"It’s with great sadness that I write this: My father, Jerry, has passed away. He was a great man who made me what I am today," wrote Chris Kuc, former Chicago Blackhawks beat writer for the Chicago Tribune. Reaction was pretty swift. Fred Mitchell, former columnist for the Tribune: I have many fond memories of being interviewed on radio by your father, playing in charity … [Read more...] about RIP – Jerry Kuc 1939-2021
Commentary
Living with the new normal in the age of Covid-19
“Do you miss sports?” That is the question I get asked most frequently in the new era of stay-at-home. The Covid-19 new normal. Friends and family know that I spent part of the past twenty-five years covering the NFL, NBA, MLB and college sports. “Not really,” I say without hesitation. The callers pause to let that fact sink in. The truth is, during the last decade, … [Read more...] about Living with the new normal in the age of Covid-19
To My Dear Friend Marty Zivin: 1956-2017
"I heard the news today..." We lost a dear friend today. So many times I've read that so and so lost a battle with cancer, and I say to myself, "I didn't even know he was ill." Not this time. I was probably more distraught when his wife Karen told me two and a half years ago that his prognosis was terminal. He had lung cancer, brain tumors, and weeks to live. Then … [Read more...] about To My Dear Friend Marty Zivin: 1956-2017
Black Sabbath – Symptom Of The Universe by Mick Wall
This book should be sub-titled "A Cautionary Tale on the Perils of Drug Abuse". After the release of their first two albums, the eponymous Black Sabbath and the stone classic Paranoid, Black Sabbath were poised on the cusp of superstardom, along with fellow Birmingham, England native son John Bonham and Led Zeppelin. But then began not years, but decades, of drug abuse and its … [Read more...] about Black Sabbath – Symptom Of The Universe by Mick Wall
Book Review – Prog Rock FAQ (All That’s Left To Know About Rock’s Most Progressive Music) by Will Romano
The sub-title says it all, as the first thing that struck me after a few chapters of this book was that this was not entirely an FAQ for neophytes, casual fans, or even those who imagine themselves to be "proggers" thru and thru. Those expecting a linear history of the evolution of the genre, with the major players prominently featured, will be for the most part disappointed. … [Read more...] about Book Review – Prog Rock FAQ (All That’s Left To Know About Rock’s Most Progressive Music) by Will Romano