CASEY NOW ROCKING FOR KARRMA! By Uncle Omie/Jerry Pritikin

There was a time when I thought my nephew's son would make a living from baseball. At 4 he could hit him self a pop up with a whiffelball, drop the bat and catch the ball.  He was born on a Cubs Opener and with a name like "Casey", and a father for a baseball guru, it look like he was on the way... when he was 5, in his grandparents backyard, broke a 2nd story window hitting a whiffle-ball and everyone cheered him as if he hit a homer. I returned from the baseball winter meetings and had a few new items,one being a magazine about baseball. I was sitting in living room chair reading it. He was looking over my shoulder when I challenge him to a guess"Who is it?" Quiz.  I turned to the old timers section and pointed a finger at a jovial rotund figure with his foot on the running board of an old Ford, and in black and white. And he said The Babe!

Then there was a sketch of a current  player and again Casey did not hesitate before stating Nolan Ryan.  It went that way until we got to the back inside page and he was stumped... But you know what I was so proud of him, because it was color ad for Kellogs, and it was their Cartoon of TONY the Tiger!

He has played ball at many levels at High School, College and various leagues and many Throphys to show for it, however he made a career change... for Music. Casey Manheim is part of a band called KARRMA and they have played well many well known music halls...

If he plays music half a good as he played baseball... he just might be in the right spot at the right time. I do know one thing... I have absolutely no musical talent, even with a tissue and a comb or Kazoo. My mother in a fun way would tell me when I was singing the latest from "Bandstand"... She would say " You have a Voice.... for peddeling fish!   She was right!

    This is Casey's KARRMA Band-mates and that's Casey under the "MA" www.facebook.com/karrmaband

                                          UnKnown Tony, Casey's Little league Card.

"EARS" Manheim With future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson at Fenway Park

On the evening I was entertaining at a Kane County Cougar Game. Casey came to cheer me on!

Bleacher Preacher's salute to Harry Caray (c) Jerry Pritikin

  

Just a typical summer's day and that "Voice" saying "Let Me Hear ya! A ONE, A TWO,

Photo By Lee Balterman, and my message of the day.

                                         With Harry Caray on his 10th Inning Show-1985

                                         Dutchie and Harry in the Bleachers (c) Jerry Pritikin

 When Harry sang TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME he always had a chorus Fans along with him.

 This was just a few moments before the Cubs Bus was taking the team to O'Hara and on to San Diego-  and one game away from the World Series-1984

 When Harry sat in the Center Field Bleachers he had request for autographs and Blessings!

Harry @ the Bat for a cause.

I was pitching a new gay sports magazine,and wrote about my times in the Gay Softball League,I'm wearing a Bubbies Kosher Pickles T-shirt A Legend in its own brine! On top of my solar powered Pith 

Helmet,a solid gold propeller!

Lee Balterman always enjoyed shooting the Preacher,he was the photographer of credit for a Day's Inn Ad in the Cubs 1989-90 Yearbooks.



Chicago: February 28,2013.  Tonight at Navy Pier the Bar with Harry Caray's name is saluting Harry's 99th Birthday.  I thought about going and I decided I rather stay home and pay homage myself.  It's hard for me to forget 25 years of roaming the Friendly Confines of Chicago's Wrigley Field. There has been many changes since Harry was traded to the St. Peter's All-Stars. I was one lucky baseball fan.

Once in a while, I got paid... but mostly not. The cost of a cheap seat has dramatically changed the complextion of the everyday fan... there are none! I really do not miss it... The ballpark no longer looks like the one my dad introduced me to back in 1945. For many years I equated my youth with them becaused they hardly changed in the first 40 years. But once the Cubs became owned by the Tribune Company,all that changed.  And now the new owners has left little of ballpark I was weaned on.  I have lost interest.  For years I was convinced my father's promise made to me in 1945 when I was 8 years old, was going to eventually happen.  I asked him to take me to the 1945 Cubs World Series, he felt I was too young and made me a PROMISE... he would take me the next time!  Over the years, I and the Cubs came close to it... but be that as it was... it never happened.  I believe that I have a Moses complex. I maybe able to see The Promised Land one day... but I'll never
get it to the PROMISED LAND.  However, Harry made it fun to be a Cubs Fan along the way!

I surrender (c) Jerry Pritikin

Meteors ,asteroids,global warming and a new token for the game of Monopoly. I surrender... Bull Shit is winning,it's all noise and hard to escape. Nothing on the horizon worth noticing or noted. Not even a good comedian with a timecapsul observation. I haven't felt this way since 1959! All images (c) Jerry Pritikin

This was the headline of the S.F.Examiner  The story revealed a 2 inch hole was discovered in the 799 mile Alaskan Oil Pipe line. (c) J. Pritikin

Just a street level Billboard. I had witnessed the night before a father and son putting on the addition.(c) J .Pritikin

Over looking the Polk Street Pride Parade 1976 and it's One-of-a-Kind Shops. (c) J. Pritikin

Tim Sullivan on skates in Golden Gate Park-very 1978 (c) J Pritikin

Another happening in the 1970s (c) J.Pritikin

The last Box-Score of Stan the Man Musial...(c) ByJerry Pritikin

Although I am best known as a Cubs Fan... I always respected the great players from the Visiting teams. I have seen quite a few as rookies and also many veterans who wound up at Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame. Probably my favorite all time National Leaguer was Stan Musial. Tonight came the word that he had passes away. He had an unusual batting stance and once in an interview I described him as looking like a Rodan Statue when he was in the batters box. A cork screw like swing, and seldom striking out. I never heard a Cubs fan boo him, in fact he always received a great hand when ever he came to the batter's box. Most of the times I only got to see him in the Cardinal's gray traveling uniform whenever he played in Wrigley Field, and that was quite often. My dad would always give my Brother Allen and me enough money to the first game of a series... then after that game we would help clean the grandstands and earn a free ticket to the next game. We considered ourselves lucky when the Cubs and Cardinals played in a double header. Since the Cubs did not play night games, Allen and I would listen to the Cardinal games on the radio... it was always filled with static. Their announcers were Harry Caray and Gabby Street and the Call letters were KMOX. The beer sponsor was a local brewery with an unusual name... and it was not Busch! When we were able to see the Cubs Cardinals games on TV, it was in black & white because color TV was years away. I have to admit I always thought the Cardinal's home uniform was the best in the National League. Once in a while I got to see them wearing their home White uniform with the Red Birds on a bat when Sport Magazine had Musial, or some other Card great on the Cover.

There are a few facts I recall about Musial, like he had the same amount of hits on the road as he did at Sportsmans Park and later Bush Stadium. (1,815) and the unusual trivia question that asked "What did Cardinal ballplayer Pete Whisenant do that no other Cardinal player did? He actually pinched hit for Musial twice! I was lucky to see him interviewd by Jack Brickhouse often, and once in a while he played is harmomica,too.  I also recal the year that Cubs outfielder Frankie Baumholtz and Musial were battling out for the Batting Championship... and both teams were out of the pennant chase and on the final day of the season both players were starting pitchers, and pitched to each other. Musial won out,but the fans of both teams enjoyed the extra added attraction.

I remembered reading a great artical in Look Magazine in 1963 that said that Musial was retiring, and I took the time to write a letter to their editor and the printed it... see attachment. I was 27 when I wrote that letter. The following year I was mad when the Cardinals won the pennant because Stan Musial was not on the team. Yesterday I hit 76, and that's not homers... and Stan the Man from Denora Pa. is now playing in the Heavenly Confines for all times... Thanks Stan, you always were #1 with me and all baseball fans who appreciated Good Sportsmanship on and off the field.

Jerry Pritikin  aka The Bleacher Preacher