http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/home.aspxCheck back here everyday to get the latest happenings at 87.7FMen-usCopyright 2012, WLFM-FMFri, 18 May 2012 09:22:33 GMTFri, 17 Feb 2012 17:31:25 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comSaturday morning I found myself on the road minutes after the area had taken the brunt of the weekend storms.  An SUV was directly in front of me, headed northbound as I was, and in the far right lane of four-lane Crawford Avenue. The lane the SUV was driving in had several large puddles but nothing that looked too deep.  Along the unflooded stretches of the road were clumps of mud. I watched as the driver of the SUV charted a zigzag course right in front of me, trying to avoid the puddles and mud for the length of the entire block.  I wasn’t about to try and pass them as they swerved periodically into my lane. Then it occurred to me.  Isn’t one reason why you get an SUV so you can glide right through--and over--obstacles without so much as a second thought‌  Hey, I’ve seen the commercials and ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10128368rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10128368Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:31:25 GMT. . . or what else would we have to talk about in Chicago sports these days? Quick:  do you remember the last time a Stanley Cup Finals featured two Original Six teams? We’re a couple of major steps from having that happen, but wouldn’t it be neat if it did this season?  To wit: 1.       The Bruins would have to beat Philadelphia tonight to insure an Original Six team would represent the Eastern Conference.  If the Flyers win, then the Canadiens would have to beat them in the conference finals. 2.       The Blackhawks would have to beat San Jose. As for the latter, the Hawks are a better team than the Sharks.  But who's to say which Hawks team will show up on any given afternoon/night—the one that manhandled the Canucks all three games in Vancouver or played totally uninspired hockey in both ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10113208rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10113208Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:57:14 GMTReasonable table minimums.  Cordial dealers.  Clean air.  I don’t ask for much out of a gaming experience.  You’ll notice that I didn’t even mention winning.  Winning helps, but if those other three conditions are met, I’m pretty much assured of having a good time regardless of how my bankroll fares.  I’m not one who bets the farm, as you might have guessed. I went over to the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines for the first time this weekend, and I was impressed.  My three prerequisites were all there, in abundance, along with some pleasant surprises. When you get to Rivers, use the self-park because it comes with a helpful feature that I wish all parking garages were equipped with.  Above each parking space is a light which glows orange if there’s a car in the space, green if the space is open.  You don’t have to drive down every ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10263045rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10263045Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:17:34 GMTI realize I’ve been negligent with my blog.  But that’s about to change.  Our marketing manager and technical guru at Chicago’s Smooth 87.7, Monika Deignan, has secured a new and more flexible blogging platform for us, something that will be immediately easier to use and definitely more fun.  It’s like getting a new car—you want to get behind the wheel and drive it so, like it or not, expect a little more output from me in the future. I thought a good place to start would be my emailbox, which has been brimming with questions from listeners these past few months.  Here are some of the latest FAQs I’ve gotten. Q.  I’m thinking my favorite restaurant would be an ideal place for your Sunday Brunch.  What would it take to get you over there? A.  Put us in touch with someone from the restaurant’s management, and we’ll see if we ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10233333rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10233333Tue, 03 May 2011 23:23:30 GMTWe had nothing from Kenny G back then.  Mannheim Steamroller had but one Christmas album out and were still in the best-kept-secret category.  And Dave Koz, Peter White and Boney James hadn’t even arrived on the scene yet.  It’s no wonder that we ran out of music that first Sunday Brunch Christmas special back in 1987.  As I recall, our playlist that day was little more than a dozen albums. Fast forward to 2010, and we find that gaping hole in the Smooth Jazz category of Christmas music has been filled—and then some.  There are just too many Christmas collections to pick from, and it’s impossible to know which recordings are worth your time and money.  That’s where my annual list of recommended holiday recordings comes in.  With the 2010 edition of the list in your hands (or up on your computer screen), you’ll see the best of the best.  ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10166644rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10166644Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:03:42 GMTMy first Christmas gift this year came from . . . me.  On a recent trip to Barnes & Noble I spotted the new book The Golden Jet, written by Bobby Hull with venerable Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Verdi.  I had to get it.  Now that I have, I’m glad I didn’t wait for Santa to bring me a copy on Christmas Day. The photos are easily the book's strong suit.  As a Blackhawks fan since the late ‘60s, I thought I’d seen every photograph of Bobby Hull.  Boy, was I wrong.  The book contains hundreds of photographs completely new to me and, I’d imagine, most fans.  At the same time, Bobby reveals a number of things that somehow had eluded me over the years—such as the fact that, during the 1961-1962 and 1962-1963 seasons, he wore the number 7. I knew about his first uniform number, 16, but not ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10162913rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10162913Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:46:49 GMTEverybody loves an underdog, but I find no shame in rooting for a distinguished champion, either.  Yes, I was one of the millions caught up in the saga of Zenyatta and her valiant attempt at making horseracing history at Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic.  If only the race had been one furlong longer . . . . It’s too bad so many writers and commentators chose to use the word “lose” in recapping the race (ESPN.com – “Zenyatta loses by a head....”), because only technically was Zenyatta a loser.  When you can overcome an early 15-length deficit, overtake 11 other horses and fall short in the end only by the length of a football, you’re not a loser in my book.  At the same time, when you compete with strength, class, character and dignity the way Zenyatta did yet still come up second, you're absolutely not a loser. I realize that ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10160564rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10160564Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:08:03 GMT*a/k/a the American Smooth Jazz Awards, Friday, October 29, at the DuSable Museum, Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA. In my opening remarks before a capacity crowd at the DuSable Museum Friday night I referred to the last time an awards show in Smooth Jazz took place in Chicago (March 3, 2001) as “something those of us who were there have never stopped talking about.”  I went onto say that I felt Friday night held the same promise, that we were in for something special.  Turns out, we were. The 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards will go down as a night of exceptional all-around entertainment.  The music was scintillating, the performers and presenters cordial and upbeat, the crowd enthusiastic and the mood electric throughout the evening. Event organizer, the indefatigable Bernie Scott, mentioned to me that they had had to turn away over a hundred people who showed up at DuSable ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10157745rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10157745Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:32:38 GMTIf I could change one thing about Chicago radio, this is what I’d do:  I’d get the Bears off WBBM-AM.  Not that I have anything personal against the Bears.  Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually do.  Whenever they’re on the air, the Bears utterly dominate the Sunday Brunch.  When it comes to the ratings, the Bears destroy us and anybody else who happens to be on the air at the same time on a Sunday afternoon.  But I guess I don’t mind that as much as when I find myself going somewhere during a Bears game and need timely traffic information. This is how having the Bears on WBBM-AM is a serious misallocation of radio resources from a listener’s standpoint.  You see, WBBM-AM is the only all-news station in Chicago.  Whenever they’re airing a Bears game, the station is departing from normal programming for at least six ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10150259rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10150259Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:13:43 GMTKnow what I remember most about the first White Sox game I went to?  The music.  Maybe that’s because the team was horrible that year, eventually losing over 100 games during that 1970 season.  They did little of note on the field that year but, as it turns out, they made a wise move off that field that paid dividends the past 41 years.  They hired Nancy Faust to play the organ.  When she officially retired this  weekend, it truly was end of an era on the south side. Even as an eleven year old back in 1970 I couldn't help noticing Nancy’s repertoire was different from anything I’d ever heard during the games I attended at Wrigley Field.  On the north side, all you got were standards and old school and sometimes VERY old school (“Moonlight Serenade,” “String of Pearls,” the kind of stuff my parents would like).  I ...http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10148691rick@wlfm877.com (Rick O'Dell)http://www.smooth877.com/RickodellBlog/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10148691Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:11:58 GMT