Jim O'Donnell: The beat goes on - a holiday weekend to look back with gratitude

TIM WEIGEL ALWAYS SAID that he thought his No. 1 professional "skill" was recognizing when a window of opportunity was opening.

Too many years ago, a window for a sports media column was opening at the Daily Herald.

This month is a milestone anniversary of that modest startup.

As far as which calendar marker, why let numbers get in the gray?

Hints:

• Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

• Harry Caray had just completed the 1982 season, his first with the Cubs.

• New-sneer rockers like Joan Jett, Billy Squier and John "Cougar" Mellencamp were battling staples such as Olivia Newton-John, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder for airplay on the radio.

THE LEAVES OF NEW CHALLENGE were rustling. So sports editor Bob Frisk called his off-centric Insouciant into a conference room at the Herald's classic home - 217 W. Campbell St. in downtown Arlington Heights.

Frisk had a matter to discuss that had already been cleared with big boss Doug Ray and even bigger boss Dan Baumann.

"What do you think about doing a weekly sports media column?" Frisk asked.

The textured reply was, "Really?"

Five minutes or so later, the Daily Herald had a sports media columnist.

NO TRUMPETS SOUNDED AND there was no road map.

At the time, the Mount Rushmore of downtown newspaper columnists included Mike Royko, Irv Kupcinet, Gary Deeb and - with an asterisk, since he was technically a film critic/ essayist - Roger Ebert.

For the new project at hand, only Deeb applied.

He was late in the remarkable 10-year run during which he would revolutionize radio-TV columning in Chicago.

From 1973-80, fresh in from Buffalo, Deeb knocked 'em dead at the Tribune.

In 1980, with Sun-Times chief Jim Hoge promising him the moon, he crossed Boul Mich for a three-year stay at The Bright One. (It would then be on to WLS-Channel 7 for 13 years.)

A CASUAL FRIENDSHIP HAD DEVELOPED between Deeb and his ardent Northwest suburban fan for two primary reasons:

During the winter of 1980-81, the critic gave rave reviews to two live, ad-lib turns the suburbanite did as "Irv the Gossip Columnist" under the guidance of the brilliant Don Vogel on WIND 560-AM. Kup himself called in to participate in the second spoof.

And, starting in the fall of 1981, Deeb became the most important local-lining booster of the classic "Celebrity Jeopardy!" segments on the Steve Dahl-Garry Meier show over at WLS-FM (94.7).

The Insouciant wrote, hosted and coproduced. Those bits - some eventually broadcast nationally by ABC Radio - would raise the dead-and-buried Merv Griffin/NBC franchise all the way into the syndicated Alex Trebek era.

SO, THE NEW HERALD COLUMN was to begin. Deeb was of inestimable support and encouragement. That was like having Wayne Gretzky or Gil Perreault tell a neophyte they'd probably be OK at ice hockey if only he'd give it a skate.

For the first outing, a marquee-worthy goal was in order. Bold overtures were made to try and land Brent Musburger.

At the time, Musburger was the king of CBS Sports and one of the most prominent sportscasters in America. His Chicago ties extended through a rocket-like rise as a sports columnist at the Chicago American and then on up to WBBM-AM (780) and WBBM-Channel 2.

He was also days removed from one of the roughest assignments of his career. That was the bleak Saturday when he worked a CBS boxing match from Las Vegas in which champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini killed - literally - a tragically determined Korean lightweight named Kim Duk-Koo.

MUSBURGER AND THAT FIGHT formed the lede topic that got the whole parade rolling. There was no "Street-Beatin'," "Sacred-Tubing" or "Bouq-Bricking."

A Chicago radio lifer named Dave Baum caught an elbow deeper in the inaugural column. His misdemeanor was being remarkably bland as studio host of Bulls gamecasts on WIND 560-AM.

And that was it. All of a sudden, one clear Thursday morning in November, there it was.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME wonderful moments. There have been some sub-wonderful moments. There have been many rope-a-dope moments.

Phil Georgeff - the great race caller and an inspirational pal - once said: "Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. You're far too honest and you're far too willing to walk away from incompetence."

This much is certain:

Without people like Bob Frisk, Doug Ray and Dan Baumann - and later Mike Smith, Jim Baumann, John Lampinen and Kathleen Danes - none of this happens.

And without engaged, intelligent, critical readers - including ones who are willing to call the columnist a rum-dum, however incorrectly - it just ain't no fun.

So, Tim Weigel's window may now only squeak.

But the beat goes on.

• Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears Sunday. and Thursday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.