So what do I want to talk about today as it is the last day of the month of May 2007. I watched that so called Cubs game last night and was appalled that the game wound up as bad as it did. To loose to none other than Florida 9-0 is just not acceptable. The worst part is the yesterday and Tuesday's pitchers were former Cubs players that are doing better. Well actually Dontrelle Willis has been lights out for Florida for a while and Sergio Mitre actually looked like a true major league pitcher against his former team. Do not know what the hell happened to Ted Lilly yesterday other then the fact that he was killed by the Marlins. I just wonder what this team is ever going to accomplish in my life time. I have tasted the playoffs five times in my love of them and have been disappointed every time. Now this team is for sale and there is no word yet on who should own this team. I just hope that who ever takes over ownership cleans house and brings in true baseball people to put this team on a winning tract. Will this ever truthfully happen, I am not sure and unless something happens sooner rather than later I do not expect it to ever change.
Then there is my basketball team, the Chicago Bulls. I am still surprised that the team actually won a round in the playoffs and actually defeated the defending world champion Miami Heat. Then reality set in and they lost to the Detroit Pistons once again in the second round. John Paxson better start planning on continuing the transformation since his former back court partner retired from the NBA. John has done well in making the Bulls a playoff team however, it is still far too short for making them a world championship contender year in and year out. What will this off season bring to the Bulls? Who knows for sure however things start to change supposedly on June 27th with the next version of the NBA draft.
Then it is time to start thinking about Training Camp which should get underway approximately July 26th. Will the Bears be able to avoid the last six Super Bowl Runner Ups down slide and actually return to the Big Game on February 3rd in Glendale Arizona? What will become of Lance Briggs the malcontent who thinks his pay increase from less than half a million dollars to a guarantee of $7.2 million is insulting. Please let someone insult me that way. Remember Lance, you are successful because of the system that you are in and receiving the benefits of playing with one of the best linebackers in today's game. I remember Wilbur Marshall leaving after Super Bowl XX and not really doing that much in Washington. The only linebacker you still hear a little about is Roosevelt Colvin in New England however, Rosey has been hit with the injury bug far too ofter to matter.
Not to mention the instability that is the quarterback position. Too many people are still putting their faith and trust into Rex Grossman. Rex will never be the man and the sooner that Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith realize this and make significant changes the better off this team will be. Then of course there is the new question at running back. How in the hell do you 1. draft a kid and think he is going to be the next running back sensation in Chicago and not play him from the get go. Then the proven running back who just basically ran for over 1, 000 yards the last two seasons, you trade away and really get nothing in return except a draft pick that is just a prospect versus a proven contributor. There are a lot of questions to be answered coming out of camp and time will tell how great this team is going to be.
Then of course there is the Blackhawks. The hard part is that I really do not have much to say except that Bill Writz needs to sell this team so someone that cares about all the fans and Gary Bettmen needs to be fired as commissioner of the NHL. Until this happens, do not expect too much from the United Center's other tenant.
31 May 2007
17 May 2007
Frustration
I watched that so called Cubs game at New York today and thought wow, the Cubs seem to be able to win this game and gain a series split with New York on this road trip. Then Angel Guzman was pulled and Michael Wuertz came in and pitched pretty well. Then after one out in the seventh inning, Michael gets yanked and Wil Ohman comes in and God it seems that this team is going to wind up loosing this one. Surprisingly Ohman some how does well and the Cubs survive to the 9th inning with a four run lead. Then we enter the ninth inning and all hell breaks loose.
I have said it before and will continue to say it, Ryan "Crybaby" Dempster is not a closer and is a disgrace in our bullpen especially being assigned as the so called Closer. What is a closer you may be asking yourself and wondering what I am thinking. I'll tell you what a closer is to me. A closer in baseball is someone who wants the ball everyday no matter what is happening. Is reliable and consistent in their approach that the opposition is fearing versus thinking what is going to happen next. A closer is someone who comes in and gets the final outs to a game and there is no drama in regards to the ending. Whether it is a closing situation, or like today just getting the closer some time on the mound to keep him sharp. The Cubs have had quality closers in the past that include Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Goose Gossage, Randy Myers and Rod Beck just to name a few. Sutter for one was one of the more special closers because he usually pitched more than just one inning. Now we have to deal with a player who does not get mad at the fact that his team eliminates a save opportunity for him and still goes out there, a bit steamed and mows down the opposition.
I have talked about it before and Ryan Dempster does not impress me. I spoke with him while the Cubs were in Los Angeles in 2005 and apologized for the fact that the team eliminated the save chance. Ryan was more than relieved that he did not have to work on a save and had extra runs to get through. A true closer would have been a bit pissed off and would have gone in and worked even harder to remind the opposition that he was in the game and would make you quake in your boots. Crybaby just does not get it and neither does the fool the signed him to be the closer, Jim Hendry. I am still miffed how this so called general manager still has a job with this team, as he continues to make more bone headed decisions versus intelligent decisions to help this team. I am only able to hope that the new owner of this team who ever it is, comes in and cleans house completely and brings true baseball people in to turn this beloved franchise into a legitimate contender.
I have said it before and will continue to say it, Ryan "Crybaby" Dempster is not a closer and is a disgrace in our bullpen especially being assigned as the so called Closer. What is a closer you may be asking yourself and wondering what I am thinking. I'll tell you what a closer is to me. A closer in baseball is someone who wants the ball everyday no matter what is happening. Is reliable and consistent in their approach that the opposition is fearing versus thinking what is going to happen next. A closer is someone who comes in and gets the final outs to a game and there is no drama in regards to the ending. Whether it is a closing situation, or like today just getting the closer some time on the mound to keep him sharp. The Cubs have had quality closers in the past that include Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Goose Gossage, Randy Myers and Rod Beck just to name a few. Sutter for one was one of the more special closers because he usually pitched more than just one inning. Now we have to deal with a player who does not get mad at the fact that his team eliminates a save opportunity for him and still goes out there, a bit steamed and mows down the opposition.
I have talked about it before and Ryan Dempster does not impress me. I spoke with him while the Cubs were in Los Angeles in 2005 and apologized for the fact that the team eliminated the save chance. Ryan was more than relieved that he did not have to work on a save and had extra runs to get through. A true closer would have been a bit pissed off and would have gone in and worked even harder to remind the opposition that he was in the game and would make you quake in your boots. Crybaby just does not get it and neither does the fool the signed him to be the closer, Jim Hendry. I am still miffed how this so called general manager still has a job with this team, as he continues to make more bone headed decisions versus intelligent decisions to help this team. I am only able to hope that the new owner of this team who ever it is, comes in and cleans house completely and brings true baseball people in to turn this beloved franchise into a legitimate contender.
30 April 2007
The Weekend of April 26-28 2007
I am reflecting on this past weekend in Chicago Sports and it was pretty interesting to see what happened with three of the four teams that I love the most.
Starting with the Bulls, I am pleasantly surprised that they have swept the defending World Champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs. That is a pretty good accomplishment for a team that I was not sure would do well in the playoffs. I was thinking that it would be another one and done playoff season for the Bulls and they have proved me wrong. Unfortunately everyone has to wait until the entire first round is complete before starting the second round. The Bulls second round opponents are the hated Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately the Pistons have earned Home Court Advantage throughout the playoffs which means that the Bulls have an uphill battle to win this series. I am able to envision that the Bulls will be able to steal one of the games in Detroit which will allow them to possibly win the series. I will not count my chickens before they hatch, as the games need to be played and Detroit is not the best in the Eastern Conference for nothing. I will go out on a limb though and say that Da' Bulls win in Six.
The let's talk about the struggling Chicago Cubs. After the horrendous home stand the Cubs headed to St. Louis to continue this intense rivalry. It was pretty nice to see that on Friday the Cubs won a squeaker, beating St. Louis 5-3 with Carlos Zambrano winning for only the second time this year. One thing that I did find funny is that during the Fox Pregame, either Joe Girardi or Kevin Kennedy mentioned that Big Z started out last year 0-2 and will be fine. That is all good and fine however, Z is the one who went out on a limb and stated emphatically that he was going to win the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League and the Cubs were going to win the World Series. At this point, it does not appear that Big Z will even come close to winning the Cy Young and the way the team is playing who knows if they will be any better than the 66-99 that they were last year. I still hold out hope that this team will be at least .500 however, I am not sure that they are personally committed to playing fundamentally sound baseball thereby not winning enough to warrant the honor of wearing the uniform that they all put on.
Then of course I have to mention the Bears and the 2007 NFL Draft. I do like the pick of Greg Olsen a Tight End out of Miami. I hear that Greg's short comings revolve around his blocking ability however, I think Greg will turn into the type of player that we have wanted to shine since Da' Coach played the position. Time will tell what truthfully will happen for young Mr. Olsen. Then Jerry Angelo went with Central Michigan's Dan Bazuin, a defensive end from a smaller Michigan university, followed that up with Chicago native and Northern Illinois prospect Garrett Wolfe. What do you say about Garrett except that he definitely shows that he has heart however, at 5'7" I am not sure that Garrett will excel in the NFL. The other third round pick was Michael Okwo, a small sized linebacker out of Stanford. I really do not see how this will help the Bears, as Michael does not appear to have the size nor strength to pull of playing LB in the NFL. The fourth round provided Josh Beekman out of Boston College. Beekman is an interesting case as at one point, Josh was considered one of the type linemen available in the draft. Falling down to the fourth round and 130th overall makes me wonder how well Josh will do to learn and step in to replace one of the aging offensive line eventually. The we get Kevin Payne out of Louisiana Monroe. Will the Bears get lucky with another defensive back out of this small school. The Bears are hoping that Kevin will be similar to Chris Harris. Then there is Corey Graham, a DB from Hampshire. Will Corey be able to make the jump from I-AA to the NFL as well. Only time will tell if that is a possibility. Starting the seventh round there is Trumaine McBride out of Ole Miss. Not sure about this pick either and it appears that we are now starting to go crazy with defensive backs at this point. The final pick that the Bears made was Aaron Brant out of Iowa State. Hopefully Aaron will become a better player in the NFL then Iowa State was as a team last year.
I still wish that Da' Bears would have used their 2nd round pick when it was still at number 37 in order to pick up Michigan State Quarterback Drew Stanton. Mark my words, especially if Drew survives in Detroit and moves on in four years, that Drew is going to be one helluva NFL quarterback and will win at least one Super Bowl. Beyond that we will have to see what kind of shrew talent evaluation Jerry Angelo did this year in about 2010 when this class should turn into something special hopefully.
Starting with the Bulls, I am pleasantly surprised that they have swept the defending World Champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs. That is a pretty good accomplishment for a team that I was not sure would do well in the playoffs. I was thinking that it would be another one and done playoff season for the Bulls and they have proved me wrong. Unfortunately everyone has to wait until the entire first round is complete before starting the second round. The Bulls second round opponents are the hated Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately the Pistons have earned Home Court Advantage throughout the playoffs which means that the Bulls have an uphill battle to win this series. I am able to envision that the Bulls will be able to steal one of the games in Detroit which will allow them to possibly win the series. I will not count my chickens before they hatch, as the games need to be played and Detroit is not the best in the Eastern Conference for nothing. I will go out on a limb though and say that Da' Bulls win in Six.
The let's talk about the struggling Chicago Cubs. After the horrendous home stand the Cubs headed to St. Louis to continue this intense rivalry. It was pretty nice to see that on Friday the Cubs won a squeaker, beating St. Louis 5-3 with Carlos Zambrano winning for only the second time this year. One thing that I did find funny is that during the Fox Pregame, either Joe Girardi or Kevin Kennedy mentioned that Big Z started out last year 0-2 and will be fine. That is all good and fine however, Z is the one who went out on a limb and stated emphatically that he was going to win the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League and the Cubs were going to win the World Series. At this point, it does not appear that Big Z will even come close to winning the Cy Young and the way the team is playing who knows if they will be any better than the 66-99 that they were last year. I still hold out hope that this team will be at least .500 however, I am not sure that they are personally committed to playing fundamentally sound baseball thereby not winning enough to warrant the honor of wearing the uniform that they all put on.
Then of course I have to mention the Bears and the 2007 NFL Draft. I do like the pick of Greg Olsen a Tight End out of Miami. I hear that Greg's short comings revolve around his blocking ability however, I think Greg will turn into the type of player that we have wanted to shine since Da' Coach played the position. Time will tell what truthfully will happen for young Mr. Olsen. Then Jerry Angelo went with Central Michigan's Dan Bazuin, a defensive end from a smaller Michigan university, followed that up with Chicago native and Northern Illinois prospect Garrett Wolfe. What do you say about Garrett except that he definitely shows that he has heart however, at 5'7" I am not sure that Garrett will excel in the NFL. The other third round pick was Michael Okwo, a small sized linebacker out of Stanford. I really do not see how this will help the Bears, as Michael does not appear to have the size nor strength to pull of playing LB in the NFL. The fourth round provided Josh Beekman out of Boston College. Beekman is an interesting case as at one point, Josh was considered one of the type linemen available in the draft. Falling down to the fourth round and 130th overall makes me wonder how well Josh will do to learn and step in to replace one of the aging offensive line eventually. The we get Kevin Payne out of Louisiana Monroe. Will the Bears get lucky with another defensive back out of this small school. The Bears are hoping that Kevin will be similar to Chris Harris. Then there is Corey Graham, a DB from Hampshire. Will Corey be able to make the jump from I-AA to the NFL as well. Only time will tell if that is a possibility. Starting the seventh round there is Trumaine McBride out of Ole Miss. Not sure about this pick either and it appears that we are now starting to go crazy with defensive backs at this point. The final pick that the Bears made was Aaron Brant out of Iowa State. Hopefully Aaron will become a better player in the NFL then Iowa State was as a team last year.
I still wish that Da' Bears would have used their 2nd round pick when it was still at number 37 in order to pick up Michigan State Quarterback Drew Stanton. Mark my words, especially if Drew survives in Detroit and moves on in four years, that Drew is going to be one helluva NFL quarterback and will win at least one Super Bowl. Beyond that we will have to see what kind of shrew talent evaluation Jerry Angelo did this year in about 2010 when this class should turn into something special hopefully.
19 April 2007
Here We Go Again
It is just my imagination or is it probable that the Cubs are doing the same to "Sweet Lou" that they did to Dusty Baker. The Cubs again lost a game that they could have won however, this bullpen so far is proving that they are not worth a damn to start out the season. Never mind the bullpen, Carlos Zambrano who is wanting Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt type money continues to look worse with each successive outing. Of the four starts that Zambrano has had, "Big Z" has only managed one victory and the last two outings has been terrible at best. This from a player who states that he is going to win the Cy Young award this year and that this team is going to win the World Series. Great ambition for a person who is not being the man at this point in time in the season. I know that we are not even through the month of April and yet it appears that this team is no better than it was last season when we finished 66-96. Poor Lou has to be scratching his head at this point and wondering what the hell he got himself into. I guess Lou is definitely learning first hand about the Curse of the Billy Goat. So much for his thought, just like Dusty, that there are no such things as curses. How else do you explain that this team is once again underachieving. To think that John McDonough has allowed Jim Hendry to remain in place after Andy MacPhail stepped down is just mind boggling. The sooner that the new owner is in place, the possibility that this team may be better off the better.
Then let's talk about the Chicago Bulls. How in the hell do you loose a game to a team you should be able to beat. I'll tell you that this team is not as good as they were all hoping that they were. The Bulls stumble once again at New Jersey and have a repeat of a first round playoff match up against the Miami Heat. Expect Shack and D. Wade to step up their game once again and eliminate the Bulls most likely in six games. Then you have to ask the question once again, is John Paxson the right person to be running this team? Another trading deadline came and went and there were no changes made to this very young roster. Then think about whether or not Scott Skiles is the right coach to lead this team. Granted Scott and John got the team back to the playoffs however, three consecutive one and done is not acceptable. The bar was set extremely high in the 1990s and it is now 2007 and we are no closer to another NBA World Title then when Jerry Krause destroyed this team after the 1997-98 season and the completion of the second Three-Peat. What will the off season mean for this team, probably the same as it will be for their United Center co-tenants, Not A Damn Thing.
Then let's talk about the Chicago Bulls. How in the hell do you loose a game to a team you should be able to beat. I'll tell you that this team is not as good as they were all hoping that they were. The Bulls stumble once again at New Jersey and have a repeat of a first round playoff match up against the Miami Heat. Expect Shack and D. Wade to step up their game once again and eliminate the Bulls most likely in six games. Then you have to ask the question once again, is John Paxson the right person to be running this team? Another trading deadline came and went and there were no changes made to this very young roster. Then think about whether or not Scott Skiles is the right coach to lead this team. Granted Scott and John got the team back to the playoffs however, three consecutive one and done is not acceptable. The bar was set extremely high in the 1990s and it is now 2007 and we are no closer to another NBA World Title then when Jerry Krause destroyed this team after the 1997-98 season and the completion of the second Three-Peat. What will the off season mean for this team, probably the same as it will be for their United Center co-tenants, Not A Damn Thing.
10 April 2007
Three Up and Five Down
Now from what everyone in the Cubs organization was saying after the miserable end to the 2006 campaign, that the attitude to be adopted is "Win Now" for the great Cub Fans. To start the season after five games at 3&5 is just a reminder at how far this team is really going to fall before someone within the organization decides to get their collective heads out of their collective asses. Jim Hendry continues to be employed as his former boss is completely out of baseball. Why in the hell Hendry, or should I Blundry continues to take chances on damaged products just to save a buck or two is beyond my comprehension.
John McDonough is the whacked job in charge of this failing franchise now until the new owner is established and maybe just maybe the Cubs wind up with a person running this team that is not an after thought and does know something about baseball and is truly able to evaluate talent. Jason Marquis and Wade Miller need to be given their unconditional release and the Cubs need to find some quality pitchers that will be worth a damn in the show. I am still partial to Sean Marshall and yet he is not on the Big League Roster as of yet. Rich Hill did well in his first game and hopefully will continue to produce. Ted Lilly is still a mystery at this point, one game is good and the next is bad. Then of course is Carlos Zambrano. Big "Z" will be find and probably wishes that there was someone to discuss pitching with like he had the last couple of years in Greg Maddux.
We'll just have to wait and see what happens as the season rolls on. At this point we will be able to start saying once again, "Wait Till Next Year." Imagine going one hundred years without winning a championship. That is what the reality is that Cub Fans must face. The worst part is that the Southside won in 2005 and the hated Cardinals won in 2006. Add in the fact that a team that has been a part of major league baseball for less than 25 years has already won the title twice, makes me think that this will never be corrected in my life time nor my children's. We'll see what happens during the off season of 2007-08 to hopefully make the Cubs contenders versus pretenders. Who am I kidding, they will always be pretenders.
John McDonough is the whacked job in charge of this failing franchise now until the new owner is established and maybe just maybe the Cubs wind up with a person running this team that is not an after thought and does know something about baseball and is truly able to evaluate talent. Jason Marquis and Wade Miller need to be given their unconditional release and the Cubs need to find some quality pitchers that will be worth a damn in the show. I am still partial to Sean Marshall and yet he is not on the Big League Roster as of yet. Rich Hill did well in his first game and hopefully will continue to produce. Ted Lilly is still a mystery at this point, one game is good and the next is bad. Then of course is Carlos Zambrano. Big "Z" will be find and probably wishes that there was someone to discuss pitching with like he had the last couple of years in Greg Maddux.
We'll just have to wait and see what happens as the season rolls on. At this point we will be able to start saying once again, "Wait Till Next Year." Imagine going one hundred years without winning a championship. That is what the reality is that Cub Fans must face. The worst part is that the Southside won in 2005 and the hated Cardinals won in 2006. Add in the fact that a team that has been a part of major league baseball for less than 25 years has already won the title twice, makes me think that this will never be corrected in my life time nor my children's. We'll see what happens during the off season of 2007-08 to hopefully make the Cubs contenders versus pretenders. Who am I kidding, they will always be pretenders.
05 April 2007
Bears Tenth Annual Fan Convention
I attended the Bears 10th Annual Fan Convention held at the Hilton & Towers Hotel at 720 S. Michigan Ave for the first time. I must say that as much as I liked being there, it was definitely disorganized and left a lot to be desired.
I arrived to the Hilton and checked in and received my placard for attending and received another Scratch & Win ticket to see if I would get either Richard Dent or Gale Sayers signature later on that evening. Considering I won Ernie Banks when attending the Cubs Convention back in January, I did not think I would get lucky. Sure enough I wound up with Gale Sayers on my game piece and was glad, as I wanted Gale to sign my authentic throwback jersey. I walked around the basement of the hotel where a majority of the convention was to be held and waited in line to get into the 2 Minute Drill. This is an area that has authentic souvenirs from the Bears locker room for sale at a discounted price. As I have more jerseys, I knew that the wife would kill me if I bought anything. I finally got into the room where the 2 Minute Drill was being held and looked at the vendors who were there. I actually stumbled on Gale & Richard both signing mementos and attempted to have both men sign things I had brought with me. Then I found out from some extremely rude people that you had to purchase what they were selling in order for Richard or Gale to sign for you. Man that sucks!!!!! I talked with Gale from a short distance and double checked with him about the new Hall of Fame being opened in Omaha NE, as he is one of the inaugural members being inducted. I also talked with Richard to remind him of the time we met in San Francisco and I showed him the picture we took. Richard said to find him later when he was signing for free as he was working supposedly right now. I agreed to look for both of them later during the convention.
At this point I started to make my way to the Grand Ballroom for the opening ceremonies. Having attended the Cubs Convention, I learned that if you want to be inside, you must get there early enough to make sure you get a spot picked out for yourself. I got in and talked with some other fans as we waited for the start of the show. Finally former players started walking across the upper balcony without being introduced. That I did not understand. Do the people who organized this event believe that the former players deserve to be introduced one at a time and walk in to the reception of the fans versus just having them walk in and sit down? The ceremonies continued and Lovie Smith of course received a thunderous round of applause. Really not much was said other than the fact that Lovie still has not met all of his goals which was to consistently beat Green Bay (Lovie is doing that well), winning the division (2005 & 2006 North Champions), NFC Championships (2006 & 2007 defending) and yet the Super Bowl was elusive this time. After every thing was over for the ceremonies, I attempted to catch the players coming off the balcony and was told by the rented police that you had to have a media pass in order to get close to the players. I found that outrageous as I know that there were regular fans getting autographs from the players who were not members of the media.
I proceeded back down stairs and found my way back into the autograph hall and got in line for Gale Sayers. I finally got up to Gale and had him sign my jersey for me and let Gale know once again that I will do everything I am able to in order to attend the induction ceremonies for the HOF in Omaha later this year. I was attempting to figure out how to get into Richard Dent's line and waited patiently until I saw my opportunity. I convinced the girl that was working the line to let me in so that I would be able to have Richard sign my photo. Got up to Richard who recognized me and chuckled that I was able to work it to get to him.
So for the day on Friday on my autograph hunt I did pretty well. I had got Jack Johnson who played for the team back in I believe it was 1953, then I caught Patrick Mannelly, our current long snapper as he was walking into the hotel, then I stumbled upon Anthony Adams, who is a defensive lineman that was just recently signed. Plus Gale Sayers and Richard Dent as well. I think I did pretty well and headed back out to Palatine where my family and I were staying with some friends.
Saturday morning I headed out early to get downtown once again. Found a family at the train station in Palatine who were heading to the convention as well and volunteered to help them get started. Got to the hotel and got started once again on my quest for autographs. I did well to start the day. I got in line for Allan Ellis, Kurt Becker and the honorable Bob Thomas. It was great to meet each of these players and to talk with the all for a quick minute. Allan had actually worked for the company that my dad ran and Allan remembered the name and company. I told Bob that my brother just got appointed to the bench of the Superior Court in San Bernardino CA and Bob was glad for me and my brother. Then of course Kurt was a member of that incredible 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX. After getting these autographs, I was able to get in line for Jim Osborne, Ronnie Bull and Dan Jiggetts. It was pretty cool to meet two former players that I remember from when I was a child and another legend that was a running back for Da' Bears in Ronnie Bull. As I attempted to work my way around for some other autographs, the security teams were telling everyone that unless you have a wrist band, you were going to be escorted from the autograph hall. Man what kind of bullshit was this that these clowns were spewing? As the day continued I heard members of the Bears staff state that they were not prepared for a sell out to the convention and things were extremely chaotic at this point. Man to say the least I was pretty pissed off about this circumstance.
So after I grabbed some lunch, I actually found Walter Payton's family signing their book "Payton" for the fans. I actually have the book however, did not think that they would be in attendance. Found out from other fans that they announce that the Payton Family would be in attendance on Thursday which was the day I was driving from Omaha to Chicago. I worked it out to get Jarrett to sign my Bears football that I was having most players sign. I also found out that Jarrett will be playing Canadian Football this year for the Montreal Alouettes. So now there is a good reason to pay attention to the Canadian league this year.
After getting Jarrett's signature, I made my way to head out and found a long line of people waiting in line to get wrist bands for the 1:30 pm signings. I had be told earlier that they were all given out and yet the fans I was talking to all were convinced that there were still wrist bands to be had. I asked a member of the security/Bears staff what gives and they worked it out so that I was able to get in line for James "Big Cat" Williams to sign for me as well. Patrick Mannelly was with Big Cat, so I just had Patrick sign my copy of the 2006 year book. After this was done, I looked around and decided it was too much of a mess to want to wait any longer, so I headed out. I just hope that someone in the Marketing Department for Da' Bears gets their shit together for next year and will learn to always prepare for a sell out versus not being prepared so that fans will have a better experience. I am not sure I will go back again and hope that if I do decide to go, that there will not be the problems that I had encountered.
I arrived to the Hilton and checked in and received my placard for attending and received another Scratch & Win ticket to see if I would get either Richard Dent or Gale Sayers signature later on that evening. Considering I won Ernie Banks when attending the Cubs Convention back in January, I did not think I would get lucky. Sure enough I wound up with Gale Sayers on my game piece and was glad, as I wanted Gale to sign my authentic throwback jersey. I walked around the basement of the hotel where a majority of the convention was to be held and waited in line to get into the 2 Minute Drill. This is an area that has authentic souvenirs from the Bears locker room for sale at a discounted price. As I have more jerseys, I knew that the wife would kill me if I bought anything. I finally got into the room where the 2 Minute Drill was being held and looked at the vendors who were there. I actually stumbled on Gale & Richard both signing mementos and attempted to have both men sign things I had brought with me. Then I found out from some extremely rude people that you had to purchase what they were selling in order for Richard or Gale to sign for you. Man that sucks!!!!! I talked with Gale from a short distance and double checked with him about the new Hall of Fame being opened in Omaha NE, as he is one of the inaugural members being inducted. I also talked with Richard to remind him of the time we met in San Francisco and I showed him the picture we took. Richard said to find him later when he was signing for free as he was working supposedly right now. I agreed to look for both of them later during the convention.
At this point I started to make my way to the Grand Ballroom for the opening ceremonies. Having attended the Cubs Convention, I learned that if you want to be inside, you must get there early enough to make sure you get a spot picked out for yourself. I got in and talked with some other fans as we waited for the start of the show. Finally former players started walking across the upper balcony without being introduced. That I did not understand. Do the people who organized this event believe that the former players deserve to be introduced one at a time and walk in to the reception of the fans versus just having them walk in and sit down? The ceremonies continued and Lovie Smith of course received a thunderous round of applause. Really not much was said other than the fact that Lovie still has not met all of his goals which was to consistently beat Green Bay (Lovie is doing that well), winning the division (2005 & 2006 North Champions), NFC Championships (2006 & 2007 defending) and yet the Super Bowl was elusive this time. After every thing was over for the ceremonies, I attempted to catch the players coming off the balcony and was told by the rented police that you had to have a media pass in order to get close to the players. I found that outrageous as I know that there were regular fans getting autographs from the players who were not members of the media.
I proceeded back down stairs and found my way back into the autograph hall and got in line for Gale Sayers. I finally got up to Gale and had him sign my jersey for me and let Gale know once again that I will do everything I am able to in order to attend the induction ceremonies for the HOF in Omaha later this year. I was attempting to figure out how to get into Richard Dent's line and waited patiently until I saw my opportunity. I convinced the girl that was working the line to let me in so that I would be able to have Richard sign my photo. Got up to Richard who recognized me and chuckled that I was able to work it to get to him.
So for the day on Friday on my autograph hunt I did pretty well. I had got Jack Johnson who played for the team back in I believe it was 1953, then I caught Patrick Mannelly, our current long snapper as he was walking into the hotel, then I stumbled upon Anthony Adams, who is a defensive lineman that was just recently signed. Plus Gale Sayers and Richard Dent as well. I think I did pretty well and headed back out to Palatine where my family and I were staying with some friends.
Saturday morning I headed out early to get downtown once again. Found a family at the train station in Palatine who were heading to the convention as well and volunteered to help them get started. Got to the hotel and got started once again on my quest for autographs. I did well to start the day. I got in line for Allan Ellis, Kurt Becker and the honorable Bob Thomas. It was great to meet each of these players and to talk with the all for a quick minute. Allan had actually worked for the company that my dad ran and Allan remembered the name and company. I told Bob that my brother just got appointed to the bench of the Superior Court in San Bernardino CA and Bob was glad for me and my brother. Then of course Kurt was a member of that incredible 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX. After getting these autographs, I was able to get in line for Jim Osborne, Ronnie Bull and Dan Jiggetts. It was pretty cool to meet two former players that I remember from when I was a child and another legend that was a running back for Da' Bears in Ronnie Bull. As I attempted to work my way around for some other autographs, the security teams were telling everyone that unless you have a wrist band, you were going to be escorted from the autograph hall. Man what kind of bullshit was this that these clowns were spewing? As the day continued I heard members of the Bears staff state that they were not prepared for a sell out to the convention and things were extremely chaotic at this point. Man to say the least I was pretty pissed off about this circumstance.
So after I grabbed some lunch, I actually found Walter Payton's family signing their book "Payton" for the fans. I actually have the book however, did not think that they would be in attendance. Found out from other fans that they announce that the Payton Family would be in attendance on Thursday which was the day I was driving from Omaha to Chicago. I worked it out to get Jarrett to sign my Bears football that I was having most players sign. I also found out that Jarrett will be playing Canadian Football this year for the Montreal Alouettes. So now there is a good reason to pay attention to the Canadian league this year.
After getting Jarrett's signature, I made my way to head out and found a long line of people waiting in line to get wrist bands for the 1:30 pm signings. I had be told earlier that they were all given out and yet the fans I was talking to all were convinced that there were still wrist bands to be had. I asked a member of the security/Bears staff what gives and they worked it out so that I was able to get in line for James "Big Cat" Williams to sign for me as well. Patrick Mannelly was with Big Cat, so I just had Patrick sign my copy of the 2006 year book. After this was done, I looked around and decided it was too much of a mess to want to wait any longer, so I headed out. I just hope that someone in the Marketing Department for Da' Bears gets their shit together for next year and will learn to always prepare for a sell out versus not being prepared so that fans will have a better experience. I am not sure I will go back again and hope that if I do decide to go, that there will not be the problems that I had encountered.
Baseball Is Upon Us
It is frightening that baseball season has started and my beloved Cubs continue to under perform on a daily basis. With today's game, I watch online on the game channel and "Sweet" Lou Piniella decided to pinch hit for Angel Guzman. I understand this move however, I do not understand after Cincinnati made a pitching change, Lou had Cliff Floyd sit back down there by losing him later in the game if necessary and have Ronny Cedeno pinch hit instead. Ronny proceeded to pop out to the Reds third baseman and thus killed a two out rally that may have won this game. Granted in reading the story about the game, Michael Barrett who is 0 for the season in batting committed a passed ball that lead to some runs. All I know is that it appears very early in the year that the Cubs are no better then they were at the end of 2006. I understand that there is still 159 games to go in this season however, if things do not turn around soon, then it will become 100 years since the Cubs have won it all. It still hurts and bothers me that the White Sux and hated Cardinals won the last two series and the Cubs continue to struggle mightly. I just hope that the Cubs will win one in my twins life time versus my life time, as I do not think the Cubs will ever get it right before I die and I still have at minimum another 40-50 years before I hope to pass on.
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