Adam Thielen - Minnesota Vikings

1) Adam Thielen #19 is a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings who compete in the NFC North division of the National Football League.

2) Thielen played college football at Minnesota State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. 

3) In his 4th season on the Vikings 53-man roster, Adam became the first Vikings receiver to have a 1,000 yard receiving season since Sidney Rice in 2009. His impressive 2017 season also earned Adam his first Pro Bowl invitation.

D: What's your favorite fruit and veggie?

Adam Thielen: I like oranges and I like cucumbers.

D's Follow Up: I like oranges but not cucumbers. I like big oranges, cuties, halos, mandarin oranges, and orange juice. I tried cucumbers once and didn't like them. 


J: Who's the best quarterback you've ever played against?

Adam Thielen: Well, I've played against Tom Brady. He's pretty good.

J's Follow Up: I really said cornerback but he misheard me. I can still talk about Tom Brady though. It's not a surprise to me that he picked Tom Brady because Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T. and has won 5 Super Bowls and played in 8 of them.

Photo Credit Phelen M Ebenhack / Associated Press

Dom: Who's your best friend on the team?

Adam Thielen: Man, I've got a lot of best friends. Everybody.

Dom: If you had to pick one, who would it be?

Adam Thielen: Well, Cordarralle Patterson was my closest friend but he's not on the team anymore. So probably (Stefon) Diggs.

D's Follow Up: I know Cordarralle Patterson was on the Vikings then the Raiders and now the Patriots. I thought Stefon Diggs was really nice because he smiled a lot and was happy. I would like to be his friend too.

J's Follow Up: Stefon Diggs really wanted to talk to us and was interested in what we had to say. He seems like a fun friend to have.

Photo credit Hannah Foslien/ Getty Images

We met another Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver, Adam Thielen, at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on March 18th. We are very familiar with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and their Vikings teammates as they play our Chicago Bears and Danny's Packers twice each season. Adam's 2017 season was his best one yet as he posted 91 receptions for 1,276 yards and 4 touchdowns and earned a starting spot in the Pro Bowl along side Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. 

The boys and I found out quickly that Adam Thielen is just as impressive off the field as he is on the field. As we waited in line to meet Adam, the boys and I were talking about how well he catches the ball. When we arrived to the front, Danny asked for a "good luck" handshake, hoping that some of Adam's catching ability would rub off on him. Adam happily obliged and Jordan and Dom both got "good luck" handshakes too and let them know he was excited to meet them. Adam was also happy to take the time to answer each question, even the hard hitting one about his best friend on the Vikings. 

We are big fans of Adam Thielen, especially when he's not going up against our Bears or Packers teams. It was a great opportunity for us to meet one of the two top receivers in the NFC throughout the 2017 NFL season. We look forward to watching Adam and his Vikings in September and we hope he can have another Pro Bowl caliber season in 2018!

Stefon Diggs - Minnesota Vikings

1) Stefon Diggs #14 is a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings who compete in the NFC North division of the National Football League. 

2) Diggs attended the University of Maryland and was a fifth round draft choice (146th overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft. He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season.

3) Stefon Diggs has been one of the top receivers in the NFC throughout his first three NFL seasons, posting regular season totals of 200 receptions, 2,472 receiving yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns. Diggs is most known for his game winning reception dubbed the Minnesota Miracle , where he caught a 61-yard pass from QB Case Keenum that sent the Vikings to the NFC Championship game.

D: Who's your favorite team to go against?

Stefon Diggs: Green Bay. It's always fun.

D's Follow Up: In my opinion Green Bay is the best BRO! Maybe the Vikings were better this year but next year the Packers will be better.

Photo credit Jamie Squire/Getty Images

J: We saw you were just at Mall of America for Nickelodeon Universe's 10 year anniversary celebration. What's your favorite ride at MOA?

Stefon Diggs: Oh, I didn't get on any rides this time but I may do them next time. I don't ride too many roller coasters. I have been on one of the roller coasters. It was an orange one. (Pepsi Orange Streak?) It goes really high and goes straight down. You guys can go on it with me next time though. (Um, yes please!)

Photo credit NickelodeonUniverse.com

J's Follow Up: Rides and roller coasters are awesome. My favorite ride at Mall of America is Brain Surge. My all time favorite roller coasters are Raging Bull and Goliath at Great America and Maverick and Rougarou from Cedar Point. 


Dom: Who was your favorite NFL player growing up?

Stefon Diggs: That's an interesting question. Probably Michael Vick. He was pretty good.

Photo credit Getty Images

Dom's Follow Up: I think Michael Vick was a very good QB because he was fast and had a powerful arm. My favorite player is a tie between Jordan Howard and Mitch Trubisky.

We were fortunate to meet Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on March 18th. As huge fans of the NFL and fans of other teams in the NFC (Bears and Packers), we are very familiar with Stefon Diggs and his Vikings teammates. We watched the Vikings all season long as they finished tied for the best record in the NFC in 2017 with 13 wins and 3 losses. The Vikings defense was the top ranked defense in the NFL and the Vikings boasted one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league with Stefon and Adam Thielen. It was a tremendous season for the Vikings and with the addition of Kirk Cousins at quarterback and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings are sure to be the NFC North favorites in 2018 and a popular pick to win the Super Bowl.

Stefon Diggs is a tremendous player on the field and we quickly found out he is just as great off of the field. He took his time answering the boys' questions and Stefon and the boys were all smiles during their time together. We saw on Twitter that Stefon was meeting with fans at the Mall of America for hours at the Nickelodeon Universe 10th Anniversary celebration the night before, so we are very thankful that he made it to Chicago on short notice to sign for his fans in the area. We were already big fans of his play on the field before we met him in person but we all left the Chicago Sports Spectacular even bigger fans of the superstar Minnesota Vikings wide receiver. We'll be cheering Stefon on when he's not playing our Bears or Danny's Packers...and we are planning a trip to the Mall of America this summer and we'll be riding everything at Nickelodeon Universe and we'll certainly take Stefon up on his offer to ride with him if he's in town!

The New Day - WWE

1) WWE wrestlers Big E, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston make up the pro wrestling stable known as The New Day and perform on WWE's SmackDown Brand.

2) The New Day holds the WWE record for the longest Tag Team Championship reign as they held the titles for 483 consecutive days spanning from April 26th, 2015 to December 18th, 2017, breaking the previous 28 year-old-record held by Demolition.

3) The New Day competes under the Freebird Rule when Tag Team Champions, which allows any two of the three members to defend the title on any given night. Their finishing moves include The Midnight Hour and the UpUpDownDown. 

Getty Images

D: Who was your favorite wrestler growing up?

Big E: Goldberg
Xavier Woods: (The boys believe he said either Sting or Scorpion but are not exactly sure?)
Kofi: Shawn Michaels

D's Follow Up: I like Goldberg too because he was a heavyweight champion and beat Brock Lesnar. I do like Sting because of the scorpions on his outfit and he was a champion too. I like Shawn Michaels because of his music and he used to fly high like Kofi. My favorite wrestler is Andre the Giant because he was so huge and nobody would want to fight him. 

J: What sports did you play growing up?

Big E: Wrestling and football. For sure I know we all did wrestling.
Kofi: I know we all wrestled and we also played football too.

J's Follow Up: It is not a surprise that they all wrestled and they all played football. I play flag football but wrestling is not my favorite. But I like WWE.


Chad to Kofi (from friend Logan): When are you going to win the Royal Rumble? We think you're ready and one of the best to compete in the Rumble.

Kofi: Thanks, I appreciate it. Hopefully soon, right?

Chad's Follow Up:  Kofi has been one of the greatest Royal Rumble competitors of all time in my opinion and I don't believe he's come close to winning the event. Kofi is known for his historic Royal Rumble Saves that are simply jaw dropping. I hope that one day Kofi will be one of the last men standing in the Rumble because he has certainly earned his shot and is one of WWE's top stars. 




D to Kofi: I like it when you do the Midnight Hour (finishing move)!

Kofi: Thank you! I like it too.

The New Day is one of our favorite WWE tag teams of all time and one of the WWE Universe's most popular tag teams ever. They are also the most entertaining, just take a look a their entrance. With that said, we knew we wanted to take advantage of a rare opportunity to meet all three members of The New Day as they were the celebrity showcase superstars at the Autorama World of Wheels show in Rosemont. Although, we were in line an hour and a half ahead of their scheduled signing time, we ended up waiting over 3 hours to meet the former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions and we all agree it was worth every second. 

While standing in line for over three hours, we got to meet so many people who love wrestling as much as we do. Making new friends and talking with people who have the same passion for the WWE or sports as we do is one my favorite parts of going to these events with Jordan and Danny. 

The boys have been bringing their beloved Money in the Bank briefcases with them to get signed at each event and they become a big topic while standing in line, especially since they have collected over 30+ signatures to date and counting (The New Day, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Carmella and more). Many people in line wanted to hold their briefcases and two young boys wanted to take pictures with the MITB briefcases and have dreams that they will one day cash in and become WWE champion too!

When we finally made it to meet Big E, Xavier, and Kofi, they were as awesome and fun as expected and they took the time to shake hands and talk to each of us and answer questions. This was the case for every single person in line and although it made the line go slower, everyone left with a special experience with The New Day. 

Known for their fun loving antics and positivity, The New Day bring the party with them wherever they go and this time it happened to be at the Rosemont Convention Center. We are thankful that Autorama World of Wheels brought in The New Day and we are thankful to Big E, Xavier, and Kofi for giving us an experience we won't soon forget.

The Miz - WWE

1) The Miz is currently the most must see superstar in World Wrestling Entertainment and has been wrestling on the WWE main roster since April of 2006. 

2) One of seventeen Grand Slam Champions in WWE history, The Miz has won the WWE Championship (1 time), Intercontinental Championship (8 times and is current champion), United States Championship (2 times), Tag Team Champion (6 times) and also won the 2010 Money in the Bank ladder match.

3) The Miz is married to former WWE wrestler Maryse who also manages The Miz on WWE RAW. They call themselves the "It couple" and are expecting their first child in April.

D: What are you most excited about as you become a new dad soon?

The Miz: I am most excited to meet her and I hope to set a good example for her.

D's Follow Up: I think it would be cool for Miz to teach her tricks like how to walk and talk and jump and be a good example for her. 

Photo Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

J: Who was your favorite wrestler growing up?

The Miz: The Ultimate Warrior

J's Follow Up: The Ultimate Warrior is aaaawwwwweeessssoooommmeeee and I've watched a lot of his matches too. Some of my favorite wrestlers are R-Truth, The Miz, and Bo Dallas.

The Miz: Mitchell Trubisky, yeah? (referring to Jordan's hat with #10 and Mitchell's signature stitched in)

Jordan: Yep.

Dad: We know you're a Browns fan, what do you think of Deshone Kizer? Is he the answer?

The Miz: He needs about 4 years of experience.

The boys and I headed north from Chicagoland to Milwaukee (West Allis) to meet one of our favorite WWE superstars, The Miz, at the Cricket Wireless store for a special meet and greet before WWE RAW. The Miz is the most must see WWE superstar today and he didn't disappoint as he met with hundreds of WWE fans. Thankfully, Danny won three skip the line passes for us as he battled another boy in a rock, paper, scissors showdown and saved us at least an hour of waiting in the freezing temperatures of Wisconsin. 

The Miz has all of the personality and charisma that he displays on TV every Monday night and he truly was AWESOME. I've been watching The Miz from his days on The Real World, The Challenge on MTV and now his rise to the greatest Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. The Miz truly is must see TV.

The Miz was excited to meet J and D and was happy to answer their questions and sign their Money in the Bank briefcases and photo. Jordan had the opportunity to wear The Miz's real Intercontinental Championship belt and he said it weighed more than his own brother. When you have the opportunity to wear The Miz's belt just hours before he walks down the aisle with it in front of thousands in the arena and millions at home, you take advantage of it! For one day, the three of us were part of The Miztourage and it was a day we'll never forget. 

Robbie Gould - San Francisco 49ers

1) Robbie Gould is a placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers who also played for the New York Giants (2016) and Chicago Bears (2005-2015).

2) Gould is the all-time leading scorer for the Chicago Bears with 1,207 career points and the career leader in field goals made with 276.

3) When he's not competing on the football field, Robbie can be found on the golf course. Robbie is an avid golfer who has played multiple celebrity golf tour events including the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament and the Ace Hardware shootout among others. Robbie also hosts annual celebrity fundraising golf outings for his Goulden Touch foundation and raised over $1.7 million in 2016 and 2017 alone for the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

D: Do you have a favorite pregame meal?

RG: Morning meal- eggs, hash browns, fruit, and the key to the morning meal waffle with butter and syrup. Night game will be steak, salad, sweet potatoes, and fruit.

 

D's Follow Up: I like all of Robbie's morning foods like eggs, fruit, hash browns and I like my waffle with syrup but no butter. Steak is one of my favorite foods and I love fruit. I don't eat salad or sweet potatoes. They both seem like healthy meals before a game.


J (asked by Mom): I'm always encouraging my two sons (7 and 10) to read. Do you have a favorite children's book? (From your childhood or now.)

RG: Spoon is a great one to read. It's for smaller kids but has a great story.

Mom's Follow Up: Mom's Follow Up: I read a lot of children's literature so I'm familiar with Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and it's such a sweet book about a spoon who wants to be like everyone else until he realizes he should be proud of who he is. I love so many of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's books but I would have to say that I Wish You More is my favorite of hers. You might recognize Amy Krouse Rosenthal from her piece in the New York Times called You May Want to Marry My Husband or you might know her children's or adult books. Sadly, Amy passed away in March of 2017. Luckily, she shared so much joy and love and magic with the world before she left. Because we live near Chicago, where Amy lived, I was able to visit AKR: A Beauty Salon at Carrie Secrist Gallery, an exhibit that celebrated Amy's life. It was an amazing place that helped me slow down and appreciate all that is beautiful about life. I blogged about my experience if you'd like to see and hear more about it.

Photo credit John J. Kim/ Chicago Tribune

Robbie has always been a family favorite during his time here in Chicago. We were devastated when Robbie was released in September of 2016 and eventually moved on to the New York Giants and now the San Francisco 49ers. Robbie was an amazingly consistent player for the Bears year after year. When the team would put themselves in field goal position, we assumed the kick would be good and 86.9% of the time we were right. Now the San Francisco 49ers fans get to experience what it's like to have a kicker who is automatic.

I can recall us meeting Robbie Gould on three separate occasions during his tenure in Chicago. The first was a signing in 2005 at the US Cellular store in Gurnee during his rookie season, the second was at a credit union in Waukegan the following season and finally Jordan and I took a special trip to Halas Hall for a Chicago Bears All Access radio show in November of 2014. Robbie was always approachable and excited to meet with us and other Bears fans. While we miss Robbie in the navy and orange here in Chicago, he is on a team that is on the rise in the San Francisco 49ers with their new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Robbie looks like he won't be hanging up his cleats any time soon after he connected on an amazing 39 out of 41 field goal attempts in 2017.

We will continue to cheer Robbie on as he continues to kick his way into the NFL record books. We are thankful for our opportunities to meet Robbie in his time here in Chicago and we were excited for him to answer our questions during his #askrobbie segment on Twitter.

Nathan Vasher - Chicago Bears Alumni

1) Nathan Vasher is a former NFL player who played his first six seasons with the Chicago Bears and spent the next season as part of the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions.

2) Vasher led the NFL in interceptions (8) in 2005 and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl.  

3) Nathan set the NFL record for longest return of any kind in 2005 when he returned a Joe Nedney missed field goal for 108 yard touchdown.

Photo Credit: Getty Images Steve Franz

D (asked by Dad): What was your favorite healthy pregame meal?

NV: I’m big on pasta and I used to eat it before games back in high school. I liked to eat chicken and shrimp too but I definitely didn't want to eat too much before the game.

D's Follow Up: I like noodles like Nathan too. I like my noodles buttered with parmesan. I don't like the sauce. 
I like chicken nuggets and what my dad gives me. I've tried shrimp only once and I didn't like it. I guess they are good foods before a game because he said so.


J (asked by Dad): Did you play any other sports while growing up?

NV: I was a multi-sport athlete growing up. I played soccer until I was 14 and I also played baseball, basketball and track and field while in high school.

J's Follow Up: I play soccer and basketball too. I bet he was good at both because he was such a good football player. I hope to play basketball and soccer in high school like Nathan. 

The boys and I were gifted four amazing seats to the Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions on November 19th from a parent at school and I was also invited to the game by my friend Steve. We took the opportunity to invite Gramma and Papa to their first Bears game and enjoy the nice seats from the United Club with the boys while Steve and I would brave the cold and sit in the 300 level. Unfortunately, their seats were located on the other side of the stadium and they didn't get the opportunity to meet Nathan Vashar before the game, so Steve and I asked the boys' questions for them.

Nathan was an important part of the Bears team that made it to Super Bowl 41. I had the opportunity meet him the season before in 2005 after he set the NFL record with a 108 yard return touchdown. Known as Nate Vash and "The Interceptor", I was a big fan of watching Nathan Vasher play on the Bears dominant defense throughout his six seasons in Chicago. He was a player who always seemed to be around the ball and make a big play if it was in his area. 

It was nice seeing Nathan before the game and he is another former Chicago Bear who decided to stay in the area after his playing days were done. Nathan is now a defensive backs coach for Trinity International University in Bannockburn and continues to do alumni player appearances for the Chicago Bears. Thank you Nathan for taking the time to meet with us in November!