Mondays with Mike: We get by with a lotta help from our remarkable friends

In Beth’s last post, you may have noticed a couple things:

• The photos were extremely sharp and well composed
• The list of kids’ questions was longer than usual

Hope you’ll check out Jamie’s piece about Bill Veeck, a legend.

That’s because our pal Jamie Ceaser has been driving Miss Beth and accompanying her to school visits more than usual because of Beth’s broken wrist. Beth would get to the school one way or another, but it’s better when Jamie is involved.

Jamie happens to be an award-winning film and TV producer. (Her enterprise is called Ceaser Salad Productions). So she has, you know, nice cameras and stuff. And she’s a journalist. She takes notes. Hence, more of the kids’ questions.

She will always hold a hall-of-fame place in my heart because she produced  “A Man for Any Season,” a documentary made for Chicago Public TV station WTTW about baseball owner and raconteur Bill Veeck and his wife Mary Frances. (Mary Frances narrates it.) It’s a gem, it includes footage from his and Mary Frances’ appearance with Edward R. Murrow. My mother idolized Veeck, who owned three baseball teams in his life (including the White Sox and the last Cleveland Indians outfit to win the World Series—he also helped plant Wrigley Field’s vines). I grew to idolize him, too. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate Veeck, and I hope you’ll give it a watch.

Awhile back, we went to a screening of her documentary about Art Paul. (That’s the trailer—the full version is available on Amazon.) Paul was the art director for Playboy Magazine back in the day. Whatever you think about Playboy, it was a beautiful magazine—and I’m not talking about the women.

Her subjects range far and wide, including Merle Haggard.

And she’s a great driver.