In New York With Global Traveler

When this post appears, I will be in New York for the annual wine-tasting event for Global Traveler (GT) magazine.  All of the airlines submit their wine to be judged by a panel of experts.  GT oversees this and presents awards to the winners at a later date.
Since the inception of this blog, I have mentioned GT 44 times. Some people have asked me what GT is and what I have to do with it.
GT is the creation of Fran Gallagher a long-time friend of mine (from my college job days). GT is a magazine aimed at the frequent or business traveler. It is distributed nationwide and internationally. Louie Atsaves (another long-time friend, but this time from my Lerner days) and I handle the distribution. We have worked at GT from the beginning, which really was before the first issue in February 2004.
I also contribute an online piece for GT every Wednesday, as well as having contributed to the actual printed magazine. This lead me to winning the 2009 Globility award (as I have previously discussed).
Many of my interviews are because of GT. Sometimes it is not a matter of real content, but more of getting the GT name out there (and getting me on major league fields). Many of my trips are GT-related.
If you have a few minutes, shoot over to the GT site and see all of the great travel, business and technology GT covers and then check out the GT blogs, especially the one which appears every Wednesday!

The GT staff in New York, NY-January 2010.

Happy Birthday Louie

I first met Louie Atsaves in late 1987 at Lerner Newspapers.  I was hired as part-time help, while he was already a veteran, despite being in high school.  We ended up working together at Lerner for the next 17 years.  After our departure, we continued the partnership by going full-time with our own full-time publication distribution company.
Louie really has been more than a great friend.  He is like a brother to me.  His family has always made me feel welcome, whether it was his birth family or his marriage family.
We have worked countless hours together, through good and bad.  We have laughed a lot and have always had a good time and we continue to do so, especially with our work for Global Traveler.  I could go on and on, but sometimes simplicity is better.
Happy birthday Louie.  I hope it is a great one.  You're a great friend and deserve the best.

Louie Atsaves and me in New York, NY-Mid 2000's.

GT's John and Louie or ESPN's Joe Morgan?

Over the last few years, I have interviewed many sports personalities. A couple years ago at Dodger Stadium, ESPN's Joe Morgan gave us a very short answer as he walked by us. Later, he talked to us much more at length while in the Pressbox (and presumably off the record).
I have no problems with Morgan (except I still think Ryne Sandberg was just as good). Everyone has the right to (politely) refuse an interview request (no matter how brief). I also give applause to Morgan for talking to us in the Pressbox, because there he is really free to be left alone.

Morgan is a Hall of Famer and a top broadcaster on ESPN. When he is around, everyone knows it. He commands respect. Baseball people willingly (eagerly) talk to him. While Louie and I were at Citi Field last month, Joe Girardi talked to Morgan at length during batting practice.Global Traveler, Louie and I don't quite command that respect...yet! While we did get a few good interviews from people like Mick Kelleher and Tony Pena, we also were turned down by many Yankees. Some of the others (like Brian Cashman and Girardi) cruised right by us . I don't blame them, GT isn't ESPN.

Some day GT will have the respect that ESPN has (hey GT is 25 years younger). Some day I might command some of the attention that Morgan does (okay, this one is a stretch). My point is, despite not being HOFers or being associated with one of the leaders in sports coverage, we do pretty well...and we have a lot of fun!

GT at Citi Field

As I wrote online for Global Traveler magazine, Louie Atsaves and I had a great time at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. We also managed to squeeze in some work. All of this was possible because of Nicole Chayet, Media Relations Coordinator for the Mets.
Traffic was a bit snarled, which caused us to be later than we planned. Still, we were able to catch most of batting practice and we talked to several players and coaches.
As I have written before, the highlight for me was talking to Yankees coach (and former Chicago Cubs infielder) Mick Kelleher. We also renewed acquaintances with ESPN's Jon Miller, whom we interviewed in 2008.
After our on field activities, we headed to the pressbox. We saw the regular announcers and writers. Everyone was so pleasant and helpful.
Finally, we roamed the rest of the stadium. It is a thing of beauty. Wide and airy concourses, great sight lines, excellent food and knowledgeable fans make this a great ballpark.
GT, along with Louie and me personally, would like to thank the entire New York Mets organization for the cooperation and consideration they showed us.

Louie fielded questions at the post-game press conference.Tom Terrific and me.
ESPN's Jon Miller talking with Yankees Manager Joe Girardi.
Citi Field in Flushing, NY-May 2010.

Louie and John on the field.

Holy Photos, It's Batman

Everyone knows Aquaman is my favorite Superhero, but I would never miss the chance to take a photo with any Superhero. Many years ago, Louie and I met one while working.
Years ago at Lerner Newspapers, we occasionally had a booth at various neighborhood fests. One such event was Schaumburg Fest in the summer of 1990. Our Powers That Be decided to make a big cardboard replica of our front page, with a big square hole in it. The thought was that fest-attendees would flock to our booth to have their picture taken.
Aside from the fact that fest goers really couldn't care less about having their picture taken for a "cover" of the Schaumburg Voice, the attempt was pointless since we had nothing else at the booth. So a handful of people came over, but then quickly left after taking their picture. We didn't supply the camera. Some people came over and left annoyed, because they didn't have a camera either!
The moment of the day occurred when "Batman" walked by our booth. Even before there was a thought of Johngy's Beat, Louie and I jumped at the chance to have our picture taken with the Caped Crusader.
Silly us, we also thought it could be used for a fun story in the paper about the event. Unfortunately, the Powers That Be didn't see any use for it. Why have any fun stuff in the paper? Why give yourself a little free publicity in your own paper? Did I mention that paper went out of business within the year?
Well, I found a use for it. Right here and right now!

Louie Atsaves, Batman and me in Schaumburg, IL-Summer 1990.

Old Times at Lerner Newspapers

In a former professional life, I worked for Lerner Newspapers. In my early days there, I was in charge of the kid newspaper carriers. Oh how I miss those days (ummm no).
We actually had a budget at that time. We probably had too big of a budget actually. We had various contests for our carriers. One such contest had a SportMart shopping spree as a prize.
Early one Saturday morning, Louie (I think he was still in college and only working part-time) and I met a couple kids at the local SportMart. We decided to have a little fun by wearing our Bash Brothers (self-portraits) tshirts. It was our goal to have that tshirt appear in the Lerner Newspaper.
Our tshirts were curiously popular at Lerner. It seemed that everyone wanted one, although we could never figure out why. It was like our little joke, but everyone wanted to be included. So naturally, we had to push it to the next level. We had to get the shirts pictured in the paper.
The picture below appeared as is. Unfortunately, I don't have the actual newspaper ad which detailed the event and featured this picture, but I found the old picture.
I love this picture because Louie and I look so young (well, we were so young, 20-24 or so). I love this picture because the carriers had no idea why we were wearing that shirt or what our real agenda was. Mostly I love the picture because we got it in the paper!
This was one of the earliest efforts by the Louie-John team. Little did we realize that 20+ years later, we'd still be a self-employed team...and still plotting!

Louie Atsaves (far left), 2 newspaper carriers and me (standing) in SportMart in Chicago, IL-late 1980's.

Old Times at Lerner Newspapers

Back in the day, we had a lot of fun at Lerner Newspapers (or the Lerners, as our readers liked to call us). No department had more fun than the Circulation Department.
At one point, we decided to try to get the company involved in a bowling tournament. When our verbal offers (aka trashtalk) did not get much response, we decided we needed to get creative.
In a move befitting the WWE, we brought in a bowling trophy and awarded it to ourselves as the Lerner Champs. We took this photo, added some verbiage (aka more trashtalk) and put it on everyone's desk.
I don't remember exactly what happened with the bowling championships, but I do know that we established ourselves as THE coolest department. Come on...the shades, the mullets...we had it all!

Jason Farber, Cindy Dzien and Dave Perham in the front and Louie Atsaves and me in the back in Lincolnwood, IL-mid 1990's.

Old Times at Platteville

In 1994, 4 Bears fans from Lerner Newspapers and the Chicago area trekked out to Platteville to check out the Chicago Bears during training camp. Those men were Louie Atsaves, Jason Farber, Darryl Corter and me.What a blast we had. It was scorching hot (I think Darryl is still suffering the effects of his sunburn). We sat under the blazing sun and watched a scrimmage. This was right before Coach Dave Wannstedt's 2nd season with the Bears. It would be a 9-7 season and would give Chicago fans hope for good things (which didn't happen).
We ate at a restaurant which only served 'white' pop (which apparently meant no cola beverages). At that same restaurant, Louie ate his potato without even realizing it (he still denies eating it). We also made a trip to the casino boats by the river (was that Dubuque?).
I love the photo below because of the interaction between Wannstedt and his quarterback Steve Walsh (#4). I am assuming Walsh is introducing Wannstedt to his wife. This makes sense, since this was Walsh's first year with the Bears.
I also like that former Bears lineman and Chicago broadcaster Dan Jigggetts can be seen to the left. He is the large man (very large man) in black pants.

After scrimmage at Bears training camp in Platteville, IL-August 1994.

Seasons in the Sun

Last week, I featured my first softball team photo. This week, I fast forwarded about 15 years to feature my Dogs of War softball team.
After several seasons on the field and several cutbacks in the office, it became too much of a challenge to field a team at Lerner Newspapers. Fortunately around the same time, Louie's team was suffering from attrition, too. I was occasionally asked to be a sub (when they were really desperate). Aside from being in a men's league, this team was definitely a step-up competitively from the Lerner teams.
The picture below is one of my favorite shots. It just screams 'softball'. I love the sun, mismatched shirts, 16 inch ball...all of it.
I also like the grit shown by Jim G. (standing far right). Jim hit a hard shot and had thoughts of going for 2nd base. The poorly manicured field of Park Ridge didn't fully cooperate, but Jim was not to be denied. A shirtful of dirt, sore shoulder and a great effort later, Jim was safe with another of his key hits.

The Dogs in Park Ridge, IL-mid 2000's.

Louie Atsaves Joins the New York Post

A funny thing happened on the way to a wine survey... Last week, Louie Atsaves and I were in New York for Global Traveler's Wine Survey. This annual GT event features wine connoisseurs rating various airline wines.
Having a bit of time to kill, we decided to check out the Dakota (John Lennon's former home) and Strawberry Fields (a special section of Central Park dedicated to Lennon). The fun really started on our way back to the GT event.
We stopped to watch a softball game between the NY Post and ABC News. In the bottom of the 1st, while making the last out, a member of the NY Post team strained his hamstring, forcing him out of the game. While the Post team tried juggling their defense, Louie volunteered his services to the umpire, who promptly put him in the game.
The ump never asked either team if this was okay. There wasn't even time for proper introductions. Louie jogged out to right field and assumed his new role. Louie went 1-3, including a line drive, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, which drove in 2 runs. He didn't have much action in right (he should have been in left field or even at shortstop), but he was flawless on defense.
The game ended with ABC News beating the Post. Despite the loss, I know Louie had a great time. It was a fun game to watch and I am glad Louie got the chance to play in Central Park.
On a side note, the umpire was Charles F. Krichman Jr., who has been umpiring for 30+ years. More important to Johngy's Beat, Krichman appeared in Righteous Kill, a movie starring Robert DeNiro. In a major test of his acting skills, Krichman played an umpire. Actually, Krichman seemed to be a very good ump and a pretty funny guy.
To read Louie's version of the day, you can check out his blog on GT's site.

Louie Atsaves starts the swing which resulted in 2 RBI's in Central Park in New York, NY-May 2009.

Global Traveler, Fran Gallagher and 5 Years

In February, Global Traveler (the monthly magazine for the business traveler) turned 5 years old. However, before there was a Global Traveler magazine, there was Fran Gallagher.
Several years back, when Fran made the decision to launch his own magazine, he would call me and pick my brain about circulation ideas and questions. Eventually he asked if I wanted to handle the national distribution.
I had years of experience in distribution, but this was a much larger project than I had ever handled. I knew I would need help and who better than my coworker and longtime friend Louie Atsaves?!
The next time Fran came to Chicago, we set up a dinner meeting to finalize things and for Fran and Louie to officially meet. Over a long and fun-filled dinner and a few drinks, we outlined everything and hoped for success.

Fast forward 5 years and GT has succeeded and grown beyond our expectations. The once skeleton staff has doubled in size. The multi-coast 5 year anniversary parties speak of GT's success. It's been a great 5 years.

The GT family in Times Square in NY, NY-March 2009.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

In 1987, I took a job at Lerner Newspapers, where Louie Atsaves was working part-time while he went to Northeastern University. We both worked in the Circulation Department and we became good friends.
A few years ago, we left Lerner Newspapers (which had become Pioneer Press) and started our own publication distribution company, Arch News Agency. Our main clients are Global Traveler magazine and Today's Chicago Woman magazine. Sometimes it is a lot of hard work, especially in weather like this winter in Chicago, but it is always fun working with Louie.

Today is a special Friendly Encounters, as it is Louie's birthday. In honor of Louie's birthday, I am posting a picture of him and Patrick Warburton taken at the Global Traveler 5th anniversary event in Los Angeles (CA) earlier this year. Louie (father of 3) and Patrick (father of 4) discussed tales of child-raising.

Louie Atsaves and Patrick Warburton in Los Angeles, CA-January 2009.

GT in LA

Happy 5th anniversary to Global Traveler magazine. Longtime friend and GT big cheese Fran Gallagher had a vision and he made it a reality.
I have known Fran since we worked together at Cresmer, Woodward, O'Mara and Ormsbee (CWO&O). I worked part-time while attending DePaul and Fran was a young salesman recently relocated from the Philadelphia area. We only worked together for about 6 months, before Fran moved back East, but we have remained friends.
I don't remember when the idea of GT actually came to Fran, but he started to seriously discuss it with me several years ago. Over dinner at the Rosewood in Rosemont (IL), Fran outlined his vision and officially invited me on board. I was pretty inexperienced at national distribution, but Fran trusted me and gave me the opportunity. I brought in Louie Atsaves (another longtime friend and coworker at Lerner Newspapers) and together we tackled GT's national distribution.
It has been an interesting 5 years since the debut issue. There has been a lot of hard work, but a lot more fun. GT has undergone some changes in design and staffing, but all for the better. A few originals remain (fortunately, I am one of them). I have met a lot of great people at GT and even a few celebrities (some appeared on this site already).
The staff of GT has been in Los Angeles for the past few days. We were there for the annual GT Readers' Awards ceremony, along with celebrating our 5th anniversary. Periodically in the near future, I will be dropping in some of the more interesting moments on this trip.