Blogpost #3

For those of you who enjoyed listening to the 1971 Cubs documentary narrated by the late Jack Brickhouse, I am providing a link to Amazon.com, where you will find original copies on vinyl for sale.*

I miss Jack so much. He was a class act, a rarity in sports broadcasting even back then. He was a mature, positive father figure for young Cubs fans like myself. If he ever said an unkind word about a player on any team, I didn't hear it.

As a Cubs announcer, he suffered more than his share of losing seasons, but it was his upbeat sense of humor combined with his undying faith in the team that endeared him to his listeners. He was fond of saying "Any team can have a bad century" and that was just one of the many things he said that brought smiles to the faces of Cubs fans for over three decades.

For my April 12, 2009 show, I'll be paying tribute to another broadcaster who is genuinely talented and genuinely nice, and still active in broadcasting: Mr. Dick Biondi. Over the next few months, I'll be taking the time to recognize more of the living legends that influenced me as a child, because I want to pay tribute to them while they're still living.

Earlier this year, I paid tribute to late-night radio legend Eddie Schwartz with a memorial program of clips from his WIND talk show in the late 1970's. It received quite a few comments, including this one posted on an AlphaWomen.com blog.

Although I was happy to be able to honor him with an hour of my favorite clips, I realize now that it came a little too late to make a positive difference in Ed's life. I can't help thinking how it might have brought him some pride if he had only been able to hear that someone had taken the time to archive his legacy in broadcasting.

Don't wait until the funeral to praise your hero. Do it today.


*Turntable, needle, amplifier and speakers sold separately, of course.