2008 Cubs Convention | The Baseball Zealot

2008 Cubs Convention: Wrap-up

I’m back in warm Champaign-Urbana. And by “warm”, I mean it was in the twenties and not in single digits. Practically a heat wave.

Many thanks to my buddy Tyler who I didn’t see all weekend but who lent me his place for the weekend while I attended the Cubs Convention. His place was well within walking distance and had all the amenities I needed (an Internet connection being the primary one).

Sweet Lou getting his photo taken with a fan.

This was my second Cubs Convention and while it doesn’t make me an expert, I did know the ropes a little more and was a little less intimidated by the crowds, lines, and excitement.

Ron Santo during “Storytelling with Cubs Legends”

Last year I spent a good amount of time acquiring autographs. Not this year. I decided to forego this in favor of enjoying the atmosphere, taking in a few talks and hopefully meeting a few people. I didn’t spend a lot of time or money on memorabilia. Just a Divisional Champion ballcap for my son and 3 pins.

These guys were playing all throughout the convention

By the way, something of interest… Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue caught Piniella in a Q&A and Lou responded with a tentative opening day lineup:

Soriano, lf
Theriot, ss
Lee, 1b
Ramirez, 3b
Fukudome, rf
DeRosa, 2b
Soto, c
Pie, cf
Zambrano, p

I don’t hold much in lineups formulated well before Spring Training but it’s something for us to munch on.

Oh, one last thing. the answer to the trivia question that the Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit (at the Convention) asked and had everyone stumped. The question again:

Which player has played the most games for the Yankees?

A. Yogi Berra

B. Lou Gehrig

C. Bernie Williams

D. Mickey Mantle

Many people in the audience either guessed Berra or Gehrig. The answer: Mickey Mantle with 2410 games. Gehrig is second (2164), Williams 3rd (2076) and Berra is fourth (2116).

The convention was fun and now it’s less than a month till pitchers and catchers report.

Go Cubbies!

See all the photos from the convention at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

2008 Cubs Convention- Day 3

This was the last day of the convention and events weren’t scheduled much past morning. Even as I got there, some folks were dragging their luggage out the door of the Hilton.

In an effort, I suppose, to appeal to the kids, Curious George was on hand. It didn’t work on this kid who was a bit timid to hug a strange man in a monkey suit.

Daryle Ward shares the love during a photo session.

Though the fare was a bit light on Sunday, the autograph hounds were still out in full force. Here the line for Daryle Ward.

The Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit was out today with a video and a baseball trivia contest. Let me run this question by you all and see if you get it without looking it up. Only two people in the audience got this right and I was not one of those two.

The question: Which player has played the most games for the Yankees?

A. Yogi Berra

B. Lou Gehrig

C. Bernie Williams

D. Mickey Mantle

I’ll give the answer tomorrow.

2008 Cubs Convention: Day 2

Today was the second day of the 2008 Cubs Convention. Brrr, it was below 0 degrees this morning as I walked to the Chicago Hilton for another day of fun. On my way out, I got a text message from my nephew, Joe who was going to meet me later.

I Scratched and Won

Friday night I was looking through all the swag and pamphlets I got on my first day and found my Scratch and Win card. The convention uses these for the high demand celebrities when it comes to autographs.

Well, I scratched my card and it said, “You are a winner!”

On the back it said to redeem it at the registration area and that’s the first thing I did Saturday morning. It turns out I won a Derrek Lee autograph and I was supposed to get in line for it at 2pm.

I wasn’t really collecting autographs this year so I sought out a dad and a kid and gave them the ticket. I told them the kid could have it as long as they didn’t sell it on Ebay. The dad emphatically said no, he wouldn’t.

And speaking of autographs:

Andy Pafko was signing autographs. I think Andy is the oldest former Cub to attend these conventions.

…and so was Jody Davis… always with a smile.

Two different players from different eras. Bill Madlock and Bob Feller.

Rich Hill signing a ball towards the end of the day.

Piniella gets thrown under the bus by an older lady

My first talk of the day was “Lou and his Crew”, essentially a Q&A with Piniella and his coaching staff.

The most humorous question was from a seemingly perturbed older lady who asked Piniella why he left his starting pitchers (she mentioned Marquis in particular) in when we were behind by 4 or 5 runs. She explained that sometimes it got her so mad she would throw things at her TV.

Piniella took it all in humor and invited her to sit next to him in the dugout so he could check with her in making decisions. The crowd responded with chants of Looouuu! Louuu!

A visit to the Tennessee Smokies booth

I stopped by the Tennessee Smokies booth and chatted with a nice woman with a terrific southern drawl. I rifled through the Smokies’ baseball card and found Chris Robinson. “Oh, he’s a great guy. He’s real nahce”, she said. I’m not surprised. Most players at or from Illinois have a good head on their shoulders.

I ended up buying the pack.

Storytelling with Cubs Legends

WGN’s “Storytelling with Cubs Legends” was my favorite of the day. With Ron Santo, Rick Sutcliffe, Lee Smith and Ernie Banks, it was fun to just listen their stories. As broadcasters, Santo and Sutcliffe were most talkative. That said, Lee Smith may have an intimidating facade while pitching but he’s quite funny behind the mike.

Looks like Sut is hamming it up for the camera.

Taking a break with the Cubscast guys

The hosts of the Cubscast podcast (well, two-thirds of them, Sneetch couldn’t make it to the Convention) had scheduled an informal get together at the hotel bar. I was due for a break by 3pm anyway so I stopped by. Sheps (right) shared photos of his recently passed kidney stone and Lou (left) and I talked a little shop.

Peoria Chiefs broadcaster Nathan Baliva stopped by the Cubscast table too. I had stopped by the Chiefs’ booth earlier in the day and got the above photo. Nathan was nice enough to do an interview on Baseball Zealot Radio last spring so it was good to see him again. It turns out he’s Sneetch’s brother, too Small world.

Cubs Pitching Clinic

The last event of Saturday was a pitching clinic put on for the kiddos. This was done with the help of Milt Pappas (left), Steve Trout (right) and Lester Strode. Fortunately, Bruce Froemming was not in attendance.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow is a light day at the convention but I do want to get some shopping done at the souvenir shops.

Many more photos at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

2008 Cubs Convention: Day 1

I rolled into Chicago on the rails of Amtrak around 9:30am ready for a weekend of Cubs fun. Zealot friend (and friend of mine) Tyler was nice enough to give up his apartment (and stay and his girlfriend’s) so I could headquarter there.

After dropping off my stuff and getting a bite, I walked over the Chicago Hilton. It’s a good mile walk. Friday was a cold day but not unbearable. At least the sun was out and the wind was kept to a minimum.

Entering the Hilton the first time on a Cubs Convention weekend can be intimidating. There are SO many people. I remember that from last year so I was a little more prepared. Lines of people everywhere because at this point, not everything is open. Once exhibits and such start opening, it’s like the floodgates have opened.

Anyway, I went to the proper room to get registered. Like the seasoned pro I am, I knew exactly where to go this time and even directed a couple first-timers their way there.

Once open I took a quick walk through of the vendor booths in the exhibit halls. I admit this is kind of fun. “Vendor” sounds a bit corporate and in some cases that’s true. But there are a lot baseball related organizations and small businesses that show off their wares.

When 5:00 came around, it was time for the opening ceremonies. Alas, I watched from the overflow room so I didn’t get a first hand look at the speakers instead watching the fun on a large video screen along with a throng of others.

Saturday, autograph hounds will be busy hunting their ultimate goal. These now empty queues will be lined with people.

The opening ceremonies were long pomp and circumstance and short on substance. But that’s ok… I don’t think anyone would expect anything different. By the way, for my money, Wayne Messmer has deepest, richest voice and he proved it in his singing of the National Anthem.

Emcee Pat Hughes then had the pleasure of introducing the Cubs players and other Cubs celebrities. There must have been some LSU alums sitting at the table next to mine. When both Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot were introduced, they broke into loud chants of “LSU! LSU! LSU!”

With the intros finished, a WGN-produced video detailing the 2007 season was shown for us. Fortunately, it left out that nasty little business with the Dbacks.

By 6:30, it was time for my interview with Eric Loy at WDWS. I enjoy my talks with Eric (this was my second). He seems knowledgeable on the game and definitely has opinions. Anyway, I hope I sounded reasonably intelligent.

By then, I was ready to head back to Zealot headquarters. Right now a Giordano’s pizza on the way while I write this.

In summary, Friday was a day of rallying the troops. Tomorrow, a new day of talks, seminars, fun and who knows what else.

More photos of the Cubs Convention at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

2008 Cubs Convention: 3 days and counting

MLB.com Cubs beat writer Carrie Muskat chimes in with a piece about this weekend’s festivities.

For those in the Champaign-Urbana area, I’ll be doing a remote interview from the convention on Eric Loy’s Sports Night talk show heard on WDWS AM1400. Interview time is 6:30pm Friday night.

Train ticket bought… Accommodations secured… I’m ready!

2008 Cubs Convention: What’s going to happen and who will be there

The official list of players and celebrities who will be attending this year’s Cubs Convention has been released.

From cubs.com:

Ernie Banks	Scott Eyre	Les Lancaster		Geovany Soto
Glenn Beckert	Oneri Fleita	Derrek Lee	Lou Piniella	Tim Stoddard
Bob Brenly	Mike Fontenot	Ted Lilly	Dan Plesac	Lester Strode
Bill Buckner	Sam Fuld	Bill Madlock	Mike Quade	Rick Sutcliffe
Randy Bush	Sean Gallagher	Carlos Marmol	Rocky Roquet	Ryan Theriot
Jose Cardenal	Kevin Hart	Sean Marshall	Larry Rothschild	Alan Trammell
Tyler Colvin	Jim Hendry	Matt Murton	Jeff Samardzija	Steve Trout
Doug Dascenzo	Rich Hill	Dave Otto	Ryne Sandberg	Jerome Walton
Jody Davis	Bob Howry	Andy Pafko	Ron Santo	Daryle Ward
Andre Dawson	Pat Hughes	Milt Pappas	Matt Sinatro	Tim Wilken
Ivan DeJesus	Fergie Jenkins	Gerald Perry	Dwight Smith	Billy Williams
Ryan Dempster	Len Kasper	Billy Petrick	Lee Smith	Michael Wuertz
Bob Dernier	Crane Kenney	Felix Pie	Alfonso Soriano	Carlos Zambrano
Mark DeRosa	Dave Kingman

One thing I noticed right away was that there was no Mark Grace. He showed up in 2007 and it was a big deal that he did. After many years of not coming to the Cubs Convention, he made the decision to attend in 07. And he was warmly greeted for his trouble. Unfortunately, it looks like it might have been a one-time thing.

A few players I see that weren’t there last year… Dave Kingman, Andre Dawson and of course the new kids, Geovany Soto, Jeff Samardzija, and Sam Fuld.

The signing of Samardzija by the Cubs was actually making big news during the weekend of 2007 Cubs Convention.

Also, the schedule for the weekend came out. Again from Cubs.com:

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 18
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. – Autograph Treasure Hunt
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – WGN Radio’s “SportsCentral Live”
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – CUBS BINGO!

Saturday, January 19
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – WGN Radio’s “Meet Cubs Baseball Management”
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Injuries, Anatomy and Santo… Oh My!
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Cubs Jeopardy!
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Vine Line Presents Baseball in Latin America
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – WGN Radio’s “Not for Women Only”
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Baseball Conditioning Clinic
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Lou and His Crew
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Hitting Clinic
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – WGN Radio’s “A Day in the Life of a Major Leaguer”
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Life as a Minor
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Cubs Win, Lose or Draw
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – WGN Radio’s “Storytelling with Cubs Legends”
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – From the Stretch
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – 8-8-88… Or the Day After
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Wheelchair Cubs
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – For Kids Only Press Conference
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Cubs Forever: Celebrating 60 Years of WGN-TV and the Cubs
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – The Northside Mystique
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Pitching Clinic
8:00 p.m. – Midnight – Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue

Sunday, January 20
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Meet Cubs Business Management
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. – Baseball Hall of Fame Exhibit
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Down on the Farm

It’s a packed schedule so I’ll pick and choose. The Baseball in Latin America sounds very interesting.

By the way, I just saw the extended weather forecast for Chicago. Saturday shows a high (yes, a high) of 7 degrees and Windy. So bundle up Cub fans.

Len and Bob Bash- Jan 17

Those of you who get into town for the Cubs Convention a day early (or simply live in Chicago) can party with other Cub fans at the Len and Bob Bash at the House of Blues. The Bash takes place Thursday Jan 17 and tickets are available at the House of Blues’ website.

It’s sponsored by broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly and will raise money for Chicago Cubs charities. Last year, $50,000 was raised.

This year, alternative-country group Son Volt will perform. Doors open at 7:30pm.

Len Kasper appeared on the Cubs Closeup podcast yesterday and talked (among other things) about the event.

Cubs Convention in Two Weeks

There’s one more indication that baseball is in the air. Two weeks from today, the 2008 Cubs Convention begins. I got my ticket in the mail this afternoon.

This year’s pass, seen above, contrasts greatly from the one from last year. The one from 2007 was a cautiously optimistic photo of new manager Lou Piniella (so new, I thought that they didn’t have a photo of him with a Cubs cap).

This year’s has a jubilant Alfonso Soriano almost leaping across the pass. A very cool photo.

Near as I can tell, there has been no announcement of who will be attending this year’s convention. If I remember correctly, they usually announce this kind of stuff the week of the event. So we have to make do with the lists of players from last year and hope that this year’s event will be similar.

But alas, no Rod Beck. He was pretty popular with the fans in 2007.

Check out my notes and photos from the 2007 Cubs Convention. It was my first ever and I had a blast.