My Kinda Town.....

Today's Topic....
"Let the games begin..."

Crowd outside of WBBM-TV Studios .....Nixon/Kennedy debates.....50 years ago last month!

Ahhhhh.....lovely sight after the Sox beat the Cubs a few years back.

Comiskey Park.....1952

A true Southsider at the Blackhawk's parade.

Chick Evans at the Jackson Park Links ....1945

(Wonder how Southside caddies went to college pre-1945??)

Bears take on Green Bay at Wrigley......1963

Babe Ruth heading south on State Street "trying" to get to Comiskey for a game.


White Sox World Series Champs 2005.......

parade was 5 years ago today.

MVP Jermaine Dye.....he didn't play in 2010.....

Rowand and my man Uribe are back in the dance.

What a difference 5 years make...

(Look closely and you can see me and the kids.)

.

Marty

Edinburgh, IN

My Kinda Town......

Today's topic....
"Build it and they will come".......

Marina Towers/1961....once the tallest residential buildings in the world. Designed originally to reverse the "white flight" from the city's downtown area. All electric buildings....no gas or propane...Com Ed provided expensive building transformers at little or no charge.

View from the top of the Old Main Post Office looking west in 1951. Clearing is where the Eisenhower Expressway is now. Post Office was originally built in 1921 and designed with a large vacant hole at the bottom of the building...which would be used to place the expressway through some 30 years later. Sold recently for 17 million....cost 2 million/year to maintain.

Big John going up in the mid-60's at a cost of $100,000,000. Currently the 6th tallest building in the U.S. but does boast America's highest indoor swimming pool on the 44th floor. 700 condos....in which Jerry Springer and Chris Farley both once resided. Crossbeam design can handle winds of up to 132 miles per hour. Fastest elevators in the world at 20 mph.

The one that started it all.....

The Prudential Building in 1952.

Last of the downtown buildings to be connected to the underground Chicago Tunnel System.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tunnel_Company

It once had an observation deck that brought in over a million visitors in it's first year open.

.

Marty

Eaton, OH

Trivia Tuesday Twofer.......

Ok.....it's another Tuesday....and another shot at this week's GRAND PRIZE!!
Waaaaaay easier than last week's......I'm feeling guilty!

First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the two gentleman above....
will with this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT Bragging Rights for the next 7 days.
Full names people......do your homework!

Hints...
Mr. Suit and Tie.....

• Lost his race to be H.S Class President
• Found that being a lawyer was not that exciting.....
• He wanted to work for the FBI right out of college....
• Met his wife ( was a fellow actor) in a play they were both in....
• Navy man during WW II
• Author and musician....
• Was an honorary member of the FBI and.....The Barnaby Jones Fan Club

Mr. Bad '80's Adidas running suit....

• No middle name....just an initial
• Worked on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline
• Likes Charvet ties....
• Never far from the "football"
• Television star....kinda...
• Dad was a former Nazi prisoner during WWII
• Was NOT in The Barnaby Jones Fan Club.

Marty
Rockport, IN

My Kinda Town......Week!!

Getting waaaay backed up on my Chicago pics.....
so all this week will be "My Kinda Town" week.
.....and who better to kick off the week
Hizzoner....
Richard J. Daley.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in NY.....RFK lies in state.

Hizzoner picking which kid will vote next.....

RJ & JJ.....nice handshake......fill in your own "thought bubble".

JFK shows the Daley clan the new digs.....

"Why I oughta......

Hizzoner's first day of work....1955. Typical city worker........5 minutes late!

Couple of sweet quotes.....

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/richard_j_daley.html

Marty
Indianapolis, IN

TT Fact Checking......

Foreign correspondent C. Pollard checks in
(during a break from Bradley University's Parents Weekend on Saturday)
from the Parkview Cemetery in Peoria, IL....

Marty

Pay attention people!!

The lesson here is.....
watchout for moonwalking bears on motorcycles!!

Marty

You'll get nothing......and like it!!

OK...so no winners this week....
but maybe you'll learn something.

October...
I think of traditional fall colors like brown...yellow...
orange...and PINK!!

I have seen pink football players....
pink KFC buckets....
pink spatulas at Wal*Mart....
pink buildings/antennas in downtown Chicago...
a pink Ford Headquarters building last week in Detroit...
and even a pink White House this month.

SOOOOOOO..........
who is this "Susan G Komen for the Cure" lady anyways....??

This week's answer.....that's who.
(I even had her picture in "pink" on Tuesday...but no bites...HA!)

Susan Goodman Komen was born in Peoria, IL and died of breast cancer at age 36 in 1980.
Her birthday is on Halloween.

Her sister Nancy (also pictured above)
promised her sister that she would lead a crusade to raise awareness of this disease that currently takes a life every 69 seconds.
What started in her living room with a typewriter and a few neighbors has added up to quite a resume with over 1.5 BILLION dollars raised since 1982.

Nancy's Resume...
Chief of Protocol of the U.S
U.S. Ambassador to Hungary
Owns a Presidential Medal of Freedom
Time magazine, 100 Most Influential People in the World[
Ladies’ Home Journal’s 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century
Biography Magazine’s The 25 Most Powerful Women in America
University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award
The Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen
Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Divorced twice (she's never home...cha..cha..cha!)

Marty
Indy, IN

Song of the Week......

"Gone to Shilo"
.....must have listened to this song a dozen times today.

Elton.... Leon.... and Neil.

.....along with a little history lesson
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/shiloh.htm

Marty
Rockport, IN

U.P. and over the lake.....

I must say....
over the 73,277 miles that I have put on my 2010 Impala
in the last 12 months...
Tuesday's 250 from Escanaba, MI to Traverse City, MI were the most rewarding.

I have never been around Lake Michigan or in the U.P. for that matter...
very serene and untouched.
Gives one a whole new perspective for how big the lake really is.
Lots of older 40's-50's roadside motels that have been updated along the way and small towns that look like fun.

Today was beautiful..and in the 60's...hard to keep ones eyes on the road.

Driving with my knees...
on my cell phone...
eating an Egg McMuffin.....
shaving...
and taking this picture.
(just kidding Mom.....
it was a Sausage McMuffin)

Pulled over for this one.....Mackinac Bridge in the distance.
1000 times more beautiful in person.

Marty
Payne, OH

Trivia Tuesday......

Ok.....coming off of the Jon Stewart debacle from last week....
its time to pull out a tough one.
First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the lady in question above will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.
Not a lot of hints this week......
because she is still kind of a mystery to me also?

Hints....

• Fellow Illinoisan from downstate....
• part time model
• Homecoming Queen....
• Married her college sweetheart....
• Jewish...
• NOT Mindy from "Mork & Mindy"
• would have been 67 this month...
• has a powerful and strong-willed sister.

Marty
Traverse City, MI

...and you thought I had too much time on MY hands!

Marty
Escanaba, MI

So you want to be a stuntman......

Marty

When Mike was King......

John...Chuck.....
.......and Yoko on bongo.

Marty

We Have a Wiener!!!

OK...OK....OK already.....stop emailing me!
This week's was WAY TOO easy and set a record for correct guesses!

......but only the FIRST CORRECT guess wins.....
and that was in at the 3 minute mark from Mz. Maggie Pollard!!
Congrats Maggie.....your Grand Prize will be on it's way soon.

Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz was this week's correct answer.....

--Changed his name from Leibowitz to Stewart because Leibowitz was too "Hollywood"
--some think it was due to his strained relationship with his father...with whom he hasn't had contact with since he was 11 years old.
--Recently changed his "family name" from Stuart to Stewart.
--His older brother is the COO of the NY Stock Exchange...
--Not a Rick Sanchez fan....and I agree...coin flip between Rick and Nancy Grace to who is the most annoying person IN THE WORLD!!
(those two are two more reasons to sell your TV)
--too smug for me....but Mom loves him and his sidekick.

Marty
Louisville, KY

PS....TT Rules for newbies....
TT starts every TUESDAY at 10:00AM SHARP.
The sharks start circling around 9:50....so refresh often.
You MUST have the correct FULL name and SPELLING of that week's puzzle!!
First correct answer.....takes the Grand Prize!!

My Kinda Town.......

Before the Bears played there......
Barnum & Bailey did.

1944

Marty
New Matamoras, OH

Take Two and a Half......

Marty

Kent, OH

Trivia Tuesday......

OK....it's Tuesday...and a new week!

First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the shaggy haired gentleman above will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT Bragging Rights for the next 7 days!!

Hints....

• Former puppeteer.....busboy.....bartender
• and spent sometime at Woolworth's as a stockboy!
• Has appeared on Sesame Street and The Simpsons....
• Once was one of People's Most Beautiful Persons in the World
• I'm two days older than him....
• He has one wife...two kids....two pit bulls and a cat.
• not a fan of his Dad's
• not a fan of Rick...
• I'm not a fan of his...

Marty
Lakeview, OH

Less than 60 shopping days until my birthday.....

Marty
Tell City, IN

10/10/10 = 23

Wow 23 years....

If you were to ask me....
if I could turn back the clock and do it all over again...
.........would I??

OF COURSE I WOULD!!

I wouldn't miss Uncle John Barry's
version of the "Chicken Dance" for nothing!

Marty

Grover is "fantastic"..........

Marty

We Have a Wiener!!

Mz. Molly Flynn was the first in this week with the Watusi dancers....
Terrence Steve McQueen &
Lucy (Luci) Baines Johnson Turpin, formerly Nugent.
(somebody was an overachiever!)

Lucy changed her spelling to Luci...
changed religions and was married.... all by 19.
Daughter of LBJ and LBJ...and sister of LBJ.

Stever....
grew up just outside of Indy...rough childhood with parent issues...eventually spending part of his youth in a Boys Home.

But even he couldn't beat the cancer "bullitt"...

Dead at 50.

Marty
Marion, IL

If you got 'em......smoke 'em!!

My Sweet Lord.....

Dead at 58.

Marty
Randolph, WI

One bad mutha......

....can't be real....
but still pretty cool.

Marty
Fayette, OH

Trivia Tuesday Twofer......

Staying far away from the Sports Category this week....
and you know how I like correct names and spelling!!

Before there was "Dancing with the Stars"....there was this!
FIRST email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the "dancing couple" above will be this week's GRAND PRIZE WINNER and have TT Bragging Rights for the next 7 days!

Hints....

Dancing Queen....

• Has the same initials as her sister...and her Dad...and her Mother.
• Probably knows the "two-step" better than what she is dancing above.
• Changed the spelling of her name in her teens....
• Changed religions in her teens...
• Changed her "single status" in her teens...

Sir Dance-a-Lot....

• A Hoosier....
• partially deaf...
• dyslexic....
• part-time gangbanger....
• Marine....but demoted over a half dozen times....
• "Best Actor" nominee....

Marty
Eastlake, OH

If you got 'em....smoke 'em!

Inspired by the Flinstone Winston Commercials.....
I am starting a new feature....

"If you got 'em....smoke 'em!"

First installment...
....just the "facts" Jack!

Dead at 62.

Marty
Kent, OH

Take Five.....

Cool......but glad it didn't land on me.

I'm not buying the old "batteries died" excuse at the end.....somebody got dinged!

Marty

Happy 50th Fred!!

Yabba.....Dabba.....Death!
Cha....Cha....Cha!

Marty

We have a Wiener!!!

I knew I should have went with the TT Trio instead of the TT duo.....

Molly Flynn was the first in with Franco Harris and Doug Buffone.
(sorry Mr. Swale.....
but I'll give you some extra credit if you can guess Mystery Man #3)

Who knew that Franco was half Italian??
About as Italian as Franco-American Meatballs....
has most fumbles by a NFL running back .........at 90!

Doug Buffone....
he was broadcasting from Fat Sams this past Monday night....
and at 66...he still looks like he could lace them up and get back at it.

Doug....born in PA.....
part owner of Gibson's Steakhouse....
he was the last active player to have played for George Halas.....
played for 15 seasons (186 games....3rd most amongst Bears players)
had over 1200 tackles....still holds Bears record for most sacks in a season (18).

Marty
Aurora, IL

"Why I hate TV...."

.......enough said.

Although I did catch the first part of Ken Burns' "Baseball The 10th Inning" on Tuesday night......good stuff.

http://www.pbs.org/baseball-the-tenth-inning/

Marty
Niles, MI

McNally Film Festival.....

Attended the McNally Film Festival on Sunday afternoon....
(at my Mom's house)

Opened up Pandora's Box of hours and hours of my Dad's old Super 8 films from 1969 through the early '80's. Without sound and "cool graphics" even the oldest of Grandkids got a kick out of the way back machine.

In case you ever need footage of...
EVERY Scottsdale Boys and Girls Baseball/Softball Parade of the 1970's....
from several different intersections around St. Bede's....
I got 'em!!

Interesting that there were no seatbelts used in any of those parades...
and teams all sat on roofs....and on the door windowframes of cars.....
and survived.

All led by the Chicago Fire Dept rigs and Chicago Policemen on horses
(on double-time I'm sure)

Above is Mr. Farrell and myself circa 1976 in my backyard on our 8th Grade Graduation night...(snapped from an I-phone)

Height advantage goes to Mr. Farrell
(albeit short-lived)

Next step is to get these treasures to DVD....
before they stop selling projector bulbs.


Marty
Eastlake, OH

Trivia Tuesday......

So now that the Sox are out of it....
(as predicted here several weeks ago....GO TWINS!!)
and I'm soooooooo done with Ozzie.....
I am officially driving the Chicago Bears Bandwagon.....
wooo....hoooo!

So that being said.....
first email to unobuckeroo@aol.com
to correctly name the two gentlemen above.....
will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints.....
Mr. "Blackbeard"......

• Member of the Italian Sports Hall of Fame.
• Mother from Italy
• His son ran for Mayor of Pittsburgh last year.
• NFL.....Hall-of-Famer
• Hard time holding onto the pig.

Mr. "Sharp Dressed Man"

• Coal Miners Son...
• has a slice of the steak at Gibson's Steakhouse
• was the last of George's Bears....
• didn't miss too many games....
• knows a thing or two about sacking...
• ran into him last night.

Marty
Niles, MI

For the birds....

...stick with this one.

Marty
Aurora, IL

20 miles of bad road......

Had a couple of hours to kill this afternoon due to a power outage at the Marion abode....took out my new 21 speed bike for a 3+ hour tour on the Tunnel Hill Bike trail between Tunnel Hill and Vienna, Illinois.
Obviously the founding fathers of Tunnel Hill, IL weren't that creative when it came to naming the town....this whole trail is an abandoned train route from the early 1900's. The tunnel above was constructed in the 1920's and is about a football field long. Half way through it is literally like riding your bike with your eyes closed because it is so dark....
all you can see is the light at the exit.

Pretty amazing feat....
cutting a tunnel through the middle of this giant rock hill.....especially in the 1920's.....
considering that there were no Menards back then.
The trail I took ran through bottoms of valleys to the tops of several hills. This bridge was built on the same trusses from the original train line.
Picture doesn't do this justice....but it is a dry creek bed with a small pool at the bottom.
End of route.....back through the tunnel .....on foot this time

Observations................

• Next time I will wait until the retirees finish their morning run....not only do they clean up all of the overnight spider webs in my way.....but after my first four miles...it was difficult to come up with the breath to continue to say hello to all of them as they passed me up.
• HELMETS.....I was outnumbered 200 to 1....I know...I know...but I will not succumb to peer pressure.
• Squirrels are stupid......if you can't figure out that I am coming right at you at 7.4 miles an hour.....then you deserve to have your tail run over.
• My last bike that I bought back in 1984.....cost me the same as the one I just bought at Wal*Mart last month....and you wonder why we are having problem$.
• 21-speeds on a bike.....come on America....you need only 3.
• I need to leave my Blackberry in my car more often.....the first 6 miles were tough....but the shaking stopped soon after.
• What may appear to be wet brown leaves....may be something else....damn equestrians.
• What appeared to be a flat 10 mile course....was all up hill on the return trip.
• My ass bone (not sure of the scientific term) said "enough is enough" after mile 17.....the last 3 miles were a lot of walking....riding...walking...riding...walking...walking...walking.
• There is a huge difference between taking a bike ride when you weigh 260 vs. taking a bike ride when you weighed 190......um like....70 pounds.
• This part of Illinois was beautiful....quiet and untouched....and there were parts of the trip where no one was around for miles....but at times....

I swore I could hear "Dueling Banjos" playing.

Marty

Take Five......

It's Saturday morning...
Grab yourself another cup of coffee and give me 5 minutes.....

Love is blind....

Marty
Kevil, KY

We Have a Wiener!!

LEO DUROCHER (with Herman)

MILTON BERLE

.

So the week I thought I would take all the marbles......

Jim Swale comes out of no where....and swipes the marbles back....

with the only winning entry....

and it was submitted on Wednesday!!

OUCH!

.

Congrats Jim!!

I should have known better to go back into my Baseball file!!

.

Most of the hints are self explanatory....

except for the Ron Santo and the "crooked bat" hints.

.

Ron Santo link.......

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/04/santo-recalls-physical-confrontation-with-his-manager.html

.

"Crooked Bat" link......

I'm not going there!

.

Marty

Cincinnati, OH

"Why I hate TV......."

(or "Why China will someday rule the world..........")

Marty
New Madison, OH

Commercial of the Week......

(Big thanks to RK Foreign Correspondent....Jim Farrell)

Marty
Greenville, OH

Trivia Tuesday.......

As we get closer to Baseball Playoffs......thought I would pull this one out.
First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the two "ball players" above....will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.
Need full names......please.

Hints....

Mr. "Crooked Bat"......

• Appeared in early Charlie Chaplin movies...
• Hosted Saturday Night Live...
• Married 4 times....
• part time songwriter...
• was a vegetarian
• has his own stamp
• has TWO Hollywood Stars
• adopted TWO children
• rumor had it....once possessed a Crooked Bat....

Mr. "Dodger".....

• Involved in plenty of wins and ......ejections.
• o for 4 in the game of marriage....
• once wore Cubbie Blue....
• author....
• television actor...
• once regarded as the best fielding S/S of his day...
• spoke only French as a child....knew no English starting school....
• Ron Santo almost killed him.....

Marty
Detroit, MI

......another reason to go to college!

Marty
Leslie, MI

Na.Na.Na.Na.......Na.Na.Na.Na.......

Hey..Hey....

HEY??!!
Why does my Bobblehead look like Justin Bieber??!!

Marty

Who's up for a Cruise??

I hear that you can get a good deal....
during Hurricane Season!!
Gravity is not kind to the big guy in the striped shirt!
....but I think he's enjoying the ride.

Marty

We Have a Wiener!!

Maggie Pollard was the first one in this week to recognize our Vice-President....
Mr. Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.

Congrats..... your (and several past winners)
GRAND PRIZE will be heading to you this weekend!

Interesting background....
I didn't know that there were "Irish Teetotalers".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

Marty
Fort Madison, IA

I love Google......

.....but this is pretty spooky!!

Marty
Overland Park, KS

You have the right to remain silent.....

If you have some time.....
click on the below tab and listen a spell....
you'll be glad you did.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/all/play_music/play_full.php?play=414&podcast=1

Marty
Edwardsville, KS

Trivia Tuesday........

Huckabee...
Pelosi...
Cheney...
The Edwards.....

I have struck out in my latest round of TT stumpers.....
....until today.

First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the dreamy hombre above...
will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days!!

Hints...

• Need full name....if anything....you will learn something this week!!
• A good Irish Catholic Attorney...
• Has been on Leno/Letterman and with the ladies of The View....
• Dad sold used cars....
• Stuttered well into his adulthood....
• He met his first wife on Spring Break....
• She died 6 years later along with their 1-year old child...
• Author....
• Met wife #2 on a blind date....

Marty
Lenexa, KS

Crazy Canucks.........

Marty
Kirksville, MO

CHA....CHA....CHA!!!

Babe Winkleman turns 40 today!!!

Marty

Special thanks to the TM McNally Foundation for the use of their photo archive.

Koran...Qur'an....Coran...Kuran....blablablabla...

Funny......
how a Florida hillbilly preacher with a congregation of 50....
(trivia...who graduated from H.S. with Rush Limbaugh)

Can take the focus off of today's date.

Turn off your TV.

I am now stepping off of my soapbox.....

Marty

We Have a Wiener!!!!!

Michael Dale Huckabee....
(also from the same Arkansas hometown as Bill Clinton....
what's in the water there?)

....and Mz. Molly Flynn was in first with the correct answer.
The political theme will end with next Tuesday's challenge....so sharpen your pencils and let's end Mz. Flynn's reign.

Enjoy Mike & Meat.....



...another reason why I don't watch TV.

Marty
Spring Valley, IL

Doh!!

Marty
Macomb, IL

cha...cha...cha......

Marty
Stanberry, MO

Trivia Tuesday.......

After a long weekend.....
it is once again Tuesday and time to take a stab at the Mystery Man above.
First email to unobuckeroo@aol.com to correctly name the gentleman above
will win this week's GRAND PRIZE and TT bragging rights for the next 7 days.

Hints....

• Author...
• First job...at a radio station reading news/weather
• Once weighed over 300lbs....
• Lost 100+ of it recently.....
• Never smoked....or drank.
• Television host....
• NOT Al Roker.....
• Married for over 30+ years.....
• Musician..... who has performed with many....recently with Meat Loaf.
• What's with the eyebrows and hair??
• Nancy McNally cannot play this week!

Marty
Edwardsville, KS

Happy Labor Day......

....or



Marty

One Day.......

.......as viewed from the International Space Station.

Marty

Song of the Week!!

Provo, UT- July 2010
4,000 people
120,000 balloons
(all biodegradable, filled with non-potable irrigation water)
World record for the largest water balloon fight
(pending final approval from Guinness)

This should make you smile.....

Marty

We Have a Wiener!!!!

Heeeeeeerrrrrrrreeeeeessss.....
Johhhhnnnnnnnyyyyyy.
(and Elizabeth)

Mz. Molly Flynn was the first in this week with this week's Twofer......
Johnny Reid Edwards and Mary Elizabeth Edwards.
Your GRAND PRIZE will be on it's way to you shortly!!

The hints make a lot more sense now that you know who the "players" are.

I did have a typo that was so eloquently pointed out to me by Mz. Flynn.
Elizabeth is the Mother of only 4 kids....
not 5.

It is Johnny who has the 5 kids....
cha..cha..cha.

Marty
Tunnel Hill, IL

Whaddya want for nothin......

not sure who I worry about more here....
the "giver" or the "taker"

Marty
Marion, IL

My Kinda Town.......

Looking north from Roosevelt Rd...just east of Michigan Ave......1956.

So maybe all of Richie's trees aren't that bad after all.....

Marty
Oblong, IL
(Only city named Oblong in the world.......and if a guy from Oblong married a girl from Normal, IL, the headline would read
"Oblong Man Marries Normal Woman"