Saw this today in the Tribune:

Jon Yates

More than just the ticket for forgotten winner

Published May 7, 2006


James Suppes couldn't believe his morbid luck.

On one sports radio station, he heard that former NFL player and announcer Jack Snow was in critical condition. On another, WMVP-AM 1000, he heard commentators starting their yearly "Dead Pool" contest.

The rules were simple: Pick a sports figure, and if he or she is the first to die, you win.

Suppes called the show's hosts, Dan McNeil, John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz, and picked Snow.

Less than a week later, on Jan. 9, Snow died.

The next day, a producer from the radio station called Suppes and told him he had won. His prize? Four Chicago Bulls tickets.

Suppes said that months later, with the Bulls' season winding down, he still hadn't received his prize. Suppes said he called the radio station several times but got no response.

So the 46-year-old Mokena resident wrote What's Your Problem.

"To be honest, I knew there was going to be a problem from the word go," he said. "They didn't ask for my address, and I just knew I wasn't going to get the tickets. I just had a funny feeling."

Suppes isn't getting his Bulls tickets, but after the Problem Solver called the radio station on his behalf April 27, he is getting a prize.

Adam Delevitt, assistant program director at WMVP-AM 1000, said the producer who worked on the show left the station shortly after Suppes won the contest, causing some confusion.

Station records show Suppes won the Dead Pool, but paperwork on the prizes was lost when the producer left, Delevitt said.

Because the Bulls' regular season was already over, Delevitt called Suppes and offered him an alternative prize: four club-level seats for the June 10 White Sox game against the Cleveland Indians, and two free golf foursomes at Balmoral Woods Country Club in Crete.

"We're taking care of him," Delevitt said.

Suppes has no complaints.

"I'm pleased as punch," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, they stepped up to the plate."

Sorry, I meant to post this in the MJH forum.

Which producer left?