Back in the Old Neighborhood

Thanks to Milena Matic, a mini-version of my reunion wish came true.  A couple weeks ago, several members of Sacred Heart's class of 1980 and a couple of us from 1979 met at the Jovial Club in our old southside neighborhood.  It wasn't the full reunion of my clas that I have wanted for a long time, but it was a ton of fun.

Milena, a very talented artist, lives in the Pacific Northwest and was coming in for a visit.  She suggested a get-together of her classmates and mentioned it to me.  My old bud Tom was going to be there (his sister Karen was a classmate of Milena's), too.  I could not pass up the chance to see these old friends.

It was odd seeing Elida, Beatrice, Donna, Karen, Milena and Eva after all of these years.  It has been between 30-35 years since I have seen them.  They all looked great, too.

I had a great time mostly with Tom and his girlfriend.  We laughed over old times and told a lot of stories.  We always pick up right where we left off.  It is really awesome to be hanging with Tom so many years later.

I did catch up a bit with the ladies.  They are all beautiful, really funny women.  I talked the most to Karen (who I knew the best years ago) and she just cracked me up.

It's a shame we all have to grow up and move in so many directions.  I left the area in 1990 and I always wonder what would have happened had I stayed.  I often feel nostalgic for my old neighborhood.

New friends are great and I have been blessed with some really fantastic friends in my life, but there is always something special about the friends from youth.  There is a bond that will always be there, no matter how long and far we stray.

Thank you to Milena for organizing this event.  Thanks to the class of 1980 for including Tom and me.  It was a night I really enjoyed.

Sacred Heart Alums in Chicago, IL-November 2014.

Happy Birthday Tom

Today is the birthday of Tom Skalski, one of my first friends ever.  We go back to the first grade at Sacred Heart School on the south side of Chicago.
Tom and I went together through eight years at Sacred Heart and four years at Mount Carmel High School.  We had a ton of fun through the years.  We experienced baseball cards, record albums, concerts, sports, street football and other shenanigans.
We went to different colleges and I moved out of the neighborhood a few years later.  We lost touch around 1990.  I saw him at a Hawks game once in the late 90's.
Several years back, I really started to long for the old neighborhood and friends.  I am not sure if I was just feeling old or nostalgic or what.  My dream was a reunion of the 1979 Sacred Heart class.
I don't even remember how we reconnected.  I think I sent him a note.  In any case, we did reconnect and we have stayed in touch ever since.
We go to one Cubs game and one Hawks game every year.  Oh sure, we aren't the closest of friends now.  Tom has his life and I have mine, but we are friends again.  That s the important thing.
A few months back, I saw Tom and a few other former class mates at a funeral for another former classmate.  This wasn't the reunion I wanted.
Naturally, I left Steve Iwinski's wake so very sad.  I hadn't talked to Steve since around 1990, too.  While I wasn't as close to Steve as I was to Tom, I still felt the loss of "one of us."
I did walk away very glad Tom and I reconnected.  Life is short and nothing is promised.  Tom was a huge part of my youth and I am glad he is part of my life now.
I have since reconnected in bits with other former classmates.  I don't see that 1979 class reunion happening anytime soon (although I would still love it), but at least I have caught up a bit with about half of the class.  That's a start.
Happy birthday Tom and thanks for being a lifelong friend.

Tom and me in Chicago, IL-April 2014.

Friendly Encounters:Tom Meets Mr. T.

This is a weekly series about my friends who have met celebrities.

I have been friends with Tom Skalski since the first grade.  Oh sure, we drifted apart a bit after college, but we have since reconnected and I am very happy abut that.  Today, Tom becomes my second Sacred Heart School mate to make an appearance in Friendly Encounters (Mary Jovanovich Brazzale was the first).
I have had many great laughs and fun time with Tom.  Hanging with him at a Cubs or Blackhawks game is a riot.  We reminisce about Tom's greatest fights, our high school hijinx and other silliness.  Tom also usually gives me the update on his newest jerseys (now totaling well over 100).
At the most recent Hawks game we attended, Tom surprised me with his Friendly Encounter.  So without further adieu. I present two Chicago legends...my buddy Tom and Mr. T.

Tom and Mr. T. in Chicago, IL-Mid 00's.

It's Hammer Time Again!

The Cubs season is officially over, after being realistically over for about 5 months.  Not much good came out of this season, but I did have some fun at the old ball park anyway.
One of the best times was with my old buddy Tom Skalski, one of my first friends ever.  As I have detailed here before, Tom and I went to grade school and high school together.  He was a great friend, through good times and bad.
We drifted apart shortly after I moved to the north side.  Work, business and other such silliness got in the way and sadly, I wasn't proactive in keeping contact.  We ran into each other once at a Hawks game and once at our old church's summer festival, but that was all and that shouldn't have been enough for two old friends.
A couple years ago, we regained contact.  There was a call here, an email there and even some texts.  We hooked up for a Cubs game last year (another Cubs loss) and a Hawks game this year (a win!).
A few weeks back, Tom came up and we saw the Cubs lose to the Braves.  Oh sure, we would have loved to see a Cubs win, but it didn't ruin our day.
I had a great time laughing about the old days, our other friends and good times.  It was like being back in time.  We are already planning a Hawks game or even a Mt. Carmel game.  Great laughs shouldn't be spaced that far apart!
Sometime this summer, Tom's sister Karen told me her boys check out this site.  Boys, if you are reading this, I want you to know that your mom, Tom and the rest of the family always treated me like family.  They are all special and I have wonderful memories with and because of them.

Tom Skalski and me in Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-August 2011.

Autograph Tales:Paul Splittorff and Buck Martinez

It was a very cold night either early or late in the 1973 or 1974 season. The Kansas City Royals were in Chicago for a game against the White Sox.  I think it rained a bit before or during the game.  I have tried researching the exact date and I think it was either 10/1/74 or 10/2/74.
My dad took my friend Tom Skalski and me to the game and we were sitting by the Sox dugout.  At some point before the game started (or was it during a rain delay?), we went to the concourse and ran into Paul Splittorff and Buck Martinez, two of the Royals.  They were in full uniform, but I am not sure what they were doing.  It certainly wasn't an organized autograph session.  I swear, they were just getting food at the concession stand.  I did get autographs on a scorecard I still have somewhere.
Looking back, it was very odd to see the players in that area, although at the time, I don't think we thought about that.  Why would they be there?  It still boggles my mind.
The White Sox won the game and Sox centerfielder Ken Henderson made a great catch at some point.  The attendance was horrible (less than 5,000 at either game).
The wins allowed the Sox to finish at 80-80 for 4th place.  It was a forgettable season, but that game remains one of my favorite (and earliest) memories of baseball.

Johngy and the Hammer

Here it is. This is a photo 20+ years in the making. This is Tom Skalski and me in Wrigley Field recently.
Tom was a great friend from my youth. We went to grade school and high school together. We went to different colleges, but still lived in the same area and kept in contact. I moved to the north side in November of 1990 and had only seen Tom once since then. We ran into each other at a Hawks game at the old Chicago Stadium.
We reconnected last year and finally got together for the Cubs game. We laughed a lot, discussing old times. It really was a great time, just like old times! Tom wore one of his 100+ jerseys and gave me a Cubs hat from Polish Heritage Night.
I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that it won't be 20 years before I see Tom again. Maybe a football game. Maybe just a lunch. It doesn't really matter. For friends, the setting is merely the logistical component in getting together.

Tom Skalski and me in Wrigley Field in Chicago-August 2010.

Bear Down Sunday #6

The Chicago Bears, who are 4-1 and in first place, are facing the Seattle Seahawks, who are 2-2.  I can't predict the Bears at all this season and this game will be no different.
Today, I am going old school with this post.  Maybe I am going old school buddy with this post.
In 1980, the Seattle Seahawks were still relatively new to the NFL.  They finished at 4-12.  Three of my favorite Seahawks were Jim Zorn (QB), Steve Largent (WR) and Dan Doornink (FB).  Largent was just beginning his Hall of Fame career.  Zorn was in the middle of an underrated career.  Doornink was pretty early in his solid career.
The Bears finished 1980 at 7-9.  Walter Payton was the offense.  Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary were at the beginning of the HOF careers.
Meanwhile on the far south side of Chicago, Tom Skalski and I were struggling our way through our first year at Mt. Carmel high school.  Tom and I always fooled around with artwork.  In grade school, we often drew covers for our book reports.  It was more for our amusement than for the grade.
I don't remember what prompted it, but Tom gave me a drawing he made of my favorite Seahawks.  Recently while reorganizing my closets (and boxes of stuff), i came across the picture.  It has held up well for being 30 years old.
It brought back a lot of good memories.  I thought about my friendship with Tom (with whom I recently reconnected).  I also thought about my youthful interest in football.  The Bears were terrible, but I loved them regardless.  I loved seeing my favorites return year after year (there was no free agency back then).  
Isn't it cool how one simple drawing could produce many great emotions thirty years later?  I probably like it more now than I did then.
As the teams face each other today, I'll be thinking of Zorn, Largent, Doornink, Tom Skalski, my youth, my Bears and who knows what else.  It's all good.

Seattle Seahawks artwork by Tom Skalski (c) 1980

Bear Down Sunday #6

The Chicago Bears are 3-2 after a Sunday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Today, the Bears face the Cincinnati Bengals, who stand at 4-2. Last I heard, my old friends Tom Skalski and Ed Mann would be attending this game (although not together).
Speaking of Tom, back in the old days, one of our mutual favorites was linebacker Bill Bergey of the Philadelphia Eagles. Bergey spent the first 5 years (out of 12) of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. Tom probably blocks out the Bengals years, much like he would block out Franco Harris's time with the Seahawks.
Anyway, when I met Bergey at the Ultimate Collectors Show, I mentioned how Tom would have loved to meet him. Bergey laughed and thanked me (us) for remembering him, despite him not being a flashy star. I told him that we always loved the true tough guys like him and he laughed some more.
It was cool meeting Bergey and I am sure Tom would have loved to talk a bit of football with him as well.

Bill Bergey and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

The Original MC Hammer

A while ago, I wrote a piece about meeting Stanley Burrell in his pre-MC Hammer days. I have also written about a great old friend, Tom Skalski. I was with Tom, when I met Burrell. Tom read that piece and reminded me of an obvious point that I completely missed.
Back when we were at Mt. Carmel High School, Tom was nicknamed 'The Hammer'. This would be before Burrell started using the Hammer moniker.
Could it be mere coincidence? Burrell meets us at a baseball game. He hears that the Hammer is going to Mt. Carmel (aka MC). Then, just a short time later, Burrell starts calling himself MC Hammer.
I think it is a clearcut case of Moniker Infringement. Clearly, Tom Skalski is the original MC Hammer! I think Skalski has a case against Burrell. I was witness to the whole series of events unfolding. I even have old Geometry books with Skalski's trademark Hammer drawn (in his attempts to get me to crack up in Mr. Gorches' class). The proof is all there.
Tom, if you need me buddy...I am there!

Tom "MC Hammer" Skalski (left-ish with wristbands) in Mt. Carmel gym in Chicago, IL-Spring 1983.

A Bunch of Losers

The NBA basketball season starts today. Who knows what kind of season my Chicago Bulls will have? They have been very inconsistent over the last few years.
One team who was consistent was the Losers. They...we were consistently bad. The Losers were my intramural basketball team during my senior year at Mt. Carmel. I was the starting off-guard (accent on off), although I am not really sure we had positions, except for Tom 'Hammer' Skalski. He was definitely our big man in the middle (and our enforcer, a role he gladly filled).
Other Losers included Dave 'Mooner' Plonczynski, Greg 'Ness' Nessinger, Keith Urbon, Mike Szotek, John Fleszewski, Jim 'Fish' Fisher, Todd Kruk and Ed Mann. We had a great time and even won 1 game. Each Loser will have his time to shine here, but for today, Tom Skalski gets his turn.

Dave Plonczynski, an opponent (in blue) and Tom Skalski in Mt. Carmel gym in Chicago, IL-Spring 1983.

Wanted:Billy Joel, The Piano Man

This is the first in an unspecified series detailing my celeb 'Want to Meet' list.

As my friends know, I am a serious Billy Joel fan. I have to thank my childhood friend, Tom Skalski, for originally turning me onto the Piano Man. I think we were in the 7th grade at Sacred Heart School on the southeast side of Chicago.
Tom was always a bit ahead of me on the music scene, but once I heard Joel's music, I surpassed Tom on the fan level. That was an incredible 31 years ago.
Since then, I have been to a dozen Joel concerts. I realize this is not a huge number for most folks, but I generally hate concerts. Joel accounts for more than half of my total attended concerts.
I have also seen his musical, Movin' Out, which I highly recommend. I'm sure my praise is no surprise, but LD saw it with me, before she was much into Joel and she loved it, too, vindicating my biased opinion.
Joel is not likely to do any 'Meet and Greet' conventions. I am going to have to try a legitimate journalistic approach. Joel is #1 on my list, but probably the longest long shot.