For the last 13 years, John Doyle, his brother Tim and their buddy Ray Clark have converged on the Chicago Hilton for the annual Cubs Convention. Their itinerary consists of: hawking for autographs, buying some old Vinelines and hopefully “getting some,” but the main highlight for these guys is smoking outside the hotel.
“Yeah, it’s cool meeting Marcos Mateo and all, but the best is talking smack and smoking outside with my bros,” explained John Doyle. “We usually go in for about ten minutes and then go out for a smoke and usually it’s cold as hell so it feels pretty good with all those sweaty dudes and smelly kids surrounding you.”
Back in 2001, Clark saw a girl in a Matt Stairs jersey and since then spends most of his time thinking he will run into her again.
“I know she comes here every year and figure she has to come through these doors. Three years ago I swear I saw her, but it ended up being a roomy guy, This is the year!”
The group has already figured they would go out for a smoke during Dale Sveum’s press conference.
“We have our usual spot in front of the third planter so when Sveum is talking everyone is going to get really bored and head outside and try to take our spot,” explained Tim Doyle.
Meanwhile, the Hilton has put into place a smoking ban within 200 feet of the doors this year. There is no word yet on whether the group knows about this.
