hmmmm. Read the following obituary published today in the Seattle Times and see if you can find something not quite right...

Hedda Haire

Hedda Haire (age 49) originally from Tacoma, died in Kentucky after a long battle with MPB on November 19, 2012. Hedda was born to Really Missami and Lois My (nee Dignity). Haire is preceded in death by his loving grandmother, Jean (nee Defectiv) and estranged brother Nevalostmi. Remnants will be spread at Chaim Bald Memorial Park (chaimbald.com).

Published in The Seattle Times from November 26 to November 27, 2012

Today's Best Tweets



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




Bill Gates ‏@BillGates
Everyone knows about #BlackFriday & #CyberMonday. Now help me spread the word about #GivingTuesday: http://b-gat.es/Uoybz2

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost
The funniest (and NSFW-est) autocorrects of the month http://huff.to/10NWEAz

Fred Winston ‏@FredWinston
Having been force fed The Housewives of. . .series, I have deduced that the idle rich are deeply involved in meaningless horse shit.

Robert Feder ‏@RobertFeder
Rich Koz, Chicago TV's @Svengoolie, back home after double bypass surgery: http://bit.ly/Qnr2yF

daveweigel ‏@daveweigel
If every day of this fiscal cliff story is gonna be Groundhog Day, I'd at least like to learn the piano.

DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT
Star Of 'Two And A Half Men' Calls Show 'Filth,' Tells People Not To Watch It... http://drudge.tw/RfWGQ0

Zach Zaidman ‏@ZachZaidman
91 years ago today, #Bears/Packers rivalry, the NFL's oldest, began at Cubs Park. The Chicago Staleys beat Green Bay 20-0.

Steve Grzanich ‏@SteveGrzanich
Daybreak over the most beautiful city in the world. Thanks WeatherBug. This is live camera over British School. pic.twitter.com/bLwiesbl

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: #Mets make Wright an offer that he is certain to refuse. Details: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/mlb-david-wright-new-york-mets-ra-dickey-contract-negotiations-extension-112612- …

Paul Konrad ‏@PaulKonrad
No SNOW any time soon. Temps could climb into the mid 60s on Monday

The New Titan of Talk

According to People Magazine, it's Steve Harvey. Tom Taylor reported this morning in his column...

Steve Harvey is People Magazine’s “New Titan of talk.” That’s based on his radio work, his successful daily syndicated TV talk show and the “Family Feud” game show, and a whole lot of hard work. Radio syndicator Premiere notes that Harvey’s been in People two weeks in a row – first in the “Sexiest Man Alive” issue, now as a titan of talk. It’s quite a personal story, with longtime standup comedian Harvey revealing that at one time, he was living in his car.

Coyotes near Wrigley

Click on this link, and you can see the pictures. There are clearly two coyotes hanging out right by the Wrigley Field gates.

I wonder what kind of omen that is.

Father Knows Nothing


This week's Father Knows Nothing is about taking my 17-year-old (pictured here 16 years ago) to the Australian Pink Floyd concert.

You can read it here.

Cubs 365, November 27

On this day in 1920, future Cub Johnny Schmitz was born. He was nicknamed Bear Tracks because of his lumbering shuffle to the mound. Schmitz was only twenty when he was called up to the majors, and pitched two seasons for the Cubs, but was drafted to serve in World War 2 in 1942.

Bear Tracks was one of the rare players who returned from the war an even better player. He led the National League in strikeouts in 1946, and was named to the All-Star team. He had another great year two years later, finishing with a 2.64 ERA and an 18-13 record for a last place team. During his Cubs years he was known as a fierce competitor. How many pitchers have been ejected from a game for wearing illegal spikes? Only Bear Tracks Schmitz, who did it to further intimidate the batters.

A noted Dodger-killer during his career (he beat them 18 times), he was later traded to the Dodgers in the deal that also put Andy Pafko in a Brooklyn uniform. By then he was no longer an all-star caliber pitcher. He pitched for the Dodgers, the Senators, the Red Sox and the Orioles before retiring after the 1956 season.

Bear Tracks passed away in Wisconsin in October of 2011.

The difference between men and women

A psychological study. Sent to me by "DM". Pretty funny.

Today's Best Tweets



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




Rick Kaempfer ‏@RickKaempfer
Some great stocking stuffer ideas from Eckhartz Press on this Cyber Monday (http://eckhartzpress.blogspot.com/2012/11/cyber-monday.html …) #books

Reid Wilson ‏@HotlineReid
The 364 items listed in '12 Days of Christmas' would now cost $107k, up 6.1% over last year, per PNC's annual study #HotlineSort

Andy Daglas ‏@AndyDaglas
REPORTS: Most holiday shoppers able to locate no more than 4 lords a-leaping this year due to skills gap.

USA TODAY Life ‏@USATODAYlife
Did you watch Lifetime's #LizAndDick, starring Lindsay Lohan? Did you dislike it as much as @BiancoRobert did? Review: http://usat.ly/XVsqgi

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS
CNN poll: 56% support high taxes on rich to preserve gov't programs for poor. In Morning Roundup: http://wapo.st/WrINe6

Tampa Bay Rays ‏@RaysBaseball
Longoria’s new contract incorporates the salaries for 2013-16 and extends 6 more years through 2022 for an additional $100 million.

Robert Feder ‏@RobertFeder
A @jamesvanosdol triumph: "We Appreciate Your Enthusiasm: The Oral History of Q101" exceeds all expectations: http://bit.ly/SoqO8J

Mark Wilhelms ‏@Markwilhelms
Don’t Fall For Fake Facebook Privacy Notice http://bit.ly/Tg8IVn

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost
After sex, she eats his face (VIDEO) http://huff.to/RVX4jJ

Adam Oestmann ‏@adamspeaks
Putting on my Griswold jersey and heading outside to put up the Christmas lights. Wish me luck. #shittersfull

Gangnam Style

That crazy Korean music video is now the most-viewed video in YouTube history.

Too Cool

Mesmerizing...

Cyber Monday

According to USA Today, this is going to be the biggest Cyber Monday in history. For those of you cyber-ing today, don't forget the wonderful offerings at Eckhartz Press. All of them are perfect stocking stuffers...


"The Balding Handbook"
By David Stern

"Finally a book for America's most overlooked minority! We are balding, hear us roar, in numbers too big to ignore."
---Radio legend John Records Landecker



"The Living Wills"
By Brendan Sullivan & Rick Kaempfer

Rollicking and real on so many levels, "The Living Wills" is a captivating collaboration by two immensely talented writers.
---Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune


"Cheeseland"
By Randy Richardson

Every once in a while, a sleeper of a novel comes around that you really HAVE to read. For me, it's CHEESELAND... It's elegant, well-written, and the characters are wonderfully wrought. I highly recommend it.
---Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of A Bitter Veil, Set the Night on Fire, and the Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis Mystery Series


"Down at the Golden Coin"
By Kim Strickland

“Down at the Golden Coin” couldn’t be more timely or original, with the most eccentric spiritual guide since Clarence the Angel. Prepare to set your brain to “spin cycle.”
–--Paige Wiser
"Windy City Live", ABC-7 Chicago

Trump's Kids Hold An Intervention

According to this article, Donald Trump's children recently stepped in and begged their father to stop embarrassing himself with his anti-Obama rhetoric.

I have a list of about a hundred more they can visit, but this is a good start.

Bean

I've had a few communications with Bean from the Kevin & Bean show in Los Angeles over the years (he is a HUGE Landecker fan), and I've always found him to be incredibly nice. However, I had no idea he was THIS nice. He recently donated a kidney to one of the engineers at his station. From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

Gene “Bean” Baxter should be back on the morning show at L.A.’s KROQ today, following surgery where he donated a kidney to CBS engineer Scott Mason. The Orange County Register says the transplant-donor surgery went well and that Baxter says his friend “looks ten years younger, [and is] smiling, laughing, happy.” Baxter may be a pound or two lighter (minus one of his two kidneys), but some things don’t change. Bean aims to “be back in time for the Miss Double D-cember pageant.”

Cubs 365

If you haven't followed the Cubs 365 feature at the Just One Bad Century blog the past week, you've missed a few of my favorite Cubs stories of all-time, including...

The day the Cubs passed on Joe DiMaggio

The Cubs general manager who was promoted from the concession stand

and The Marx Brothers at Wrigley Field.

Today's story is about former Cubs pitcher Clay Bryant.

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

I'll be back at my blogging desk on Monday.


Today's Best Tweets



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





Anita S ‏@Chezhdchick
A kid scores 138 points in a D-III basketball game. His team won by 75 points against a BIBLE college. Coach is so going to Hell for this

Forbes ‏@Forbes
In Hollywood, there are bombs and then there are disasters. The biggest movie turkeys of 2012: http://bit.ly/10qCNq2

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost
Larry David's Thanksgiving special isn't quite as heartwarming as Charlie Brown's http://huff.to/RTyArb

Jimmy Greenfield ‏@jcgreenx
.@MegganRenee Chicagoans would happily eat fog for breakfast if it wasn't that nasty vegan fog. Give us some meat fog!

Robin Baumgarten ‏@WGNRobin
25 flights cancelled at Midway airport. 244 at O'Hare with 90 minute delays. UGH!!

chuck swirsky ‏@swirsk054
Fot those leaving early for Thanksgiving please travel safe. Emotions run high at the airport or in traffic so just take it easy, Chill.

DRUDGE REPORT ‏@DRUDGE_REPORT
Two TV news anchors quit on the air... http://drudge.tw/T3RtXb

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS
ICYMI: Mitt Romney very well may end up with 47 percent of the popular vote: http://wapo.st/RRPOW0

POLITICO ‏@politico
Newspaper disciplines copy editor for adding 'allegedly' to 'Obama was born in Hawaii:' http://politi.co/TPCUVS

Chris Rock 'Oz' ‏@chrisrockozfan
I really love everyone's inspiring posts on Facebook. I love them so much they've inspired me to stop checking Facebook.

Doom and Gloom

The latest from the Stones...

Art Vuolo

If you've been in radio, you know the name Art Vuolo. He's the man that has trekked across the country videotaping air personalities doing their thing for the past forty years or so. His first audio aircheck, by the way, was his fellow Ann Arbor buddy John Records Landecker in 1966. That story is in the upcoming "Records Truly is My Middle Name".

According to the RAMP Newsletter, Art is venturing onto the other side of the camera this weekend. Here are the details...


As radio's reigning "Best Friend," legendary videographer Art Vuolo has seen the inside of hundreds, possibly thousands of radio stations during his exemplary career. Usually that view is from the "Visitors" side of the console... but all that is about to change, as Art boldly prepares to temporarily switch teams, slap on the cans and play for "Home" this Sunday, November 25. That's right -- Art will gallantly attempt to assume the deceptive easy role of DJ and do an online Oldies show from Cleveland, which will delivered worldwide over the prestigious Internet. Art's temporary home is wixy1260online.com, a tribute to the legendary WIXY-AM 1260 that reigned from 1965-1975...The Art Vuolo Radio Experience™ will rule the Interwebs this Sunday from 3-6pm ET, so please stick a Post-It note on your monitor as a reminder...To give you a rough idea of the level of professional entertainment you are in store for, Art posted this true story on his Facebook page -- "Haven't jocked since 1989 when I took the needle off a record while it was playing on the air!"

Another Publishing Supermerger?

A few weeks after the last publishing supermerger was announced (Penguin & Random House), another one is being rumored. This would also merge two of the existing big six...Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster.

Harper Collins is owned by News Corp (Rupert) and Simon & Schuster is owned by CBS (Sumner). I'm not sure what would happen to the world if an unholy alliance between Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone was formed.

I'm predicting locust and frogs falling from the sky. But that's just me. I could be wrong.

Cubs 365, November 21

On this day in 1905, future Hall of Famer Freddie Lindstrom was born in Chicago. Freddie was a big star in New York for the Giants. In his rookie season of 1924, he came up late in the year and led the Giants to the World Series. He had many great seasons in New York, especially 1928, when he finished 2nd in the MVP voting, but the Chicago boy (Lane Tech grad) must have been thrilled when he became a Chicago Cub in 1935.

Not only did the Cubs go to the World Series that year, they set a record that still stands today by winning 21 games in a row.

That turned out to be Lindstrom's only season in Chicago. He played one more season in the big leagues, but retired after the 1936 season at the age of 31.

Fred settled back in his home town after his career was over, where he got to see his son make the big leagues with the White Sox in 1958. The senior Lindstrom was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee in 1976. He passed away in 1981, and is buried in All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines.

Alice's Restaurant

It was released 45 years ago today, and is now played once a year or so on some hippie radio stations. I still like it--but I think once a year is about right.

Today's Best Tweets



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



Frank Caliendo ‏@FrankCaliendo
BREAKING: Millions of Bears fans suffer concussions after watching #MNF game and banging their heads against the wall.

USA TODAY ‏@USATODAY
Kevin Clash resigns as Elmo in wake of sex scandal http://usat.ly/Sc4JKn

Al Hughes Dukes ‏@Alsboringtweets
Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has resigned. This is the perfect opportunity for Grover to take over

Rick Bayless ‏@Rick_Bayless
Tune in to Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving Hotline! I'll be on today at 1 p.m. (central)- Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel 110!

New York Daily News ‏@nydailynews
Bad nudes! San Francisco mulls nakedness ban in sign of city's takeover by sticks-in-the-mud http://nydn.us/UG7DFA

Mark Glaser ‏@mediatwit
Conservative media does its own soul-searching after Obama's reelection (BuzzFeed) http://bit.ly/UcUebW

USA TODAY ‏@USATODAY
Report: Jill Kelley took multiple flights at taxpayer expense: http://usat.ly/TOaqvD In one instance, she flew with Gen. Allen to D.C.

The Associated Press ‏@AP
Unemployment rates fall below 7 percent in 23 U.S states as job market slowly heals: http://apne.ws/10mXgfd

ProPublica ‏@ProPublica
Who's who in Murdoch's circle? A total of 17 people have been charged in phone hacking scandal. http://propub.ca/y9XZrD

Funny Or Die ‏@funnyordie
Larry David reminisces about Thanksgiving in Brooklyn in this animated holiday special: http://ow.ly/frwR4



The Christmas Song

By Paul McCartney.

People Magazine has the behind-the-scenes recording of the song. It sounds great to me, but then again, I'm slightly biased.

Who Will Run The Tribune Now?

This is from Tom Taylor's column this morning, and just reading between the lines, it doesn't sound good...

L.A.-based Oaktree Capital and Angelo, Gordon led the committee of creditors in the marathon Tribune Chapter 11 battle, with JPMorgan Chase as the main banker. Oaktree and Angelo, Gordon will convert their debt into equity in the new Tribune Company (expected to be run by former News Corp. executive Peter Liguori, says the L.A. Times). Oaktree also is a backer of station owner and syndicator Cumulus Media – and it’s the major sponsor of small market specialist Townsquare Media. So Oaktree’s view of the radio station business spans all the way from the very largest markets (through Cumulus) to the smallest ones.

When I see the words News Corp. and Cumulus, I get a little nervous.

Cubs 365, November 20

On this day in 1866, the future first commissioner of baseball was born, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

He is best remembered as the man who banned the Black Sox for life, and saved the game from the evils of gambling, but Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was a Chicago Cubs fan long before he took over baseball, and remained a Cubs fan until his dying day.

He was named a federal judge by President Theodore Roosevelt during the heyday of the Chicago Cubs championship run.

As a judge, he became nationally famous for standing up to the richest man in the world, John D. Rockefeller. While he was beloved as a trust-busting judge, Landis was also a regular at West Side Grounds, home of the Chicago Cubs. He openly rooted for the Cubs against the White Sox in the 1906 World Series, something White Sox fans never forgot. When the Cubs moved to what is now Wrigley Field, he was a regular there as well. He loved baseball and watched it intently, leaning forward in his seat, devouring every moment of the game.

During World War 1, Judge Landis became even more popular with the general public. A fervently patriotic nation cheered the judge who threw the book at anyone who dared speak ill of his country (which was against the law at that time, thanks to the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918). It was during this era, however, that gamblers began to take over Landis' beloved game of baseball. With horse racing banned by President Wilson during the war, the gamblers shifted their attention to another sport--the national pastime. Rumors swirled during the 1918 Series (which featured Landis'Cubs), and then reached a fever pitch during the 1919 Series between the White Sox and the Reds.

When a Cubs player (Claude Hendrix) was accused of sports betting on another game in the 1920 season, baseball owners knew something had to be done. The idea of naming Landis Commissioner of baseball actually came from one of the minority owners of the Cubs, Albert Lasker. He was an advertising mogul in Chicago who realized that the game would be forever tainted if it didn't act. Who better to save the game than the man who stood up to Rockefeller?

Landis accepted the job and became as tough on players who gambled as he had been on Americans disloyal to the War. After his harsh punishments against the White Sox players (and several other players in the following years), rumors of game-fixing virtually disappeared from the game. While a sport like boxing (which was just as popular back in those days) slipped into an underworld morass, baseball emerged more popular than ever.

The credit for that goes to a Cubs fan...Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

Father Knows Nothing

This week's Father Knows Nothing column is called "A New Romance Language".

You can read it here.

The Temptations & The Supremes

From the Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this little tidbit from 45 years ago today...

November 19, 1967…Diana Ross and the Supremes sang "In And Out Of Love," the Temptations sang "Don't Look Back," and the two groups performed a medley of each other's hits on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Today's Best Tweets



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



John Arguello ‏@CubsDen
Levine hints at big, mult-player trade involving young players. | Cubs Den http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/11/levine-hints-at-big-mult-player-trade-involving-young-players/

Brett Taylor ‏@BleacherNation
#Cubs: Cubs Have Re-Signed Shawn Camp for $1.35 Million Plus Incentives http://bit.ly/QpBmrh

Sarah Spain ‏@SarahSpain
Wow! Maryland to the Big Ten (via ESPN's Brett McMurphy) and Rutgers likely to announce move to Big Ten tomorrow (via ESPN's Dana O'Neil).

BobVorwald ‏@BobVorwald
If Jim Delaney grabs 6 more teams, he can slap an "s" on the conference logo and name and all will be good. #BigTens

Dave Wischnowsky ‏@wischlist
Rutgers and Purdue are the most private-sounding public state schools in the country, in my opinion. #B1G

Newsweek ‏@Newsweek
David Petraeus steered the course for exit in Afghanistan. So why was he no match for his biographer? http://nswk.ly/10ftWr1

Gawker ‏@Gawker
Elmo sex scandal back on? Accuser recants recantation, says he was pressured to settle http://gaw.kr/IdOO7h

ThinkProgress ‏@thinkprogress
Marco Rubio flirts with Creationism, says he’s unsure how old the Earth is http://thkpr.gs/SIVcc6

Tanqueray ‏@Tanquerayusa
A 750 ml bottle of Tanqueray will make about 17 T&Ts for your Thanksgiving party. And for that, everyone will be thankful, guaranteed.

New York Daily News ‏@nydailynews
Will poop-shy Americans ever embrace high-tech Japanese toilets? http://nydn.us/RODw0D

Bubba the Love Sponge

Would you believe that Bubba is involved in another scandal? Remember he was involved in the Hulk Hogan sextape scandal (it was with Bubba's wife), and now it turns out he's in the middle of this Jill Kelley/Petraeus scandal too. From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

"The Petraeus mess has drawn in Tampa’s Bubba the Love Sponge. The tentacles of what comedian Stephen Colbert referred to as a “Pentagon”-shaped mystery have reached further into Tampa. The New York Daily News says Bubba’s March proclamation that he would “deep fat-fry a Koran” got the attention of Tampa’s Jill Kelley. The paper says she “wrote the mayor, saying that then-CIA Director David Petraeus and the top commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, had asked her about ‘getting this dealt with.’” Obviously, they didn’t want to further inflame Muslim sentiment. The mayor said his office was “working on it,” and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also told Kelley – the frequent email chum of General Allen – that “this Bubba the Love Sponge is a complete moron.” Now it’s Bubba’s turn. The WHPT (102.5) morning personality was “reportedly part of a crowd outside Kelley’s Tampa mansion on Friday.” And he’s not too happy about the mayor’s “moron” judgment. He told the Tampa Bay Times “I will make it my mission to destroy this guy…I am his political death sentence.”

Oh, and by the way, about a month ago, Hogan's lawsuit against Bubba was settled. I must have missed this. Found the details on TMZ...

"Hulk Hogan has settled his lawsuit against his ex-BFF, Bubba the Love Sponge, over the sex tape scandal...Financial terms of the settlement were not released, but clearly a public mea culpa from Bubba, real name Todd Alan Clem, was part of the deal.Bubba played the apology after coming back from a commercial break ... and the audio was sped up and hard to listen to ... just like a legal notice at the end of a car commercial.

Major Garrett

He was the White House correspondent for Fox News in the early days of the Obama Administration, and now it looks like he's back in the same role in the early days of the second Obama Administration.

But this time it's with a legitimate news operation: CBS.

Cubs 365, November 19

On this day in 1862, one of the most famous players in Chicago baseball history was born. His name was Billy Sunday.

The story of his fame began in the summer of 1886. Sunday was out carousing in Chicago with his fellow players Mike King Kelly, Ed Williamson, and Frank Flint on Van Buren Street, nearby the many famous decadent State Street saloons. They were totally drunk, sitting in a gutter, and the sun was coming up. While they tried to rouse themselves, a gospel wagon drove up and conducted a service. Sunday recognized the songs from his childhood in Ames, Iowa and saw the light at that moment. He said to his buddies: “Boys, it’s all off; we have come to where the roads part.” He swore off booze forever, and dedicated himself to God. He would later be one of the leading voices in favor of Prohibition.

He still played baseball a little longer, but he now he was playing with God on his shoulder. When he became one of the most famous evangelists in America, he would tell the story of the day God helped him in the field.

“I saw the ball coming out to right field like a shell out of a mortar, and it was up to me. There were thousands of people out in the field, for the grandstand the bleachers had overflowed. I whirled and went with all my speed. I was going so fast that day you couldn’t see me for the dust. I yelled to the crowd ‘Get out of the way!” and they opened up like the Red Sea for the rod of Moses. And as I ran I offered my first prayer, and it was something like this: ‘God I’m in an awful hole. Help me out, if you ever helped mortal man in your life; he me get that ball. And you haven’t much time to make up your mind. I am sure the Lord helped me catch that ball. It was my first experience with prayer.”

But not his last. After he quit baseball he toured the country as an evangelist—using incredible theatrics to get his point across. He was a friend to Presidents, and one of the most famous people in America. The song “Chicago Chicago” includes a line about him: “The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down.” Some say the ice cream sundae was even named after him.

But it all began with a bunch of ballplayers sitting in a Chicago gutter in 1886.

Studio A: Profile of a Disc Jockey

This is fascinating...JRL in the 1970s.



John tells the origin of this video in the upcoming book on Eckhartz Press.

21 years

21 years ago today, I married my wonderful wife Bridget. The priest who married us was later accused of some sort of malfeasance, the church we were married in burned down a few years later, and my radio show ("Ebony & Ivory") was cancelled right when we got back from our honeymoon, but twenty one years later, our marriage is stronger than ever.

I'm a very lucky man.

Today's Best Tweets



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




Albert Brooks ‏@AlbertBrooks
To help promote Judd Apatow's This is 40, I have a date with Paula Broadwell tonight.

Jeff Greenfield ‏@greenfield64
How can Twinkies go out of business days after two states legalize weed? Worst. Business. Timing. Ever.

Matt Spiegel ‏@MattSpiegel670
Twinkies have a shelf life in the decades. They're not baked, they're chemically risen. They are not food. Let Hostess die.

The Daily Caller ‏@DailyCaller
TALIBAN: 'Petraeus should be shot by relatives from his mistress's family....He should be stoned' - http://bit.ly/TSPZAt

Meghan McCain ‏@McCainBlogette
Check out my new column @thedailybeast ' "Wake the Hell Up, Republicans!" - http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/16/meghan-mccain-on-why-the-republican-party-needs-to-wake-up.html …

John Arguello ‏@CubsDen
Rick Porcello a possible fit for the Cubs? | Cubs Den http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/11/rick-porcello-a-possible-fit-for-the-cubs/

Tom Teuber ‏@tteuber
Deer season in Cheesetopia. "You just stand there looking cute, and when something moves, you shoot!" YouTube http://bit.ly/RH5c7u

Amy Guth ‏@amyguth
Russian granny kills attacking wolf with axe and bare hands http://bit.ly/UIT0BM

@HuffPostSmBiz ‏@HuffPostSmBiz
Man who started Alabama's secession petition is angry about losing his topless car wash http://huff.to/ZH2ovq

Groovyhoovy ‏@Groovyhoovy
Back in the days when Paul Konrad wore a toupe and Robin Baumgarten walked like Lurch from "The Addam's Family." http://fb.me/1f3qTOQ4s

Saul Foos

Former Chicago radio super-agent Saul Foos has passed away. Robert Feder has the details.

I only met Saul one time, shortly after I started working for John Landecker. Saul had negotiated the contract for John, and had written a very healthy producer's salary into the contract. Without that clause, I would have never made the kind of money I did in radio.

On the other hand, Saul was stealing money from his clients, and eventually went to prison for it. Landecker has written extensively about Saul in his upcoming memoir "Records Truly is My Middle Name". He also wrote the following in the comments section of Feder's column...

"I am sorry to hear that Saul has passed away. He had been my agent since the early 70's. The money thing didn't happen for me until the early 90's. That is a long time to build up trust in someone. i think Saul did a couple of things to handle his guilt.. He hired some of the names mentioned in the article to work for him as agents and broadcast consultants. We didn't know it at the time but I guess we were being paid with our own money. I was hired by WJMK a few months before everything came to an end. Saul said he would not take a fee. His fee would have been more than I had given him to invest. After getting over the initial shock the hardest part was working at WJMK with Harvey Pearlman as GM. Every time he saw me it reminded him that Saul had done my deal and stolen his money. I forgave Saul a long time ago. Read about this and other delightful stories in the book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" set for publication at the end of March next year."

Joke for a Friday Morning

Thanks to "MS" for sending this one...

After a tiring day, a commuter settled down in her seat and closed her eyes as the train started to roll.

As the train began to pull out of the station, the guy sitting next to her pulled out his cell phone and started talking in a loud voice:
“Hi sweetheart. It’s Eric. I’m on the train. Yes, I know it’s the six thirty and not the four thirty, but I had a long meeting.

No, honey, not with that blonde from the accounts office. With the boss.

No sweetheart, you’re the only one in my life. Yes, I’m sure, cross my heart…”;

Fifteen minutes later, he was still talking loudly, when the young woman sitting next to him had had enough and leaned over and said into the phone, “Eric, turn that phone off and come back to bed.”

Eric doesn’t use his cell phone in public any longer

Jerry Blavat

From Tom Taylor's column this morning, a story about a Philadelphia rock radio legend...

Philadelphia’s Jerry Blavat was the object of threats by “reputed mob boss Joseph ‘Uncle Joe’ Ligambi," says the Philadelphia Inquirer. That was in 2009, after a Philadelphia Magazine piece about the mob angered Ligambi, and he suspected Philly jock Jerry Blavat of being complicit in the story. This kind of language doesn’t just happen in The Sopranos – the paper says Uncle Joe fumed, “I’m gonna kill this [expletive].” This three-year-old incident was recounted in a current trial involving Ligambi and six others. Blavat’s written about his history with Philadelphia mob figures – just social, he says – in an autobiography that he’s still advertising on local billboards. It’s called “You Only Rock Once.”

Jerry is also mentioned in John Records Landecker's upcoming book "Records Truly is My Middle Name", which comes out in March 2013. John worked in Philadelphia for several years in the late 60s/early 70s and has some great Philadelphia stories too.

Cubs 365, November 16

On this day in 1883, future Cub Rollie Zeider was born. He remains one of only two men to have played for three different teams in the same city (he played with the Cubs, the Sox, and the Federal League Whales).

His last three seasons in the big leagues were spent with the Cubs, serving as their utilityman. He played every position on the field except catcher, pitcher and centerfield. Rollie's time with the Cubs coincided with the first three years the team played at what is now known as Wrigley Field (1916-1918).

Once called "Hook" because of his beak-like nose, Zeider later became known as "Bunions" when he contracted blood-poisoning after a Ty Cobb spiking sliced into his bunion.

Countdown to The Balding Handbook

Eckhartz Press is currently taking pre-orders for our next book, "The Balding Handbook" by David Stern. (And by the way, the orders have been coming in fast and furious). They are being printed as you read this, and they'll be out in the mail the week of November 19th.

In the meantime, we'll bring you highlights, blurbs, and reasons to buy it.

In Stage Five Acceptance, Stern describes the many advantages of being bald.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 19

The first thing you’ll notice when you finally come to grips with who you are is that you suddenly have more time and money than you ever imagined. Did you realize that you are actually a wealthy person who has been hiding inside a not-so-wealthy person’s body? Did you realize that you were the kind of husband/father/boyfriend/friend that could always be there for your loved ones?

Oh, my bald brothers, let me count the ways.

Time is on your side—Morning

How would you like to sleep an extra twenty minutes, thirty minutes, sixty minutes or more? Done. You have all the time in the world in the morning because you no longer have to waste your time doing things like…

• shampooing
• drying your hair
• swirling your hair into a combover
• checking the weather channel for wind patterns
• spraying hair spray to hold remaining strands in place
• applying gel or mousse
• looking in the mirror at your bald spot growing
• applying Rogaine
• picking the dead skin around your plugs
• making up fake illnesses so you can stay home
• combing your piece
• trimming your piece
• fluffing your piece
• kissing your piece

By eliminating these items from your morning prep-time, you are on your way to giving the world a gigantic boost in the arm.

Time is on your Side—Daytime

With up to an extra hour of sleep, you’ll find that you’ll tap into energy that you never realized you had. This will make you get your work done faster, more efficiently, and will turn the head of your boss. That means you’ll get promoted, and everybody knows what happens when you get promoted: It’s slack-off time, baby! Now you can make everyone else do all the work. That leaves you with up to six extra hours of time per day.

Throw in the extra time you’ll save by no longer doing the following…

• shopping for hats
• trying on hats
• washing and maintaining your hats
• reading hat catalogs
• ordering hats from catalogs
• awkward chit chat with hair stylists
• writing angry letters to makers of sham bald products
• conferring with your lawyer about restraining orders you’ve received from sham bald product manufacturers
• writing letters to attorneys of sham bald products
• testifying at Grand Jury hearings against sham bald products
• putting sugar in your bald-joke-loving brother-in-law’s gas tank
• putting lice in Warren Beatty’s hat
• hunting animals for their hair

With all of these activities off your schedule forever, you suddenly have more time than you ever realized. Look out world, here come the answers to your problems.

Time is on your side--Evenings

With your new-found confidence and stamina, the little woman in your life is going to find out just exactly how virile a bald man can be—and she probably won’t be able to keep that silly smile off her face. Trying to keep up with you, she will be forced to get into shape. That means she won’t be home much. She’ll be at the gym working out for that night’s session. That means you’ll have all sorts of extra time that you used to spend…

• refilling the dish washer to her ridiculous specifications
• digging through the garbage for things that should have been recycled
• talking to her
• listening to her
• begging her for a little…ahem…love

If you’re a father, this extra time will allow you to spend more time with your kids, which will help you form a healthier bond with the next generation of bald dynamos. When your wife sees how much you are helping the kids, she will get even more excited by you.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that you won’t have too much free time after she gets home from the gym…because she won’t let you leave that bedroom until she passes out with fatigue.

And you were upset about going bald?

Pre-order your copy of The Balding Handbook today!

Cats in the Cradle

Harry Chapin's son is 40 years old today. From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...

November 15, 1972…Harry Chapin and his wife Sandy welcomed the arrival of their first child, Joshua Burke, an event that eventually inspired Harry to put his wife's poem, "Cat's In The Cradle," to music.

Today's Best Tweets



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



The Onion ‏@TheOnion
School 'Fine,' U.S. Teens Report http://onion.com/ZAcuhB

ColonelTribune ‏@ColonelTribune
Not a bad day, says @Skilling. I will happily take sunshine and 50ยบ in mid-November. Forecast: http://bit.ly/KHV6zC

David Corn ‏@DavidCornDC
You gotta see this: Top Georgia GOP lawmakers host briefing on Obama's secret mind-control plot: http://mojo.ly/T3z8gl [VIDEO]

The New Yorker ‏@NewYorker
Sex scandal cartoons through the ages: http://nyr.kr/U1AGY3 #Petraeus

Roger Simon ‏@politicoroger
When the flesh is weak. My new column on Petraeus-Broadwell-Kelley-Allen-Shirtless FBI Guy-gate. http://goo.gl/IKsSm

Judd Apatow ‏@JuddApatow
I love that Romney's donors force him to do a public call where he has to explain why he lost. And he blames poor people. Charming.

Matt K. Lewis ‏@mattklewis
I'd like to see Romney and his team go out gracefully. (Yes, that requires actually... going away.)

Jordan Weissmann ‏@JHWeissmann
Madeline Albright: "When people ask, do you think we'd be better off if the world were run by women, I say, 'Do you remember high school?'"

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost
Teacher told to "train her breast not to make milk" http://huff.to/Zv2JRH

Slate ‏@Slate
Guy Fieri suspects "another agenda" behind critical @nytimes review: http://ow.ly/fjBAv #conspiracies #DDDers