Convention Lineup and Activities
First of all, congrats to Da Bears for beating Seattle. One more win and we are back in the Superbowl. Since this will be a home playoff game, the Bears will be staying at the Hilton Chicago, which is also home to the biggest party, the 2007 Cubs Convention! Yes, its time to have some fun with fellow Cubs from around the world. If you have never been to the Cubs Convention before, it is a great time and it is a lot of fun.
The big news this year is the return of #17 Mark Grace to the Convention. Grace has not been to the Convention since he left Chicago on bad terms with the team in 2000. Other Cubs that will be attending are;
-Lou Pinella and his staff including hitting coach Gerald Perry, pitching coach Larry Rothschild and bench coach Alan Trammell. Coaches Mike Quade, Lester Strode, Ivan DeJesus and Matt Sinatro
-Cubs Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkis and Ryne Sandberg
-Current Cubs Michael Barrett, Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, Rich Hill, Bob Howry, Derrek Lee, Sean Marshall, Matt Murton, Will Ohman, Mark Prior, Ryan Theriot, Kerry Wood, Michael Wuertz and Carlos Zambrano. Newcomers Neal Cotts, Mark DeRosa, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis.
-Former Cubs Rod Beck, Glenn Beckert, Jose Cardenal, Bob Dernier, Carmen Fanzone, Randy Hundley, Bill Madlock, Andy Pafko, Scott Sanderson, Lee Smith and Jerome Walton.
-Cubs broadcasters Ron Santo, Pat Hughes, Bob Brenly and Len Kasper.
Among the events on the schedule are seminars on Saturday and Sunday, including "Piniella 101," "So You Want to be a Major Leaguer" and "The Boys of Zimmer, the Summer of '89." Autograph and photograph schedules will be made available in the program at the Convention. The seminars are cool, the autographs and photographs lines are ten miles long and totally not worth it.
WGN has also posted the schedule for its broadcasts here
Friday night start out with Sports Central Live with Tom Waddle and Dave Kaplan. They will have the following interviews
7:00-7:30pm - Ryan Dempster, Mark DeRosa & Scott Eyre
7:30-8:00pm - Jim Hendry, Lou Piniella, Pat Hughes & Ron Santo
8:00-8:30pm - Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano & Michael Barrett
8:30-9:00pm - Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano & Ted Lilly
Last year Dempster and Eyre were hilarious. I am looking forward to hearing Hendry,Pinella, Hughes, and Santo. Obviously the interviews with Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano are going to be huge. Finally, to see the big three, Wood, Prior, and Zambrano will also be interesting.
The next morning, Saturday, will be meet Cubs Management, hosted by Dave Kaplan and Spike O'Dell, with Jim Hendry, Lou Pinella, and Randy Bush at 9 AM to 10 AM. This is a little later this year compared to last year. With all the excitement surrounding Pinella, I got a feeling Jim Hendry will get off a little easier than last year.
From 10:30 to 11:30 AM will be "Not for Women Only" hosted by WGN's Kathy and Judy, featuring the girlfriends of Cubs players. Contrary to the title, this session really is for women only, and unless you own a Cubs thong, you should probably be elsewhere. (actually, if you are wearing a Cubs thong, skip this session and meet Bruce-O and I at the bar!)
From 12-1PM will be "So You Want To Be A Major Leaguer", hosted by John Williams featuring Billy Williams, Michael Barret, and Tim Stoddard. I also recommend that you skip this one. I made the mistake of staying last year. The main reason this stinks so bad is that John Williams has diarrea of the mouth and loves the sound of his own voice. It really is boring, so unless you find John Williams to be witty and entertaining, or if you are a soccer mom who drives a mini van, avoid this one too.
The Last WGN broadcast will be from 1:30-2:30 and will be hosted by Steve Cochran and will fearture Lee Smith, Rod Beck, Scott Eyre, and Ryan Dempster. That is a good collection of characters and should be a fun one.
Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the Convention, and if you are not going, check out Crawly's Cub Kingdom to find out all the info.
I read about the Cubs convention in my vineline.
I would love to go one day.
It would be awsome if I had a chance.
I would go with my younger brother Craig.
Iam an avid Cubs fan.
I celebrate 15 years this year.
I think the Cubs can do it!
Lou Piniella is a proven winner.
We also have a terrific team and good coaches.
I can't wait till opening day April 2nd.
Go Cubs!
Your loyal cubs fan!
Rowan Campbell
From South Africa
Ps does anyone know where I can find the playing stats of Mike Quade and Lester Strode?
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