[CBFF] this years convention...

Tue Apr 3 10:06:34 MDT 2007

OK, your story reminded me of something.

In 2003 I worked at an internship in Orland Park. We worked out of a side building the boss had next to his house. He seemed pretty well connected and mentioned some people he had worked with. I didn't really think much of it but then one day some old guy came by to borrow the boss's ladder. So, I helped get him loaded up and then after he left my boss said that that was Ronnie Bull. I'm pretty young so I had no clue who Ronnie Bull is, but he showed me some magazine with him on the cover as RoY.

It's really not much of a story, but it made me think about how anonymous these guys get.
-Chris

----- Original Message ----
From: mom2iancal <senzigx4 at charter.net>
To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 11:25:58 AM
Subject: [CBFF] this years convention...

Convention was a bit of a disappointment this year.  The disorganization of the autograph sessions was at an all time high...well I only have last year to compare it to, but it was horrible compared to last year!!!  We were told by several security people (not hotel security, but workers hired for the convention) that doors to line up for autograph sessions wouldn't open until 9:00.  (sessions started at 9:30)...hotel people didn't get that memo apparantly and people were allowed to camp out in line.  There were several lines that had already been cut off by  8:00am on saturday.  So we ended up not even trying to get any that day.  Last year they cut the lines off at 300 people, this year (with a sold out convention) they reduced the number to 200....   The lines were disorganized, people were fighting, lots of angry fans...even on sunday it was horrible!!!  We talked to a couple of guys who had gotten in a line Saturday morning that had Fred Miller listed...well he showed
 up late and a lot of people who wanted his autograph were out of luck.  My brother ran into him outside the hotel so he got his autograph, but we weren't there so out of luck again. LOL 

Saturday we ended up going to a break out session with JA, phillips and lovie.  My son liked that a lot and even got up and asked Lovie a question, so that was the hi-lite of the convention for him.  He tried for Lovie's autograph, but lovie only signed a handful of autographs and then scooted out to have his pix takend with some lady and her baby...she had gotten up and showed pix from the last couple of conventions of Lovie and her when she was pregnant, then last year with the little girl and wanted another one this year.  He did get Jerry Angelop and Ted Phillips, though Phillips was a bit of a jerk I thought.   Angelo was signing and being pretty friendly, but then said "last one" and signed something from a grown up.  Then a kid next to my son and I said "Come on Jerry, we're just kids here..." so he did sign that boys hat and my son's football.  

Sunday autograph session wasn't any better.  My son and I got in line  a little before  8:00 on sunday and it was already a mob scene.  We asked a worker where the end of the line was, she walked us to it and said here you go....well she was wrong and we had people swearing at us!!  another guy who had been led to the same end of the line as I was, stepped in and helped us out and we found the correct end of the line.   

Ian wanted his Steve McMichael card signed, so that was our plan to go to his stage first.  Well that stage was cut off at 200 people by about 8:30-8:45.  So we picked another stage...mostly old timers.  the only younger players there were Antonio Garay and Dvoracek but he had gotten their autographs at a kids only session.  So he picked a line with Ronni Bull, Calvin Thomas and Kris Haines...of course he was clueless as to who any of them were.  By the time we got those autographs, the Idoneje line for 11:30 was closed as was another one he wanted so he said "forget it, Mom...it's not worth it"  Not the experience I was hoping for for him, but that's okay. He still had fun.  

He also really wanted his Richard Dent and Gayle Sayers cards signed, but you had to win on a scratch off ticket to get those.  OR you had to buy something in order to get their autograph...or, if you were lucky run into them in the lobby which, of course, we didn't.   

I doubt we'll go back to the convention next year, though.  We'll plan our next trip to the city and just do some more museums and sightseeing with the kids.  We're thinking of planning a trip to training camp instead....  

Teri

~A Morning  Without Coffee is Sleep~
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