Declan Does Ditkas
Declan was in town this week to help me install WSE 2.6 (which went swimmingly by the way) and I thought that tonight we would go out for a good steak and some cigars. So I decided to go to Ditka’s Restaurant.
For those of you that don’t know, Mike Ditka was the coach of the Chicago Bears for many years, with the most famous being the 85-86 Super Bowl Champions. He’s always been a huge cigar smoker, and thus he has a very nice cigar friendly restaurant. Great steaks, great booze (Guiness on tap) and great cigars.
Well imagine my surprise when we walk in the front door, and there Da Coach is, standing next to the hostess talking to someone. Well, Declan was carrying my portable humidor and when we asked the hostess where the cigar lounge was (it’s upstairs) Ditka talked with us:
Ditka: What do you have there?
Declan: Cigars.
Ditka: What do you plan on doing with them?
Declan: Smoking them?
Ditka: Haven’t you heard that Chicago has a smoking ban?
By now I’m dying at the exchange. For one, Declan doesn’t really know HOW famous Mike Ditka is. Secondly, he didn’t know if Mike was being serious. Just then, da Coach got a big smile on his face and said:
Ditka: You guys light those up wherever you damn well please!
He slapped us on the shoulders and then headed into the bar. It was VERY cool. Our first time to Ditka’s and we got to meet the man! After we had a cigar and some drinks, Declan went downstairs to buy some of Ditka’s own cigars, and when he came back upstairs, he handed me a mini football. He had snagged it for me and had da Coach sign it.
"To John, Best Wishes, Mike Ditka H.O.F. 88"
A very cool gift! Thanks Dec. Anyway, a great way to spend a Thursday evening!!!
May 25, 2006 @ 11:00 pm
dude, that rocks. Next time invite me and Head along!!!
May 26, 2006 @ 7:21 am
“For those of you that don’t know, Mike Ditka…” Really now, who doesn’t know Mike Ditka? He’s arguably the most important figure of the 20th century. I think I heard once that a drop of his sweat can cure scurvy. Also, doesn’t have have the single highest IQ ever recorded? DITKA!!!
On a similar note, I was recently at the amazing Bob’s Steak and Chop House here in Dallas and who walks in? None other than the all time leading rusher in the NFL. Yes that would be the one and only Emmitt Smith. He sat about two tables over with his smoking hot wife. Pretty cool.
May 26, 2006 @ 11:07 am
Well, Declan being from Ireland didn’t know Mike, so I figured that I would throw that out there for the rest of the international contingent
I’m really dissapointed because I HAVE scurvy, and if I had only known….
May 31, 2006 @ 2:25 am
Well, him being Mike Ditka of ex-coach fame to the Chicago Bears means pretty much nothing to me… but, reading that, I actually thought you’d got yourselves kicked out or something more dramatic for a moment there
Glad it turned out to have a much happier ending than expected! 
(Just don’t try the same thing in Scotland if you’re ever across the pond. The smoking ban recently passed into law in March of this year means there are hefty fines to be paid should someone get caught smoking in a landlord’s pub… not worth it
Especially when you get a landlord taking the militant tactic of closing all serving of drinks until the offender stubs out, as some are doing…)
Cool story
June 2, 2006 @ 2:56 pm
I was a spotter for Ditka at a Redskins game many, many years ago. I noticed he was wearing some kind of symbolic lapel pin, so asked him what it was. He said it was to support an organization for battered women. Very cool of him indeed…
You should have asked him to join you for the cigar!