A New Diversion

As our eight-day, five-state voyage rolled into Canton, Ohio, on Sunday, we had but two priorities:

1.) Watch the Chicago Bears at Damon's preferably while munching ribs and playing NTN.Com's QB1.

2.) Visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame to pay reverent homage to the great Bears enshrined within.

Payton At The Hall

Actually, looking at the entire odyssey, there were just two MUST objectives, in addition to all of the visiting: The now-documented pilgrimage to the Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, on the way to New York and the Damon's excursion on the return.

We arrived Sunday at 11:30 a.m. EST in Canton at our first destination, the downtown Marriott McKinley Grand Hotel, where we had Pricelined a room for $50. Now, I was originally not happy with Priceline.com because I was seeking one of the 2 or 2-and-a-half star hotels nearer the Hall of Fame and Damon's but was greeted with the "good news" that my bid was "upgraded" to a 3-star venue.

Uhm, but I didn't want to be downtown, I wanted to be near my destination, I complained when I called Priceline. A guy there uttered that he had never had anyone complain about an upgrade before. Priceline deals are final he said as he essentially hung up on me to laugh with his coworkers about this nut who got a $129 room for $50 AND called to bitch...

We settled into our room and at about noon - with an hour to spare before kickoff. I called over to Damon's to make sure they were getting the Bears-Buccaneers game. I was a little surprised that the phone rang at the other end so long... 11...12...13...

"Good, uhm, morning. Damon's," a voice said from the other end, clearly unaware it was no longer morning.

"Hi, can you give me directions? We're downtown at the Marriott and we're coming over to watch the Bears game."

"Uhm, yeah, well, sorry but we are closed. We had a water pump break and we won't be able to open."

Now, of course, I am waiting for the joke to end. I mean, pro football fans and rib-lovers arrive by the busloads to Damon's and I am sure this is just a funny joke the manager tells every time he answers the phone...

I wait another beat.

Seriously, after the mess at the Thurber House, what are the odds that we could pick two places on a map that would have completely independent crises upon our arrival?

"You ARE kidding, right?"

"Uhm, no, sorry. There is no way we can open today. There are some other sports bars near us if you would like I could give you some directions..."

Other? Please...

So, I bid the submerging manager farewell and called the Marriott front desk. They assured me they had a sports bar and it was named, appropriately, "Thorpe's Lounge."

That was good enough for us. We headed downstairs to find a nice bar with one older, roughly 40-inch television and we commandeered the corner closest to the TV. We were the only patrons and the FOX pre-game show was under way and they were gushing about the Bears season so far (although lame Frank Caliendo picked the Bucs to win).

"Now, you are going to have to let us switch over to check on Cleveland once in a while," warned the bartender. "You're in Browns country."

I was in my Urlacher jersey. I just sneered at her: "We'll see. Right now, only Bears fans are here."

It turned out to be a delightful afternoon. The Marriott ribs were tasty. We had great seats and the run of the joint. No one asked to see the Browns after the Vikings began waxing the floor with them. Brother Eric called to share his excitement during as the Bears took the lead. I called and jeered my Florida parents who, sadly, converted from respectable Bears fans to Buccaneer backers when they headed south full-time in 1998. It is the shame of the family.

After the Bears' first touchdown, I called them and feigned confusion as if I was still traveling on the road...

"Any update on the game?" My Dad was not amused and suggested, instead, I make sure I view Carnell "Cadillac" Williams' shoes when I visit the hall the following day. I shot a picture of them (put on display after he broke the single-game rookie rushing record earlier this season) with my cell phone and emailed him just to prove I was a good sport. That was the only Buccaneer artifact in the hall, as far as I could tell.

We spent a few hours at the hall Monday and left Canton elated at our experiences. The Marriott staff was wonderful, the bar was terrific, the room was great and the hall is such a treat for football fanatics. I could watch those old NFL films all day. We grabbed some souvenirs and then headed toward the open turnpike.

Next stop: Home!

More later,


Mark