Another Columnist I Miss…

One response to “Another Columnist I Miss…”

1. leftclique

   July 27, 2012 at 8:37 pm

   Richard,

   This is John, but I’m showing up as LeftClique since I got a WordPress account. Just so you know.

   Anyhow, you’re on a roll. Molly Ivins, and now Mike Royko.

   Did you follow Sidney J. Harris? He was a great wordsmith. – John

   Molly Ivans was one of the best. How could you not love someone who termed George W. “The Shrub” because he wasn’t big enough to be a Bush. Or nailing Rick Perry as “Governor Good Hair.”

   I just looked up Sidney J. Harris. It’s surprising that I didn’t read him since he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times as did Royko. I lived in Chicago, off and on, for five years. Not only did I read Royko for years in syndication, I actually knew him and used to talk to him a bit. When I was building up my time to be able to sit for my Coast Guard license I worked part of two summers for the Wendella Boat Line. They were based at the foot of the Wrigley Building on the Chicago River. They ran a daily commuter service from Union Station to Michigan Ave. The Chicago Tribune was located on the other side of Michigan Ave., and the Sun-Times was just a couple of blocks away on the river. Royko used to ride the boats nearly every day and sit in the pilot house. That’s how I got to know him.

   He also used to spend quite a bit of time, as did other newspaper people and the boat crews, at the Billy Goat Tavern which is on Lower Wacker Drive beneath the Wrigley Building. The Billy Goat was the inspiration for “Cheeburger, Cheeburger, no fries, chips.” And their “Cheeburgers” were wonderful. Plump, dripping grease and served on Kaiser rolls. I’d love to have one now since you can’t get a decent burger in Panama.