Finally Met Ron Kittle Again

Many years ago, before the era of selfies, I met former Chicago White Sox player Ron Kittle. When my buddy took a picture of me with Kittle, I had no way of knowing his finger blocked the lens, ruining the picture, until I had it developed the next day. A missed opportunity thanks to my clumsy friend.

Somehow in the many years since, I have never seen Kittle at any convention. That changed at the recent book release event for Last Comiskey. As I mentioned in a previous post, Kittle, Jack McDowell and Donn Pall were the three Sox players there and I set out to get a picture with each.

I accomplished this with a little help from my author friend George Castle. In all honesty, I probably could have accomplished this on my own, but George made it a lot easier by introducing me to Kittle and Pall.

Although he was being pulled in many directions, Kittle stopped when George approached him. He graciously gave me the picture, with a George photobomb. This time, there was no finger obscuring the picture.

Last Comiskey is a must for any White Sox fan, especially older folks who remember and enjoyed the grand old ballpark. Full of pictures, quotes and stories from former players and staffers, Last Comiskey delves into the last season of the ballpark and other Sox history. I highly recommend it.

George Castle, Ron Kittle and me in Chicago, IL-May 2024.

The Baseball Acumen of George Castle

I first met writer George Castle about 35 years ago at Lerner Newspapers. One of the sportswriters, George's strength was his coverage of the Chicago Cubs.

Over the years there, George and I worked on a few projects together and it was always fun. George is an encyclopedia of baseball knowledge. He was probably the only person at Lerner who could beat me in a baseball trivia contest. The man knew dates, details and everything else and not just about the Cubs.

Outside of Lerner, George is an accomplished author of many baseball books, most of which are on my bookshelf. He wrote some great books on the Cubs and various players, but again, he is not limited to just the Cubs.

If you are a baseball fan, check out George's books on Amazon. I am a tad biased, but I am sure you will enjoy them as much as I do. If you see him at any convention, greet him as Less Gigante, a fun reference to his diet. He'll know I sent you.

George Castle and me in Milwaukee, WI-November 2017.

George Castle and Great Reads 2019

I first met writer and author George Castle at Lerner Newspapers back in the early 1990's (maybe even the late 1980's_. He was a sports writer and I was in the Circulation Department. We bonded over talking sports.

George has more sports trivia knowledge than anyone I have ever met. I am proud that he gives me credit for having a lot of knowledge, too, although I am not in his league.

George has written many books during his lengthy career. His latest book is The 1969 Cubs: Long Remembered - Not Forgotten. Co-written with Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins, this is the definitive look at the 1969 Cubs. Jenkins gives his personal reflections, while Castle fills in fascinating details and facts. Castle conducted interviews with several significant players invloved in that season.

This book is a "must" for any Cubs fan. If George is involved, you know it is thorough. Actually, any baseball fan would love this book. I included The 1969 Cubs: Long Remembered - Not Forgotten in my Great Reads 2019 online piece for Global Traveler.

You can check out all of George's book on Amazon's George Castle author page. I have several of his books, including The 1969 Cubs: Long Remembered - Not Forgotten and Champions: 15 Inspiring Comeback Stories from Sports & Life.

George Caste, me and Steve Gassman in St. Charles, IL-December 2017.

Friendly Encounters: Kyle Schwarber and George Castle

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends who have met celebrities.

I have known author George Castle for about 30 years.  We met in my early days at Lerner Newspapers and developed a friendship over our love of sports, especially baseball.

George is one of the most knowledgeable sports writers around.  He has a ridiculous sports memory, too.  I could usually hang with George in sports trivia contests, but if we were questioning each other, he would beat me.  His sports acumen is tops.

When my Publisher friend John Schenk was looking for a good author for a book project, I immediately recommended George.  I am happy to report that partnership has resulted in a few book projects, the latest being Champions.

Champions contains the courageous stories of fifteen athletes who came back from major obstacles in their lives.  It is a fantastic collection of inspiring stories from athletes who have wonderful stories to tell and George did a great job of getting to the heart of each athlete and each story.

One of the athletes is Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who overcame a terrible injury to become one of the heroes as the Cubs won the 2016 World Series.  Through a series of interviews, George captured the pain, determination and euphoria which described Schwarber's season.  Schwarber will forever hold a place in the history of the Cubs and the hearts of the fans.

The other stories are all inspiring in their own way.  This is a very special book.

Fo more info on Champions, check out SignatureStrength.org.  You can also check out all of their events, other merchandise and more great stuff.

Kyle Schwarber and George Castle in Chicago, IL-February 2017.

On The Beat With Marv Levy and George Castle

I have known George Castle for many years, having met and befriended him early in my career at Lerner Newspapers.  George was our very popular and knowledgeable sports features writer.  We worked together on a few projects there as well.  George is a bottomless pit of baseball trivia.  He can recite stats and facts like nobody else I have ever known.

We've kept in touch since the sad demise of Lerner and when I heard he would be appearing with Hall of Fame football Coach Marv Levy to promote Marv's book, I made sure to attend the book signing.

Marv's book is "Go Cubs Go!: Baseball's Never Give Up Story" and George is a Special Contributor to it.  This is the illustrated story of Grandpa Bruno bear, talking to his four cubby bear grandchildren about not giving up.  It's the story of the patience of a Cubs fan and a lesson in life.  It's essentially a children's book, but the moral is for everyone and I enjoyed reading it.

At the signing, I got a quick interview with Marv and George.  They talked about working with each other.  Marv also stressed that the point goes beyond patience.  It is about never giving up.

I appreciate Marv and George taking time to talk with me.  I encourage everyone to check out "Go Cubs Go!: Baseball's Never Give Up Story" online or at your local book store.

Friendly Encounters: Kenny McReynolds and George Castle

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

George Castle is a sports writer and columnist.  I met George many years ago while at Lerner Newspapers.  We worked on a couple projects together, but we mostly talked sports, specifically baseball trivia.
George has one of the greatest minds for baseball history.  He can trace players for decades based on a series of trades.  He can recite game specifics from long ago.  He really is amazing.
He has written several books, including Jackie Robinson West, the story of the Chicago Little League team that won the title, but was involved in a big controversy concerning area boundaries.  While promoting Jackie Robinson West, George appeared on WCIU's Sports Edition hosted by Kenny McReynolds, another noted loca sports media person.
McReynolds has had a lengthy career on television and the radio.  The five time Emmy Award winner has battled some health issues, but he remains positive and seems to be doing well.  It's always good to see him on the air.
This is one of the rare Friendly Encounters, where both subjects are celebrities.  I just happen to be friends with one of them.  I give George hassles allthe time, but he is a local sports media fixture.  I have always maintained that he should have his own show (on tv or the radio).  George knows his stuff and is always a fountain of fascinating info.
While George might not find a regular tv or radio gig, at least we can always enjoy his forays into writing either his columns or another book.  Baseball and the Media: How Fans Lose in Today's Coverage of the Game is one of his latest efforts and it is a fantastically, interesting read.  Check out George's books on Amazon.

Kenny McReynolds and George Castle in Chicago, IL-June 2016.

George Castle, A Real Diamond Gem

For years at Lerner Newspapers, I had fun working with George Castle sports columnist extraordinaire.  Castle's area of expertise was baseball and he is one of the most knowledgeable sports writers I have ever seen.  Back in the day, George and I would throw obscure trades trivia at each other.  I did fairly well against him, but he is the master.
George is not a cookie-cutter writer.  He isn't the flashiest.  He is simply a fountain of information and data.  While he has done some radio over the years, he has never found a regular home on any of the big stations, although I believe he deserves a shot.  Castle is also the author of several books (most of which are available on Amazon).  My favorite of his books is Throwbacks, a look at several modern day players who Castle feels are throwbacks.  I have my own signed copy from a book-signing of his (Gee, you'd think he would have comped me on that one).

 George Castle and me in Chicago, IL-Summer 2004.

My Bud George Castle

Back during my years at Lerner Newspapers, our sports features writer was George Castle. Castle is a virtual source of endless baseball information and is also an author of several books.
Castle appeared at the Niles Library for a "Meet the Authors" event and I went out to check out the scene and to see George. While there, I also met local author Stan "Tex" Banash.
After Lerner Newspapers went down, Castle kept writing for other publications, as well as hosting "Diamond Gems", a radio show about baseball. It's good to see Castle rolling on. He deserved better than he got at Lerner. I think Castle would be a great addition to the Score here in Chicago.

Stan "Tex" Banash, George Castle and me in Niles, IL-Summer 2005.