Ya I know this is totally random but this is the off-season lol, I work at Party City in Sunrise, FL and his wife came in to rent a helium tank. When she finished with here purchase he came in and took the tank out, but what's interesting is the fact that I had already met him a few years before at a mall lol. Anyway he is the typical athlete that doesn't talk much and tries to stay away from people noticing him, other than that he seems like a pretty cool dude.
The closest I ever came to that was to sit right next to Mike McCoy back in the eighties before I went to seminary. He was part of a program for the church, and everyone knew that I was a football fanatic, so I had time to talk with him and introduce him to the congregation. At that time, I weighed about 225 and was in shape (More or less) and one of the church wags said something about hoping the chancel furniture was up to the test.
funny story, not dolphins related, but relevant: was sitting in an airport terminal, and realize that Russel Westbrook (of UCLA and Oklahoma Thunder fame) is sitting next to me. Two girls walk over, start flirting, he bites and flirts back, then they drop the fact that they already knew him and ask if he remembers their names, because he partied with them a night or two before that (and presumably did more)... ...He did not remember. They got upset. He invited them to another party. They were happy. oh, athletes, how wonderful
Oh is this the "I met a famous sports figure" thread? Lol So, I was at the rapids water park in Palm Beach in about '99. I come off a slide and am walking away while looking at the slide behind me looking for a friend of mine when I almost walk into a guy in and ABC sports hat. I look up and think holly crap, Joe Namath, which apparently also came out of my mouth. He nods and says hi, and I just walked away shaking my head embarrassed that I almost ran right into him.
LOL @ the rapids that place still there? I used to go to that place all the time in summer when I visited my Grandparents right there near the airport. This was back in the late 70's early 80's...
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but... I saw Junior Seau at a restaurant here in Nashville about a week or so before he took his life. The memory is a bit unsettling, really.
On a much more positive note, I met and hung out a bit with Orande Gadsden after the Titans game in Miami last season. Nice guy! His kid was playing around with a football in the parking lot with some other kids his own age... um... I'll just say that there might be another Gadsden in the NFL some day.
I sat at the same table with Yeremiah Bell at Japan Inn years ago. It was before he became a starter I believe. And he was on crutches at the time.
I ran into Channing Crowder at Broward Mall (I refuse to call it Westfield Broward). He is pretty chill dude.
I met Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team in '63 when I was 11. does that count? The sad part of my story is the HOFer signed a baseball for me and I had the stupidity to play baseball with it, how would I know at 11 the thing would be worth a lot of money now?
I once met George Karl. It was about 3 years after he was coach of the Sonics. He obviously wanted to be recognized because he was at the mall with two teenagers. My guess is they were his sons or grandsons or nephews. All three were wearing Milwaukee Bucks hats, the team he was coaching at the time. I went up to him and shook his hand. Fun memory.
I remember going to watch a Pistons game at the palace some time ago. I met then Ron Artest and a few of his buddies. Even went up into the stand to extend a fist bump. Or so I thought. He ended up choking the guy sitting next to me.
I saw Rick Berry and Nate Thurmond in a book store in the Portland airport in 1974. Or was it '75 or '76? Not sure anymore which year it was.
Ronnie Brown, Channing and Randy McMichael used to come into my restaurant I food ran at often, got a few signed footballs and Ronnie was a great guy. They also had a throwing competition in the parking lot and Ronnie threw a football and hit a stop sign from like 50 feet away on the first try and won some cash lol. But one night just Randy, his wife and kid came in the night before we played the pats and after they were finished I helped him take all his to-go food out to his car and while I was walking away he called out for me and then gave me a 50 dollar tip. Right after I said "thank you, you guys are gonna beat them patriots", and he replied "that's the game plan". lol I was ecstatic after that, and we did win. Marino came in a few times as well, but he wasn't very friendly.
When Hurricane Katrina came through Miami in 05, my family and I checked into the Hotel Mutiny, thinking it had a generator and would retain power. Turned out the emergency power didn't power the A/C, but it did power the lights and elevator. We went downstairs to the restaurant while the storm blew through, and there was OJ giving an interview on his cell phone. I guess he would have been holding court if anyone else had had the guts to approach him. I did, and we talked for a little bit about football and broadcasting and running through airports. It wasn't like he could escape or anything while the storm was raging outside, so he was marginally talkative. I asked him if he liked the Dolphins and he said he did, but he doesn't follow them. Said thank you and went back to my table. Interesting evening.
Yep. It was two years ago. Pennington came in for (I think?) two plays, and got hurt. Henne then came in and got hurt himself. Then, Tyler Thigpen came in and won the game. The only home game they won that season, and it was the one my wife and I flew all the way from Nashville to see. The only time I've ever seen the Phins actually in Miami. Had an awesome time! EDIT: It's when my avatar pic was taken!
Marino visited my school when i was in the 5th grade. They brought us out to the PE field, lined us up and let us have a turn catching a passes. I even got him to sign a piece of notebook paper lol.
Was at a market in La Fayette Calif a few years back, Diablo Foods iirc, and Joe Montana comes walking down the aisle, stopping a few away as I'm reaching up for one of those cheezy, foam ice chest's typically stacked above everything. Well, standing there, next to an NFL legend, I eek out a "Howz it goin Joe?" I couldn't make out his response, but the mumble was voiced in my direction, and being the only other one in the aisle, I took it as cordial. He apparently frequented the place, though a bit high-end for my wallet, the cooler was about 10 bucks, so I put it back, figuring I could buy an Igloo for that price elsewhere.
Almost forgot in the 90's after attending a Pacers/Rockets game, went to the small but best steakhouse St. Elmo's fire I think it was named, in downtown Indy, ran into the Houston HC Rudy Tomjanovich and told him I was a big fan. He thanked me, was very nice. Even though I told him I was a Knicks fan, but wanted him to know what a good coach I thought he was.
About 23 years ago, I was golfing with a buddy at Pinehurst in NC. We were a few shy of 54 and called it a day. We are driving back to the clubhouse and see this tall dude playing golf. It was Michael Jordan. We waited for him at the clubhouse. He came in with Dean Smith and Larry Brown. We got all their autographs on a Pinehurst scorecard and spoke to them for about 15 minutes. They were all really cool and didn't act as if we were bothering them. Jordan left to go to a session with his pro and we watched him a little while. I still have the scorecard and it is mint.
