By Steve Rhodes
I’m still catching up from Monday night bartending followed by an all-day social media conference, so some items of interest will just have to wait. Let’s see what we can muster in the meantime.
Trib Tower
“Randy Michaels, Tribune Co.’s embattled chief executive, has decided to resign his post at the Chicago-based media company and intends to leave the company before the end of the week, sources close to the situation said,” the Tribune reports.
“He will be replaced by a four-member office of the president that the sources said would comprise Eddy Hartenstein, president and publisher of the Los Angeles Times; Tony Hunter, president and publisher of the Chicago Tribune Media Group; Nils Larsen, Tribune Co.’s chief investment officer; and Don Liebentritt, chief restructuring officer.”
How Cublike.
Of course, the Tribune Company no longer owns the Cubs, but both have been infected by the dysfunctions of the other enough to last a lifetime.
For example, the Cubs just extended their interim managerial position for another two years. Then Jim Hendry will likely be replaced by someone who will hire their own manager.
By that time, the Tribune Company may have finally emerged from bankruptcy while the Cubs, with Hendry still at the controls, will be ready to enter it.
And so it goes.
Sweet Q
“The team’s performance down the stretch was a positive reflection of Quade’s performance, but also an indictment of the disconnect that existed between the manager’s office and the players during the final days of the Lou Piniella (they lost 20 of their last 25 under Uncle Lou) regime,” our very own Chris Rewers writes. “Quade’s passion made it obvious to the players that he had their back, but it also made it clear that he was holding them accountable.”
In the same post, our very own Dan O’Shea writes:
“I’m wondering if the timing has something to do with Sandberg turning down a behind-closed-doors offer to be one of Quade’s coaches. The Cubs may now have to watch Sandberg take a manager job elsewhere, and if Quade stumbles early, fans surely will be calling for his head – and GM Jim Hendry’s – and demanding explanations for why Sandberg wasn’t hired as manager.”
Randy’s New Roost
“Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant is sailing into Navy Pier for a 10-year run,” the Tribune reports.
The new restaurant’s first big event will be the Tribune Company’s annual meeting.
Ask Tom Why
“The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Energy found in Illinois what state inspectors have repeatedly found in Texas: shoddy and unsupervised work under the federal stimulus Weatherization Assistance Program,” Texas Watchdog reports.
“An audit of the $242 million state program found that energy efficiency upgrades for low-income homes repeatedly failed final inspections. Inspectors checking 15 homes in the Chicago area found that 14 would not pass inspection and 12 were left with problems that could have posed a health risk to the residents or damage to the property. Inspectors found that contractors had overpaid for materials on the jobs and that, overall, the work had been poorly monitored.”
Additionally, the inspector general found the homes would not survive a Tribune Company executive retreat or rush week.
Dart Board
I’ll be impressed when he halts my credit card debts.
Keys Club
“A Chicago man died Monday while diving at Looe Key in the Lower Keys on Monday, becoming what is apparently the eighth dive- or snorkel-related death of 2010 in the Florida Keys,” KeysNet reports.
No Margaritaville jokes; this isn’t funny.
The Public Transit Paradox
A debate erupts about our post earlier this week about the CTA. See the comments.
Fantasy Fix
Wither Carlos Boozer?
Why Not Mayor?
“Jay-Z may have lent his visage and voice to a PSA, but Chicago rapper Rhymefest is really putting his money where his mic is,” Consequence of Sound writes. “The Windy City better get ready, because if he has his way, we’ll be calling him Alderman Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith by the end of next spring. The Grammy-winning artist released a video today confirming his run for 20th Ward Alderman.”
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And:
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Booze in the blender.
Posted on October 20, 2010