A WOO WOO BOO BOO
a correction by Wayne Richards
Earlier this month in the APRIL Part One edition of Cubs World Chatter, I featured an article about a well known individual we all know as Ronnie Woo Woo. I mistakingly named him Johnnie.
How this happened is beyond me. It could be I was hungry and unconsciously thought of Johnnie's beef. Who knows? This is so unusual for me. I mean I've had breakfast with Brickhouse and never called him Harry.
Anyway, I offer an apology to RONNIE WICKERS! That IS his real name!
a correction by Wayne Richards
Earlier this month in the APRIL Part One edition of Cubs World Chatter, I featured an article about a well known individual we all know as Ronnie Woo Woo. I mistakingly named him Johnnie.
How this happened is beyond me. It could be I was hungry and unconsciously thought of Johnnie's beef. Who knows? This is so unusual for me. I mean I've had breakfast with Brickhouse and never called him Harry.
Anyway, I offer an apology to RONNIE WICKERS! That IS his real name!
Did you know there is a documentary about Mr. WOO WOO? It can be ordered on Amazon if you're interested. Hopefully, when the virus crisis ends and life is somewhat back to normal, we will be able to see this well reviewed production on the big screen.
A CUBS LEGEND FROM THE SIXTIES HAS LEFT US
Glenn Beckert , a mainstay at second base, played for the Chicago Cubs from 1965 to 73. An official statement fro the Cubs organization reads, "Glenn Beckert was a wonderful person who also happened to be an excellent ball player."
In 1968, Beckart won a gold glove and was an all star for four seasons! With a low strikeout rate, Glenn is considered to be one of the toughest at-bats in the league.
Glenn died of natural causes in his Florida home. He was 79.
Glenn Beckert , a mainstay at second base, played for the Chicago Cubs from 1965 to 73. An official statement fro the Cubs organization reads, "Glenn Beckert was a wonderful person who also happened to be an excellent ball player."
In 1968, Beckart won a gold glove and was an all star for four seasons! With a low strikeout rate, Glenn is considered to be one of the toughest at-bats in the league.
Glenn died of natural causes in his Florida home. He was 79.
CUBS WORLD HISTORY
Dan Marx and Dave Gran began to think about a Cubs fan club in The Villages
while watching the World Series in 2016. They knew Boston and New York
fans here already had enough members to form successful clubs.
By combining the fans from Chicago with the fans that watched on WGN around
the US a Cubs club could be successful, too. Seeing therival St. Louis Cardinals
with a smaller but successful club gave them confidence to take the next step.
The Villages approving their request to meet in Rec Centers and the Cubs clinching
the title gave the confidence to take the next stepl.
Gary Koca and Dick Stone were the first to join the Founders Team and help find the Cubs fans in The Villages. They networked with their friends and new neighbors.
They left cards on golf carts sporting Cubs identifiers. And they discovered Cody
Hills, a lead sports reporter for The Village Sun was a a die-hard Cubs fan, too! His
interview with the Founders published on the front page spead the word that there
was a new club in town.
Dan Marx and Dave Gran began to think about a Cubs fan club in The Villages
while watching the World Series in 2016. They knew Boston and New York
fans here already had enough members to form successful clubs.
By combining the fans from Chicago with the fans that watched on WGN around
the US a Cubs club could be successful, too. Seeing therival St. Louis Cardinals
with a smaller but successful club gave them confidence to take the next step.
The Villages approving their request to meet in Rec Centers and the Cubs clinching
the title gave the confidence to take the next stepl.
Gary Koca and Dick Stone were the first to join the Founders Team and help find the Cubs fans in The Villages. They networked with their friends and new neighbors.
They left cards on golf carts sporting Cubs identifiers. And they discovered Cody
Hills, a lead sports reporter for The Village Sun was a a die-hard Cubs fan, too! His
interview with the Founders published on the front page spead the word that there
was a new club in town.
Take a look at this historical photo taken at the first organizing meeting in Gator's
Dockside, Brownwood in March 2017, It was modest to say the least , but lead to
the the next step of forming an Organizing Committee with Stuart Jacobson as
President. By June they had found enough fans to hold a Member's Meeting
attended by over 100 fans getting to know each other. Cody Hills lent a hand again
as he talked about his lifelong love for the Cubs.
By the end of the year membership had doubled, and kept on growing. Things had become difficult to manage. A strategic decision was made to licence a popular
online computer system that would avoid having to create our own operating practices.
This shortcut allowed it to immediately offer benefits beyond those offered by most
other clubs in The Villages and set us apart from the 'crowd'. Records were easy
to maintain and messages were easily sent to the members. They in turn, were able
to easily purchase and pay for club services online and just show their Villages ID
card without the need for paper tickets. As a bonus it hosted the club website and
archived club meeting videos for later viewing.
After using this commercial system for a year, member Chuck Linsoe was able to
replicate the features of interest to us in our own system. It shortened our 'learning
curve' of learning how to run a large club and freed us from the high cost of leasing.
By the end of the year 2017 the club achieved its goal of attracting Cub fans and
establishing "best-practice" operations.
We can proudly say that CubsWorld operates one of the most modern and advanced
club management systems in The Villages. It registered as a not-for-profit business
in the State of Florida to protect its officers from liability and filed By-Laws that protect
its members from malfeasance.
In January 2018 the Organizing Committee appointed an initial set of Officers and
Board members in accord with its Bylaws and disolved itself. It had completed its
work. The contact information for it's current Board members can be be found on its
website. Three of the ten original appointees have been elected to continue serving
on that Board: Marx, Mulder and Bellovary.
CubsWorld has firmly established itself and continue to is respected as a major club
in The Villages. It attracts major speakers, offers interesting activities and creates
great opportunities to enjoy Cubs baseball in The Villages with fellow fans.
The Founders
dream of a Cubs fan club in The Villages has become a reality. If the
Cubs had as much success as its Villages fan club over the past three years we'd
have a couple more World Series trophies by now. Go, Cubs, Go!
Dockside, Brownwood in March 2017, It was modest to say the least , but lead to
the the next step of forming an Organizing Committee with Stuart Jacobson as
President. By June they had found enough fans to hold a Member's Meeting
attended by over 100 fans getting to know each other. Cody Hills lent a hand again
as he talked about his lifelong love for the Cubs.
By the end of the year membership had doubled, and kept on growing. Things had become difficult to manage. A strategic decision was made to licence a popular
online computer system that would avoid having to create our own operating practices.
This shortcut allowed it to immediately offer benefits beyond those offered by most
other clubs in The Villages and set us apart from the 'crowd'. Records were easy
to maintain and messages were easily sent to the members. They in turn, were able
to easily purchase and pay for club services online and just show their Villages ID
card without the need for paper tickets. As a bonus it hosted the club website and
archived club meeting videos for later viewing.
After using this commercial system for a year, member Chuck Linsoe was able to
replicate the features of interest to us in our own system. It shortened our 'learning
curve' of learning how to run a large club and freed us from the high cost of leasing.
By the end of the year 2017 the club achieved its goal of attracting Cub fans and
establishing "best-practice" operations.
We can proudly say that CubsWorld operates one of the most modern and advanced
club management systems in The Villages. It registered as a not-for-profit business
in the State of Florida to protect its officers from liability and filed By-Laws that protect
its members from malfeasance.
In January 2018 the Organizing Committee appointed an initial set of Officers and
Board members in accord with its Bylaws and disolved itself. It had completed its
work. The contact information for it's current Board members can be be found on its
website. Three of the ten original appointees have been elected to continue serving
on that Board: Marx, Mulder and Bellovary.
CubsWorld has firmly established itself and continue to is respected as a major club
in The Villages. It attracts major speakers, offers interesting activities and creates
great opportunities to enjoy Cubs baseball in The Villages with fellow fans.
The Founders
dream of a Cubs fan club in The Villages has become a reality. If the
Cubs had as much success as its Villages fan club over the past three years we'd
have a couple more World Series trophies by now. Go, Cubs, Go!
After leaving a steroid laden career in baseball, the business savvy Sammy Sosa has done quite well for himself. He currently lives in luxury with his wife Sonia in the United Arab Emirates.
Sosa actually has a number of successful businesses ranging from Oil interests in the Dominican Republic, housing in Panama and beverage distribution in the United Kingdom. Aside from living in the shadow of the Burj Kalifa, he also has homes in Santo Domingo and Miami.
Sosa actually has a number of successful businesses ranging from Oil interests in the Dominican Republic, housing in Panama and beverage distribution in the United Kingdom. Aside from living in the shadow of the Burj Kalifa, he also has homes in Santo Domingo and Miami.
Even though Ernie Banks was my favorite Cub of all time,I will never forget the time I had with Ron Santo back in 1996.I went to the Randy Huntley Fantasy Camp in Mesa,Arizona for 1 week in January during this year.Each of the campers,including myself,were assigned to 1 of 4 teams for that week.Former Cubs players were assigned as coaches for each of the teams.My team had Glen Beckert and Ron Santo as our leaders.
Each morning we would all gather in the locker room to plan out the schedule of practice and games for the day.From the 1st day of camp,Santo went out of his way to point out to me what I could do to improve my fielding and hitting.He would do the same for my other teammates.Then in the evening,us campers would get together with the ex-players(Santo,Beckert,Jenkins,Huntley,Cardenal,Pepitone,Gene Oliver)and have dinner and drinks and listen to their stories about their playing careers.
Santo was the most genuine,sincere,and helpful ex-player that was there and I was very fortunate to have him as my coach.What was really neat is that on opening day,15 months later in 1997,I was at Wrigley Field watching a pregame remote radio broadcast outside Wrigley where Santo was up on stage.I yelled out a hello to him,and he returned not just a “ Hello” but a “ Hello Bill” response back to me.I was surprised and thrilled that he still remembered who I was.Ron was a fantastic player and human being and I am glad that I was fortunate to get to know him during that fantasy week.
Each morning we would all gather in the locker room to plan out the schedule of practice and games for the day.From the 1st day of camp,Santo went out of his way to point out to me what I could do to improve my fielding and hitting.He would do the same for my other teammates.Then in the evening,us campers would get together with the ex-players(Santo,Beckert,Jenkins,Huntley,Cardenal,Pepitone,Gene Oliver)and have dinner and drinks and listen to their stories about their playing careers.
Santo was the most genuine,sincere,and helpful ex-player that was there and I was very fortunate to have him as my coach.What was really neat is that on opening day,15 months later in 1997,I was at Wrigley Field watching a pregame remote radio broadcast outside Wrigley where Santo was up on stage.I yelled out a hello to him,and he returned not just a “ Hello” but a “ Hello Bill” response back to me.I was surprised and thrilled that he still remembered who I was.Ron was a fantastic player and human being and I am glad that I was fortunate to get to know him during that fantasy week.
SHOULD MORE RETIRED NUMBERS BE ON DISPLAY AT WRIGLEY?
It is interesting that only six Cubs players have retired numbers. Why is this? Is this a mistake to be corrected and if so how?
All the retired numbers represented were worn by post World War Two players. A number of legendary figures such as Cap Anson richly deserve to be honored. Cap had a 22 year career with 3,012 hits and is also on record as the winningest manager in team history.
Six time All Star Gabby Hartnett played nineteen years with the Cubs and was elected to the Hall of Fame. The only problem would be picking which number to retire...2, 7 or 9.
Pitcher Charlie Root has 201 victories and should be acknowledged. His numbers were 12,14,17 and 19.
Tinkers, Chance and Evers certainly played a big part in Cubbie history. So tell us...is there a retired Cub you think should be honored? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you.
It is interesting that only six Cubs players have retired numbers. Why is this? Is this a mistake to be corrected and if so how?
All the retired numbers represented were worn by post World War Two players. A number of legendary figures such as Cap Anson richly deserve to be honored. Cap had a 22 year career with 3,012 hits and is also on record as the winningest manager in team history.
Six time All Star Gabby Hartnett played nineteen years with the Cubs and was elected to the Hall of Fame. The only problem would be picking which number to retire...2, 7 or 9.
Pitcher Charlie Root has 201 victories and should be acknowledged. His numbers were 12,14,17 and 19.
Tinkers, Chance and Evers certainly played a big part in Cubbie history. So tell us...is there a retired Cub you think should be honored? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you.
In the mid sixties, I used to run home from elementary school late in the afternoon, hoping that the Cubs would still be on tv playing a double header. I would always get a kick out of listening to Cub announcer JACK BRICKHOUSE bellow out his famous phrase, "HEY HEY!" whenever a man in blue would blast out a home run.
By the mid seventies, I had launched a music career and was performing at a very popular venue called Eugene's. It was located right across the street from The Ambassador East Hotel, where Harry Carey resided. It was not uncommon to find both gentlemen cruising Rush street to visit all the watering holes.
Brickhouse came to Eugene's for a few pops every once in a while and one evening, just as I finished a set, I discovered just how approachable and friendly Jack was.
When the bartender gave last call and the lights were coming up I said to Jack, "I could sure go for something to eat. How about you?" He said, "Me too. Do you have a car? I know a really great place that's open."
His restaurant of choice was located in Lincoln Park West. While enjoying huge bowls of onion soup (a very popular staple) we discussed a myriad of topics beyond the spectrum of baseball. Mr. Brickhouse was a surprisingly literate conversationalist with deep interest in politics, film, theatre, music....etc.....etc....etc. You can talk to the man for hours.
As a matter of fact...WE DID! At 5 am. the lights came up. So, in one night, Jack Brickhouse and I closed two joints!
By the mid seventies, I had launched a music career and was performing at a very popular venue called Eugene's. It was located right across the street from The Ambassador East Hotel, where Harry Carey resided. It was not uncommon to find both gentlemen cruising Rush street to visit all the watering holes.
Brickhouse came to Eugene's for a few pops every once in a while and one evening, just as I finished a set, I discovered just how approachable and friendly Jack was.
When the bartender gave last call and the lights were coming up I said to Jack, "I could sure go for something to eat. How about you?" He said, "Me too. Do you have a car? I know a really great place that's open."
His restaurant of choice was located in Lincoln Park West. While enjoying huge bowls of onion soup (a very popular staple) we discussed a myriad of topics beyond the spectrum of baseball. Mr. Brickhouse was a surprisingly literate conversationalist with deep interest in politics, film, theatre, music....etc.....etc....etc. You can talk to the man for hours.
As a matter of fact...WE DID! At 5 am. the lights came up. So, in one night, Jack Brickhouse and I closed two joints!
HAS ANYBODY HERE SEEN KELLY CRULL?
One would think that one of the most recognizable and talented sports commentators in the business would be picked up by the Marquee network, particularly while serving during 2016 where she was loved by fans as well as the Cubs organization.
Players thought of her as a sister and when the champagne bottles were opened they made certain that she was properly doused. Fans were attracted to her personality, let alone stunning knowledge of the game. She had a knack for finding interesting "human interest" stories. She would interview fans and listen to the answers with genuine interest. That's just the way she was.
Dave Kaplan, who did a very popular post game show, not only loved having Kelly on the panel, but encouraged her to take his place on occasion, which she did with flair and professionalism.
At age 36, she has a big career ahead, but unfortunately it won't be in the second city, which she loved. Our loss will now be the Atlanta Braves gain.
Kelly Crull is very active on social media and if you have a chance to explore YOU TUBE look for an episode of BEER MONEY in which she sits in the dugout with Rossy and Rizzo. It's fun to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9OV3DXKXts
One would think that one of the most recognizable and talented sports commentators in the business would be picked up by the Marquee network, particularly while serving during 2016 where she was loved by fans as well as the Cubs organization.
Players thought of her as a sister and when the champagne bottles were opened they made certain that she was properly doused. Fans were attracted to her personality, let alone stunning knowledge of the game. She had a knack for finding interesting "human interest" stories. She would interview fans and listen to the answers with genuine interest. That's just the way she was.
Dave Kaplan, who did a very popular post game show, not only loved having Kelly on the panel, but encouraged her to take his place on occasion, which she did with flair and professionalism.
At age 36, she has a big career ahead, but unfortunately it won't be in the second city, which she loved. Our loss will now be the Atlanta Braves gain.
Kelly Crull is very active on social media and if you have a chance to explore YOU TUBE look for an episode of BEER MONEY in which she sits in the dugout with Rossy and Rizzo. It's fun to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9OV3DXKXts
