Early Cubs Convention Preview

Don't look now... we're less than two weeks away from the 27th annual Cubs Convention! As longtime readers, Everything Cubs Blog brings you full coverage leading up to, during and after the Convention.

The 2012 Convention runs from Jan. 13-15. None of the lists of attendees or schedules of events for the weekend have yet been released, but we should be able to put together at least a partial list and schedule by the end of this week, so check back for that.

Each year there are several story lines to keep on eye on during Convention weekend. Here are some of the highlights of Conventions in recent years, followed by a list of things to look out for at this year's event.

2011: Honoring Ronnie
By far the biggest story of the 2011 Cubs Convention was honoring Cubs Legend Ron Santo, who passed away the month before the event. A video featuring #10 was displayed at the Opening Ceremonies. During one of the Saturday morning sessions, Tom Ricketts announced that the Cubs would wear #10 patches in 2011 and that Ron Santo would be honored with a statue, to be unveiled on August 10. Later Saturday, two different sessions were held for fans to hear stories about Santo, one with his former booth-mates Pat Hughes, Cory Provus, Andy Masur and Judd Sirott. The other featured Santo's teammates- Randy Hundley, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Milt Pappas, Jose Cardenal and Glen Beckert. Another big story of the weekend was the return of fan-favorite Kerry Wood to Chicago.
Click here for last year's coverage: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

2010: Welcoming the Ricketts
The biggest story of the 2010 Convention was the welcoming of the new owners of the Chicago Cubs. Saturday morning there was a packed audience for the "Meet the Ricketts" session as Tom, Pete, Todd and Laura took questions from fans about their plans for the team. One unexpected bit of news was Geovany Soto showing up 40 pounds lighter than he was at the end of the '09 season.
Click here for 2010 coverage: Opening Night, Weekend Recap

2009: Remembering the Past
The 2009 Cubs Convention, the first one covered here on Everything Cubs Blog, was extremely interesting. The weekend was filled with Cubs history as the 25th anniversary of the 1984 team and the 40th anniversary of the 1969 team were celebrated. Carlos Zambrano also talking about making Cubs history tossing a no-hitter in September of 2008. The Convention was packed as the Cubs were coming off a division title.
Click here for 2009 coverage: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as we continue to countdown to the "Unofficial Opening Day!"

Countdown to the Cubs Convention: 15 Days

Today, as we enter the final day of 2009, we move a step closer to Cubs Convention 2010.
Yesterday, we took a look at the schedule
of sessions from last year's convention, so today let's take a look at the schedule of autograph signings and photograph lines from last year.

Photo from the "Game Day Experience" Session during the 2009 Convention. From left to right: Mike Fontenot, Joey Gathrigh, Kevin Hart, Koyie Hill, Ted Lilly.

Friday Photograph Stage
Ryan Theriot (6-6:45)

Saturday Photos
Mike Fontenot (9am-9:45)
Billy Williams (10-10:45)
Ernie Banks (11-11:45)
Sean Marshall (12-12:45
Carlos Marmol (1-1:45)
Reed Johnson (2-2:45)
Ted Lilly (3-3:45)
Lee Smith (4-4:45)

Sunday Photographs
Geovany Soto (9:30-10:15)- *Since he wasn't there I think Kevin Gregg replaced him
Jeff Samardzija (10:30-11:15)

Friday Autographs
Treasure Hunt Only
Description of Autograph Treasure Hunt-
Cubs autograph treasures await your discovery! Using your treasure map, follow the Cubs logo to hunt for autographs from your favorite Cubs. A Cubs celebrity can be found in every location. Discover who is waiting to be found! Cubs autograph treasure maps will be distributes following Opening Ceremonies and are available at the Cubs Information Area located in the NorthEast Hall, next to registration.

Saturday Autographs
Randy Hundley (9-9:45)
Jose Cardenal (9-9:45)
Billy Williams (9-9:45)
Joey Gathright (9:15-10, for kids only stage)
Ernie Banks (9-10, for lottery winners only)
Bill Buckner (10-10:45)
Jody Davis (10-10:45)
Leon Durham (10-10:45)
Ted Lilly (10:15-11, for kids only stage)
Alfonso Soriano (10:15-11:15, for lottery winners only)
Koyie Hill (11-11:45)
Ryan Dempster (11-11:45)
Bob Dernier (11-11:45)
Carlos Marmol (11:15-noon, for kids only stage)
Ryne Sandberg (11:30-12:30, for lottery winners only)
Neal Cotts (1-1:45)
Alan Tremmell (1-1:45)
Milton Bradley (1-1:45)
Sean Marshall (1:15-2, for kids only stage)
Carlos Zambrano (12:45-1:45, for lottery winners only)
Ted Lilly (2-2:45)
Leon Durham (2-2:45)
Jeff Samardzija (2-2:45)
Mike Fontenot (2:15-3, for kids only stage)
Lou Piniella (1:45-2:45, for lottery winners only)
Geovany Soto (3-4, for lotter winners only)* not sure what they did since he wasn't there
Carlos Marmol (4-4:45)
Randy Wells (4-4:45)
Ivan DeJesus (4-4:45)

Saturday Autographs at Vineline Booth
Glenn Beckert (10-10:45)
Doug Dasenzo (11-11:45)
Tim Stoddard (Noon-12:45)
Scott Sanderson (1-1:45)
Keith Moreland (2-2:45)
Dave Otto (3-3:45)

Sunday Autographs
Darwin Barney & Brandon Guyer (9-9:45)
Micah Hoffpauir (9-9:45)
Alan Trammell (9-9:45)
Lee Smith (9:45-10:15)
Rick Reuschel (9:45-10:15)
Kevine Hart (10-10:45)
Bob Dernier & Doug Glanville (10:45-11:30)
Aaron Miles (10:45-11:30)
Joey Gathright (10:45-11:30)
Doug Dascenzo & Steve Trout (11:30-12:15)
Mike Fontenot (11:30-12:15)
Sean Marshall (11:30-12:15

I didn't go for autographs, but last year I landed Lee Smith, Bill Buckner, Milton Bradley, Reed Johnson, Koyie Hill, Kevin Gregg, Aaron Miles, Steve Trout, Randy Hundley, Doug Dascenzo, Alan Tremmell, Brandon Guyer, Tim Stoddard, Randy Wells, Len Kasper, Pat Hughes, Larry Rothschild, Lester Strode, and more.

More posts to come on this New Year's Eve, and the countdown continues tomorrow...

Sports Central at Convention Recap

David Kapan had guests at the Cubs Convetions.

Recap of session 1 w/ guests: Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild

• Lou told Jim at the start of the off season that the Cubs needed more left handed hitting and speed in the off season.
• The Cubs are going to "bogey".
• Larry says that the team will get guys experience as much as they can during the spring.
• Lou and Larry said that Ryan Dempster's heart was into starting and that's why he was so successful. Ryan is more relaxed as a started according to Larry.
• Kap asked who Lou's lead off hitter was. Lou said that the Cubs won 97 baseball games with the team. He mentioned that we added Miles who could be an option.
• Larry thinks that Carlos will pitch better in 2009 than he did a year ago.
• Lou described working with Zambrano as "a adventure at times". He went onto says that he likes the way Big Z wants to win and compete.
• Larry thinks that Wrigley is a difficult place to pitch at times.
• Rothchild says that sometimes pitchers get a little to relaxed when the wind is blowing in.
• He adds that the elements effects games at Wrigley more than at any other park.
• Lou says stressed the importance of not walking people at Wrigley.
• He expects the Cubs to play as good as last year during the first 162 games and a lot better in the postseason.
• Piniella thinks that the whole 100 year thing put too much pressure on the Cubs.

Sessions 2 w/ Jim Hendry:

• Jim Hendry says that the DeRosa trade was an effort to get more left handed.
• Jim says he gets payed to make tough decisions.
• Hendry said that Kerry Wood's agent told Jim that Woody was looking for a 3 year deal, and the Cubs thought that that was too lengthy of a commitment.
• He described letting Wood go as "one of the saddest days of his career."
• Jim thinks the Cubs got a great deal for Kevin Gregg.
• Milton Bradley made a few mistakes, but he is good clubhouse guy and good teammate.
• Derrek Lee is thrilled that Bradley is a member of the Cubs.
• Jim thinks Cubs fans will love Milton.
• When Kaplan asked about Peavy, all Hendry could say was, "It really bothers me that other teams put our players on the trading block. 19 or 20 year old kids shouldn't be reading there name in the paper."
• He said "We will keep trying to get stronger and add pitching, whether it's that player or not."
• Jim says that if Kosuke Fukudome would have hit better in the second half of the year, he would have won a gold glove.
• Hendry thinks Kosuke will be "more like the Fukudome from the first half of last year."
• Lou is as good at there is at using the whole roster.
• Jim says that Rich Harden is "very good." He moved to Arizona to get more work this winter. He says Rich looks stronger and healthier than he did at the end of last year.
• Hendry said that Sean Marshall was a very under-rated guy for the 2008 team. Jim says he feels that sooner or later Marshall might deserve to be in the rotation instead of being a super sixth starter.
• Hendry won't add any big names without the new owner signing off on it.

I'll have a recap of sessions 3&4 tomorrow.

More posts to come...

Recap: Gameday Experience

Nick Digilio and Cory Provust hosted the "Game Day Experience" session at the Cubs Convention. The guests were Ted Lilly, Koyie Hill, Kevin Hart, Mike Fontenot, and Joey Gathright. Here's the recap:

• Ted Lilly was asked about his routine on the days he starts. He said he tries to keep it the same as any day he starts. He tries not to think about it too much early in the day because then he wants the 7:05 game to start at 1:00.
• Koyie Hill said that the game is the same in the minors, but the environment is different.
• Fontenot said that his day is a little bit different when he's starting. He says he lifts and runs more on days he's not starting.
• Gathright says he wakes up late and gets to the park around 2:00.
• Kevin Hart likes to get to the park early.
• Mike says sometimes he likes going on the road to see all the ballparks.
• Joey has never seen as many fans in a hotel lobby as he saw at the convention.
• Koyie says the many Cubs fans are great and make you take a lot of pride in what you are doing. He thinks that the fans on the road give you an edge.
• Ted says that you have to be as consistent as possible.
• Cory asked about superstitions. Joey says that he has an old teammate who will put on lady's underwear when he gets into a funk. Mike says he has to be in the dugout to be ready for Zambrano's beat into the ground everyday.
• Nick asked who screws around the most in the clubhouse. The guys said that there are a lot of characters on the team. They mentioned Dempster and Jon Lieber as jokers.
• Cory asked about aliases that the guys used on the road. Ted says he used Harry Rosenbag. Koyie used Turb Fergurson. Joey only has his current one.
• Mike and Ted's favorite story was when the security guy clotheslined the fan who was about to jump Bobby Howry.
• Joey said that it's fun to be on the plane when you're winning, but it's not when your losing.
• Koyie said that we would laugh if we knew how much stuff gets broken on the plane when you put 25 competitive people on a plane for 4 hours over losing card games and stuff like that.
• Kevin described AAA travel as "no fun".
• Joey said that he doesn't train for speed. He said that his mom was really fast and his dad could jump really high so he got a combination of both.
• Joey was asked about the YouTube video where he jumped over a car. He said it started after football practice in 10th grade. He said he can't jump over cars any more because he will get in trouble.
• Kevin has seen Joey jump cars first person before.
• Mike says that he will stick with jumping over chairs not cars.
• Kevin said that some teams make rookies ride on a motorized cooler that they make the rookie ride out to the bullpen. Lilly had to carry a pink purse from the dugout to the bullpen.
• Someone asked if any of the guys played fantasy baseball. Most of them play fantasy football in the off seaon.
• All the guys follow football pretty closely. Fontenot likes the Saints. Gathright and Hart are both Cowboys fan. Ted said that football is his favorite sport to watch. He enjoys watching high school games. Koyie likes the Chiefs.
• Mike says he likes to hunt and fish. Joey likes to draw and play X-box. Kevin says he plays X-Box live for about 4 hours a day. Koyie said he always wanted to be an architect. One of Hill's goals is to get better a racket ball. Ted enjoys golf.
• Someone asked if they get distracted by the fans. Mike says he tries to ignore them. Ted said that it just show that they are interested when they cheer and boo. Joey likes to interact with the fans.
• Cory asked if Wrigley has lived up to their expectations. Ted says that when he see all the fans you realize how special this place is. Lilly thinks the new guys will have a lot of fun this year. Joey said that when you found out he got a chance to come to Chicago, he came mainly because of the fans.
• The panel shared their favorite Lou Pienella story. Ted told a funny story about how Fontenot had a great game, and Lou went up to the bullpen catcher and said, "Great game today." Lou has confused Mike and Corey Miller more than once.
• Joey said he knows Lou because he played for him in Tampa.
• Lilly was asked about plowing over Molina during a game against the Cardinals. He said that Molina is a class act, Ted said he felt bad that he got hurt no that play. Ted says that sliding would have been more dangerous for himself.
• Someone asked about there favorite and least favorite places to play. Mike's favorite city is San Diego and least favorite is Pitsburg. Joey and Ted's least favorites are Minisota. Ted's favorite is San Fransisco and Gathright's is Boston.
• Lilly says that when he was on the Blue Jays, Wrigley and Fenway were his favorite places to play.
• Mike's favorite thing about Chicago besides Wrigley is the weather in the summer. Koyie enjoys how active the city is. Kevin says that he likes walking around the city and seeing millions of people with your teams logo on their hat.
• The guys talked about the small visiting clubhouse. They love the fact knowing that the other team is miserable over there.

Recap of Meet Cubs Management

WGN Radio did the Meet Cubs Management session at the 2009 Cubs Convention featuring Jim Hendry, Crane Kenney, and Randy Bush. The session was hosted by Dave Eanet and John Williams. Here's my recap:

• Hendry is frustrated that the Cubs have lost 6 post season games in a row.
• Jim says that we are "very close to a championship situation."
• He said that when you lose you all ways try to analyze it. "I don't think we lost our focus," "They want to win so much that the guys got worried and stressed after they lost the first game.
• Crane was asked for an update about the ownership situation. Kenney think we'll have an owner by opening day.
• The Cubs have played 2 full seasons being "for sale" but they have won the division both years.
• Everyone wants to see the ownership situation concluded, including the club.
• Kenney says that the economy is effecting all 30 clubs in baseball.
• The Cubs are one of the unique clubs that has a fan base that will support them even when it is a tougher time.
• John asked how difficult it was to let DeRosa go. Jim said that Mark was a good player and a terrific guy. Hendry's explanation was that the Cubs are trying to get more left handed.
• The 3 places on the field the Cubs can play a left handed hitter at is right field, center field, and second base. They traded DeRosa to create that 3rd position.
• The Cubs are going to keep doing what they can until they have a parade.
• Randy said that the Cubs are really thrilled with their system. He said that Lou has done a nice job of getting the young guy in their when they are brought up. Mitch Atkins, Darwin Barney, and Wellington Castillo are 3 guys that could help the team in the near future.
• Jeff Samadzija has been told to be prepared to start in Spring Training.
• They took questions from the crowd. The first question was about Peavy. Jim said that he cannot comment on Peavy because he is a member of another club.
• Hendry said the Cubs will continue to keep their eye out for starting pitching.
• "Hopefully we will continue to go out and get big name players," Hendry said.
• The Cubs are going to be in the top 5 payroll in the big leagues again this year, however the Cubs still do have a payroll.
• Hendry says that the Cubs really got 3 good players from the Indians.
• John asked if anyone has asked Bradley to behave a certain way. Hendry said that Bradley is allready a good teamate, and is a good guy to have in the clubhouse.
• Jim thinks Bradley "has reached a point in his life where he has matured".
• Hendry said he's never seen a player want to go to a certain team like Bradley wanted to come to the Cubs.
• The Cubs anticipate that Milton is going to be the everyday right fielder. Jim would be happy with 100-135 games.
• The Cubs got a positive response from all the players when they signed Bradley.
• Jim says he never gets caught up in what the other Cubs have done. He mentioned that there are a lot of good players still out there that could end up in our division.
• Hendry said that the 2004 team was the best team in the NL on paper, but 7 guys were on the DL by the end of May.
• The Cubs are not going about their bussiness thinking that winning the division is a lot.
• Crane says that having a priest bless dugout was one of the dumbest 3 things he's done with the Cubs. He says that if he could do it again he wouldn't have.
• The Cubs 2 goals in the off season were 1.resign Dempster, but 2.Try to get the lineup more flexible. They think that Milton Bradley brings a lot of good things to the ball club.
• Jim met with Bradley originally in November.
• Hendry described Dempster as a "gamer", "the real deal", and a "10 human being". Jim says he took less money to sign early with the Cubs.
• They guys think the team has real good balance. Jim says Lou likes versatile players, and speed game type players.
• Jim says that the Cubs bullpen has gotten very deep.
• He doesn't know were things are going in the next 7 weeks, but the Cubs are always open for business. He hopes that by opening day the ball club will be much better than last year.
• Hendry describe the Rich Hill situation as "very unfortunate". Hill has lost total command of the strike zone. Hill is out of options, and Jim says that he doesn't know whether Hill will get his stuff back in time to make a difference, and mentioned a change of scenery.
• Jim says that Jose Ceda was still a ways away from coming up to the big leagues and pitching in the 8th and 9th inning like Kevin Gregg can.
• He described that Marlins organization as "very good baseball people."
• Carlos Zambrano has the ability to be the postseason ace that the Cubs need. Big Z is still very young for all the experience he has.
• Crane Kenney says that Sam Zell has been a great owner. Crane has went to Sam and asked to do a lot of things and everything has been approved. Kenney compares Sam to Lou Pinellia, he expects results.
• Kenney and Zell had one argument.
• The guys don't seem to think that you can build a team for the postseason.
• Hendry said that you can't explain what happens in the postseason. He said that if you win the division every year eventually you break the door down.
• It is a collective decision if someone goes on the DL or is just day-to-day. He says that if someone has to sit out longer than 4-5 days, sometimes it is better to put the guy on the 15 day DL, and then call someone up so that you don't have to play with less than 25 guys.
• Jim says he's never had a relationship with a player like he has with Kerry Wood.
• Hendry says that he felt that a 3 year deal was not in the Cubs best interest. He says that a one year deal was never discussed.

Notes from Day 3, Pie traded, other Notes

Well, the 2009 Cubs Convention is in the books. Today was the last chance for autographs. We spent some time on autos today and ended up with Lee Smith and Alan Trammel. The only session worth going to today was "Down on the Farm". Oneri Fleita and Tim Wilton talked about the Cubs minor league organization with Micheal Huang from Vineline. Cubs minor leaguers Darwin Barney and Brandon Guyer were also a part of this panel. This session provided a lot of good info:

• Oneri was asked to give 1 hitter and 1 pitcher in the minors who he thought would have a big impact on the big league team some day. He said Andrew Cashner for the pitcher and Ty Wright for the position player.
• They revieled that only about 13 percent of guys who play in the minors make it to the bigs.
• They also talked about how the team gets ready for the draft. Tim says that they have a board with about 900 guys and then they look at the team need. Wilkins added that if there is a very talented player, you take him no matter what position he plays.
• Tyler Colvin is recovering from surgery and will be at Class A Daytona to start the season because of the warm weather in Daytona and because they use a DH is A ball.
• Sam Fuld is recovering from his injuries and Oneri expects him to be on the big league radar in 2009.
• Spring Training will be a "last chance" for Rich Hill who is out of options or else the Cubs will have to part ways with him.
• Darwin and Brandon talked about being drafted. Darwin had baseball practice so he didn't find out that he got drafted by the Cubs until he got a phone call. Brandon was watching the draft with his dad. Guyer said he would have been better of not watching all the rounds go by until he finally got drafted.
• Wilkins and Fleita said that Wellington Castillo should be at AAA this year. The Cubs feel confident with their depth at each position in the system.

News has just broke that Felix Pie traded. Ken Rosenthal and the Sun-Times are reporting that the Cubs and Orioles have agreed to a deal that would send Pie to the O's in exchange for pitchers Garrett Olson and Henry Williamson. The Padres were rumored to be interested in acquiring Olson in a Peavy deal. Williamson pitched at Single-A in 2008. Here are the stats for Olson and for Williamson. Cubs.com is reporting that the deal is official.

A few other Cubs Notes:

• Carlos Zambrano is going to have LASIK surgery on his eyes.
• Most Cubs fans have good first impression of Milton Bradley because he signed tons of autographs all weekend long at the Convention. On the other hand, Big Z wouldn't sign at all after his sessions.
• Lou was MIA all weekend because he has the stomach flue.
• Santo wasn't seen after the opening ceremony because he wasn't feeling well.
• The Iowa Cubs will play a game at Wrigley on Aug. 9 like the Peoria Chiefs did last year.
• Sweet Lou reveled that he plans to read some books on sports physiology and winning.

The Convention was amazing. Lots of great places to buy stuff, very organized, lots of people but very spread out, most players are nice and sign autographs, and lots of good sessions with good inside info. I highly recommend going if you can.

I'll have more links and recaps from convention segments throughout the week. And of coarse, I'll keep you posted on all rumors and news.

Cubs Convention Day 2

Another amazing day at the Cubs Convention. You should have seen the lines for autographs today! I didn't bother with waiting in lines, but instead spent most of the day watching Cubs sessions.

The first session I saw today was Cubs Jeopardy. The 1984 Cubs battle with the 2009 Cubs answering Cubs trivia questions. The host was Pat Hughes. Pat is a very funny guy. Today he retold the story about the time Ron Santo's hairpiece caught on fire at Shea Stadium. The 1984 team was made up of Keith Moreland, Rick Reuschel, Tim Stoddard, and Steve Trout. The '09 team was mad up of Kevin Gregg, Koyie Hill, Milton Bradley, and Neal Cotts. The 2009 team came out on top. Hill was the only guy who knew a lot about the Cubs. Gregg only buzzed in once and got it wrong. Bradley got a few right, and Cottsy only buzzed in once, but at least got his question right. The '84 team had to take the mic and bell away from Trout because he kept buzzing in with wrong answers. Several "official protests" were made by the '84 team and judge Dave Otto (former Cubs pitcher) had to make a call. After the session, the guys signed autographs and I was lucky enough to get Milton Bradley, as well as Gregg and Hill. The categories included; Cubs MVPs, Gold Gloves, 2008 Cubs, and 7th inning stretch singers. The Cubs jepordy was awesome, one of my favorite sessions of the day.

The next session I went to was called "Game Day Experience" hosted by Cory Provus and Nick Digilio with guests Ted Lilly, Mike Fontenot, Kevin Hart, Koyie Hill, and Joey Gathright. Joey shared that he has tried to jump over a car before and failed. Hill and Fontenot shared a story about a strange superstition they had in AAA. I'll have more details on my full recaps of the WGN Radio shows later this coming week.

From 1-2 was the "Welcome to Wrigley" session. The voice of the Cubs Pat Hughes hosted this session where Cub fans welcomed Milton Bradley, Aaron Miles, Kevin Gregg, and Joey Gathright. All 3 of these guys are exited to be in this great city, with these great fans. Gregg mentioned that they don't get near as many fans in Florida and they do at Wrigley. Miles talked about how much bigger Cubs Convention is than the Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up. Gathright seems to enjoy all the attention from the faithfull.

After lunch, we headed to "The Magic of '84" segment". Host Wayne Messmer chatted about that magical season with Ryan Sandberg, Jody Davis, Bob Dernier, Lee Smith, Scott Sanderson,
Steve Trout, and Tim Stoddard. Ryno also talked about the possibility of being the next Cubs manager. The "Ryan Sandberg Game" was also a hot topic.

"Making History" was a phenomenal sessions. Cub fans got the opportunity ask Carlos Zambrano all about his No-No at Miller Park on Sept. 14, 2008. Big Z said that he was hoping that Lilly would get his no hitter the next day. When asked, he said that the Cubs fans had a impact on his remarkable night. Larry Rothchild was also on this panel to talk about that night. Larry said that he was the only guy who would talk to Carlos in the dugout when he hadn't given up a hit later in the game. Len Kasper, the host of the session, argued with a lady about whether or not Len should annoucne that Carlos had a no-hitter on the broadcast. The lady said it was bad luck. Len argued that he was paid to inform viewers who were just tuning in. Z said he's not superstitious. Carlos also talked about the thing he does in the dugout where he hits Fontenot on the head like he's the hammer, and Little Babe Ruth acts like the nail. Geovany Soto was scheduled to be there, but he could not make it to the convention. The "Making History" session was a great one. Carlos refused to sign any autographs afterwords.

No good Cubs sessions after 5:00 however, the only thing going on is the "Rock 'n Roll Revue from 8-midnight. Things wrap up tomorrow at about noon, I'll have the recap of Day 3 when I get back home. Really the only session tomorrow is the "Down On the Farm".

BTW: Milton Bradley gave Cubs fans a good first impression by signing tons of autos today.
I'll keep you posted.

Cubs Convention Day 1

Wow! The Cubs convention is amazing! Everywhere you look there's Cubs fans! Things got started at 5:00 with the opening ceremonies. Pat Hughes introduced the former Cubs first. Next they brought out the 2009 Chicago Cubs. The loudest cheers of the night were for Milton Bradley and, of course, Ron Santo. After the intro, they showed video highlights of the 2008 Chicago Cubs. Each of the former and current Cubs had a hat with them and they tossed them into the crowd.

Next up was the "autograph treasure hunt". They give you a map and you have to search the hotel for these spots where former Cubs are signing. I ended up getting Randy Hundley's autograph.

Next we went to the Sports Central show. I missed the first half, but did see David Kaplan talk to Reed Johnson, Ryan Dempster, Aaron Miles, and Ted Lilly. The guys told some good stories including the story about how Miles was being held hostage in Spring Training with Houston one year. Pat Hughes, Len Kasper, and Bob Brenly came on for the last half hour. Much to every one's disappointment, Ron Santo wasn't feeling well so he was resting in his room. I'll have a full recap of the Sports Central show sometime next week.

There are Cubs fans waiting all over the hotel hoping to get autographs. Just walking around we've seen Matt Sinatro, Mike Quade, Lester Strode, Jim Hendry, Fergie Jenkins, Bob Brenly, and Randy Wells.

I'll have a recap of a Day 2 tomorrow night.

I'm Headed for the Convention

Well, at the last minute I landed weekend passes for the Cubs Convention. Over the weekend I'll be blogging to tell you about it. I can't wait!

I'll have an update tonight when I get back to my hotel room.

Hall of Fame?

Well tomorrow is the day that we find out who will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this July. 3 notable Cubs are up for the Hall; Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, and Mark Grace. Here's my thoughts;

Dawson- The Hawks is a Hall of Famer. He should already be in and I am very confident that he is going to get in. He had a HOF carreer in the outfield.

Smith- He also should be in. However, I'm not as confident that he will be inducted this year as I am that Dawson will. Nothing would surprise me anymore with these voters.

Grace- I think that Gracey could be in the Hall someday down the road. However, there's not a very could chance that he'll be put in as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Cubs.com articles about Grace, Dawson, and Smith seeking the Hall of Fame.

Cubs bench coach Alan Trammell and former Cub Dan Plesac are also on the ballot.
The MLB Network and MLB.com will have live coverage of the announcement tomorrow afternoon.

The Cubs have announced the list of past and present Cubs that will attend the convention next weekend. Here it is:
Ernie Banks
Darwin Barney
Glen Beckert
Milton Bradley
Bob Brenly
Bill Buckner
Randy Bush
Jose Cardenal
Neal Cotts
Doug Dascenzo
Jody Davis
Ryan Dempster
Bobby Denier
Leon Durham
Oneri Fleita
Mike Fontenot
Joey Gathright
Doug Glanville
Kevin Gregg
Brandon Guyer
Rich Harden
Kevin Hart
Jim Hendry
Koyie Hill
Micah Hoffpauir
Pat Hughes
Randy Hundley
Fergie Jenkins
Reed Johnson
Len Kasper
Crane Kenney
Ted Lilly
Carlos Marmol
Sean Marshall
Aaron Miles
Keith Moreland
Dave Otto
Gerald Perry
Lou Piniella
Mike Quade
Rick Reuschel
Larry Rothchild
Jeff Samardzija
Ryne Sandberg
Scott Sanderson
Ron Santo
Matt Sinatro
Lee Smith
Alfonso Soriano
Geovany Soto
Tim Stoddard
Lester Strode
Ryan Theriot
Alan Trammell
Steve Trout
Randy Wells
Billy Williams
Carlso Zambrano

It should be a fun week.
I'll keep you posted.

Bring on the Convention, 2009 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule, Caravan Update

Happy Friday! The Cubs convention is only 1 week away! Finally, the off season is almost over. Harry Caray used to call the convention the unofficial Opening Day. WGN Radio has announced their coverage for the convention:

Friday Jan 16. 3-7: Steve Cochran will host live remote broadcast from Boulevard Room.
Saturday 4-6: David Kaplan hosts Sports Central at Convention (recorded on Fri. )
4-4:30- Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild join Kap
4:30-5- Jim Hendry and Crane Kenney
5-5:30- Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Reed Johnson, and Aaron Miles
5:30-6- Pat Hughes, Ron Santo, Len Kasper, and Bob Brenly

Segments that will be recorded for possible later broadcast and inclusion on the website:
"Meet Cubs Management" John Williams and Dave Eanet are joined by Lou Piniella, Jim Hendry, Randy Bush, and Crane Kenney
"Not for Women Only" Kathy and Judy are joined by Ryan Theriot, Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, Reed Johnson, and Aaron Miles.
"Game Day Experience" Nick Digilio and Cory Provus are joined by Mike Fontenot, Joey Gathright, Kevin Hart, Koyie Hill, and Ted Lilly
"The Clubhouse Entertainers" Steve Cochran is joined by Ryan Dempster, Lee Smith, Ron Santo, and Randy Hundley.

If you're stuck in the house and have nothing to do or just can't wait until next weeks convention to hear some Cubs talk here are links to audio from segments from past Cubs Conventions:

Sports Centrals with Kap and Waddle:
2000
2001 Part 1
2001 Part 2
2002: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2003: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2004: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2005: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2006: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2007: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
2008

Spike O'Dell's Yearly "Meet Cubs Management" Segment:
2002
2003
2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Kathy and Judy's Yearly "Not for Women Only Segment"

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

John Williams Hosts...

"Life in the Bigs" from 2000

"Pitchers Mound" from 2002

"Getting Started" from 2004

"27 Outs" from 2006

"So You Wanna be a Major Leaguer" from 2007

"A day in the life of a major league" from 2008

Steve Cochran hosts...

"The Skipper and his crew" from 2004

"Behind the Mic" from 2005

"Voices of the Cubs" from 2006

"Tales from the Bullpen" from 2007

"Storytelling with Cubs Legends" from 2008

There you have about 35 hours worth of past convention audio. That should keep you busy.

The Cubs have announced the list of players, coaches, broadcasters, and front office members that will be on the 2009 Cubs convention which is next Wednesday and Thursday.

Tour #1 features:

Lou Piniella (Mornings Only)

Bob Brenly (Wednesday Morning Only)

Jim Hendry (Thursday Only)

Len Kasper (Wednesday Only)

Dave Otto (Thursday Only)

Oneri Fleita (Wednesday Only)

Matt Sinatro

Lester Strode

Ivan DeJesus

Darwin Barney

Jeff Samardzija (Wednesday Afternoon Only)

Kevin Hart (Wednesday Morning Only)

Neal Cotts (Wednesday Only)

Micah Hoffpauir (Thursday Only)

Kevin Gregg (Thursday Only)

Felix Pie

Joey Gathright

Tour #2 features:

Randy Bush

Pat Hughes (Thursday Only)

Cory Provus (Wednesday Only)

Oneri Fleita (Thursday Only)

Larry Rothschild

Alan Trammell

Mike Quade

Gerald Perry (Thursday Only)

Brandon Guyer

Kevin Hart (except Wednesday morning)

Carlos Marmol

Kevin Gregg (Wednesday Only)

Jeff Samardzija (except Wednesday afternoon)

Sean Marshall.

And the Cubs have also announced the 2009 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule:

WGN Radio (11 Games):

Feb. 25 VS LAD

Feb. 26 VS Mil

March 4 VS CLE

March 6 VS LAD

March 14 VS LAA

March 16 VS Mil

March 20 VS SD

March 28 VS Col

April 4 VS NYY

WGN-TV (6 Games)

March 4 VS CWS

March 5 VS CWS

March 7 VS Mil

March 14 VS LAA

March 20 VS SD

March 27 VS CWS

CSN

March 22 VS Sea

March 30 VS KC

April 4 VS NYY

Well, That's it for now, I'll keep you posted