While I've never been inclined to pursue that particular hobby, there have been a few occasions when I've found myself able to have some photos taken with "C" list greatness.
My earliest one is from 1973. During a family trip to Southern California we went to an LA Dodger game. It happened to be Camera Day on the field so before the game my little brother (left) and I got our pictures taken with such players as C-lister Dan Driessen of the Cincinnati Reds. All Stars Pete Rose and Johnny Bench wanted nothing to do with crowd mingling on that day.
Fast forward quite a few years to November of 2005 and we have one taken at Husky Stadium in Seattle at a tailgating party before, during and after the football game. We happened to have parked in the huge lot next to Steve Emtman and his buddies. Emtman is a legendary defensive tackle for the University of Washington and went to play in the NFL for a few years before injuries ended his career. He apparently had enough alcohol that day for me to talk him into staging a photo with me holding him in a headlock. I don't think he'd have been that friendly if he knew how many cans of Guinness I stole from his cooler on that day.
I'm fortunate to have a friend, Dave Nachmanoff, who is the touring guitarist for Al Stewart (known mostly for the 1970s hits "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages"). They played a show in Edmonds, WA a few years ago which was sponsored in part by travel guru Rick Steves. One of the entertainment highlights of my life was singing Al Stewart songs back stage with Al himself and Steves.
A couple of years ago, I seized the opportunity to meet Ken Levine at a book signing at Safeco Field in Seattle. Levine isn't a household name but I find him to be one of the sharpest and funniest people around. His resume includes winning Emmy Awards writing for shows such as M*A*S*H, Cheers and The Simpsons. He is also an accomplished Major League Baseball announcer, and in his spare time is a blogger - where he posts every single day without fail.
Two of my favorite encounters took place at a PBA tournament in Kirkland, WA in October of 2002. First, I'm so glad I was able to meet and chat with the great Dick Weber before he passed a way a few years later. Weber deserves to be called "great" not only because of what he accomplished on the bowling lanes, but because he was a class act all the way and was an amazing ambassador for the sport. I only wish that my eyes were open during the picture and that I didn't have that stupid pen in my pocket.
I had an opportunity to meet Walter Ray Williams, Jr. He's arguably the greatest bowler in history when you tally up all of the titles he's won both nationally and regionally. And at age 54 he's still tearing it up on the PBA Senior Tour.
So there you have it.
1 comment:
Love it! I remember the Rick Steves show. Al was awestruck with Rick's presence. It was pretty funny. I wish I had my camera with me that evening.
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