Iwritecode
02-04-2002, 02:36 PM
Well, I went on Sunday and decided to write my thoughts about it and what we did.
First of all, we didn't end up getting out of Rockford until about 7:30 so we got there later that I really wanted to. Plus the fact that I had to park about 10 blocks away didn't help. I'm sure I looked like an idiot while we were walking cause I had to keep checking the street signs and then the map to make sure we going to right way.
So we ended up missing the first few guys of the day. Ray Durham was one autograph that I wanted and missed. The first real celebrity I saw was Bill Melton. He was just sitting there talking and there was no line so I had him sign the little booklet that I got at the door. Then we got in line to get Jose's autograph. The lines were kinda long but went pretty fast. I don't think I had to wait more than 30 minutes in any one line. While standing in line for Jose, I looked up and saw the WSI booth. So I went and met FFB, Jerry and Dan Helpingstine for the first time. (Jerry's face isn't as ugly as he wants you all to believe either.) It was kinda nice to put a couple of faces with the names that I see on here everyday. I never got to meet Ihatethecubs so I didn't get to challenge him for the manos/choice arm wrestling. I did get an autographed Wendy's napkin from FFB though. I even convinced him to sign the batting helmet I brought for the players to sign. :smile: I got one comment on it when I got Kelly Wunsch's autograph. The girl sitting next to him was like "Who is French Fry Boy?" I just told her it's a guy I know from the internet and it's a long story. We got some good pictures that I'm sure you will all see on the site when PHG gets them put up.
The players were pretty cool. They were all in pretty good spirits and were happy to have their pictures taken with the fans. Even though the announcements said we couldn't take pictures. I ended up getting signatures from Valentin, Wunsch, Ritchie, Rauch and Borchard. Jose was pretty quiet but had a smile on his face most of the time. Even after his autograph session ended, he went to the kids area and signed some more. Kelly is bit of an oddball (which I've heard before). I mentioned that I thought I remembered him a little bit because he played for the Beloit Snappers (Beloit is about 20 minutes north of Rockford) and they played the Rockford Cubbies (that team no longer exists thank god...). He said one of his most memorable games was played in Rockford. It was one of those nights where there were so many bugs that it was almost like a fog. Rauch and Borchard were signing at the same booth. Borchard does look pretty built, but it was almost funny seeing the top of his head at the same level as Rauch's chin. Man is that guy tall! He seems to have a sense of humor too. While I was in line I saw a guy about to take his picture so he sat there and smiled waiting for the picture. Something happened with the guys camera and he said nevermind. Rauch hit is fist on the table in mock disgust and said "darnit!". That gave me a good chuckle. I missed getting Hawk and DJ's autographs by mere minutes. They were suppposed to stay until 1 and I was there at 12:50 and they were already gone. :(:
Not that I've gone once, I've decided that the best option is to take the three-day package. That way you can get the bigger name players on the first 2 days (Frank, Mags) and get the lesser-knowns later (Glover, Paul). I wish I would have had the time to do that this year. The only thing I bought was a "Sox" ball for the players to sign and a display case to put it in. They had a bunch of David Wells shirts and jersey's for only $5 but nobody seemed to want them. Although I did see one person wearing a Wells jersey and one wearing a Contreras jersey. Why, I have no idea... Overall it was a good time. For someone like me who gets to very few games and has never gotten an autograph before, this was a good thing and I hope to be back again next year. :D:
First of all, we didn't end up getting out of Rockford until about 7:30 so we got there later that I really wanted to. Plus the fact that I had to park about 10 blocks away didn't help. I'm sure I looked like an idiot while we were walking cause I had to keep checking the street signs and then the map to make sure we going to right way.
So we ended up missing the first few guys of the day. Ray Durham was one autograph that I wanted and missed. The first real celebrity I saw was Bill Melton. He was just sitting there talking and there was no line so I had him sign the little booklet that I got at the door. Then we got in line to get Jose's autograph. The lines were kinda long but went pretty fast. I don't think I had to wait more than 30 minutes in any one line. While standing in line for Jose, I looked up and saw the WSI booth. So I went and met FFB, Jerry and Dan Helpingstine for the first time. (Jerry's face isn't as ugly as he wants you all to believe either.) It was kinda nice to put a couple of faces with the names that I see on here everyday. I never got to meet Ihatethecubs so I didn't get to challenge him for the manos/choice arm wrestling. I did get an autographed Wendy's napkin from FFB though. I even convinced him to sign the batting helmet I brought for the players to sign. :smile: I got one comment on it when I got Kelly Wunsch's autograph. The girl sitting next to him was like "Who is French Fry Boy?" I just told her it's a guy I know from the internet and it's a long story. We got some good pictures that I'm sure you will all see on the site when PHG gets them put up.
The players were pretty cool. They were all in pretty good spirits and were happy to have their pictures taken with the fans. Even though the announcements said we couldn't take pictures. I ended up getting signatures from Valentin, Wunsch, Ritchie, Rauch and Borchard. Jose was pretty quiet but had a smile on his face most of the time. Even after his autograph session ended, he went to the kids area and signed some more. Kelly is bit of an oddball (which I've heard before). I mentioned that I thought I remembered him a little bit because he played for the Beloit Snappers (Beloit is about 20 minutes north of Rockford) and they played the Rockford Cubbies (that team no longer exists thank god...). He said one of his most memorable games was played in Rockford. It was one of those nights where there were so many bugs that it was almost like a fog. Rauch and Borchard were signing at the same booth. Borchard does look pretty built, but it was almost funny seeing the top of his head at the same level as Rauch's chin. Man is that guy tall! He seems to have a sense of humor too. While I was in line I saw a guy about to take his picture so he sat there and smiled waiting for the picture. Something happened with the guys camera and he said nevermind. Rauch hit is fist on the table in mock disgust and said "darnit!". That gave me a good chuckle. I missed getting Hawk and DJ's autographs by mere minutes. They were suppposed to stay until 1 and I was there at 12:50 and they were already gone. :(:
Not that I've gone once, I've decided that the best option is to take the three-day package. That way you can get the bigger name players on the first 2 days (Frank, Mags) and get the lesser-knowns later (Glover, Paul). I wish I would have had the time to do that this year. The only thing I bought was a "Sox" ball for the players to sign and a display case to put it in. They had a bunch of David Wells shirts and jersey's for only $5 but nobody seemed to want them. Although I did see one person wearing a Wells jersey and one wearing a Contreras jersey. Why, I have no idea... Overall it was a good time. For someone like me who gets to very few games and has never gotten an autograph before, this was a good thing and I hope to be back again next year. :D: