The 2014 Cubs Convention commences in less than 48 hours and I bet I can guess what the main storyline will be. Did you see the cover of yesterday’s Chicago Sun-Times? Yes, Clark is the talk of the town. Mascot news has now been upgraded from sidebars and blog posts to A block content and front page stories. Hey, all Clark ever did was exist and visit sick kids. And yet you horrible people attacked him anyway. Clark is geared for children; young children. So leave him alone!
The 2014 Cubs Convention will be Jan. 17-19, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. The 29th Annual Convention will feature more than 100 photo and autograph opportunities during the three-day event. New Cubs Manager Rick Renteria will be the upcoming main attraction. After Clark.
And there’s all the prospects. The Cubs cadre of super-prospects will meet the public with a theme of everyone being the same, equal, a collective, team concept.
The 2014 Cubs Convention Opening Ceremony will be Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m., featuring player introductions on a red carpet runway that will provide special VIP access to children 16-and-under. Following the Opening Ceremony, guests will find some of their favorite Cubs and young prospects throughout the hotel for an exciting Autograph Hunt Game. Players and broadcasters will join The David Kaplan Show on WGN Radio for interviews after Opening Ceremony. This will follow Kaplan doing his television show on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Saturday’s program continues with fan favorites such as the return of Cubs Family Feud and Cubs Jeopardy, which will feature unique trivia based on Wrigley Field’s 100 years of history and the addition of fan guests on each team.
Additional weekend Cubs Convention sessions include: The Ricketts Family Forum, Meet Cubs Baseball Management, Scouting and Player Development, Rookie Development Group, For Kids Only Press Conference presented by Advocate Health Care, 30-Year Anniversary: 1984 Team, WGN Radio Sports Central, Meet Cubs Business Management and Down on the Farm.
And maybe Clark looks a lot like Poochy from The Simpsons, and really looks like an exact replica of Cloudkicker from the Disney cartoon series “Tailspin,” but that doesn’t mean he should be attacked. Leave him be! Enjoy the 2014 Cubs Convention by focusing on all the other stories.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments discussing: Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Bears and Bulls on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)