Just got back from Chicago and the Sun-Times Show, and our perspective on the venerable Chicago institution has shifted a bit if for no other reason than our table location did as well.

After years of being at the front entrance, we found our table moved to an island unto ourselves adjacent to the autograph pavilion. It’s really just an autograph area, but it sounds cooler to say pavilion.

Another change was that unlike previous years, our table was loaded with displayed items from our upcoming auction, so I couldn’t get around as much as I typically would, given the need for someone to be at our table at all times.

Our new location provided greater proximity to the autographing festivities, but as noted it was still difficult to get away and loiter much with the dignitaries. It was neat to see former Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon, who at 77 looks like he can still bring it.

It was also fun seeing so many legendary Packers, including Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Willie Davis, Boyd Dowler and Jerry Kramer. It is always interesting to see what the various prohibitions are that players have about autographs; several players won’t sign jerseys unless there are already a couple of signatures on it. I understand the underlying strategy, but it seems like a Catch 23 or so, assuming that a significant number of players adopt the idea.

Bobby Knight had restrictions about not signing any books by biographers Bob Hammel or Joan Mellen, and no Sports Illustrateds, either. Nothing specifically listed about chairs, but I think we can assume those would be verboten as well. I think it would be kinda fun to be a fly on the wall should somebody have the, uh, chutzpah, to actually step up in front of him with one in tow, but in the CIA-like security cocoon that engulfs autograph show guests, it’s not likely that anyone could ever get that far along.

A goodly number of the autograph signers fell within the Mounted Memories program called Rollback Prices, a grouping that included perhaps the best all-time signer, Brooks Robinson. He’s the same price as his 1960s National League counterpart, Ron Santo, who was also at the show and signing on both Saturday and Sunday.

I’ll have a bit more later as I talk about my relatively brief forays around the show floor.