Life 2.0

Saturday Rewind-Jerry Kramer

He's one of a handful of men who played in Super Bowls I & II, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, and is the author of five best-selling books, including Run to Win, written with Bob Fox in 2023. Jerry Kramer turned 90 yesterday (and shares a birthday with my son, Andy). This Saturday Rewind was an easy choice, with another look back at the glory days of pro football, when it was more of a game than a business, with the best guard who ever strapped it up and stepped on the gridiron...and then shared his story with the world.

The Wednesday Rant-Tribal Warfare

I had to wait a few days to mourn the Bears' loss to the Rams and gather my thoughts (not really), but once again, I am reminded that football (really all sports) is tribal warfare and is based on the woulda, coulda, shoulda game plan. That means that if we woulda changed a play, or coulda caused a turnover, or shoulda kicked a field goal, somehow we'd reach the promised land. I've got about 20 years in the game as both a player and coach, and I am here to tell ya that you can play your heart out and still lose, and conversely, play like shit and win. To me, it's just a game, but for way too many humans, it's an obsession that borders on insanity, like the 4-year-old kid who's getting death threats because people are losing money on her NFL picks. Wow. Get a grip, and get a life. 

Saturday Rewind-Remembering Pete

During his lifetime, Pete Huttlinger became widely known as one of the most awe-inspiring acoustic guitar players in the world. His unique arrangements and spell-binding musicality and precision entertained audiences from Nashville to Los Angeles to Milan. He toured with such major acts as LeAnn Rimes and John Oates of Hall & Oates and became John Denver's lead guitar player in 1994. 

Born with a rare heart defect, Pete underwent a series of operations, beginning as a teenager, that ultimately failed to normalize the heart’s functions. In 2010, he suffered a stroke that his doctors initially thought would permanently immobilize him. But with characteristic determination, he returned to playing guitar within three weeks. His first performance was for his incredulous doctors.

Soon after, he suffered a heart failure so catastrophic that it kept him at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston for four months in 2011. Again, he worked his way back, first to proficiency and then to mastery of his instrument. He and his wife and manager, Erin Morris, chronicled his ordeal and recovery in their 2015 memoir, Joined at the Heart: A Story of Love, Guitars, Resilience and Marigolds.

Pete Huttlinger passed away ten years ago, on January 15th, 2026, at the age of 54.

My conversation with Pete and Erin, just about a month before he passed, in December of 2015, once again proves that your cause of death isn't nearly as important as your cause in life and Pete's mantra of "Don't just live, live well"...lives on.

Reality Check

I had thought about taking the easy route today, as Da Bears are hosting the Packers tonight in the first playoff round and chatting up that decades-old rivalry. But then, the events of the past week wouldn't leave me alone, and I literally sat for an hour before turning on the mic this morning, arguing with myself if I had anything at all worth sharing as it pertained to making sense of the senseless. Three things came to mind, and for better or for worse, I've once again attempted to find the obvious in the absurd. Music speaks where words fail, and I kept hearing the lyrics of Stone Haven Sunrise in my mind.."For the needs of the many, are the sins of a few, and the day is forthcoming when accounting is due."

Music used by permissIon of the John Denver Estate.

 

 

Rules of the Road

Here we are once again, at the beginning of a brand new calendar year. I've got a few thoughts on where we've been, why we are here, and where we are going in the next 365 sunrises. In addition, a good friend of mine sent me a sorta "Rules of the Road" message to start the new year, mostly as it pertains to those of us who are past the half-century mark, and I found it worth sharing. And just like I ended 2025 with a tribute to my old pal Mr. Denver, I found it fitting to kick off this year with his voice as well, to wrap this 1st episode of the Life 2.0 podcast of 2026.

All music used by permission of the John Denver estate.

Remembering John

As we celebrate New Year's Eve, I am reminded that today would have been John Denver's 82nd birthday. I've produced and hosted numerous tribute shows in his memory over the years, and every time I think it's no longer important to do so, I remember John's own words,  "Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the songs..." In a world of turmoil, his music and message continue to ring clear and cut through the chaos.

Memories and more from John Berry, Richard Hyman, Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, Ashlee Nichols, Hal Thau, Ronald Deustchendorf, Michael Martin Murphy & Annie Denver. 

BULLY!

I've been a bona fide "Ted Head" since the age of 10 or so, when I read a story about TR as a boy, growing up in New York, and securing the skull of a dead harbor seal as the most impressive artifact for the Roosevelt Natural History Museum (which consisted of a drawerful of animal bones in his bedroom). A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine gifted me a copy of "In The Arena" by David S. Brown, which was just published in early December, and I devoured the book in less than a week. So, I reached out and had a great conversation with David about our 26th president, his high and low points, and if the comparisons between Teddy & Trump hold water.

The bottom line? History matters.

The Sack Man-SMR

This Saturday Morning Rewind is from Christmas 2022.

It all started back in 1980 when I volunteered to be the Santa at the NAS Glenview Air Base during my first year of enlistment. Then, the CO of CGAS Chicago asked me to do it for the Coast Guard Christmas party. Then, a few of the guys on the crew asked me to do it for their kids. The word spread, and eventually, I donned the red suit and beard, along with a sack of toys, to visit hospitals, homes, and participate in "Breakfast with Santa" for nearly 20 years.

I recounted those Santa moments in my 2nd book, "Every Moment Matters," and how much like Superman putting on his cape, every Christmas Eve when I put on the Kringle gear, I felt a bit supercharged, and watching the faces of young and old alike break into a smile when I was near was like winning the lottery. 

Music used by permission of the John Denver estate. 

Saturday Morning Rewind-John Berry

This past week, I caught up with country music icon John Berry, who is on his 29th annual Christmas tour. While we were having a great breakfast that included JB, his wife Robin, manager Brian Smith, and a couple of the band guys, I couldn't help but think that there are few, if any, recording artists who have overcome as much as he has. At the age of 21, while riding his motorcycle, Berry was hit by a car, breaking both legs and his left hip. He had just lost his mother earlier that year. Doctors were afraid that he might not walk again, and add to that, a brain tumor in 1994 when his first #1 hit "Your Love Amazes Me" topped the charts, to beating throat cancer. This episode of the SMR is my conversation with JB on his tour bus in 2018, just before he was diagnosed. As always, it's a deep dive into the songs and stories of one of the great voices in music and a man whose faith moves him forward matter what.

Tuxedo Man!

This past May, Chicago Cubs legend Randy Hundley and I went to hit a few balls at Top Golf, and a chance encounter with Patti Guzak has become one of the greatest "You're not gonna believe what happened next" moments you'll ever hear. As it turned out, Patti had a book concept on her computer for 16 years, and I am happy and proud to announce that "The Not-So-Exciting Adventures of Tuxedo Man" is now in print, making it the perfect gift for a young reader in your life. But, ya gotta hear the back story on this one!