Chicago Clout owner purchases famous political baseball from Bleacher Sports in Winnetka

Chicago Clout McDonough .jpg
On March 12, 2009, Patrick McDonough of Chicago purchased a ball I was reading about on the Winnetka Talk. The Winnetka Talk is a great publication to keep me informed. I liked the ball because I admire Peter Fitzgerald, a former State Senator that brought Patrick Fitzgerald to Chicago. Chicago has not been the same since Patrick Fitzgerald began serving as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on September 1, 2001. In fact, Chicago with Mayor Daley wait with bated breath as Al Sanchez fate rests on a jury. The signatures on the ball also include Rod Blagojevich, Jesse White, and Mayor Richard Daley. When I read the article about the ball, I saw the name of Keith McDonough, the owner of Bleacher’s Sports Inc. Bleacher’s is located at 557 Chestnut Winnetka, Illinois 60093. I e-mailed him and we struck a deal. Keith also sold me a water color by Henry Hill a former American mobster, Lucchese crime family associate, and FBI informant. Henry Hill now makes watercolors of scenes from “Goodfellas”. I love the drawing and hope Henry could make drawings of Mayor Daley’s crime friends and mobbed up businesses in Chicago. We could start in the 11th ward but I’m afraid there is not enough watercolors to expose these goons. I hope if you are truly serious about your sports cards and sports memorabilia you give Bleacher’s Sports a call at 847-441-7767. I again wish to thank Keith McDonough for his kindness professionalism and the Michael Sneed Column bringing this historic ball to the attention of Chicago. Photo by Patrick McDonough. Read Sneed column below]]>http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/1482605,CST-NWS-SNEED18.article

10 Replies to “Chicago Clout owner purchases famous political baseball from Bleacher Sports in Winnetka”

  1. Friday, 27 February 2009
    They’re Hall of Famers–at least in the eyes of those amused by Illinois politics. A one-of-a-kind baseball tells the story of a sports crazy governor ousted from office.

    Some people collect politians’ autographs on baseballs. Others prefer celebrities. Still others try theentertainment figure theme.

    In Illinois this year, you’ve got all three in one.

    A sports memorabilia dealer in the Chicago area has acquired what is most likely a 1-1 autographed ball. It has no big leaguers on it–just some of the key players in the bizarre “Senate seat for sale” saga of disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich.

    The governor, impeached over FBI allegations that he sought favors and cash in exchange for an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat once held by Barack Obama, has signed the ball along with other key players in the ordeal. The mayor of Chicago has also autographed it.

    Keith McDonough, owner of Bleacher’s Sports in Winnetka, bought it with the idea of something good coming out of the whole mess.

  2. February 26, 2009

    By CHRISTOPHER PETERSON cpeterson@pioneerlocal.com
    What do Rod Blagojevich, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jesse White and Mayor Richard Daley have in common? Aside from the obvious, they all signed the same baseball in 2002, and a Winnetka collector has it.

    Keith McDonough, owner of Bleacher’s Sports in Winnetka, snatched it up just as America was getting its first taste of the alleged Blagojevich-senate-seat-selling scandal in December.

    “I’ve had people call and tell me all you need on there is Roland Burris,” he said.

    McDonough may have in his store the last remnants of teamwork between the impeached governor, the man who indicted him, the Illinois secretary of state who stood in his way, and the mayor who appears to be the only person in the country without an opinion on the matter.

    “This is something that’s never going to be duplicated,” McDonough said. “These guys will never sign something like this again.”

    He bought the baseball from a dealer in downstate Illinois in December.

    According to the legend behind the baseball, each man signed at different times, with Blagojevich as the last one on the ball.

    McDonough doesn’t plan to keep the ball forever. He’s asking for at least $1,000 from the lucky political junkie who decides to scoop it up.

    “Ideally, we’d like to get a charity that wants to use that as a fund-raiser and get the maximum value,” he said, although he’s open to selling it to an individual collector and then turning over some of the proceeds to charity.

    For now, though, McDonough keeps the ball safely in its case, right next to a ball signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

    “It’s in good company,” he said.

  3. March 20, 2009

    BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
    In their second day of their deliberations, jurors have asked the judge two questions about the mail fraud charges they’re weighing against former city of Chicago Streets and Sanitation Cmsr. Al Sanchez.

    In a note to U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, the jurors asked whether they needed to have a physical letter in evidence to convict on a mail fraud count. They also asked whether they can assume that a scheme involves mailing a letter.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Manish Shah said there was no physical evidence associated with the first two mail fraud charges but that witnesses testified about the mailings.

    But the jurors were told only to refer back to the jury instructions the judge gave them. Under those instructions, jurors had been told they could consider circumstantial, as well as direct ,evidence.

    The jury is deciding whether Sanchez took part in an illegal scheme to dole out coveted city jobs to political foot soliders in exchange for their campaign work with Mayor Daley’s Hispanic Democratic Organization.

    Sanchez, 61, was a coordinator with HDO. He faces seven counts of mail fraud.

    On trial with him is his former top aide, Aaron Del Valle, a onetime 25th ward aldermanic candidate and Chicago cop who is accused of lying to a grand jury about his role.

  4. City hiring to remain under court scrutiny
    By Laurie Cohen | Tribune reporter
    March 21, 2009
    After a highly critical report by an independent monitor, a federal judge said Friday that court oversight of the city’s scandal-plagued hiring system won’t end before the end of this year.

    U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen said he was “discouraged” by a report filed this month by monitor Noelle Brennan. He said he hoped City Hall eventually could keep hiring free from politics without court supervision, but added that might not happen before he retires in 2010.

    In her report, Brennan found that the willingness of Mayor Richard Daley’s administration to work toward compliance with federal court rules had “notably decreased” in the previous six to nine months and that the city seemed more concerned about defending itself against alleged violations than in correcting problems.

    Brennan also said city officials had failed to cooperate with their own newly created Office of Compliance, which is supposed to take on the monitor’s functions after court oversight ends. The report cited instances in which the Law Department had rejected the office’s findings or refused to let it get involved in hiring decisions.

    Andersen said some of Brennan’s duties would be shifted to the Office of Compliance to see whether the city was ready to monitor hiring on its own. Anthony Boswell, the office’s executive director, would report directly to the court and to the mayor, and Brennan would review his reports.

    By the end of the year, Andersen said, he would ask David Hoffman, the city’s inspector general, to give the court his opinion on the state of city hiring.

    After the hearing, Boswell wouldn’t comment on whether his efforts have been blocked by other city officials but said he was optimistic Andersen’s plan would work. “When you address cultural issues, there is always resistance to change,” Boswell said.

  5. City Hall’s inspector general has begun investigating how at least three city pension funds came to make investments with a firm co-owned by a nephew of Mayor Richard Daley, the Tribune has learned.

    The office of Inspector General David Hoffman has subpoenaed records from the pension funds dealing with their investments of tens of millions of dollars in DV Urban Realty Partners, a real estate investment firm formed by a top Daley ally, Allison Davis, and Daley nephew Robert Vanecko. […]

    The inspector general’s office also subpoenaed information that the pension funds’ trustees reviewed before investing with DV Urban Realty, suggesting investigators are trying to learn how the decisions were made and whether they were influenced by Vanecko’s relationship with the mayor, the source said.

  6. we have some very nice, and respectfull people in the 11th ward. some of us even take pride in our work. will that ever be mentioned on “clout”?
    (Response) Yes

  7. Fitzgerald can indict an innocent speck of dust if he “wanted to” . Get it!. “wanted to” . The crooked guilty Daley still stands un-indicted. Comprende! Don’t hold your breath! Why??? Why? There is a reason.

  8. Sanchez just found guilty a few minutes ago. All these little stupid idiots going to jail so that Daley could make a fortune. Daley used these jerks as fools! When Sorich gets out of the pokey in 3 years he better not get millions in contracts by setting up a business. These jerks need to go!!!!!! The parking meters are a fiasco and they are set to quadruple in price yet!!! WTF!!!!!!

  9. Stick that ball right up your ass you rat bastard.
    (Response) Ouch, it won’t fit!

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