My neighbor Tom was the personal driver for the CEO of the Tribune company back in the early 80's. He came home from work the day of the Elia rant with a copy. Played it for my dad and grandpa out in the garage that night. 5 year old me heard it too....thanks Les.

I went to high school, and was pretty good friends with his son Scott. I remember the day we graduated, Les came over to congratulate us and was talking to us a bit about future plans, etc after the ceremony. He asked me if I had a major picked out, and I said I wanted to go into sportswriting. He laughed, and told me it's a cutthroat business, so I needed to have balls of steel to make it...and he said that if I did, remember, the United Center has the best press box buffet. Comiskey Park was a close second. I didn't become a sportswriter.

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Grote loved Les.

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Les connected with Chicago in a way that Bernstein never has and never will.

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taking shots at him for saying something nice.

Damn people are something

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Saying he was a kind man is quite a tribute

I met Les once at a Sox game. I had just taken a picture with Nancy Faust during a break and Les walks in....."Hiya Nancy!" Les was wearing a an old school tape recorder around his neck and I could tell who he was instantly.

We chatted a few minutes and he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. Of course....he's quirky, but I really enjoyed meeting and talking to him.

A Chicago legend....many hazed him pretty hard, but it was all in good fun and Les always rolled with it.

RIP Grobber

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Les was legendary for filling his pockets with free press box food, even way back in the Dahl show days. I used to be able to get into the press box at Soldier Field. All of those guys who made fun of him were at the trough as well. Les never called them on it.

It would be surprising to flip on the radio on a holiday of some sort and find Les there, standing his post. Christmas Eve, NYE, etc. If it was a week night, Les was on the air.

It's getting difficult to find decent local late night radio.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but what Bernstein wrote is what you would say if you didn't care for the guy but felt you had to say something nice.

I agree with Rosenbloom that it never occurred to me that Les would die. He was just the one constant we could count on to be there at night, whether working the graveyard shift, driving home after a game, or waking up at 2 am to go to the bathroom.

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I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's just not one to pour his feelings out in situations like this.

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Les was one of a kind.

And he was fun crazy too.

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It’s the kind of thing a politician would say about the person they just beat in an election.

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Describing a legendary figure like Les as a "dedicated broadcaster" is intended to be an insult.

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It does sound shitty, but I'll give Bernstein the benefit of the doubt that he is still in shock.

Maybe he'll sound better when he talks on the air about Les. Probably tomorrow.

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I am pretty sure Bernsie has spoken highly of Les on air many times.

I take it as him trying to be like Les in his statement. That is something like Les would say

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Bernstein's comment is the equivalent of a condolence card being passed around an office and he just has to add his signature to it.

Whenever Les made one of his many replayable gaffes, Bernstein would be the first person to jump on it and run it into the ground. It's clear he never respected him.

Bernstein just knows that whenever he passes, he'll never get the glowing tributes Les is receiving. Les was beloved. Bernstein never will be. It comes down to personality.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Don't give a damn about Bernstein and haven't listened to Les in awhile, but I will miss him.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Guy from a rival station has more to say about him than Bernstein

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Like all of you, I certainly don't care much for this kind of news to start the week ... how terribly unfortunate for his family. At least the man died as he lived ... overnight.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

EagloTiny

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Yeah, it has that perfunctory feel to it, doesn't it?

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pacoflacotaco is probably one of badrogue's twitter mults

wow, wow...sad and shocking. the grobber complained for years about migraines - hence, he didn't smoke or consume caffeine. thought he'd live forever. still had a strong voice. i didn't hear him on late last week, thought he was on vacation. i now read that he wasn't on vacation, but was off, sick.

rip les and condolences to his family.

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I was pretty sure Tomasulo said late Sunday night ... well, screw Pat, and the horse that rode in on him.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

And that's who Dan is. It's hard to expect anything else, and I'm not sure it's fair to him to do so.

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It's like calling a pitcher an "innings eater."

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

Bernsie is going to be on with Grote, so you can hear what he thinks

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Grote is the perfect host to host today. He loved him. The guests have been awesome.

Yep. I expected Les to still be doing his thing for at least another decade.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.