Fans beat heat to get players' autographs
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Brian Morris frantically waved his Chicago Bears helmet in the air, as No. 54 moved closer.
Squeezed between other clamoring fans at Aloha Stadium, his chances seemed slim.
But the die-hard Chicago fan didn't come all the way from Kunia to battle the relentless heat and overbearing crowd to miss meeting his hero, practicing on the field in preparation for the Pro Bowl Saturday.
And his patience — and persistence — paid off.
Bears inside linebacker Brian Urlacher made his way down the line of outstretched helmets and football jerseys to sign his name on Morris' helmet.
No doubt a thrill for Morris, who's been a Bears fan all his life.
Morris was one of about 200 people screaming, leaning, pushing, shoving their way to reach one of the NFC players — any NFC player — after a light practice at the stadium yesterday.
"I come to meet these people, to get autographs and to just be part of this," said Morris, 25, who has been to every Pro Bowl since moving to Hawai'i from Iowa five years ago.
The Pro Bowl hoopla kicked off last week with press conferences and luncheons, with announcements of stricter security procedures and roster changes.
Practice began yesterday for both conference teams. Teams are practicing at Aloha Stadium and the Ihilani Resort and Spa. Only practices at the stadium are open to the public.
Despite tighter security surrounding the Pro Bowl, those standards don't apply to practices. Fans are able to bring in bags (which will be subjected to inspection) and various team memorabilia for autographs, from baseball caps to Cheeseheads.
About 45 minutes after practice ended players still lingered around the stands, signing autographs and posing for photos with the stadium staff. Hawai'i's Olin Kreutz of the Bears was one of the last players to leave the field, patiently signing just about every program, every helmet, every jersey thrust at him.
Monserrat Rodriguez struggled to get two Pro Bowl helmets signed. By anyone.
"It doesn't matter," said the 28-year-old from Schofield, showing off the indecipherable signatures.
Though he's been to every Pro Bowl since getting transferred to Hawai'i four years ago, this was the first time he attended practice.
"I thought I would get a couple of autographs," he said, "but I got, like, 10."
He doesn't plan on selling the helmets. But he won't be satisfied until today when the AFC hits the turf.
"I gotta get someone from the Steelers," he said. "I gotta come back tomorrow."
RAMS
• Getting dolled up: The bobble-head doll craze has hit the Pro Bowl, too.
Some 500 dolls of St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner will be sold exclusively at the Topps NFL Experience at Fort DeRussy starting tomorrow. Local dealer Andy Pak will be selling the dolls, according to Bill Barron, vice president and general manager of NFL Creative Services.
The NFL did a similar promotion for the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl in New Orleans with Rams running back Marshall Faulk, who is from Louisiana.
"Andy Pak helped us pick the players in both cities," Barron said. "We made the picks last September and we didn't know any more then than we do now. We knew Marshall was from the area (New Orleans) and that Warner was popular over here."
Barron said the 500 Faulk dolls sold out by Saturday morning before the Super Bowl at $22 apiece. The Warner doll's price is $20, Barron said.
Barron said ticket holders of the $200 club seats for Saturday's Pro Bowl will receive a certificate to redeem at Volume Services concessions for a bobble-head doll of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia. Barron said 2,500 Garcia dolls, which won't be sold to the public, were made.
"We knew (Garcia) had an appeal," Barron said. "We knew the 49ers are popular over here."
The NFL Experience runs through Sunday at Fort DeRussy.
NOTES: Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent and Panthers tight end Wesley Walls will be guest speakers from noon to 1 today at the Hawai'i State Library. They will speak to students and be available to sign autographs and pose for pictures following the session, according to a state library press release.
