RIP-Randy Savage

On Friday afternoon, I heard the sad news that Randy Savage had died after having a heart attack and crashing his car.  Savage was 58 and mostly retired, living his life near his brother, Lanny Poffo.  Their father Angelo died in March of 2010.
Savage was one of the most recognizable wrestlers of his era.  He had great success in the ring and he also did some acting and some spokesperson work.
I know several people who have met Savage over the years, but the best and most unique story comes from my friend Chuck Gekas.  Chuck met Savage while working at the Chicago Sun-Times, shortly before he joined Lerner Newspapers and our friendship started to really grow.
I'll let Chachi take it from here...
When I headed Sales for the Chicago Sun-Times' special sections department, we wanted to do a section in August 1994 for the grand opening of the United Center.  Originally Frank Sinatra was scheduled to be the arena's first show, but he had to cancel, which meant the WWF's SummerSlam 7th annual event on August 29th, 1994, would become the first ever event at the United Center.
I called the WWF (at the time, they had an office on Michigan Avenue) and asked if it was possible to have a wreswtler attend our ad sales meeting to help me pump up the staff to sell ads into the section.  When they said of course, I was happy and assumed they would send a non-star.  Not only did they not send a non-star, they sent a superstar, Randy "Macho Man" Savage.
We met a half hour before the meeting and he was extremely gracious and happy to help out.  We spoke about his father, Angelo Poffo and his sit-up record, as well as growing up in the Chicago area (Downers Grove) and playing in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system as a catcher.
Prior to the weekly sales meeting, nobody knew who my special guest was.  So when I addressed our 200 person ad staff and introduced Randy Savage, the place went up for grabs.  He put on quite a show and really did a great job of helping me generate interest for the special United Center section.  Afterward, he stuck around for photos and autographs.  The cost to have the superstar was $0.  He was truly a class act.
That's a great story, because it has Savage in an unusual situation for him, yet he still had the crowd cheering.  It's even better when you hear Chuck tell it.  You can see his excitement and his appreciation for Savage.
As documented here previously, I have worked with Lanny in the past and I know what a close knit family they had.  My condolences go to Lanny and the rest of the Poffo family.  My thanks go to Randy for some great wrestling memories.  Thanks, too, to Chuck for sharing his wonderful story.  Finally, for more information and to view his guestbook, check out Legacy.com.
RIP Randy Savage and ohhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh!

Randy Savage and Chuck Gekas in Chicago, IL-August 1994.

A Night of Open Heart Magic

A couple weeks ago, Open Heart Magic held a "Tricks are For Kids" fundraiser in the west loop.  Over 500 people attended the event which raised money and awareness for this wonderful charity, which uses magic and laughter to raise the spirits of hospitalized children in the Chicago area.
I first became aware of Open Heart Magic because of Chuck Gekas, who was volunteering his time as one of the magicians who visited and performed at hospitals.  What a great concept.
As someone who spent a great deal of my early years in hospitals, I can tell you how much something like this would be appreciated.   A hospitalized child can feel any combination of confusion, abandonment, fear, boredom and many other negative emotions.  I know I felt all of that at some point.  I would have been ecstatic to have a real magician walk into my room and perform for several minutes.
Michael Walton is the founder and Executive Director of Open Heart Magic and he deserves praise, as does each volunteer.  Everyone involved with OHM is so dedicated and so giving.  This is a very special group, one truly worthy of your attention.  The prestidigitation they perform isn't the only thing magical about Open Heart Magical. 

Michael Walton of Open Heart Magic in Chicago, IL-April 2011.

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebs.

In one of our first attempts to gain access to a pressbox, we failed (but just barely) to work our magic at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  As we were walking away, we were already planning on how to make the next attempt a success (and we have achieved that goal).
Suddenly Chuck (ever the eagle eye) looked up and noticed Bert Blyleven walking towards the pressbox.  While we might not have been fully accredited press members, we were armed with our baseball knowledge and street smarts.
Translation...I called out to Mr. Blyleven and Chuck immediately threw out a few of his stats and Chuck's belief that Blyleven deserved Hall of Fame status (which he did gain this year).  Although rushed, Blyleven couldn't have been nicer, posing for pictures with both of us separately.
Three years later, we would meet Blyleven again, but this time actually as press members in the Twins pressbox.  We were talking to Jack Morris (a Twins broadcaster who also arguably belongs in the HOF).  We did greet Blyleven (we're all professionals here), but we stuck with the interview with Morris (press etiquette).
With Blyleven's HOF induction, the picture below features two Hall of Famers in my humble opinion).

Chuck Gekas and Bert Blyleven at the HHH Dome in Minneapolis, MN-June 2007.

Chachi Tales

How many of us can say we got a massage from a Hall of Famer?  Not a Hall of Fame masseuse either (is there a HOF for masseuses?).  Chuck got a massage from Joe Morgan, a Hall of Fame baseball player.
As far as massages go, it definitely was not a Hall of Fame massage.  It was more like a cup of coffee.  Nonetheless, it was officially logged in as a massage.
Chuck was eating in the pressbox at Dodger Stadium and Joe Morgan walked in.  While Morgan wasn't very talkative on the field that day, he acknowledged Chuck's greeting with a two-handed grab of Chuck's shoulders.  He squeezed a bit and rubbed a bit (all occurring in a matter of seconds, but time enough).
Chuck and Morgan exchanged pleasantries before Morgan moved on to the next group of reporters.  It should be noted that Morgan did not massage any other reporter there that day.
Chuck uttered his usual "We're all professionals", while making sure I logged in his HOFer massage.  Now I am taking it one step further and putting up here for everyone to know.  Congrats Chuck.

Joe Morgan and Chuck Gekas in Los Angeles, CA-June 2008.

Happy Birthday Chuck

Today's blog is dedicated to Chuck "Chachi" Gekas, who is celebrating his birthday.  Chuck and I share an interesting history.
While I was in DePaul, Chuck worked for the Chicago Sun-Times with my sister.  I saw him a few times, but didn't know him until about 10 years later when he joined Lerner Newspapers, where I was already employed.
Chuck has been like a brother to me.  He's part mentor, part cohort, but he is all friend.  He's seen me at my best and at my worst and he is always there for me.
Chuck is a genuine good guy.  Sure he is as petty as it gets.  His competitiveness is off the charts.  He'll toss out a "burn a calorie", "Clums" or "smallbrain" quicker than you can respond, but it is all done in fun.
I hope Chuck has a great day today.  I am sure he will be celebrating with his family.  Happy birthday, Chuck.  I wish you the best and I am happy and proud to count you as a friend.

Chuck Gekas and me in Lincolnwood, IL-Late 1990's.

On the Beat in Ron Gardenhire's Office

The Minnesota Twins were awesome when we were at Target Field for a game in July. They gave us unrestricted access, which basically allowed us to go everywhere in Target Field and we went everywhere, including Ron Gardenhire's office for his pre-game press conference.
Everyone has a job to do (or as my friend Chuck says, "We're all professionals"), but I really don't know how coaches and players deal with the media sometimes.
It was raining and batting practice was canceled. The first question asked was about the rain. Gardenhire points to his pc screen, where he had a weather site already cued up. Again, the reporter had to ask the question and therefore Gardenhire had to answer it, but it seems silly.
Gardy seems to have magical powers in the dugout sometimes, but meteorology probably isn't one of them. Yet, there he is, answering a question about the storm's path.
The next question is about J.J. Hardy, who missed most of June with an injury. By this day though, Hardy had already been back and played in 10 games, hitting .379 with 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored. What is there really to question about Hardy. He is back and appears to be doing just fine. Yet, the question was asked and Gardy had to answer it.
Several questions were asked about various injured Twins. Gardy patiently answered them. I didn't hear any questions about the Twins-Sox series. Maybe those are asked post-game, when Gardy has to go through this whole routine again.
Don't get me wrong. Gardy has a great job and I would love to do what he does (questions and all). The reporters have great jobs, too. It all just seems like a bit of overkill. On the other hand, there might be another blogger out there writing about how some knucklehead asking questions about travel (although I save those questions for one-on-one sessions).

On the Beat with Chrissy Colligan (A Lost Interview Almost with Emmanuelle Chriqui)

A while ago, I wrote about getting a super quick interview with MLB.com's Chrissy Colligan at Dodger Stadium.  I thought I lost the snippet, but I recently found the cd with a ton of stuff, including my interaction with Chrissy.

As I wrote before, in 2008, we were at Dodger Stadium to interview Rick Monday for Global Traveler.  We got a few other interviews while we waited for Monday.  As we were leaving the field, we saw Chrissy waiting to interview actress Emmanuelle Chriqui for MLB.com.  I jumped in an got a quick sound byte from Chrissy.

Aside from her work on MLB.com, Chrissy is a personal trainer in the Los Angeles area.  She can also be heard reading some pulp stories on the Well Told Tales website.

I think my intrusion really unnerved her producer guy (coordinator?).  I think I threw off his timing.  As Chuck says though, "Hey, we're all professionals here."

Below is the audio from my bit with Chrissy.  Below that is the piece she did for MLB.com.  At about the 40 second mark, you can see my arm on the left side of the screen (Yes, I am that petty).

Chrissy Colligan interviews Emmanuelle Chriqui in Los Angeles, CA-June 2008

(Video courtesy of mlb.com)

On the Beat with Sergio Santos

This time, my friend Chuck Gekas got into the interview act. While on the field, Chachi donned the Global Traveler reporter's cap and talked to White Sox pitcher Sergio Santos.

Chachi has been a great friend for a long time. He has assisted me several times in interviews. That's one reason why it was especially cool to see him in front of the camera for this session with Santos.
Chachi handled it smoothly. I am sure he would say, "What's the big deal? We're all professionals." More importantly, I think he had a fun time doing it. With Chuck and my nephew now doing interviews, I am claiming Amway points. All are done under the GT/Johngy's Beat banner. Therefore all are mine.

The Boog Powell Incident

For our Boys of Summer trip in 2005, we went to Baltimore and Philadelphia to see ballgames. I knew Boog Powell had a barbecue stand in Camden Yards and I wanted to meet the big man.
Big man is correct. He is listed at 6'4", but he seemed even bigger. He was also as nice as can be, until Chuck E. Gekas and his elbow got involved.
Cuzz had a problem with his elbow that year, which caused it to become very swollen. It even lead to the Great Elbow Debate. Chuck T. Gekas (aka Chachi) wanted Cuzz to use it as a joke opportunity. At any restaurant, when offered dessert, Chachi wanted Cuzz to decline, stating that it would go right to his elbow.
It should be noted that the other 'boys', Jason Farber, Jim Gekas and I, were completely against that joke. Chachi stuck to his opinion that the joke was gold.
Fortunately, Cuzz was hearing none of it and passed on the 'opportunity'. The Great Elbow Debate rages on to this day.
Anyway, when we saw Boog, we asked him for a group photo. He was so amicable and eager to comply with our request. We all squeezed into the picture (which is hard with a man Boog's size). Then the elbow reared its ugly head.
Boog's beer was perched on the shelf behind us. Cuzz apparently knocked it over with his elbow (allegedly due to its unusually large nature).
Once Boog realized his beer was spilled, his sunny disposition dimmed quite a bit.
We still really don't know why. It's not like he couldn't get another beer. It's his stand!
Making this even funnier was that he thought Jason had been the culprit. All I remember was seeing Boog turn around and face Jason. I was on the other side of Boog and he eclipsed Jason. I honestly couldn't see him at all with Boog's bulk blocking him.
We thanked him for the picture and quietly and quickly left the scene. I believe Boog also left his stand then. I don't know if his departure was planned or if the beer prompted an early exit.
I had no idea meeting Boog would become such a legendary tale. When we met Greg Luzinski a couple days later, it was fun, but fortunately uneventful!

Boog Powell (center) with me, Cuzz, Jason, Jim and Chachi in Baltimore, MD-2005.

Chachi Takes on Jerry Manuel

Jerry Manuel played 96 games and hit .150 as a backup middle infielder mostly in the 70's. He also managed the Chicago White Sox for 6 years, guiding them to one divisional title, four 2nd places and one 3rd place.
Manuel was quiet and often incurred the wrath of fans and critics because of his calm demeanor. He seems to be a bit more fiery during his current stint with the New York Mets. While in New York earlier this year, my good friend Chuck Gekas played the role of Johngy. As a correspondent for Global Traveler, Chachi got into some hard-hitting journalism, giving his take on Manuel. Fortunately, our video camera was there to capture it.

Jerry Manuel at Citi Field in New York, NY-summer 2009.

Chuck Gekas in the press box at Citi Field in New York, NY-summer 2009.

Friendly Encounters-Greek Easter Edition

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

However, this is a special edition, celebrating Greek Easter. Who better to honor on Greek Easter than my friend Chuck T. Gekas (aka Chachi)?
Chuck and I have been friends for about 15 years. Previous to that, Chuck actually worked with my sister Jean at the Sun-Times when I was at DePaul. I saw him then, but I didn't know him.
Fast forward 10 years and Chuck joined Lerner Newspapers as the VP of Advertising. We quickly became friends, bonding over our love of sports, sports pools, garbage ball and pettiness. I don't think there was a thing we didn't try to bet on (all big bets, too...usually $1 per).
Last year, Chuck and Chief Pellum (his granddog) enjoyed an afternoon at Horner Park in Chicago (IL) for their annual Easter egg hunt for dogs. No word on how Chief Pellum did. Had I been there, there would have been bets aplenty, though.

Chuck T. Gekas and his Granddog Chief Pellum and the Easter Bunny in Chicago, IL-Easter 2008.

Friendly Encounters

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

This is a special edition of Friendly Encounters for 2 reasons. First, it features my sister and my niece (Jean and Samantha). Sam is making her debut on Johngy's Beat! Jean's family moved to Houston, TX for a few years. Ironically, I became closer to them through the various visits I made. I will always treasure the time we spent in Houston, but I am glad they have since returned to the Chicago area.
The second reason this is special is because of my friend Chuck (aka Chachi). On a baseball road trip to Minneapolis, my friends and I agreed to read 'The 5th Horseman' by James Patterson and cast the characters for a movie version. For whatever reason, Chachi was determined to land a role for James Denton. Chachi almost seemed desperate. It has since become a long-running joke between us. It should also be noted that our choices were much better than those made for the ill-fated tv series.
Anyway, Jean and Sam met Denton at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Denton is known to be a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was attending an Astros game while in Houston. Little did they all know back then that they'd end up on Johngy's Beat.
I hope Chachi isn't too upset.

Jean, Samantha and James Denton at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX-mid 00's.