Urging All Confessors to Check Out the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the Southwestern Sky Tonight, Tomorrow Night (Closest Apparent Approach, the "Official" Conjunction) and for Some Days Thereafter

[And a very happy 55th birthday this day to Craig "Junior" Miller.]

 Go out 45 minutes/hour after sunset and look to the southwest for the brightest thing in the sky (other than the moon).  You might think you're only seeing one object, but look more carefully, perhaps slightly avert your gaze.  They will only be one-tenth of a degree apart -- about one-fifth the apparent diameter of the full moon.  Saturn, which is usually intrinsically bright, will be much dimmer than Jupiter.  As you can see from the chart, it's about twice as far away.  Jupiter and Saturn will in fact be over a half-billion miles apart at that time.

 Don't wait too long, as the conjunction will set not long into the night.

 Great Conjunction of 2020

 Wishing all Confessors a safe and happy Christmas.

       -- Plainsman

Happy 95th Birthday, Jonathan Winters (RIP 2013)

 

And, by the way, Alex Trebek's predecessor as Jeopardy! host, Art Fleming (in my view, a better host than AT), also died of pancreatic cancer (RIP 1995).

 

Happy Birthday, John Cleese and Roy Lichtenstein

 

Classic Red Stunner, Rhonda Fleming, RIP at 97

 

October 14, 2020: National Fossil Day

Huntonia Trilobite from Oklahoma.

October 2, 2020 -- 130th Anniversary of the Birthday of Julius "Groucho" Marx

 

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

Thank You for Shopping at "My Ticket Confession"

Yes, you guessed correctly.  This is my last column.

I still like The Ticket.

I may be in the minority, but I think 12-3 and 3-7 are both much better shows since the reshuffling.  The Ticket is handling the fluidity at 10-12 required by Norm's illness very well.  The weekend shows are stronger than ever.  My Musers continue to nurture their legend.

Some things have changed, of course.

I realized over the past year or so that I don't like sports that much.  I don't like the athletes.  I don't like the owners.  I don't like the league administration.  It was part of the genius of The Ticket that it could still appeal to a guy like me.

Then two things happened.

The first thing, which is not that important as far as my decision to bid farewell to MTC, is The Contagion combined with The Unrest, and the effect both had on The Ticket.

Without sports to talk about because of The Contagion, one might have thought The Ticket would have been well-positioned to tough it out, since much of their broadcasting was already non-sports-related.  But it is not handling The Contagion well.  

Because the hosts chose to fill too many of their now-empty segments with talk about The Unrest (with a sports angle where possible), and, incidentally, the political response to The Contagion.  

I'm interested in The Unrest.  But I can hear about that anywhere, and more authoritatively, and less annoyingly, than I heard it on The Ticket. 

Some of this is not The Ticket's fault.   The response of sports administration to both The Contagion and The Unrest was an independent news event -- in this column's view, amounting to rank pandering -- and The Ticket had not much choice but to talk about it it.   But the editorializing, both implicit and explicit, that accompanied it struck me as being way out of step with its listenership.  At least that segment of it that is typing these words.

Can't prove it, but I believe The Ticket's ratings slide is a direct result of its misestimation of its listeners' tolerance for HOs that are not HSOs.  (Yes, yet more men brought low by their obsession with hos.)

Not saying the hosts don't have a right to their opinions.  Not even saying they shouldn't use their soapbox to broadcast it.  Just saying you'll be hearing punch-outs from here to Waxahachie. 

[[Small-print aside:

Before leaving this topic, which I have avoided in the past, let me say something in defense of Craig, Bob, Corby, Gordon, and all the rest who seem to be jumping on the social-justice bandwagon:  These guys are not young men any more.  When men (women, of course, too) get older, they reflect on what is important.  It may be dawning on them, as it has dawned on me, that a lot of what has occupied our days through middle age, while necessary to put bread on the table, is slight, evanescent, unimportant -- most significantly, empty of meaning.   There is a craving for meaning, for larger themes, for leaving a mark that sets the world a little closer to the right direction.  I think we're hearing some of that restlessness in the noticeable veering of The Ticket away from entertainment based on sports commentary to bigger topics that increasingly resonate with these aging stars.   It may not be good radio, but neither is it bombastic posturing or egotistical lecturing.  

My own path (see second point below) is much the same.  No one has to read my novel, and no one has to listen to The Ticket.  It is not, and, truth to tell, never was, must-hear radio.  It's a delightful confection struggling for air in a time when delightful confections completely dominated by middle-aged white males are in bad odor.  I feel sorry for them and I'm missing them, but I'm embracing things I now find more important.  So are they, and I applaud that mind-set, but nothing about them suggests that they're reliable guides for their traditional listeners.  But they, each one of them, were a huge part of my life, and I love them all.]]

I found that I was going days without hearing a single minute of Ticket broadcasting.  I'd punch out on the political talk, wait for what seemed to me to be a period where the station surely would have moved on to something of greater interest, punch back in, and the wearisome woke talk would still be going on.  

 In addition, I was busy with the second thing I'll get to in a moment. 

It struck me that not listening much to the station would eventually result in me being a very poor Ticket blogger, if it hadn't already.

But this is going to pass.  This alone would not have made me either forswear The Ticket, or forswear MTC.  Things will eventually return to normal with a host lineup, possibly sans Norm but plus Sirois, that I have loved for years.

It is the second thing is luring me further from The Ticket and pretty much killing my willingness to continue MTC, at least as it has existed since 2009.  

No, it isn't the politicization of the comments.

The second thing is:  I've written a novel.  I expect it to be published within the next month or so.  Note the passive voice: "expect it to be published."  In fact, I'm publishing it myself through my own company as do thousands of other Amazon authors.  I've already started on novel number two, and I expect to write full time for money, both fiction and non-fiction, from here on out.  Seventy percent royalties on ebooks on Kindle, not too shabby if you can catch on with readers who become fans.  Something's gotta give; one of them is my career job, and another is MTC. 

(I regret not telling you what the novel is, although some of you might like it.  I am publishing it pseudonymously, and, much as I love The Confessor, I can't have anyone writing an Amazon review that even says so little as "hey, this is the guy that did The Ticket blog."  Very sorry; I'd love to have y'all downloading it or buying the paperback.)

*     *     *

I haven't decided exactly what to do with the site.  I'm not taking it down.  It is of some very minor interest to the history of The Ticket.  Sometimes, I suspect, of a little more interest than we know, although perhaps I flatter myself.  

I have considered just doing a new one-sentence post from time to time to keep the thing alive as a place where people can come to participate in a curated discussion forum.  Maybe industry or Cumulus guys will toss me a tip now and then.  Maybe I'll give that a try and alert Twitter if there's anything of interest reported.  But (1) would communicants really come here with no actual content offered (maybe I'll toss up a red with each new post), (2) Reddit exists (and I may check in there from time to time), and (3) do I really want to spend any time refereeing flame wars?

*     *     *

My gratitude to The Confessor is immense.  I wish I had a chance to meet you all -- yes, even grumpasaurus Surly.  I had a lot of fun doing the site and I have regretted the decline in my output over the past several months.  

But the times are changing for many reasons, and The Ticket is likely to feel the seismic buckling as much as any aging institution, maybe more.  I'd love to be around to report it, but commerce, if not art, is calling my name (even if it's not really my name). 

Fond best regards to all.  

And so, after 945 posts, I Thank You for Shopping at My Ticket Confession, Your Source for Responsible Ticket Journalism.

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

 

Good-bye, Plainsman.  Who are you, anyway?

FROM THE DRAFT PILE: Are Any Confessors Former Members of the Highland Park High School Ticket Club?

I'm rummaging through old draft posts that never got posted.  Here's one from 2014.  Kind of a give-up at this point, I know, but the more I thought about it, the more I was interested in the answer.  Let us hear from you if you were in that club or know anything much about it.  

To make up for its brevity, I offer two reds.

Thanks.

        -- Plainsman
 

*     *     *

Were you or anyone you know a member of the Highland Park High School Ticket Club?  If so, let us hear from you about those heady days.  The Hardline talks about the Club once in awhile, and Corby did today.  One of its alumni runs a website that was the key to raising the money necessary to enable the Foo Fighters to play the small venue in Virginia where Corby had attended the show.  I'd like to hear more.

 

  

 

 Oh, all right, all right, here's one more for this crummy post:

 

 

 

BLOG INTERRUPTION: Technical Question for Streaming Experts

PRELIMINARY NOTE:  Myrna Loy, today's red, would have been 115 today.

*     *     *

For some years I have done a lot of my Ticket listening on the stream via bluetooth.  I stream from the website -- not from the app -- on my phone.  This has worked great until recently. 

Now I find that when the Ticket website leaves the screen -- let's say I'm out on my bike listening with a bluetooth bud and the screen (but not the stream) goes to sleep -- the stream breaks up into little bits.  No content is lost, but the voices all experience gaps that makes them sound as though they've slooooowed down their talking because of all the little interruptions.  If I turn the phone back on (it was never off, just not displaying anything) and return to the Ticket home page, the stream continues playing normally.

Formerly, the screen would go to sleep and the stream would be unaffected.

Any suggestions?  I'm trying to remember why I decided not to use the app.  Maybe that's the best way to listen to the stream?

Thanking you in advance.

Happy birthday, Myrna.

FROM THE DRAFT PILE: Who Will Be the Next Ticket Guy to Strike Out for Greener Pastures?

[As of this post there have been 942 posts on My Ticket Confession.  All but a very few are original drafting, the small balance being archive replays and a couple of guest columns.  I noticed that I had 9 unpublished drafts.  I went back to look at them and was mostly amused by my errors.  But it was fun to go back and read them, and I thought I'd publish a few of them so you could be amused too.  This also has the merit of substituting for actual new composition, making up for my lack of production recently, and the difficulty I have had in finding Ticket-listening time.

This item was drafted on December 27, 2012.]

*     *     *

I include in this survey any Ticket guy whose name you would recognize, whether they get much on-air time or not.

I'm not talking about getting fired, I'm talking about leaving voluntarily. 

Here's my candidate:  Ty Walker.

Ty is a pretty talented and valuable guy.  I've come to appreciate his co-hosting skills with Sean Bass, his Tickers are very skillful (if you like Tickers), and he's experienced.   I haven't always felt that way about him, but I've come around; when I catch him and Bass on Ticket Sports Weekend it's always a strong show.     I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but for some reason the guy gets little or no respect from the shows upon which he toils, most notably The Hardline.  Whether there is a reason for that, I have no idea.  I'm not aware of any.  Yeah, the porn enthusiasm and Star Wars stuff is a little peculiar, but no more than the crotchets of any other host.

The guy is a man; he's forty or thereabouts.  If he left for anchor work elsewhere he wouldn't be giving up a plum position or big coin, but he'd be leaving behind what sounds to me like not-in-fun ill treatment he sometimes receives.  Maybe it's a bit, maybe he's OK with it, but it sounds to me like there's an edge to it. 

I've speculated on the station's odd attitude toward Ty in the past, most notably in connection with the mystery of his network assignment at the 2010 Final Four and why The Ticket completely ignored it. 

I hope he hangs on at The Little One, and I'd like to hear more of him as a host. He deserves more of a shot; at a minimum, enhanced appreciation from his colleagues. 

Unless, as I say, there's some off-mic stuff we don't know about.

Any thoughts on who might be next to bolt?  Do you agree that Ty is an asset?

[This item seems to be unfinished.  I don't know why I didn't return to it.  It sort of looks like it started out to be a list, but ended up with only Ty as the only "candidate," singular, and the last line looks like a sign-off.   I don't know who else I might have put on this list before I stopped writing it, but I'm pretty sure two others, maybe the only two others, would have been Rich Phillips and Gordon Keith.  I might have included Donovan Lewis back then.

In commenting, you may wish to speculate on who among the present lineup, including producers, weekend talent, tickerpeople, and others whose names we know, might be candidates for departure.]

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Rules of the Confessional

This originally appeared in 2015.  It is a little out of date in spots but is mostly still good law.  Very minor emendations and corrections this time around.  We apparently have some Confessors who think that the persons of their fellow Confessors are fair game in exactly the same way The Ticket itself is fair game, and are stunned when their comments are bounced.  

Don't be.

Always best to stick to commentary on program content, host comportment, and the like, and refrain from impugning the character, brains, morality, or rectitude of your fellow MTC readers.

Thank you.

-- Plainsman

*     *     *

Attend, O Confessors.

This is intended to be a site for people who like The Ticket.  Maybe they have an issue here and there, but, in general, I want Confessors to be fans, or, as they have come to be known, "The P1."

I want people to like coming here and know they're going to be treated with respect, or at least not put down by witless, content-free snark.

And, should a Ticket employee wander by, I want them to come away with the impression that they've been in the company of people who care about the station and think carefully about their reactions to it -- not a bunch of snippy teenagers.

So forgive me if I advise that I'm weary of refereeing pissy little flame wars between readers who can't express themselves without taking a shot at others. 

And weary as well of visitors who apparently don't like anything about The Ticket, this site, or Your Plainsman.

Or don't forgive me.  Don't care.

My past warnings have gone unheeded.  So, much as I hate to do it, I'm cracking down.

Accordingly:

1.   Shots.   No criticisms of the person of any prior commenter.  If you have a disagreement, express your view in a way that addresses the issue or the facts or the opinion.  However, even brief phrases:

   --   impugning intelligence or motives of a prior commenter;

   --   asserting that prior commenters are all the same guy;

   --   suggesting that a prior commenter lacks reading or comprehension skills;

   --   suggesting that a commenter hasn't listened to the station enough, or for long enough, or is otherwise not a good Ticket citizen;

   --   is generally nasty towards another,

will cause your confession to hit the pail instantly.  Criticism of opinions is OK, but do it by making your own supportable point or making a legitimate debater's criticism of the prior comment.

I don't care how good your confession is in other respects.  The most brilliant comment that contains a phrase like "here's a thought -- listen to the station" will get bounced.

Subjective?  Absolutely.  Here's a rule of thumb:  Read your post before you send it.  If you see a phrase which, if it were said about you would upset you and make you want to respond in kind -- take it out.

2.    Vulgarity.  Don't use it.

3.    Tone.  Angry, hateful, threatening, overly emotional comments -- out.  I'm serious about all of these comments, and this one may seem slight, but I'm telling you:  Tone it down.

4.    Name-Calling.  Applies not just to fellow Confessors, but to anyone.  

5.    Stuff That's Just Too Wrong.  The other day got a comment from a guy ragging on T.C. and Corby.  Same old stuff, didn't like it, but met the standards in effect at that time.  Was going to publish, then noticed that he seemed to think that the midday host's name was "Stern."

[5.5  (added 03-07-15):  Commentary on subjects' personal lives is strongly discouraged.  Exceptions may be made if the matter relates to on-air events.]

6.   Anything That Strikes Me As Designed to Pick a Fight.  You figure it out.

Here's a further suggestion:  Cut and paste your comment into a file before sending it.  If you don't see your comment within a few hours, I've probably made it go away.   If you still think it's worthwhile, go back and figure out why I bounced it.  Fix it and resubmit.  [2020 comment:  This was written when I was forced to monitor comments, which I no longer do.  But it's still not bad advice if you think your comment might be on the edge and you might want to recast and resubmit if I trash it.]

Guys and dolls, I'm sorry about this, but I'm even sorrier that the comments have gotten so sorry.  I'd say a good third to a fourth of the comments that I published on the last thread would not have made it under the foregoing standards. 

You will be amazed at how easy it is to express your point of view -- even one that is critical of the point of a prior comment -- without impugning the character or talents of your fellows on this site.

Don't write me complaining about my judgment on comments.  I'm not interested.  You want the objective standard of unfettered commentary, there are other homes for you on the plains of the Internet.

Let's clean this site up.

One more thing.



[2020 comment:  The following is out of date.  I keep it in here as a historical curiosity.]

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, THIS SITE IS NOT ACCEPTING ANY COMMENTS, PRO OR CON, ABOUT T.C. FLEMING.  He's a part of The Ticket and fair game, but the volume of comments on him since his return to BaD Radio and weekend shows is grossly out of proportion to his significance to The Ticket.  Also, I'm mortally tired of them and no one has anything new to say.  I'll advise when this prohibition has been lifted.  I'm inclined to bounce all comments that even mention his name.

"Ragonk" is permitted.

This means you.

Come on now.  Let's keep this site going.  Let's make it a place that attracts the attention of people who matter and where you can be heard without bringing a bunch of cheap crap down on your head.

And let's have some fun.

Thank you for shopping at My Ticket Confession.

*     *     *

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Will Mike Sirois Recognize My Ticket Confession's Eleventh Birthday on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, on Why Today Doesn't Suck?

No.

Nothing against Mike, who a favorite of this site.

MTC's anniversaries tend not to be recognized by Why Today Doesn't Suck.

But Tuesday is, indeed, the eleventh anniversary of what I believe to be, Reddit aside, not only the longest-lasting Ticket blog, but, at present, the only one. 

Is that at all surprising?  It is, a little, to me.  There have been others that have popped up and lasted a few weeks.  A couple of them were interesting, good.  Was hoping they would hang around.  But they vanished as abruptly as they appeared.  (A couple survive on the link-list on this page.)   But it seems odd to me that we've got this amazing station -- I mean, the evidence that it is the greatest radio station in the country is substantial -- with the absolutely hippest social-media-savvy listenership around in DFW and elsewhere, and yet there is really very little celebration of it online.  Maybe Reddit's comprehensiveness sucks all of the interest in anyone doing their own periodic running commentary on the station.   Certainly there is room for commentary in addition to my meager offerings.

Which, to date, and not counting this one, equal 940 posts.   I think a handful of those are archival reposts, but that's still a lot.

In any event, I want to thank all of you chordates who have clicked on the site, offered comments, dropped me emails, checked out the reds, and generally supported my efforts here.  Yes, even those of you I have to bounce from time to time.

And I thought I'd better give you my current thinking on the site.  You will have observed I haven't posted in quite some time.   I very much appreciate those of you who have continued to comment and especially those who have been encouraging about keeping the site going.  That's how I get paid.

I still love The Ticket.  I still love checking in for comments.  I still like breaking the occasional newsie item.  I still like hearing from Deep-Fingered Correspondents from time to time with Ticket Tidbits.

Some have speculated that certain over-woke and over-anti-woke Confessor commentary, or perhaps the poli-talk on The Ticket itself, are driving me away from this particular hobby.

Annoying as those comments are on both sides of the aisle, and as tedious and disappointing as some of the hosts' posturing can be, it's not so.  It's not all that tough to bounce inappropriate comments, and usually that calms the commentariat down.  The political showgram stuff seems to have moderated some, what little I've been able to hear.  And I'm actually very fond of even the most bumptious of my readers.*

*Side note on Surly, formerly Shaggy:  Early in this site's history, a sometime commenter dropped me an email warning me about Shaggy, with whom he was butting heads on some site maintained by my correspondent.  I recognized Shaggy as a bit of a grumpasaurus, but also perceived he was sharp and, in general, willing to follow the Rules of the Confessional.  So he remains welcome here.

Nope, this is all on me.  About a year-and-a-half ago, and again a few months ago, my life took some gigantic swerves.   I guess the kids call them "pivots" these days.   These were not bad things, they were and are rather good things, but two things have resulted:

First, my Ticket listening time has been slashed.  Just can't do it like I used to, even the early-morning Musers have taken a huge hit.  For reasons unrelated to The Contagion, I am not in my car nearly as much, which is a big factor in reducing my listening.

Second, multiple projects are demanding huge chunks of even my discretionary time, which is to say, my writing time.  I have at least three major writing projects going now that are not My Ticket Confession.  The time just isn't there, and, of course, because of the first factor, I don't hear as much that would inspire a column.

None of this demands that I quit the site.  But I feel that if I can't hear the station as much as I would like, I not only don't have much grist for my writing mill, I'm likely not really to know what's going on at the station.  Kinda feel like I'm letting the good Confessor down.

But  .  .  .

.  .  .  I do still hear the station from time to time.  Today, for example, I was able to catch a fair amount of Mike Sirois, Rich Phillips, and Danny Bailis in the Jake/Dan slot.  Great show, really solid content and a pleasure to hear Rich (another favorite of mine and, at one time, an MTC pick to be a national breakout play-by-play talent) again.   Then heard WTDS hosted by Mike, and maybe 45 minutes of The Hardline.  All good.

So this is not farewell.  I'll do my best to gin up a topic from time to time, so please do stay tuned, check in with comments, and always, always say nice things about My Ticket Confession.

At which I thank you all for shopping.

Even, occasionally, one or another Sirois.

And to my first Confessor, that Nice Young Michael Gruber, I offer my thanks for your first-ever comment on this site, wherever you are.

And you too, Barb Smith, who put this site on the map.

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Here's How Little I Have to Post About

The Confessor will recognize this as an entirely burnt post intended to let you know I'm still out here and still providing the anchor for your trenchant Ticket commentary in your offerings below.

Here it is:

Jake Kemp:  He reads the ad copy put in front of him.  This is not a criticism of Jake.  This is a criticism of whoever writes the ad copy.

I speak of the ad copy for All-Pro Foundation Repair.  As this column has pointed out, one should never buy a house from a Ticket host, because they've all had foundation problems.  (Never, Never, No, Never, No, No, Never -- and I Mean Ever -- Buy a House from a Ticket Host)   Now, instead, they all say "we've all had reason to call" All-Pro.

Even new host Jake.  Apparently the moment you're elevated to Tier One, your foundation starts to get wavy and shifty and doors stick and paint cracks.

That's OK.  Never hurts to have your foundation checked on this supposedly difficult North Texas soil.  Although how homes have stable swimming pools but can't seem to have basements or sound foundations in this area is beyond me.

That's not my current issue.  It is:

During the latest ad, Jake says something like this:

"But what really sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart, though, is  .  .  .  ."

No.

Just, no.

You can't say "but" and also "though."

It has to be either:

"But what sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart is  .  .  .  ."

OR

"What sets All-Pro Foundation Repair apart, though, is  .  .  .  ."

Jeez.  An absolutely nothing moment, but drives me nuts.  Ad copy guys:  Jake has a Master's Degree in Communications.  Give the man correct copy to read.

And there you have the most vivid thought I've had about The Ticket in a while.

Wait, here's a couple more less-vivid thoughts:

I like Jake and Dan 12-3.  The show continues to warm.   Dan still has the occasional hissy moment, but Jake's good at handling them and overall I think Dan has upped his game.

I like Bob, Corby, and Danny 3-7.  Everyone is settling in nicely, I think.  Corby's calmed down, we're hearing less bonehead social commentary, and Danny has perked up.   Both Danny and Corby seem to be speaking with greater care in the presence of Bob's thoughtfulness and general niceness.

There you go.

Thank you for shopping at My Ticket Confession.

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

My (Attenuated) Connection to The First Dance

Like the whole darned Ticket, I'm enjoying "The Last Dance," but I'm enjoying it maybe just a tiny bit more for another reason:  I lived in Chicago during the first and last Jordan years.  It occurred to me the other day that I have a couple of stories related to those astonishing teams, so here they are.

(1)  First, a nothingburger story:  I used to hang out at a saloon called Gibsons (yes, Gibsons, not Gibson's) where Rush Street and State Street come together on the Near North Side.  Upscale steak joint with an extremely lively bar scene and a live piano where I used to warble a standard or two with the jazz players from time to time.

Michael and his entourage didn't come in often, but they were there a few times.  Sat at a big table in the corner with his buds, smoking a cigar.  I was standing in the crush one night when a tall person was squeezing by me.  Looked up.  Michael in a suit.  I nodded, he said "hey," and that was the end of that story.

(2)   I can date this one very precisely.  This was during the Bulls first run to a championship in 1991, the championship series with the Lakers.

In the late eighties and early nineties, the undisputed king of Chicago radio was Jonathon Brandmeier, who had the morning drive show on WLUP, 97.9 FM, 1000 AM, "The Loop."  Born in Wisconsin, he'd had huge success as a wacky morning DJ in Phoenix before coming to Chicago.  His show was built on bits, interaction with his newsman and producer (and sometimes traffic/weather girl), phone pranks, celebrity wake-ups, interviews, listener calls, and they did play some music.  Monster ratings.

 

By the way:  The Loop in those days might be said to have invented sports-talk radio with the evening show hosted by Chet Coppock, whose passing I memorialized in these pages not long ago.  Coppock was a particular leader of young Bob Sturm.  (https://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-sports-talk-pioneer-passes-from-scene.html; Bob was kind enough to drop a comment on this article.)   

Johnny B (as he was known) also accepted parody tapes from listeners.  A couple of pals and I got together a little band we called Lower Wacker Overdrive (Lower Wacker Drive being a cross between an engineering marvel and a local joke) and started sending in tapes.  (Yes, children, cassette tapes we would record on a Tascam MiniStudio or the like.)   The tapes, with maybe one or two exceptions, all related to the morning show.   I did some songs on my own under my own name.   All in all we had about 21 songs broadcast, including one original composition.

On June 11, 1991, the Bulls were up 3-1 on the Lakers.  Game 5 would be the next night in Los Angeles.  For some reason I was riding with a female acquaintance and I mentioned I'd had a parody kicking around in my head relating to the series but I'd never gotten around to writing or recording it, too bad.  Just had the first line, which I sang.  She fell into the wheelwell larfing and ordered, I mean commanded, me to finish the song and record it and get it into the station the next morning.   Well, OK.  I blew off work the rest of the day, went home, knocked out some lyrics.  I didn't have the ability to record the song myself, so I took the original and just recorded my lyrics over the original.  In a few hours had my tune.

She kindly took it up to the station before the show started early on June 12, 1991 -- Game 5 was to be played that night -- and dropped off the tape around 5:30 when the show began.   Wanted to get it in early, hoping the producer (Jimmy "Bud" Wiser) would rush it in to Brandmeier.   He must have, because when I tuned in that morning, Johnny was talking about it.  By the time the show was over, it had been played several times on the air and was a hit with the on-air staff.  Like my ladyfriend's  reaction, it got yoks just from reciting the title, which depends on a vulgar double meaning.  After I left Chicago, friends told me Brandmeier would play it from time to time.

At the time, Chicagoans were so certain the Bulls were going to win that there was some sentiment that fandom wanted the Bulls to lose that night so the series would come back to Chicago where surely the Bulls could take 1 of 2.  But they won that night, 108-101, for their first of the Jordan championships.

I have an original recording and off-the-air recordings on a CD, and if I knew how to convert that to something I could link to here, I'd do it.  But I'll at least give you the lyrics.  

One thing you need to know to understand the first verse:  Like The Ticket, the Johnny B Morning Showgram had a number of repeated bits.  One of them was a stupid joke, the only joke the newsman Buzz Kilman knew.  It was an exceedingly dumb kid's joke, so dumb that it was funny, and it was brought up on the show from time to time (and thus well-known to listeners).  The joke was:  "What did the farmer get when he stepped on a rake?  A couple of ache-ers."

Ladies and gentlemen:

"Got a Black Magic Johnson" 

(imagine Santana playing underneath)

Got a black magic johnson

Got a black magic johnson

Got a black magic johnson

Got my woman glued to The Loop

That Laker gives me two ache-ers

Each time he takes it to the hoop

Now you can have your John Paxson

Will Perdue and Phil Jackson

Because they're all Anglo-Saxon

Mayonnaise down to the bone

You got a black magic johnson

Your woman won't leave you alone

Now you may think it's important

To have your Pippen and Jordan

Yeah, your B.J., Horace and Cartwright

May steal her heart right away

Turn  on that black magic johnson

I promise you she'll come to play

Not long after, a woman I was dating asked if I wanted to go visit the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.  She was a graphic designer, going to do some kind of brochure on it, I don't remember the details.  Sure.  She took me to this studio where it was her and me and a handful of Bulls and studio personnel, and there it was.  Pretty cool.  She told the guys "this is the guy that did the Black Magic Johnson song on the Brandmeier show."   I got more attention than the trophy did.

At least one Confessor remembers Lower Wacker Overdrive ("that was you?")  when I mentioned it in an article some time back. 

So thanks for letting me relive the only notable thing I've ever done, and my connection to The First Dance, distant though it may have been.

It's been all downhill from there.

(1) Post CV Ticket; (2) Question About Cowboys Coverage

Topic 1:

The last comment thread had some interesting thoughts about what we might expect at The Ticket after things get back to normal.

Bearing in mind that most people, including me, believe either that we will never get back to the pre-CV "normal," or, at a minimum, that the lead time for returning to that state is likely measurable in years and not months.

I think a lot of businesses will be cutting back, either because (1) they have discovered, out of necessity, that they can operate at a lower expense level, or (2) economic conditions will not support either reemployment at the previous levels, or at the previous levels of compensation.

So I think those who are speculating on a different-looking Ticket (and radio generally) are probably correct.

Bear in mind that, as Surly pointed out in the last thread, the Tier 1 guys, at least at the host level, have contracts.  Now one thing we do not know is whether those contracts have what are called "force majeure" clauses, which allow one or the other party to cease performing the contract if certain (usually specifically enumerated) "acts of God" take place, which may include public health crises.  We just don't know.

Anyway, I wanted to acknowledge that we had an interesting topic going there, and I'd ask you to continue to toss in your thoughts on this subject.

Red 1 serving as break before Topic 2:

Topic 2:

Why don't local reporters break the biggest Cowboys stories?  I don't expect the hosts, or even the Tickermen, to break local sports news, but why would Adam Shefter get a story like the Andy Dalton signing before one of our distinguished local sports reporters?  Gets him for the big interview first? Don't lour local guys have some high-up inside sources?

Maybe they don't want to give anything to David Moore because of his Ticket affiliation?  But there are other prominent local reporters, including TV sports guys, who are not so afflicted.

Do the Cowboys favor national reporters to curry favor with -- well, let's face it, ESPN is pretty much it on the national scene.  That would explain it.  But I do think it makes our local sports journalism fraternity look pretty lame.

Red 2 will wrap this one up for us:

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Draft Coverage Reaction Here

Possibly the cheapest refresh yet.  Hugely tied up, sorry.

And you can talk about stuff other than draft coverage.

In recompense, I offer three reds.

Just a Quick Refresh

Got nothing much on my mind.

I've had a big change in my work which, alas, means a lot less Ticket listening.  I'm hoping that will change soon, but for now I've missed a lot of shows I used to listen to frequently.  Let's hope I can continue to make this site worthwhile.  For now, I'm not planning on ending it.

Yesterday, I was able to hear a lot of 12-3.  I was impressed.  I know this may be a minority position, but I thought the show sounded really good.  Dan seems to have gotten a lot more comfortable with the new arrangement, and I liked listening to both him and Jake.

A lot of you have not liked 3-7 for the same reasons you didn't like the Mike R Hardline -- too much Corby, too much annoying virtue-signalling political talk from him and Danny.   Before my schedule got in the way, I had the opposite impression.  I liked the new arrangement much better and I thought Corby and Danny both were more focused, more mature-sounding.  After some initial uncertainty, Bob stepped up and provided the balance that show had lacked for some time.  I have not been able to listen to much of that show since sports came to an end, but I can see how those improvements could wither with the lack of any sports to talk about.

Anyone out there actually liking the "new" Hardline?  I'm going to make a special effort to tune in here in the next few days.

By the way:  No excuse for not finding new names for these two shows.  Maybe we should give Cat a hand and suggest some.

VJ Boyd Is At It Again

I'm sure someone else has noticed this already, since I'm usually late to pop culture stuff, but:

Remember how writer-producer VJ Boyd slipped a number of Ticket references into the series "Justified"?

He's back with a new show, "Lincoln Rhyme," based on Jeffrey Deaver's "The Bone Collector."

During the pilot episode I was watching with Mrs. Plainsman, I startled her when I bolted upright:

The villain who kidnaps the heroine's sister is named "Robert Sturm."

Checked the intellectual property brains behind the show -- yup, there he was, VJ Boyd.

Not sure I'll keep up with the show, so let us know if you hear any others.

I think "The Plainsman" would be a good villain name.

Now go wash your hands.

Not Robert Sturm

 ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com
@Plainsman1310

Is This the Best Show on The Ticket?

It's a whimsical question, of course.   There's no "best" show; each listener has a favorite.  The weekday lineup has never been stronger, with the strengthening of BaD.2 (I know I'm in the minority in thinking Bob and Dan needed to be separated, and not everyone cares for Jake, but for my taste the show sounds real good) and the enormous improvement in The Hardline.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Norm 'n' D is also in its prime with the increased role of Mike Sirois.  And the Musers --  well, there isn't much room for improvement there.  I'm a fan of Cirque du Sirois and Country Force, too.  Let's not forget specialty shows The Teebox and The Kickaround and Race Week, each of which has its partisans.

But the show I've been looking forward to the most for the last year is Work in Progress, the Sunday morning joint hosted by Justin Montemayor and David Mino.

If you've been reading this column for a long time you know I have a soft spot for the JV.  They may not toil in anonymity down there south of Tier 1, since The Ticket lets them get a little air now and then, but they toil a lot for a tiny wage (supply and demand -- lots of younger adults wanting to get into show biz, even behind the scenes, and not many slots to fill).  A tiny wage, and very uncertain opportunities for advancement.  So I like to bring them front and center and say nice things about them when I can.

I've liked Justin for as long as I've heard him on the air at The Ticket.  Usually just snippets in the midday shows where he had board duties, or maybe he produced now and then -- those lines tend to blur with me for some of the on-air voices of lesser-known players.  But his pop-ons were usually invited rather than forced and I instantly liked the sound of his voice, his attitude, and his content.  Didn't know one thing about the man.  Just a great radio sound, a real natural common-man Tickety sound.

Wait -- I did know one other thing:  I knew that Gordon worked his name into bits now and then.  For example, when The Touchdown Brothers sign off, more often than not they promise an upcoming interview with Justin Montemayor.  I figured if Gordon was teasing him that much, he must have some kind of cachet around The Ticket, either that or the kind of visibility -- and thick skin -- that caught Gordon's attention.

David Mino:  I knew he was considered a worthy heir to Dropmeister Michael Gruber on The Hardline's board and the target of Mike Rhyner's "bird of youth" references in the intro.  (Did we ever find out why he was dropped from the MR intro for an extended period?)  And once in awhile we heard from him.  Didn't make a huge impression, but yeah, OK, he was noticeably adding to the fun.

Justin hit the programming scene with "Not a Podcast" with Mike "Machine" Marshall, a show I also liked a lot.  Well, I liked it for awhile.  Did some columns on it early on, but it changed over time.  We won't dwell on that.  Machine moved on and Not a Podcast is Not Anything now.

In the early days of Work in Progress, Justin really ran the show.  David was finding his way but it wasn't too long before he got a whole lot more comfortable with the mic.  As time has gone by, I have really come to like the sound of his voice.  He has an interesting cadence, an appealing way of accenting certain words.  Even that ad for the apartment complex -- for some reason I can't begin to describe, the way he says "a great place to lay your head" always makes me smile.  At this point, the gents have achieved a nice balance.

At this point, it's really not a work in progress anymore; it's a pretty polished, integrated presentation that always entertains me.  I'm not a younger listener, but I find that they manage to bring some cultural awareness to the show without being snotty or inside or elitist about it -- I've learned something about shows and music and internet entertainment to which I had no prior exposure. 

And they're both funny.  Their humor is of the dry, self-deprecating, deprecating-one-another-like-friends-do type, but it hits the right pitch for a Sunday morning.

Sports knowledge -- I'll say "solid," but since I don't know a whole lot about sports myself, I'll have to say that I like it as much as I like any of the sports coverage on any of the shows.  Neither is Bob Sturm, but neither is anyone else.  

But I don't want to get too molecular here.  I just like the sound of the show, its good-naturedness, its modesty, its humor, the obvious friendship between Monte and Mino.  I know I talk a lot about the overall "sound" of the shows on The Ticket, a sound unlike what you get on any other show on any other station.  It is hard to create (it must be, or more shows would be doing it) and it is hard to describe, but Work in Progress has it.  They keep the bits to a tasteful minimum.  They prepare the show each week, but they don't over-prepare it.  It has the same spontaneous, genuine feel that the best Ticket shows (which is to say, almost all of them) have always had.

And there's something else they do well that some programs have stumbled over -- they work in a group of support guys but they don't overdo it -- there's never a jumble of voices that you can't quite identify.  Those skillful supporting players are Chris Tapia running the board, "Cray" Trey Mitchell producing, and Ryan Medellin with Tickers.  Sam Hale fills in if Cray Trey or Ryan are unavailable.  

Hey, this ain't exactly the New York Times make-or-break theater review, but if you can haul your ass out of bed on a Sunday morning, give these men a try.  Good sound, good stuff, and to the extent you can get a feel for human beings through buds, good people. 

  

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310