MSL to MLB: Miles Hits it Big With New Book on Cubs History
Savino Ends Successful Tenure with Glenbrook North Baseball; MSL Alums Make Big Impact on New Trier Program
When Bruce Miles took over the Cubs beat with the Daily Herald for the 1998 season he didn’t need to “book learn,” as he put it, the rich history of one of baseball’s oldest and most storied franchises.
Miles grew up passionately following the Cubs and White Sox, attending games on both sides of town and covering them as the Herald’s weekend baseball writer. So the 1975 Schaumburg High School graduate was well-prepared for the assignment of covering the Cubs.
Miles witnessed many memorable moments in his 22 years on the Cubs beat before he retired after the 2019 season. All of his experiences helped him share his knowledge in a new book released on June 6, “The Franchise: Chicago Cubs (A Curated History of the North Siders),” which he co-authored with Jesse Rogers, who covers the team for ESPN.
“I wanted to do a memoir of the things I covered,” Miles said, “only with the benefit of time and distance and with how perceptions may have changed from then to now.”
Miles did nine of the 13 chapters of the book that has a foreword from Cubs manager and 2016 World Series hero David Ross. Rogers approached Miles in March 2022 about helping with the book and it is $28 at Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores and on Amazon.
This is Miles’ third book as he also worked with Cubs radio play-by-play man Pat Hughes on “Harry Caray: Voice of the Fans” in 2007 and with Jack Shniderman on the baseball novel “The Phenom: Sometimes the Game is More Than a Game” in 2020. The current project allowed Miles to dig deeper into some stories he witnessed as a fan and beat writer and also clear up a few myths.
But the first chapter, “Gabby Hartnett and His Homer in the Gloamin’” is a moment in baseball history where there probably aren’t many still around of the 34,465 in attendance at Wrigley Field on Sept. 28, 1938. The game against the Pirates was about to be called because of darkness when Hartnett, the popular Hall of Fame catcher, homered with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Cubs a 6-5 victory that put them into first place to stay en route to the National League pennant.
“I always felt bad because that homer is one of the biggest homers in history and it’s forgotten in time,” Miles said. “There is no film of it and only a couple of still shots. I wanted to explain that and give it its due. I think it’s one of the top 10 to 15 homers in all of baseball history but it’s forgotten and that always bothered me.”
The chapter also got a big assist from long-time Cubs’ front office employee Jim Oboikowitch, who was a 1998 Daily Herald All-Area basketball player at Libertyville and a starter on the 2002 Carthage College team that finished third in the NCAA Division III national tournament. Oboikowitch connected Miles with Hartnett’s granddaughter Joanne Biebrach.
“Big Jim is a valuable asset and a good friend,” Miles said of the 6-foot-7 Oboikowitch. “She really helped make a good chapter into a really nice chapter.”
Miles also lived the good and bad of the Sammy Sosa phenomenon. His first year on the beat in 1998 included Sosa’s memorable home run chase with Mark McGwire, the deaths of legendary broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse, Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game and the one-game playoff at Wrigley that led to a Wild Card berth.
As Miles researched the chapter on Sosa, he discovered some aspects on how he got to Chicago in 1989 via a polarizing trade where GM Larry Himes sent White Sox legend and Hall of Famer Harold Baines to Texas. Longtime Herald baseball beat writer Mark Ruda, who was covering the Sox at the time, added valuable insight since Himes was the Cubs GM when he brought Sosa to the North Side for George Bell days before the start of the 1992 season.
“To me you can’t talk about Sammy Sosa with the Cubs without talking about Sammy Sosa with the White Sox,” Miles said. “I didn’t know about this (part) until talking with Mark Ruda. The (1989 trade) caused irreparable damage between (popular Sox manager) Jeff Torborg and Himes.
“Himes wasn’t popular with the players to begin with for a lot of his petty rules and it was so fascinating how these (White Sox) scouts put their jobs on the line. Himes goes to the Cubs and all the while keeps a watchful eye on Sammy Sosa.”
Miles also delved into two of the most famous and star-crossed seasons in Cubs history. He examines the popularity of the 1969 team that seemed to have a commanding lead in the NL East only to fade down the stretch and get passed by the red-hot Miracle Mets. It also gave him a chance to clear up the urban legend that continues to this day that the 1984 NL East champions lost home-field advantage in the playoffs because Wrigley Field didn’t have lights.
And if you are into baseball minutiae and enjoy chuckling at obscure players as I do you’ll enjoy his chapter, “The Eternal Search for a Third Baseman.” Miles intersperses a number of legendary names that includes Steve Ontiveros, Mike Sember, Ty Waller, Carmen Fanzone, Mick Kelleher, Wayne Tyrone, David Kelton and Gary Scott, who had shots to man the hot corner for the Cubs.
All of it comes through the lens of someone who vividly lived through many of these moments while growing up as a big baseball fan in a split family where his dad Silas was a Sox fan and his mom Bette was a Cubs fan.
“You can imagine that kind of household,” Miles said with a laugh.
Miles was in attendance in Sept. 10, 1967 at White Sox Park for a Sunday doubleheader when Joe Horlen no-hit the Detroit Tigers in the midst of the “Great Race” for the AL pennant where the champion Red Sox, Tigers, Twins and White Sox all went into the final days of the season with a chance to win. He was at Wrigley for a number of games in 1969 and would go on to help chronicle both teams’ breakthrough World Series championships in 2005 and 2016.
As he was growing up he dreamed of following in the footsteps of Brickhouse after watching him broadcast Cubs and Sox games on good old Channel 9. But he knew he would do something related to sports and journalism, and a class with legendary Schaumburg teacher Karl Barons, who passed away last November, was a big boost to his career path.
“He was the first person to say I could do this and he was always encouraging me,” Miles said of stories he wrote for Barons’ class or the school paper.
An internship with the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin hooked Miles on newspapers and he started covering prep sports for the Herald in 1981. He started full-time on the sports copy desk in 1988 and also covered Chicago Wolves hockey and the Bears before moving to the Cubs beat in 1998.
“I figured if I could survive that I would last a few years,” Miles said of that wild season.
Now he’s making the rounds of book signings and interviews with local media along with Rogers. And there was never a “be careful what you wish for” element for the hometown kid who got the chance to cover one of the hometown big-league teams.
“I enjoyed the beat,” Miles said. “How can you ask for a better office in Wrigley Field and traveling all around the country? It was an enjoyable experience. I checked all my fandom at the door but I never got jaded. I always wrote for the reader and I wasn’t writing to impress other writers or for my editors.”
And whether you are a Cubs or Sox fan, if you enjoy reading about baseball you’ll be impressed with Bruce Miles’ latest literary labor of lifetime love.
Savino’s Successful Run at Glenbrook North Ends
When Dominic Savino got the Glenbrook North baseball head coaching job in the summer of 2010 it was also less than two months after the birth of his son Michael.
Savino, a 1994 Daily Herald All-Area pick at Elk Grove who also played at Harper College, led the Spartans to tremendous success. But the growth of his family, with Michael now 13, Anna (10) and Nicholas (7), led to his decision to inform the school before this season it would be his last as head coach. Savino will be succeeded by assistant coach and 2005 GBN grad Justin Weiner.
“I can always go back to being a head coach at some point, but I’ll never have a second chance to see my kids grow up,” Savino said. “I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach in a community that supports baseball the way Northbrook does. We had great players and supportive parents throughout my tenure at GBN.”
Savino won 68 percent of his games with a 287-134 record in 12 seasons (with 2020 wiped out by COVID). This year’s team went 27-9 and won a third consecutive Class 4A regional title. His other regional title came in his first season in 2011 when the Spartans went 33-4 and lost in the supersectional to Prospect and Jack Landwehr 8-2.
Savino’s teams won 20 games nine times and never had a losing season. Before taking over at Glenbrook North, Savino was an assistant for four years at Notre Dame and for seven years at Niles North.
After Savino’s last regular-season game, Nazareth coach Lee Milano presented Savino with a handcrafted wood home plate commemorating his coaching tenure.
“Best wishes to the best coach in the state,” tweeted Milano, whose team won its second consecutive Class 3A state title Saturday. “You are a man of integrity and honor. You’re always doing things the right way. You are a great coach but a better man.”
Savino said he wants to stay involved in coaching baseball in some capacity but he’s not sure how that will look in the near future.
MSL Has Big Impact on New Trier Baseball Staff
Cubs pitching legend Kerry Wood has understandably received quite a bit of attention for his first year as a member of the New Trier baseball coaching staff.
MSL products Pete Drevline (Buffalo Grove 1984) and Scott Klipowicz (Rolling Meadows 1992) have been a big part of the Trevians’ success for more than two decades as varsity assistants to Mike Napoleon. The Trevians finished third Saturday in Class 4A with a win over York and earlier this spring Napoleon became the winningest baseball coach in state history with a total now at 967.
“Drev” is the Trevians’ hitting, outfield and strength and conditioning coach and was an assistant at Hersey from 1993-2002. “Klip” is the pitching coach and was New Trier’s head sophomore coach for three years before his promotion to the varsity.
Brian Loring (Fremd 1994) just finished his 24th season coaching New Trier’s freshmen. Jason Dane, who just finished his 22nd year as a freshman coach, was an assistant at Buffalo Grove from 1999-2001.
Local Connection to Incredible Colorado Baseball Season
Tony Gilio was a solid two-way player as an all-MSL pick as a Hoffman Estates senior in 1991, for Rolling Meadows’ American Legion team and at Harper College and Eastern Illinois. Gilio also pitched 11 games for the Independent Schaumburg Flyers in 2000.
But Gilio would likely have a tough time getting his son Ashtin out. He would have hardly been alone in the challenge for all high school pitchers in Colorado when they faced the switch-hitting infielder-outfielder.
Ashtin Gilio, who will play for Georgetown next spring, hit an incredible .784 for the Dawson School outside of Boulder. That ranks as the 14th highest single-season average according to the MaxPreps High School Baseball Record Book (which doesn’t currently include info from every state). At No. 17 is ex-Cub and current Tigers’ shortstop Javy Baez, who hit .771 for Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2011. Right behind him is current Cleveland manager and ex-big leaguer Terry Francona at .769 for New Brighton (Pa.) In 1976.
Gilio had an on-base percentage of .889 and didn’t strike out in 72 plate appearances. He finished his high school career with a .664 average and was the two-time conference player of the year.
Gilio’s sister Alexis just finished her sophomore season playing softball at Brigham Young and hit .284 in 45 games. She went 2-for-3 as BYU lost 9-7 to Iowa in the championship game of the National Invitational Softball Championship, which bills itself as the NIT of softball. Tony Gilio’s wife Michelle played at Michigan State and Loyola.
Barrington’s Meyer Will Play in Peoria
Former Barrington softball star Tori Meyer announced this week she will transfer from DePaul to Bradley for her fifth and final year of eligibility as a graduate student. Meyer, an outfielder/designated player, hit .257 and was second on the team in RBI with 26 last season. She also committed only 1 error for a .991 fielding percentage and only had 2 errors in four seasons for a .990 fielding percentage.
Meyer, catcher Macey Moore (Toledo) and pitcher Sydney Kennedy (Des Moines Area Community College) will join a Bradley program that was 15-40 in its first year under coach Sarah Willis.
"Tori Meyer is bringing a wealth of experience to our program," Willis said on the Bradley website. “She has been a staple in the outfield for DePaul and her transition to Bradley will provide leadership and maturity that we are looking for. She is a tough competitor that brings great intensity. Tori is a ballplayer that can handle the big moments and we are excited for her to spread the fire she will bring to our returners."
Meyer was a second-team all-Big East selection in 2022 when she had a slash line of .339/.388/.539 with 12 doubles, 5 homers and 34 RBI.
Weber Switches Glenbrooks
Dave Weber led Glenbrook North and Jon Scheyer to the pinnacle of Illinois high school basketball with a Class AA state title in 2005. Now Weber, who retired as a head coach after the 2019-20 season, will be returning to the sidelines to help the Spartans’ District 225 rival Glenbrook South.
Glenbrook South’s boys basketball Twitter account made the announcement May 30 that Weber was joining the coaching staff led by Phil Ralston.
“Our young men and our staff are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from him,” the tweet said.
Weber was a head coach or assistant at Glenbrook North for 26 years after spending 11 years as an assistant at Eastern Illinois University. The 2018 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee led the Spartans to third in the state in Scheyer’s freshman year in 2003 and they went back to the Elite Eight in Peoria in 2006. The team led by Weber’s son Austin reached the Class 4A supersectional in 2009 and his teams won 14 Central Suburban League division titles.
Glenbrook South had some of its best teams before Ralston took over at the same time Scheyer and Weber were at Glenbrook North. The Titans had eight consecutive non-winning seasons before Ralston took over and they were 9-19 in his first season, but have gone 127-28 in the last five years with four regional titles.
Jachec Battles for Indiana State in NCAA Super Regional
Matt Jachec, a redshirt junior right-handed pitcher from Hampshire, faced a daunting task Friday as Indiana State made its first NCAA baseball super regional appearance at Texas Christian University (TCU). Jachec started the first game of the best-of-3 series against an offense that had scored 44 runs in 3 regional games.
Jachec (7-4) gave his team a chance by going 8-plus solid innings as TCU won 4-1. Jachec allowed 4 runs and 7 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts and kept the ISU deficit at 3-0 from the third inning until the ninth. Indiana State was eliminated in the best-of-3 series with a 6-4 loss Saturday.
Jachec was 9-2 with a 2.88 ERA for Indiana State in 2022.
Bullock Helps Rollins to Second in D-II
Kyle Bullock, a two-time all-MSL player at Wheeling, helped Rollins College finish second in the NCAA Division II national baseball tournament as it lost 6-5 in the title game to top-ranked Angelo State University. Bullock made two appearances in the national tournament with a pinch-hit single in a win over Millersville (Pa.) and he was hit by a pitch and scored a run in a loss to Cal State San Bernardino.
Bullock, who started his college career at McHenry County College, hit .302 with 2 homers and 12 RBI in 53 at-bats this season as Rollins finished 42-19.
Noda-ble Progress for A’s Rookie
While it has been a rough year for the Oakland A’s on and off the field, Grant product and first baseman Ryan Noda contnues to take advantage of his first big-league opportunity. The first base job is now Noda’s as the A’s designated power-hitting Jesus Aguilar for assignment on May 29.
In a three-game series in Pittsburgh this week, Noda went 6-for-11 with his seventh homer, 2 doubles, 4 RBI and 5 walks. That put him at .313 with 4 HR and 13 RBI in a 20-game stretch.
“We’re getting there,” Noda told MLB.com of how he’s feeling at the plate over the hot stretch. “We’re getting close. I’m just trying to battle and get the next guy up. Trying to start a train. … I’m starting to get pretty comfortable.”
Noda was leading the American League in on-base percentage among qualified hitters at .415 through 59 games. He was in the top 10 overall in the majors at .401 through Saturday’s games. The only A’s players to lead the AL in on-base percentage since the team moved to Oakland in 1968 are Rickey Henderson (1990), Mark McGwire (1996) and Jason Giambi (2000-01).
“It’s tough when you’re a Rule 5 kid to feel comfortable,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com. “Being in the big leagues for the first time and knowing a team took a chance on you creates expectation. For how he’s handled that and now to see the confidence, it’s a good sign.”
Ghim Climbing the Leaderboards
Doug Ghim, who finished third in Class 3A in the boys state golf tournament for Buffalo Grove in 2010, has been on a nice roll the last month on the PGA Tour. Ghim was tied for 13th in this weekend’s Royal Canadian Open after Saturday’s third round at 8-under par and 6 shots behind leader C.T. Pan.
Ghim had a rough start to his third round Saturday with 3 bogeys in the first 6 holes but recovered with 6 birdies in the last 11 holes for a 3-under 69. He also had 5 birdies in a 4-under 68 in the second round.
The 27-year-old Ghim tied for 19th at 16-under par in the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 11-14 and tied for 27th at 4-under par in the Wells Fargo Championship on May 4-7. His highest PGA Tour finishes are a tie for sixth at The PLAYERS Championship in March 2022 and tie for fifth at the The American Express in January 2021.