Alicia's House 2009 Part Two

One of the events I await each year is the trip to Chicago to be part of Alicia's House annual fundraiser. This year was very special to me because I had the opportunity to spend some quiet time with my long time friend, Dave Drason Burzynski. Dave is a manager in our profession and represented superstars like the Original Sheik, Malcolm Monroe and many others in the Motor City area.

A couple of years ago, he was the recipient of one of the biggest ribs I have pulled on someone yet when I had a friend "pull us over and proceed to let us think that we were going to jail for something we hadn't done." Poor Dave was a victim of Jack Pavlekovich and myself in a storyline we had planned for a couple of years. He was not very happy with us when he found out it was just a joke and proceeded to call us both adjectives and nouns that would make a drill sergeant blush at boot camp.

I have talked about Dave wanting to learn all about Cribbage, and I took the time to teach him a lot about the game but never really taught him ALL that I know. A good professor never teaches anybody everything, and that's why they keep their jobs.

Dave and I arrived at the La Quinta Hotel in Matteson, Illinois at around 3 in the afternoon after a beautiful trip from my home near Toledo, Ohio. Dave had traveled that morning from his home in Detroit for the golf outing. We were contacted by Juan Hernandez regarding the pre-banquet dinner slated for that evening at the Ballagio Restaurant in Chicago around 7 p.m.

With time on our side, we unpacked in our suites and met in mine for a "friendly" game of Cribbage. I was lucky to beat Dave in the initial round of games, gaining a "Skunk" on him. For those not familiar with the game, it is when you beat an opponent by 30 points in a 120-point game. Dave just sat there, and I know he had something up his sleeve by the way he was looking at me when I was gloating over my success. He dealt out the next hand and began a tirade of triumph over me and handed me my first "Double Skunk" in the 50-plus years I have been playing Cribbage. I got to the 60-point count on the board but could not get 61, which would have given me just a Skunk.

Then, to make matters even worse for me, he demanded that I raise his arm in victory and declare him the Best. I was accommodating to a point but never called him champ, instead inviting him to Las Vegas in 2010 to defend his honor in the Destroyer's Cribbage Tournament to be held at the Gold Coast during our 45th Annual CAC reunion.

As 6 p.m. rolled into view, we decided it would be good to break for the evening and head for 175th and Governors Highway to eat. At 6:30, we met, and, shortly after, we were at the Ballagio. The majestic façade of fine Italian marble and beautiful landscaping on the outside only made me want to enter this fine Chicago eatery even more. We were greeted by the doorman and whisked thru a column of vines and up a short set of steps to the Milan Ballroom, where we met with Juan and Stella Hernandez, the hosts of the evening. Introductions to old and new friends were abound as I went around the huge Marble Wet Bar.

I met people that I had only read about in prior years that had so much to do with getting donations and helping with building projects and people that helped out with distribution of Holiday items to the hungry and hard pressed victims of the economy. I then came face to face with a huge man that had come in from Boston the day before. He greeted me with a firm handshake and a hug and then raised his arms in the air like King Kong did and declared himself the biggest man in the room. It was Kevin "Butcher" Hughes, a multi-talented man that not only wrestled for a number of different promotions here in the states but also was a big name in Japan. He also was a color commentator for a major promotion in the East Coast.

Suddenly, I was spun around by what seemed like a hurricane force and came eye to chest with the biggest man in the building , bar none. It was Scott Schwartz, a 7-footer that had starred in “Ocean's 11-12-13” and many other movies. He was also a retired wrestler who learned his trade at the hands of Walter "Killer" Kowalski. We exchanged hellos, and then he handed me a package and told me this is for World Wide Bluegrass and their auction next year. It contained many pictures that he had autographed and DVD's also signed by him.

We had chatted on the phone about a month before, and he needed some stuff for a silent auction he was doing for Cancer research, and I sent him some items from my collection to help. It was then that I asked him if I could have one of the pictures to send to a good friend that is just 10 years old that is a huge fan of his. He asked me what the young lad’s name was and I simply said Dyllan.

We had a beautiful dinner around 8:30 and then were introduced to the owner of the restaurant and quietly said our good nights to everybody. In going back to the hotel, we got sidetracked by a detour and ended up about 10 miles away from where we were headed but soon, like the navigators we are, ended up back next to I-57 near Highway 30 and settled in for yet more games of Cribbage. I wasn't so easy on Dave now that I had gotten some good pasta and an Angus steak in my tummy. At around 1 a.m., I threw him out of my suite and proceeded to say hello to my feather filled pillow.

Around 8 a.m., I met with Kevin and Dave for a light breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, waffle and a couple of cups of coffee. We chatted with many guests of the hotel and invited them to the outing later that day in Crete, Illinois, just a few miles away. Dave nudged me and said that I had to have been the luckiest guy in the hotel to have beaten the "CHAMP" at Cribbage and challenged me to a rematch. Never being the guy to turn a threat into reality, I accepted, and we went to his suite to continue the games.

Most of the games were played with much thought about the cards with regard to how many points would come out of the play. We ended up about even for that session and left for the Lincolnshire Country Club at 11:30 to have lunch and meet with everybody involved with the tournament that day.

The first people that I spotted after entering the large oak doors were Paul Christy and Bunny Love. They were a husband / wife team that dominated the tri-state area of Indiana, Illinois and Michigan during the 50's thro the 70's. Next to come into view was Lee Roupas, sporting a sling on his left arm as a result of trying to do a bench press with 400 pounds on it. He had the biggest smile on his face and was rolling a case beside him with copies of his new book in it.

Next to come into view was Milt Pappas, a former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs who pitched a no-hitter on the last day they played at Wrigley Field. Milt is very well known for his work with different charity groups around the area, but mostly by his association with Alicia's House. He has been influential in getting a lot of items donated for the annual auction.

As I turned to get some food, there was BIG Scott Schwartz looking at me and handing me yet another package and told me to send this to OUR friend Dyllan. "Any friend of yours, is definitely a friend of mine, too," he said. We dined on some of the biggest grilled steak burgers with all the trimmings I had seen in a while, and we exchanged many stories of our travels on the road.

At 1:00, Dave and I mounted a golf cart and proceeded to do what we did best. We were selected to be the official greeting committee for the foursomes that were playing to help feed the hungry. Hole by hole, we went around the grounds and took pictures of the golfers and made sure they were having a great time.

As 4 p.m. came into view, we returned to the clubhouse, where we had a meet and greet scheduled with fans and friends. I was greeted by Glen Rylko and his wife, and they presented me with a huge package wrapped with brown paper. It was a family gift that they had acquired online. When I opened it, my eyes got as big as dinner plates as it was a poster from 1973 with a picture of myself and the Patriot on it from Hereford, Texas. I gave them both a big hug for their kindness and began to show off my new treasure to the rest of the folks at the front table.

In doing an autograph session, I meet a lot of people. New and old friends drop by and pay their respects to Juan and his work. Some come in from the general area, and then some come from far away to enjoy the brotherhood we share helping others. As I looked up, there was my friend Dan Roeglin from Minneapolis with his friend. They had driven down for the banquet and the silent auction. It had many items this year donated by sports giants and celebrities alike. All were one of a kind items that would be the crowning point in anyone's collection.

At 7 p.m., a prayer was led by Lee Roupas, and dinner was served, and we enjoyed a huge banquet table of surf and turf items with an abundant amount of salads and vegetables. The room normally designed for 150-175 guests was overflowing with over 200 this year as people came to help out Alicia's House. I was very impressed with the turnout and very happy for Juan and all the hard work he has put into the project. But, the job isn't done yet, and it still needs more.

With the dinner done, Juan took center stage and began to introduce the people at the front table. Starting at the far end of the table, one by one, we took the spotlight for just a moment again. We spoke of our dedication to Alicia's House and what it meant to us. The awards presentation ended with the Rose Rodgers Award and, finally, the George Gunderson Award, which was won by Milt Pappas. He received a standing ovation, much to the happiness of everyone in the room. Very humbly, he accepted the accolades and thanked everyone for their kindness.

An auction was held, and thousands of dollars went into the fund as a result of the fine donors of items. Everyone left the room with huge smiles on their faces as all had done their jobs well again for a wonderful cause that has so far distributed over a million pounds of food to thousands of families that needed it, not just wanted it. If you want to make a tax deductible donation, please go to www.aliciashouse.org

Thank you, Juan and Stella, for making this year another enjoyable one with my visit to Alicia's House. Thank you, Dave, for handing me the first "Double Skunk." Thank you, Butcher, for coming in from Boston. Thank you, Scott Schwartz, not only for the gifts you gave but the friendship that we share across the miles. Thank you to Glen and Dan for being there and your brotherhood. Most of all, thanks to Lincolnshire Gold Club for hosting this year’s event again and caring so much for others.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers