Jeff Hardy... disappoints.

Jeff Hardy and the rest of the WWE were in Portland yesterday (and today). Jeff was scheduled to sign autographs from noon to 2pm yesterday in Gresham, so we all played hooky and went to the city. We arrived 30 minutes or so before the signing was to start and stood patiently in line in 35 degree temperatures with 20 mile per hour wind gusts blowing Indy nearly off of his feet. At 5 minutes to 1, after waiting in line about an hour and a half, the doors were locked and we were told that because there were so many people he was going to quit signing early. Small children cried outside the door. We watched several Little boys in their Hardy gear, clutching their Jeff hardy action figures sobbing as their mothers dragged them away.

Indy didn't understand how his hero could not want to see him.

Anyhow, after the doors were locked the powers that be decided to let Jeff walk the crowd. Indy and the multitudes began shouting "Hardy Hardy Hardy". As Jeff began making his way toward us, we were pushed and shoved out of the way by several adults and even a few children and Indy wasn't even able to high five his favorite wrestler.

However, Indy was mostly all right when (in this crowd shot, Indy is in the red jacket and Jeff is the fellow with the purple hair)he realized he had come within 5 feet of Jeff. He saw Jeff and got to chant his name.

The wrestling match is scheduled for tonight (it starts about an hour from the time i write this). We couldn't afford to go. Life happens i guess, but it bothers me a lot that a fellow like Jeff hardy, who is an idol to tons and tons of little kids, quits early and just says, "sorry too many people want me". I know that he isn't a role model; i know that just because he is a celebrity he doesn't have an obligation to my child. But i didn't like being the one to explain to my three year old why Jeff Hardy didn't want to say hello to him. Indy didn't want an autograph to sell on eBay, he didn't want a lock of hair, or a commentary on the world. He just wanted the chance to tell his hero how much he was loved by one small boy, how much he was admired for his high flying flips and daring-wrestling-do.

The thing about little fans like Indy, he doesn't care if Jeff isn't the champion anymore. He gets mad on Jeff's behalf when Matt smacks Jeff with a chair. The little fan is in the backyard, leaping off the trampoline shouting "Look at me mom, I'm Jeff Hardy". The little fan is at toys-r-us saying, "no mom, i only want a Jeff Hardy one, i don't like the other guys, they stink!" The little fan says Brian Kendrick is a "darn dirty cheater", because no way he could have beat Jeff without cheating. The little fan has a Jeff Hardy poster over his bed, because Jeff Hardy watches over him while he sleeps and doesn't let the monsters or nightmares get in (Indy says Jeff Hardy beats them up).

I guess , bottom line, is that i don't like that Jeff made Indy feel not important enough. When Indy asked, with tears in his eyes, why Jeff didn't want to see him, we told Indy that Jeff really wanted to see him, but there were so many other people that Jeff just couldn't. We told Indy we were SURE that had Jeff realized Indy was there, he would have made that effort for him, that even Jeff Hardy knows how special Indiana is. We told Indy that it was mommy's fault because she didn't get to the place at 5 am, like the folks in the front of the line. So, Jeff's still a hero and mommy is the bad guy.

that sucks. thanks, Jeff.