It's Monday. Here's my podcast for today. Jeanie produces while I talk with her husband from New York City.
Today's first scheduled interview was IUN coach Javier Heridia. He used to coach Bishop Noll at the high school level and now he coaches the RedHawks at the college level. His team is 23-7 and on their way to the NAIA national tournament for the first time in the school's history. It's also the first year that JEDtv broadcasted their home games. Heridia mentioned that perhaps the Region doesn't give his team the attention they deserve... but that it's changing. He used to go to gyms and no one would pay him any attention. Now they do. That's what winning does for you.
Speaking of winning, my second interview didn't have anything to do with winning. Don Fischer, the voice of Indiana University basketball, had to come on with me to discuss an IU loss - again. This time it was to Purdue over the weekend. I went to the game and wrote a journal about it. You already read that. IU lost a bunch of games near the end of the regular season and is most likely headed to the NIT. If you really think about it, the local IUN team has performed better amongst peers than the team at the mothership. You think Heridia will one day coach the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team.
Never know. Never freaking know.
The next interview was Alexius Barber, who graduated from Hammond High in 1981. We've known each other a long time. She now works for NIPSCO, which might have something to do with the local power company sponsoring weather and high school sports on my television network. We talked about Alexius's path to work for the local power company. We talked about how NIPSCO can help you pay your bill if you can't. And we talked about Crystal Taliefero, who also graduated from Hammond High in 1981. Crystal stops by the studio once in a while when she comes to town. But that's not why she's famous. She famous for singing with John Mellenkamp and, for the last 30 years, Billy Joel. Around here, though, she's also known as Alexius's good friend and a Hammond High chick from the class of 1981.
After that, an emerging author came to the studio in the form of Dave Woerpel. Now it's gonna sound stupid to say this, but the reason I restarted writing this journal is Dave Woerpel, the mailman. Actually, he's a retired mailman. He's now an author.
This grizzled veteran of a million cigarettes and a couple thousand honky tonks used to write a column for a newspaper I closed down a long time ago - The Calumet Press. Woerpel was a mailman. One day I asked him... no, that's not accurate. One day I made him write a column for my newspaper. He did. It was a resounding success. But newspapers weren't. As a matter of fact, I was just reading about how Alden Capital may or may not be successful in two days in buying up all of Lee Enterprises, which would include the local newspaper. Alden's known for slashing costs and local coverage. I'm not sure how I would react if Alden the "vulture capitalist" winds up buying The NWI Times. I should probably have a plan, but you know what they say about plans, doncha?
Me neither. I just know that Woerpel told me for 10 years that he was gonna write a book. After a while, I stopped listening or even encouraging him. Then Covid hit and he had nothing to do so he wrote a book. And it's really good. Someday they'll make a movie out of it. I'm not kidding. It's called Nothing Like I Planned.
After that, Vince Balbo, the chief of police for Lake County, Indiana, and John Stall, the head of strategic operations, came in. They wore their Sheriff's department uniforms, which are gold with brown trim. We talked about people drowning in Lake Michigan and officers getting shot during traffic stops. Balbo was assertive about one thing - "We are going to continue to go after people illegally buying guns at gun shows." That statement means a lot around here. Political factions are warring and caught in the crossfire - no pun intended - are the gun shows. Life is funny if you let it be. So let it be.
After that, I went home and took a long nap. I didn't sleep well last night - as you know if you read this ridiculous journal. And then I got up and went to my daughter's house to let the dogs out. There's a funny story in there about running around all day with a turd in my pocket... but I don't feel like telling it right now. Suffice it to say that I kept smelling shit. I thought it was from when I stepped on one of the dog's turds... but it was actually because I had wrapped one of the Lincoln Logs in a plastic bag and put it in my back pocket. I forgot to drop it off at the canister and didn't find it until 8pm tonight. I cooked dinner with a turd in my back pocket.
Anyways, I told Woerpel on the air today that he was the reason that I restarted my blog. Here's what he said - "You know how many people have told me I inspired them to start writing. A lot of people gotta story to tell."
And here's my story. I'm a Midwestern media man who believes that if you live on one of the coasts, you don't pay enough attention to us, that you feel in your heart of hearts that you are better than us. I am here to tell you that you are not.. and that if you don't start paying better attention to the heartland of your country, you're gonna have a revolution on your hands. I'm not kidding. We have two countries. Republicans and Democrates. Coastals and non-coastals. Liberals and Conservatives. Blacks and whites. Those who eat peanut butter out of a jar. And those who don't. Those who believe that marriage is between and man and a woman. And those who have a looser interpretation of that fine institution. I just know this - that if it takes Dave Woerpel writing a book that they're gonna make a movie out of to get me to start chronicling my day, then so be it. And if it takes a revolution for you to hear the cries of the millions of good people in the middle of our country, well... that's not acceptable. I don't want a revolution as much as you don't. But I do want you to listen to who we are and what we want. Is that asking too much?
Never know. Never freaking know.
The next interview was Alexius Barber, who graduated from Hammond High in 1981. We've known each other a long time. She now works for NIPSCO, which might have something to do with the local power company sponsoring weather and high school sports on my television network. We talked about Alexius's path to work for the local power company. We talked about how NIPSCO can help you pay your bill if you can't. And we talked about Crystal Taliefero, who also graduated from Hammond High in 1981. Crystal stops by the studio once in a while when she comes to town. But that's not why she's famous. She famous for singing with John Mellenkamp and, for the last 30 years, Billy Joel. Around here, though, she's also known as Alexius's good friend and a Hammond High chick from the class of 1981.
After that, an emerging author came to the studio in the form of Dave Woerpel. Now it's gonna sound stupid to say this, but the reason I restarted writing this journal is Dave Woerpel, the mailman. Actually, he's a retired mailman. He's now an author.
This grizzled veteran of a million cigarettes and a couple thousand honky tonks used to write a column for a newspaper I closed down a long time ago - The Calumet Press. Woerpel was a mailman. One day I asked him... no, that's not accurate. One day I made him write a column for my newspaper. He did. It was a resounding success. But newspapers weren't. As a matter of fact, I was just reading about how Alden Capital may or may not be successful in two days in buying up all of Lee Enterprises, which would include the local newspaper. Alden's known for slashing costs and local coverage. I'm not sure how I would react if Alden the "vulture capitalist" winds up buying The NWI Times. I should probably have a plan, but you know what they say about plans, doncha?
Me neither. I just know that Woerpel told me for 10 years that he was gonna write a book. After a while, I stopped listening or even encouraging him. Then Covid hit and he had nothing to do so he wrote a book. And it's really good. Someday they'll make a movie out of it. I'm not kidding. It's called Nothing Like I Planned.
After that, Vince Balbo, the chief of police for Lake County, Indiana, and John Stall, the head of strategic operations, came in. They wore their Sheriff's department uniforms, which are gold with brown trim. We talked about people drowning in Lake Michigan and officers getting shot during traffic stops. Balbo was assertive about one thing - "We are going to continue to go after people illegally buying guns at gun shows." That statement means a lot around here. Political factions are warring and caught in the crossfire - no pun intended - are the gun shows. Life is funny if you let it be. So let it be.
After that, I went home and took a long nap. I didn't sleep well last night - as you know if you read this ridiculous journal. And then I got up and went to my daughter's house to let the dogs out. There's a funny story in there about running around all day with a turd in my pocket... but I don't feel like telling it right now. Suffice it to say that I kept smelling shit. I thought it was from when I stepped on one of the dog's turds... but it was actually because I had wrapped one of the Lincoln Logs in a plastic bag and put it in my back pocket. I forgot to drop it off at the canister and didn't find it until 8pm tonight. I cooked dinner with a turd in my back pocket.
Anyways, I told Woerpel on the air today that he was the reason that I restarted my blog. Here's what he said - "You know how many people have told me I inspired them to start writing. A lot of people gotta story to tell."
And here's my story. I'm a Midwestern media man who believes that if you live on one of the coasts, you don't pay enough attention to us, that you feel in your heart of hearts that you are better than us. I am here to tell you that you are not.. and that if you don't start paying better attention to the heartland of your country, you're gonna have a revolution on your hands. I'm not kidding. We have two countries. Republicans and Democrates. Coastals and non-coastals. Liberals and Conservatives. Blacks and whites. Those who eat peanut butter out of a jar. And those who don't. Those who believe that marriage is between and man and a woman. And those who have a looser interpretation of that fine institution. I just know this - that if it takes Dave Woerpel writing a book that they're gonna make a movie out of to get me to start chronicling my day, then so be it. And if it takes a revolution for you to hear the cries of the millions of good people in the middle of our country, well... that's not acceptable. I don't want a revolution as much as you don't. But I do want you to listen to who we are and what we want. Is that asking too much?
RSS Feed
