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Cub Roe Skidmore Reflects On Illinois Roots

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All Cubs fans of the early 1970s knew
these voices: Vince Lloyd (left) and
Lou Boudreau. The pair let listeners know
an Illinois native was in uniform!
(photo courtesy WGN Radio)

Roe Skidmore got special pleasure out of his roots.

For starters, he was no average Cubs prospect. He was an ILLINOIS NATIVE playing for an Illinois team.

This fact wasn’t lost on the media.

Skidmore noted:
“Jerome Holtzman and Rick Talley were newspaper writers at that time, and they did several articles on me being from Illinois. Jack Brickhouse, Lou Boudreau and Vince Lloyd also had me on the radio pre-game show several times.”

Despite his brief time as a Cub, Skidmore later felt the pride of being connected to a winning team. How?

“I currently scout for the Baltimore Orioles, but scouted for the Phillies for several years before coming to the Orioles. When with the Phillies, I was instrumental in signing Ryan Howard (from St. Louis area) and Jason Werth (Springfield, IL area).”

Skidmore played more than 1,200 games in the minors. He earned his seniority — and Topps card. Thanks, Roe!

Chicago Cubs Voice Judd Sirott Talks Autographs, Fan Mail & Ron Santo

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Know that voice?
Here’s the face!

I confess. I listen to Chicago Cubs radio broadcasts!

Praising a first-place team would seem easy. Finding words for a struggling ballclub? Good luck, Pat and Keith…

One of the guys I feel most for is Judd Sirott. He does only the 5th inning of games. A starter gets several at-bats to shine. Judd is like a pinch-hitter. One chance. How could he not feel cursed to get two “three up, three down” frames when it’s his turn?
He made the most of his chance to contribute some great memories to the book Ron Santo, A Perfect 10.

I reached Judd to ask one pressing question:
What’s fan mail like for the Cubs team? How do they cope?
He replied:

“I haven’t really talked to guys in the past about how they handle fan mail. Ronny would sit in the booth, reading and signing before games.”

Thanks to www.bobblebums.com for
the scoop on this Judd gem, from a
minor league HOCKEY giveaway!

As Judd’s Cub gig could be the springboard to a higher-profile baseball job, I asked him if he’s been depicted on any regional sets. I couldn’t imagine him on an ordinary index card.

“I’m not on any card sets that I’m aware of.”

Looking on the Internet, the same studio mugshot seems to be the main view we get of Judd.

I know some collectors use team logo stickers to dress up index cards. His autograph in a sea of whiteness? Nah…

I wanted to see if his face existed somewhere.
Ideas? Suggestions?

Coming Friday: A pinstriped bonus, Yankees fans! Hart Seely provides some color commentary for the making of Juju Rules!