The Boys of Summer in Washington, D.C.

This year, my friends and I went on our 19th annual "Boys of Summer" trip. The Washington Nationals lost, but that did not detract from a great trip.

Borrowing the name from Roger Kahn's great baseball book, "The Boys of Summer" started in Cleveland with a win in 2001. The original "boys" consisted of Chuck Gekas, Jim Gekas, Jason Farber and me. The first four have been on every trip. Over the years, Cuzz Gekas and Jason Fleigel joined for many trips, while John Roelke and Louie Atsaves finally joined us for the last two trips.

We have now been to 29 ballparks, only needing to add the Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros (although I have been there), Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves to complete the current stadiums. (I purposely named the teams and not the stadiums, because those names seem to change so often).

Back in 2001, I was very grateful to do one baseball roadtrip. I had hopes that there would be more, but I never thought we would manage to take group trips for 19 years straight. I consider myself blessed to be a part of this, to have been to so many cities and , most of all, to have such great friends.

In the end, the baseball is the backdrop (or the excuse to go). While we enjoy the games, they have increasingly taken more of a secondary role to trying new things (like this year's Segway tour) and simply hanging out. 

It is way too early to start thinking about our 2020 trip. I certainly hope most of us can coordinate things enough to have our 20th trip. I know we all work hard at being flexible in scheduling. We shall see, but for now until spring, I am happy to simply recall the fun times with great friends in beautiful places.

I wrote more about this year's "Boys of Summer" trip online for Global Traveler at Segway Touring Around the Nation's Capitol and Capitol Dining. As you see, activities and food are a big part of the trip.

Jason Farber, John Roelke, Chuck Gekas, me, Jim Gekas and Louie Atsaves in Washington, D.C.-June 2019.

Boys of Summer 2017

The "Boys of Summer" started in 2001.  Jim, Jason, Chuck and I went to Cleveland, OH for the weekend to watch the Indians play the Anaheim Angels.  The Indians won 4-2 to start a great win streak for us and an even better trip experience which has lasted 17 years and counting.

Over the years, we have added Cuzz Gekas (2003) and Jason Fleigel (2007).  We have seen 28 teams in 27 ballparks.  We have included a few extra activities (white water rafting, the Baseball Hall of Fame, ziplining and more).  We visited other areas (Las Vegas, Washington D.C., LaJolla (CA) and others).  We have yet to see home games of the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals.

Cuzz has missed the last couple, but is always welcome to return.  In 2015, we combined the Boys trip with Matt Parker's bachelor party in Las Vegas, which included Louie, Scott Parker and several others.

In 2001, we had no idea this experience would last 17 years.  I hoped for a few more, but 17 trips was more than I could have imagined at the time.

I love these trips and these guys.  I soak in the experience every time, knowing it might be the last trip.  I'm even at peace if the trip ends.  I feel blessed to have been on 17 trips and I know it won't last forever.

For now, I am just happy to have 2017 in the books.  It was a bit of a struggle and we ended up just "traveling" to see the Chicago White Sox.  Despite the lack of a "trip," we enjoyed the ride down to Guaranteed Rate Field, the game, the park and the meal after the game.  Most of all, I enjoyed spending a relxing and laughter-filled day with my friends.

Jason, Jim, Jason, me and Chuck in Chicago, IL-June 2017.

What Happens in Las Vegas...

My friends and I have made baseball trips since 2001.  This year, we were undecided on our destination until my brother-in-law Scott put together a Las Vegas trip for my nephew Matt's bachelor party.

The Boys of Summer left a day early, flew into Phoenix and saw the Diamondbacks defeat the San Francisco Giants.  On Thursday, we drove to Las Vegas and met up with the rest as the celebration began.

This was a trip of a lifetime.  The "Boys" include Chuck, Jason, JayHawk, Jim and me.  The rest included Louie, Scott, Matt, Kyle, Marty, Tom, Dave and Michael.  That is a baker's dozen of good friends and family.  Just getting that many guys together in Vegas was amazing.  The time we had out there was unforgettable.

Major kudos go to Scott for organizing everything.  The planning and effort he put into this was off the charts.  The food was delicious and everything else was highly enjoyable.  Things could not have run smoother.

For me, it is never about what we do, but more about doing it with great people.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful family and several awesome friends.  During the trip, we all interacted with everyone at some point or another.  It was just a seamless, fun experience start to finish.

I also have to mention a friend I made at the California while playing Pai Gow.  I have no idea if she will read this.  I did shamelessly give her my business card (but only when she doubted I was actually "Johngy").  I had a blast that night, even though she punched me and may or may not have "lied" to me several times.

You need to grab these moments when you can.  Trips like this, with friends like these, do not come along often.  I am not always a happy guy, but I have learned to really soak in these moments.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.  Next stop...Matt's wedding.

Everyone in Las Vegas, NV-September 2015.

Old Times at Lerner Newspapers

Lerner Newspapers (now defunct) has forever scarred me on anything having to do with fests.  At various times during my tenure at Lerner, I was in charge of our fest operation.  At various times I was replaced by the latest, newest marketing wizard who basically screwed things up until I took over again.
Don't get me wrong.  I didn't work miracles with fests.  In fact, fests were the mission impossible at Lerner.  We had very little to give away (sometimes nothing) other than our newspapers.  Nothing says summertime fun quite like carrying around a three day old paper on a hot, sticky day.
At least I knew our limitations.  I made the best of what we had and accepted it as such.
The others in charge could not do the same.  I endured such insanity as "the wheel of prizes", on which the top prize was a cheap pen.  Did I mention the GM who wanted to include a "nothing" slot on that wheel.  Try telling an 8 year old that he has won nothing, not even the penny candy his siblings won.  Oh that went over big.
I could go on and on.  I could (and should) write a book about the fests and other such absurdities at Lerner.  The problem really would be that nobody would believe most of it.  I lived through it and I question some of it.
The other sad part is that these clowns have all scattered and are now doing their damage for many other companies.  Then again, maybe diluting them is the answer!

Jason Farber, Cindy Dzien and me in Chicago, IL-Late 1990's.

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.

Friendly Encounters

This is weekly feature highlighting friends who have met celebs.

I have known Jason Farber for about 18 years and JayHawk Evans for about 15 years. We all worked together at Lerner Newspapers. Corporate bungling led to the demise of the once-great newspaper chain and we all have gone our separate ways, but we have remained friends.
At Lerner, whenever any of our department had any wacky ideas, the rest were usually ready and willing and able to jump in and add to the insanity. It's good to see that the concept has not been lost since our professional parting. On a trip to New York, the two bon vivants were meandering around Times Square when they came across Elmo. They made sure to get the moment photographed so they could take their place in Friendly Encounters.
Despite the smiles in the picture, Farber wasn't pleased with Elmo. Elmo?? I remember Elmo when he was unemployed and homeless, way back in the early 80's. In fact, it was on my suggestion that he went down to Sesame Street to look for work. Now, look at him. He didn't even remember my name that day. He's dead to me.
On the other hand, Evans seemed to have a more positive recollection of the event.
Didn't we run into that walking plush carpet near a theater on Broadway? Wasn't he duking it out with Hello Kitty? I have to say that I don't remember much other than it was one certainly not something I would have expected to see in NYC. But Elmo did take a shining to a couple of American Legends, so he's not all that bad. Now had we seen Oscar the Grouch, I would have marked out for sure!
Wow! Who would have thought Elmo would have provoked such feelings? As for me, I am just glad they shared their photo and memories. I think this type of controversy is just what Johngy's Beat needs to get on the map. Are you reading this, TMZ?

JayHawk Evans, Elmo and Jason Farber in New York, NY-Summer 2009.

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

The softball team for Lerner was always a bit off kilter. Maybe that is why I love the picture below. No, I did not alter the picture to have it angled. The photographer did that little artistic touch all by himself. Why? Who knows, but somehow it does seem fitting.
In the back row are Johngy, Cincy Dzien, Chrissy Connole.  In the middle row are Cindy Amadio, Lizzy Sette and Donna Ebert.  In the front row are Mike, Andy, Jason Farber and Darryl Corter.

An early incarnation of Lerner softball in Skokie, IL-Early 90's.

Seasons in the Sun

Jason Farber was a bit of a Mark DeRosa on the softball team. Farber played some outfield and some infield.
Farber was a good player, but on one particular day, he was smoking! No, really, he was literally smoking. Fortunately, Farber gave up the habit a few years ago, but at the time, it was not unusual for him to smoke in the dugout area when he wasn't on the field. I am not sure who came up with the idea for him to bat while actually smoking (it might have been me), but I know I certainly pushed him to do it (not that he needed much pushing).
Farber calmly walked to the batting box and went into his stance, with a cigarette perched in his mouth. The ump was confused, but quickly called time out and asked Farber to rid himself of the cigarette. The ump took it all in good fun though.
At the time of this event, Farber was a youngster at Lerner Newspapers. Despite his cigarette habit, he still beat me in sprints across the softball field (although I joked that I knew I could beat him in anything over a mile).

Jason Farber (was smoking) in Skokie, IL-Mid-1990's.