JSS: Bad Day for Chicago Sports-- NIU Spring Football-- A Coyote Thug

JSS-- Just Some Stuff

1. BAD DAY FOR CHICAGO SPORTS-- Yesterday was not one of those "great days" for Chicago sports. All four of our teams lost, most painful was the Blackhawks losing their playoff game in overtime again to the Phoenix Assassins. Two Miami teams whupped up on the Bulls and the Cubs. And Baltimore completed a paddling of the Sox.


2. NIU SPRING FOOTBALL-- Seriously considering a trip out to Dekalb tomorrow for the annual spring intersquad football team as a way of saying thanks for such a great and enjoyable season, 12-3. Also, our baseball team plays those guys from Toledo and Fatty's is having a party/auction featuring Huskies players.


3. A COYOTE THUG-- Folks are really mad about that hit Coyote Assassin Torres put on Hossa on Tuesday. Our coach was fined $10,000 and the player who retaliated was penalized. We remember Torres for his "play" last year in the playoffs with Vancouver. There should be no place in hockey for him or his ilk.

Just Some Stuff. --RoadDog


OLDSTER BUMPER STICKER: When I was younger, All I Wanted was a BMW. Now, I don't care about the "W."

JSS: Way Too Many Toys

JSS-- Just Some Stuff


WAY TOO MANY TOYS-- I'm thinking of taking a picture of all the mechanical things we own that I can't work on as my Green Thumb is Not a Greasy Thumb. I should do this while the boat is still in the driveway.

2003 Bayliner boat
1994 John Deere tractor

1985 Pontiac Firebird
2003 Chevy Malibu
2005 Dodge Dakota
2011 Chevy Malibu

That's four vehicles for two people!! OK, and we have a four-car garage, but can only get three vehicles in as one bay is taken up with yard stuff. The boat spends winters in a barn in Hebron and summers on a channel by Fox Lake.

And, I'd really love to have a 2012 Chevy Camaro, but would have to give up the Firebird and Dakota. Not quite ready to do that. I love driving the '85 (which we bought new and now has 94,000 miles on it) and yesterday, I went to Menard's and bought two railroad ties and 30 wall stones. I'd like to see anyone get that into a Camaro.

Oh, Well. Guess All This Stuff Means We're Not Doing Too Badly. Wish I Could Learn to Like Working On Mechanical Things. --RoadDog


OLDSTER BUMPER STICKERS: I'm Retired. I was Tired Yesterday and I'm Tired Again Today.

Ten for Tax Day

In honor of all that money you're paying out or getting back today, Chicago's WDRV-FM's Ten at Ten was on Tax Day. All songs were dealing with money.

I had figured that the Beatle's "Tax Man" would be the first or last song. It wasn't.

The Songs:

BLUE MONEY-- Van Morrison
MONEY FOR NOTHING-- Dire Straits (And, that's Sting singing at the beginning and end.
LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY-- Warren Zevon

MONEY-- Pink Floyd
TAX MAN-- Beatles
BIG MONEY-- Rush
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN-- Steve Miller Band

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY-- O'Jays
MONEY TALKS-- AC/DC
MONEY-- Rolling Stones

Now, Don't You Feel Better? --RoadDog

It's a Titanic-Cubs Thing: Sink or Sveum

From the April 15th Chicago Tribyne Main Event "Sink or Sveum."

Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking and the Cubs are in their 104th season since last winning the World Series. Both are bad. Which is Worse?

For those who don't know, Sveum is the name of the new Cub manager. Nice play on words.

Titanic first, Cubbies second.

CULPRITS: iceberg///Justin Berg (among others)

SURVIVORS: 710/// millions

NOTABLE PASSENGERS/FANS: John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim///Jim Belushi, Bill Murray

TIME TO SINK: 160 minutes///103 years and counting

COMELY STAR OF RELATED MOVIE: Kate Winslet "Titanic"///Amy Morton "Rookie of the Year"

GOAT: Captain Edward Smith///Goat

LIFEBOATS: 20///0

AFTER-EFFECTS: maritime safety improvements///generations of anguish

NEW DEVELOPMENTS: 3D///Theo Trio

Interesting...Very Interesting. --RoadDog

Where Were You April 8, 1980?-- Part 2

Some more songs playing on your radios back then.

SARAH-- FLEETWOOD MAC-- From Tusk album.
ROMEO'S TUNE-- STEVE FORBET-- (I remembered the tune, but not the name or artist.)

LOVE STINKS-- J. GEILS BAND-- Title track from latest album. They'd be coming to town to play at the Aragon Ballroom in just three days. (A classic song for Valentine's Day.)
REFUGEE-- TOM PETTY-- From Damn the Torpedoes. His latest single release. (Thanks Admiral Farragut.)

FIRE LAKE-- BOB SEGER-- from the album Against the Wind.
YOU MAY BE RIGHT-- BILLY JOEL-- From Glass Houses.

BOAT ON THE WATER-- STYX-- Deep track from their latest album Cornerstone sung by Tommy Shaw. (A real good song. If I had the album, I'd dig it out and give it another listen.)
RIDE LIKE THE WIND-- CHRIS CROSS-- with a little help from Michael McDonald.

THE SPIRIT OF RADIO-- RUSH-- This one says it all (Even if they are NOT in the R'N R Hall of Fame.)
CALL ME-- BLONDIE-- From one of the big movies back then "American Giggolo

HEARTBREAKER-- PAT BENATAR-- (One of my all-time favorite songs.)
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE-- QUEEN-- #1 in Chicago. From their new album, The Game.


Only 32 Years Ago. --RoadDog


THE LAST WILL ROGERS SAYS: Ohio claims they are due a president as they haven't had one since Taft. Look at the United States. They have not had one since Lincoln.

The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic

Even though this is history, to me this even is important enough to mention in this blog. I have been writing about the event extensively in my Ciiter's History Blog.

This event is one that has fascinated me since I was a young boy and that now is many, many, many years ago.

I still don't know where my paperback copy of Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember" is. I've got the bad feeling that maybe I threw it out.

Where's That Book? --RoadDog

JSS: Sox Opening Day-- Cold's Back-- Deluge

JSS-- Just Some Stuff


1. SOX OPENING DAY-- This past Friday was the Sox opening day here in Chicago. Definitely not as big of a thing as the Cubs opening the Thursday before. I just don't know why the Sox can't compete with the Cubs when it comes to numbers of fans.


2. COLD'S BACK-- Last week, it got considerably colder with freezes at night. Guess it's making up for that warm March we had. Oh, well, here in Chicagoland, if you don't like the weather, wait an hour. And that mean old Round Lake carnival hasn't opened yet.


3. DELUGE-- Saturday night/Sunday morning, we had a real deluge from the heavens. That was ok as the Chain of Lakes still needs another foot of water from the lack of snow last winter, the really dry spring and the fact that the Waterway folks really let the water down more than ever before.

The Boat's Ararin' to Go!! --RoadDog

Where Were You April 8, 1980? --Part 1

Bob Stroud Time Warped from April 8, 1970, ten years to 1980 for the second half of his show.

That date in 1980, I was finishing up my seventh year of teaching at John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois. I had 7th and 8th graders for social studies. The disco craze was in full swing and disc jockeys were popping up at area bars. I was starting to think about doing that myself.

STAY IN TIME-- OFF BROADWAY-- Our own beloved off broadway. Chris Johnson. A huge hit here in Chicago and off their first album.
EVEN IT UP-- HEART-- From their latest album B.B. La Strange. (The band that has to hold the record for most different greatest hits compolations, ever.)

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT-- JOURNEY-- from Departure (And, NOT in the Hall of Fame. Can you believe it? This song was also the name of the very first (or second) 45, I ever bought by the Dave Clark Five.)
BRASS IN POCKET-- PRETENDERS-- Brand new group with Chrissie Hynde out front.

I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY-- EAGLES-- in the Top Ten and rising. A great vocal from Timothy B. Schmitt. From The Long Run album.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL-- PINK FLOYD-- The number one album in town and it had been #1 for 14 consecutive weeks. (And, one of Liz and my retirement songs in 2006 along with "School's Out" by Alice Cooper. "Hey, teacher! Leave those kids alone!!" Gladly!!)


WILL ROGERS SAYS: Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and their politicians as a joke.

But...These Folks Aren't In...Yet...Should Be

In relation to the previous post, yesterday's Ten at Ten on the Drive featured Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs. These are folks that you think would be in the HoF, but aren't.

It's a pretty amazing list. I had no idea.

Chicago
Journey
Moody Blues
Rush
Guess Who
Boston
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Monkees
Yes
Three Dog Night

And, Abba is in. Now, I'm a big Abba fan, but, come on!!

Time to Right the Wrong. --RoadDog

Congrats to 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Tonight, there will be a ceremony in Cleveland honoring these worthy inductees:

Guns N' Roses
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Donovan
Laura Nyro

Small Faces/Faces
Beastie Boys

And this year, a lot of backup groups are honored:

Crickets (Buddy Holly)
Famous Flames (James Brown)
Midnighters (Hank Ballard)
Comets (Bill Haley)
Blue Caps (Gene Vincent)
Miracles (Smokey Robinson)

Also:

Freddie King
Don Kirshner
Cosimo Matassa
Tom Down
Glyn Jones

Well-Deserved. --RoadDog

Ten-Song Trips 1973 and 1968-- Part 2

Ten at Ten: 1973

BAD BAD LEROY BROWN-- Jim Croce
LAGRANGE-- ZZ Top
FEELING STRONGER EVERY DAY-- Chicago

HOCUS POCUS-- Focus (Ot's an "ocus" thing.
HELLO IT'S ME-- Todd Rundgren
THE OCEAN-- Led Zeppelin
TIME-- Pink Floyd

ROCK ON-- David Essex
QUADROPHENIA-- Who
DREAM ON-- Aerosmith (didn't become popular until later


Ten at Ten-- 1968

DOCK OF THE BAY-- Otis Redding
ON THE ROAD AGAIN-- Canned Heat
EVERYONE'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY-- Beatles

SUSIE Q-- CCR
LIVING IN THE USA-- Steve Miller Band
MAGIC BUS-- Who
JUDY IN DISGUISE-- John Fred & the Playboy Band

HELLO I LOVE YOU-- Doors
CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC-- Jimi Hendrix
MIGHTY QUINN-- Manfred Mann

And, You Can hear It Stream at www.wdrv.com. --RoadDog

Ten-Song Trips: 1973 and 1968-- Part 1

From WDRV, the Drive in Chicago.

The years 1964 to 1973 are very special to me as that was when I got interested in music thanks to the Beatles. Plus, these were my junior high, high school and college years. Always lots of memories in these songs. Plus, back then, I didn't keep a journal so it takes these songs to jar the ol' memory.

Bob Stroud plays the songs on his Ten at Ten segment, broadcast at 10 AM and rebroadcast at 10 PM. And, he plays the songs without commercial break! Every two songs he talks about what was going on back then and runs newscasts and commercials.

It's all in a trip back.

RoadDog


WILL ROGERS SAYS: We don't seem to be able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business.

What Were You Doing April 8, 1970?-- Part 5

LOVE GROWS WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES-- EDISON LIGHTHOUSE-- Their one hit in the U.S.
INSTANT KARMA-- JOHN LENNON-- (And we all shine on.)

COME AND GET IT-- BADFINGER-- Sure sounds like the Beatles. Paul wrote it and produced it. Their first hit (I sure thought it was the Beatles singing. I also at first thought the Bee Gees were the Beatles back in the 60s.)
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER-- SIMON AND GARFUNKEL-- Their legendary classic song out on album and 45. (This one always reminds me of the political unrest of the Vietnam War.)

AMERICAN WOMAN-- GUESS WHO-- The "A" side of their two-sided hit. (Actually with the intro to this one and the two songs on the flipside "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" it was like getting an EP with four songs.)
VEHICLE-- IDES OF MARCH-- Here's that band from Berwyn (Illinois).

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN-- FRIGID PINK-- Six years after most of us had heard the song done up by the Animals, it was back around again, this time by a Detroit band. (And done a WHOLE lot differently.)

LET IT BE-- BEATLES--The number 1 song in Chicago 42 years ago.

Was That a Canadian Slam Against the U.S.? --RoadDog

Things in Sports That Are Not Natural

From the April 12th Chicago Tribune Main Event in the sports section. Always a funny look at sports with a Chicago bent.

1. DESIGNATED HITTERS Well, I don't agree with this one. Who would rather see a pitcher go up and strike out or a guy clobber a home run?

2. DEVIN HESTER NOT RETURNING KICKOFFS-- Hey, they're wise to him now.

3. JIM McMAHON AS A BANK DIRECTOR-- The "Punky" bank guy.

4. A GUY NAMED BUBBA WINNING THE MASTERS-- Well, then there's a guy named Tiger.

5. JOAKIM NOAH'S FREE-THROW SHOOTING-- Almost Niles Crane-style.

6. PLAYING ICE HOCKEY IN THE DESERT-- As in the Hawks playing the Coyotes in NHL Playoffs.

Good Ones. --RoadDog


WILL ROGERS SAYS: Things in our country run in spite of the government, not by aid of it.

What Were You Doing April 8, 1970?-- Part 4

LONG LONESOME HIGHWAY-- MICHAEL PARKS-- Played a character named Jim Bronson on the TV series "Then Came Bronson" where he played the title character. (Nothing to do with Charles.)
THE RAPPER-- JAGGERZ-- one-hit wonder out of Pittsburgh. (Was this the first "rap" song?)

NO SUGAR TONIGHT/NEW MOTHER NATURE-- GUESS WHO-- flipside of "American Woman."
EVIL WAYS-- SANTANA-- first hit single from a group we first met at Woodstock.

WOODSTOCK-- CSNY-- From their second album, Deja-Vu.
REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE-- MARMALADE-- One hot wonder group out of Scotland.

HEY LAWDY MAMA-- STEPPENWOLF-- Brand new and on its way to Top Ten.
GET READY-- RARE EARTH-- New group out of Motown covering an old Temptations song.

Memory-Makers. --RoadDog

What Were You Doing April 8, 1970?-- Part 3

By the way, numbering this past Saturday was an effort in counting by fours: 4-8-12. Kind of neat.

I have a lot more to say about my life in 1970 (and sure wish I was already doing my journal which I didn't start until 1978), but should go ahead and start listing some of the songs Bob Stroud played.

One thing I really like about the Rock and Roll Roots shows is all the information he gives. His quotes first, mine in parentheses.

TRAVELING BAND-- CCR-- "B" side of their current hit. (Shoot, this one could easily have been an "A" side; by my favorite all-time band.)
MIGHTY JOE-- SHOCKING BLUE-- Follow up to their hit "Venus." WCFL was playing it, a mid-charter. (Never heard tis one, but I tended to listen to WLS more than CFL anyway.)

CELEBRATE-- THREE DOG NIGHT-- most recent hit. (How many times can you say "Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music?")
GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME-- CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD-- had a couple hits-- (Beach Music and I didn't even know it.)

SPIRIT IN THE SKY-- NORMAN GREENBAUM-- a one-hit wonder
HITCHING A RIDE-- VANITY FARE-- One of two hits for them, the other "Early in the Morning." (Until recently, I thought their last name was spelled Fair.)

Memories Are Made of This. --RoadDog


WILL ROGERS SAYS: If you ever injected truth into politics you'd have no politics.

Where Were You April 8, 1970?-- Part 1: Pledging Delta Sigma Phi

I was pledging Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb at the time along with my good buddy Bob from Rockford. Our house was on Augusta Avenue. It was a blast and I was having the time of my life.

This was back in the days of hazing and it sure happened to us. There were always the fun paddle exchanges, plus all sorts of inane stuff we had to do like carry the "Bomb" around and make sure no sorority stole it. The bomb was an empty bomb shell about three feet high that pledges had to carry around campus and guard with our lives.

There were always the fun commands to count the bowling balls in the Union as well as the number of holes on the ceiling and the always-fun say the Greek alphabet three times on a match before it burned your fingers.

The pledges had to really stick together and make sure no actives took any of us for a "ride." Most of the actives were alright, but some went out of their way to make our lives as miserable as possible.

All In All, I'd Have to Say That This Was the Most Fun I Had in the Fraternity, Though. --RoadDog


WILL ROGERS SAYS: If I studied all my life, I couldn't think up half the number of funny things passed in one session of Congress.

Where Were You April 8, 1970?-- Part 1: It's a Beach Music Thing for Me.

Yesterday, Bob Stroud did a Time Warp on his Rock and Roll Roots Show on the Drive, 97.1 FM back to April 8th both 1970 and 1980. Lots of good music then.

He played "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by Chairman of the Board. This was a favorite of mine back in 1970. I didn't know it at the time, but this song was going to become what was coined in the 1980s as Beach Music.

I already was a big fan of soul music and especially that great Motown stuff and this was greatly reinforced every time we took a summer vacation to North Carolina. You would hear a lot of soul music on the radio, plus my Goldsboro buddies Ronnie and Keith were big into it.

My parents told me about this new genre called Beach Music in the 80s and I was hooked right away. Right now, I am listening to 94.9 the Surf out of North Myrtle Beach, SC, which is considered to be the Heart of Beach Music. Often I listen to Beach Boogie and Blues on WNCT 1070 AM out of Greenville, NC.

This internet sure keeps me in tune with Beach Music which I can't get on local stations here in northern Illinois. Thanks, internet!!

Beach Music is mostly east coast or southern soul that was and still is played along the east coast of the US in southern states. It is not the Beach Music of the Beach Boys or Jan and Dean. It sometimes is called Carolina Beach Music.

"Give me Just a Little More Time." --RoadDog