Sept. 17--The Fire's Harry Shipp had a few ideas for how he wanted to approach his walk down the runway Wednesday at the team's third annual Soccer Style fashion show at Roof at the Wit Hotel. They all went out the window, however, once he stepped on the catwalk.
"Honestly, you get to the front of the stage and have plans in your head and then your mind goes blank and all you're thinking is 'Don't trip off the stage and fall into all these people,'" said Shipp at the Chicago Fire Foundation benefit, which raised over $10,000 and featured outfits from Threadless and Banana Republic. " I kind of blacked out for the 30 seconds I was walking. I can play soccer in front of I don't know how many people, but walking made me nervous."
Teammate Sean Johnson -- a fashion aficionado -- could relate.
"We were messing around and practicing what we were going to do at the end of the runway an hour before the show," said Johnson. "I got up there and forgot all about it. I just let it flow."
Johnson struck a cat pose at one point on the runway with both hands up in the air like claws, which was a reference to the loud cat t-shirt from Threadless he was wearing. Did I mention the cat was shooting red lasers from its eyes?
"I'm a cat man," Johnson said. "I have two cats. As soon as I saw this shirt on the website, I was game. I wanted something that popped out."
In addition to Shipp and Johnson, the fashion show featured Fire players Jason Johnson, Eric Gehrig, Chris Ritter, Greg Cochrane, Matt Watson, Lovel Palmer, Matt Polster and Michael Stephens. Who was the most excited Fire player at the fashion show?
"Greg Cochrane, for sure," Shipp said. "He loved it last year. He's been 365 days until doing it again."
On the record: "I saw one episode of 'Ballers,' and I haven't watched the rest of them. I didn't put too much stock in it because they're trying to make it as entertaining as possible, and it's over the top I guess because they have to get viewers. I understand why they do that, but at the same time, it's kind of funny to me." -- The Bears' Matt Forte, via uproxx.com
"I am thrilled to have won, and the money will help a lot, of course. But I'm an extremely competitive person, and I wanted to win in the worst way." -- Aurora resident and FedEx ground senior manager Justin Shibilski, who won the $50,000 grand prize on Crackle's "Sports Jeapordy," via press release
By the numbers: $125. Cost of a VIP package that includes a selfie with Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald before a home game and a football signed by Fitzgerald.
70. Age former Bulls coach Phil Jackson turned Thursday. Happy birthday, Zen Master.
$2.875 million. Price the Bulls' Joakim Noah sold his seven-bedroom Lincoln Park mansion for on Monday.
Heads up: Cubs' manager Joe Maddon will host a champagne reception Sept. 25 at Binny's-Lincoln Park. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Illinois. ... NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will appear Thursday at Studio Xfinity retail store.
Sightings: The Bulls' Derrick Rose dined Sept. 9 at RPM Steak, Saturday at Chicago Cut Steakhouse and Wednesday at Del Frisco's. ... Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers and former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had dinner Wednesday at Chicago Cut. ... Bears coach John Fox dined Sunday at RPM Steak. ... The Philadelphia 76ers' Jahlil Okafor dined Saturday at RPM Steak before hitting Studio Paris. ... The Blackhawks' Corey Crawford was spotted Sept. 10 at Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash and Bull and Bear. ... Fellow Blackhawk Andrew Shaw played games Friday and Saturday at For The Win arcade. ... The Bears' Charles Leno opted to play games Monday at Headquarters Beercade-River North. ... The Bears' Kyle Long had dinner Monday at Chicago Cut. The White Sox's Chris Sales had lunch Sept. 10 at Weber Grill-Chicago. ... Teammate Carlos Rodon dined Sept. 10 at RPM Italian.
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