Just a friendly reminder for all you fans and friends of our lately departed, blessed and beloved Raoul: the benefit and tribute happens at the Brewhaus this Sunday, Dec. 5, from 2 p.m. to midnight. Live music by many friends, plus food, giveaways, silent auctions and whatever else we can do to raise money to cover official costs of his passing.
It’s gonna be a blowout, baby. Make sure to attend if you can. Raoul was truly one of a kind and we want to send him off right.
During the ensuing 25 years in the Springfield scene he played guitar in several bands including Raoul & Company, Elvis Himselvis, the Cheezy Messiahs, Rock Quarry, Dr. Feelgood, Black Magic Johnson, Sarah Schneider Band, the Hired Hands, Springfield Shaky and for whoever would hire him for a night of music with drinks and pay included. While others worked jobs and played the weekends or refused to come out of the house except for a guaranteed price, Raoul made music because that is what he did and he did it no matter what he had to do to do it. He drove old vehicles, sometimes went hungry and often wondered if he’d make enough cash playing his guitar to pay the rent, but he never wavered in his way of living for the moment, for the music and for the majesty of life.
For the record, he had a broken hip his last few months and being poor with no insurance had some trouble getting decent medical attention. By the time Raoul made it to the hospital with assistance from his dear friend, my sister Sara, he was unable to walk. They found advanced cancer when testing for hip surgery. He received a six- to eight-months life sentence on Monday and was gone by Friday night. We sang songs to him in his last hours, watching for a bushy eyebrow to raise in acknowledgement of a welcome tune and familiar voice. He went peacefully and passed on out on Neil Young’s birthday, a nice touch by a beautiful person, well loved and universally respected not just as a heartfelt musician, but as a friend, mentor, party pal, father figure, brother-in-arms and blessed soul.
To the wise and wonderful, round mound of sound Raoul Brotherman: Long may you run.
It’s been a good month of Sunday’s
And a guitar ago
I had a tall drink of yesterday’s wine
Yeah, I left a long string of friends
Yeah, I left some sheets in the wind
And some satisfied women behind
Won’t you ride me down easy, Lord
Ride me on down
Leave word in the dust where I lay
Well, I’m easy come, and I’m easy go
And I’m easy to love when I stay
* The Illinois State Police is offering a significant pension sweetener to entice some senior officers into retirement. From an internal memo…
TO: ALL SWORN OFFICERS
DATE: DECEMBER 1, 2010
The Illinois State Police (ISP) has been granted the authority to offer a severance package, effective immediately, to any sworn officer retiring on or before December 31, 2010.
The retiring officer will receive the 6 percent cost of living raises, currently scheduled for the 2011 calendar year, on their last day of work.
In order to qualify for the severance package, the officer must be a minimum of fifty (50) years of age with twenty-five (25) years of service or fifty-five (55) years of age with twenty (20) years of service.
The officer may use accumulated time in order to satisfy the years of service requirement.
Jonathon E. Monken
ACTING DIRECTOR
That’s a nice little bump.
* From the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget…
Higher salaried Illinois State Police Officers are being offered the retirement severance package which was approved by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to reduce payroll costs to the state.
The severance package is not being offered to any other state agency.
Illinois State Police estimate 70-90 sworn officers will retire under this incentive.
There are currently 1,980 sworn officers at ISP.
The savings to ISP is dependent upon the level of participation and the salary level of those who chose to participate.
Once again, we’re moving high salaries into the pension fund to “save” money in the short-term. At least this is limited to just the State Police - for now.
“This will be a staggering blow to Chicago’s property taxes,” Daley said. “It would be the largest property tax increase in the history of the city of Chicago during an economic crisis, an economic crisis in every home and in every job in Chicago and in the state of Illinois.”
Daley said the city would owe at least an additional $550 million each year beginning in 2015.
Right now, the city puts two dollars in the pension system for every dollar contributed by employees. That’s the entire formula. There is no actuarial basis, which is a big reason why the fund is so out of whack. The new bill simply puts the system on a solid actuarial footing.
But there’s absolutely nothing in the bill whatsoever which “mandates” a tax hike.
Supporters of civil unions will see their votes “split between five or six candidates, while Sen. Meeks will get all the votes of those who are against it,” said Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, who praised Meeks for views that he said “conform to the beliefs of the majority of Chicagoans.”
Actually, according to an August Tribune poll, Sen. Meeks’ opposition to civil unions was not in the majority…
54 percent of suburban residents favor legalizing same-sex civil unions, compared with 33 percent who would oppose such a law. When city residents are included, the results remain nearly the same.
And I seriously doubt that everyone who opposes civil unions will be voting for Rev. Sen. Meeks. There are plenty of other issues in Chicago, and there are other prejudices involved here.
Yet another mayoral candidate has jumped into a debate on evolving ethics reform, with contender Miguel del Valle charging that plans offered by rivals Gery Chico and Rahm Emanuel have a big loophole.
At a press conference, Mr. Del Valle noted that while his competitors would turn down donations from lobbyists, both are open to taking campaign cash from city contractors — at least until after the election.
“They can talk ethics all they want,” Mr. Del Valle said, “but to me, that says they’ll have already been bought and sold just to make it to City Hall.”
Contractor contributions are capped at $1500. Small beans in a mayor’s race of this magnitude.
* I will never forget the press conference Gov. Rod Blagojevich held in Chicago early in his first term with several noted reformers, including Cindi Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and Dawn Clark Netsch. They all praised Blagojevich’s ethics plan. And they all lived to regret being used.
I couldn’t help but think of that event yesterday when David Hoffman held a press conference with Rahm Emanuel to praise Emanuel’s ethics reform package, which Hoffman helped draft…
Now, I don’t believe that Emanuel is a criminal, but Hoffman could live to regret that little dog and pony show. Also, Mayor Daley pushed through more ethics reforms than any mayor since William Dever, but Hoffman’s praises for hizzoner were few and far between.
Open letter to Gov. Pat Quinn from former Gov. Dan Walker
Dear Pat:
Dear Dan Walker,
Who cares what you think?
I don’t know Walker, but some people I trust, including Charlie Wheeler, who covered Walker for the Sun-Times, refer to him as a pathological liar. That’s good enough for me. Go away, man.
Our nation was founded, Mr. President, upon the principal that with the respect to our pursuit of happiness each of us are created equal one to another and the rights of everyone are diminished when the rights of any one of us are threatened.
This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.
Noland…
Today, we are engaged in the continuing struggle to defend the right of those in committed family relationships in respect of gender to receive equal services in place of public accommodation, such as hospital—-and places of employment without first having to produce proof of legal authorization under powers of attorney.
Kennedy…
Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free.
Noland…
So ultimately this is not even a legal legislative issue, that let alone can not change what is in our hearts. We are at long last confronted with a moral issue which essentially asks the question of whether all Illinois residents are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Whether we are going to treat our fellow citizens as we wish to be treated.
Kennedy…
This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. It is better to settle these matters in the courts than on the streets, and new laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.
Noland…
Again, legislation can not solve this problem on discrimination, it must be solved in the homes and in the hearts of every citizen and every community across this great state.
Kennedy…
But legislation, I repeat, cannot solve this problem alone. It must be solved in the homes of every American in every community across our country.
Noland…
We send young people from Illinois to fight for freedom throughout the world and we teach our children here at home that all men are created equal but are we to say to the world that much more importantly to each other if not our children that this is state where all are created equal except for those that are born with different gender different affiliation. That we have no second class citizens except the gay or lesbian.
That we have no discrimination or gender bias except for the respect for the gay or lesbian; we have previously voted to uphold that principal such discrimination is not allowed in the conduct of housing and employment law in Illinois now comes the time for the state to complete their promise.
Kennedy…
We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?
Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise.
Noland…
We owe them and owe ourselves and our children a better state than that.
Kennedy…
I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.
Noland…
That is all the vast majority of the people our state are asking. It is a question of fairness, nothing more nothing less. And in answering it I ask the support of my fellow colleagues in this chamber and all the good people of this great state.
Kennedy…
This is what we’re talking about and this is a matter which concerns this country and what it stands for, and in meeting it I ask the support of all our citizens.
* Vote against gay unions sets Meeks apart in race: Supporters of civil unions will see their votes “split between five or six candidates, while Sen. Meeks will get all the votes of those who are against it,” said Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, who praised Meeks for views that he said “conform to the beliefs of the majority of Chicagoans.”
* As I’ve already told you, House Speaker Michael Madigan raised some eyebrows earlier this year when he convinced the out of state education reform group Stand for Children to contribute big bucks to several of his targeted members. Both major teachers unions boycotted Madigan and many of his members this election season after the Speaker pushed a pension reform bill through the General Assembly. Here’s what I wrote several weeks ago…
However, if Speaker Madigan retains the majority and the group continues to, um, “stand” with his candidates and the unions refuse to step up, it’s possible that we could see a significant education reform push next year. Stay tuned.
From Speaker Madigan’s office…
Dear Mr. Clerk:
Please be advised that today I am creating a new bipartisan Special House committee for the 96th General Assembly. The Special Committee on Education Reform will have 8 members (4 majority members, one of which will serve as co-chair and 4 minority members, one of which will serve as co-chair).
The majority appointments to this committee are as follows:
Special Committee on Education Reform
Representative Linda Chapa La Via, Co-Chair
Representative Keith Farnham
Representative Jehan Gordon
Representative Karen Yarbrough
No word yet from the House Republicans, who will have co-equal representation on the committee. But apparently, we could be heading for a bit of payback. Stay tuned.
Among items on the agenda, according to Ms. LaVilla: requiring teacher performance to be a factor in compensation, simplifying the teacher dismissal process and linking tenure to teacher performance. Te first meeting is set for Dec. 15.
That’s pretty much Stand for Children’s entire legislative agenda. The only thing missing is making it more difficult to strike.
* I was raised a Chicago Cubs fan and Ron Santo was one of my childhood heroes from that 1969 team. Santo passed away yesterday. Bruce Levine at ESPN says it best…
As I was growing up in Chicago, Ron Santo was a hero to me before he was a friend. Like many Little Leaguers in the early ‘60s, I latched onto Santo as “my guy.” In my mind, I knew I’d be the guy to replace him when his baseball career was over.
But things often don’t turn out the way you envision. One thing stayed constant, though, Santo was always my guy. Especially after we became friends in the late ‘80s.
Ron Santo had the gift of making strangers feel like friends instantly. I watched him meet and greet thousands over the years, having the same impact on every person he met. Each person walked away feeling like they made a new friend.
I knew Ron Santo for over 30 years, and never once did I hear him complain about being sick or having diabetes or losing the bottom of both legs. Never once.
Playing for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973, then for a final season with the Chicago White Sox, Santo hit 342 career home runs, won five Gold Glove awards for fielding and was named an All-Star nine times.
He was a key figure on the 1969 Cubs team that was leading the Mets by 13 games in August before collapsing. That team gained a particularly agonizing niche in the star-crossed history of the Cubs, who have not won a pennant since 1945. But Santo endeared himself to the Bleacher Bums in their hard hats at Wrigley Field that summer by clicking his heels with joy after victories.
That Santo was on a major league field, let alone starring alongside the future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins, seemed remarkable.
When he took a routine physical in 1959, on the brink of making his Cubs debut, Santo was found to have juvenile diabetes. He began taking insulin within two years, but kept his diabetes a secret from the Cubs until being named to his first All-Star team in 1963, fearing that management’s knowledge of his illness might have damaged his career. He did not allow the public to know of his diabetes until his final years with the Cubs.
But here’s the thing: No matter what method you use, Santo was the dominant third baseman of his era — or at the very least in the top two. His contemporaries will tell you that. And so will the numbers. In the decade of the 1960s (admittedly an arbitrary period), he hit more homers, drove in more runs, drew more walks and had a higher slugging percentage than any other third baseman — including Hall-of-Famers Eddie Mathews and Brooks Robinson.
In fact, when you look at career OPS+, which adjusts for the differences in eras and ballparks, Santo ranks seventh all-time among third basemen (min. 5,000 plate appearances) — and of the six players ahead of him, five (Mike Schmidt, Mathews, George Brett, Home Run Baker and Wade Boggs) are already in the Hall of Fame, and the sixth (Chipper Jones) will be eventually.
And of those third basemen, only Mathews had a career that overlapped significantly with Santo (who was also the superior defensive player) — which means Santo was either the premier third baseman of his era, or a very close second. And in my estimation, that makes him a Hall-of-Famer.
Former Cubs President John McDonough compared Santo to Harry Caray, the broadcasting legend who called games for both Chicago teams, noting neither had a filter, broadcast with unvarnished emotion and were enormously entertaining.
Santo mangled names, sometimes lost track of what was going on in a game and occasionally didn’t realize a player had been on the roster for months, but none of that mattered because people loved it, McDonough said. “We almost thought he was doing it on purpose,” he said. “It added so much entertainment value.”
One of the rare times he saw Santo visibly upset, McDonough recalled, was after Frank Sinatra Jr. sang during the seventh-inning stretch years ago. As Sinatra left the booth, he turned to Santo and told him he thought Santo was one of the best pitchers he had ever seen. “Ronny lost it,” McDonough said.
Santo was the quintessential Cubs fan and made no apologies for his on-air cheerleading or his utter frustration over a bad play.
On many occasions, when Santo was upset with the way things were going for the team, a simple grunt or moan sufficed.
