I flew with Sandberg this morning

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I got a Tweet favorited by Patton Oswalt's brother.

[davell]

KG(prior to moving to Chicago) placed his nuts squarely in my face, while dunking over me, screaming his ass off. Despite us winning the game by 20+, that image is what made the front page of the sports the next day. Forgive me, SSR, if I've never said anything positive about the guy. Getting ball-faced is likely why.

Ricky Davis did the same to me. After I partially blocked his shot. He then told me to enjoy the highlight of my career. Dunked all over me. It was awesome. I wish I had it on tape.

 

A High School teammate of mine transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season. I'd go visit him and we'd wind up on the courts with Stackhouse and McInnis. I was coming down with a one handed board and Stackhouse went up, grabbed it, and if I hadn't of let go, I think he may have broken my arm off on the rim.

 

It was a Christmas tournament that we played Mauldin(KG's team in). Shammond Williams was on the team as well and I honestly thought he sucked. As a UNC fan, when we signed him out of prep school, I couldn't believe it. Our only loss of the season(we were a 1A team) came in the finals of the tourney, against Hillcrest, who had Ray Allen. We played "Loyola" ball, press-go for steal, release type of game, they did it much, much better than we did. They were a 5A team in SC. Allen was by far the best player I played against. He was athletic as hell back then too, just unstoppable. He won a dunk contest at a ABCD camp I was at by throwing the ball off the back wall, catching and reversing off the bounce.

[illiniguy]

KG(prior to moving to Chicago) placed his nuts squarely in my face, while dunking over me, screaming his ass off. Despite us winning the game by 20+, that image is what made the front page of the sports the next day. Forgive me, SSR, if I've never said anything positive about the guy. Getting ball-faced is likely why.

Ricky Davis did the same to me. After I partially blocked his shot. He then told me to enjoy the highlight of my career. Dunked all over me. It was awesome. I wish I had it on tape.

 

A High School teammate of mine transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season. I'd go visit him and we'd wind up on the courts with Stackhouse and McInnis. I was coming down with a one handed board and Stackhouse went up, grabbed it, and if I hadn't of let go, I think he may have broken my arm off on the rim.

 

It was a Christmas tournament that we played Mauldin(KG's team in). Shammond Williams was on the team as well and I honestly thought he sucked. As a UNC fan, when we signed him out of prep school, I couldn't believe it. Our only loss of the season(we were a 1A team) came in the finals of the tourney, against Hillcrest, who had Ray Allen. We played "Loyola" ball, press-go for steal, release type of game, they did it much, much better than we did. They were a 5A team in SC. Allen was by far the best player I played against. He was athletic as hell back then too, just unstoppable. He won a dunk contest at a ABCD camp I was at by throwing the ball off the back wall, catching and reversing off the bounce.

Ray Allen is amazing. I'll never forget him and TMac taking turns dunking on each other during the end of that playoff series Milwaukee and Orlando had.

 

At The University of Iowa I played against pretty much everyone that went through there from 99 to 04. Rob Griffin, to me, was the toughest player to guard. Besides the guys who were just too big for me to attempt to cover.

[RynoRules]

O'Hare sitings / interactions:

 

- Ditka (AAdmirals Club)

- Gary Fencik (Priority security line)

- Rollie Fingers (men's room - this is a great set up for anyone who cares to roll with it)

- Jesse Jackson Sr. (twice: once at security; another in terminal)

[Bruno7481]

My grandfather used to cover spring training as a photographer. Was at the Cardinals minor league complex one day and I went to take a piss. The stall was occupied and it smelled like death. The occupant flushes, walks out and gives me an unexpected high five. It was Hector Villanueva.

 

I immediately washed my hands.

[SouthSideRyan]

And haven't stopped washing them since.

[Bruno7481]

And haven't stopped washing them since.

 

What can I say?

 

 

My youth was corrupted by many professional baseball players as they made their way through AAA. Spent my whole summers in the dugout from about age 8-16. Wouldn't trade it for anything though, too bad at the time I didn't appreciate the opportunity as much as I do now. Despite all that time, it never turned me into a Cardinals fan.

[Sammy Sofa]

My most recent celebrity encounter was meeting Ed Harris in a bookstore in Evanston. He was a lot shorter and crazier than I expected, plus he was wearing a big floppy sunhat.

[SouthSideRyan]

My most recent celebrity encounter was meeting Ed Harris in a bookstore in Evanston. He was a lot shorter and crazier than I expected, plus he was wearing a big floppy sunhat.

 

I ran across a recent movie of his where he played a gay teacher forced out because of it. He looked awful. Pretty good movie actually for what it was.

 

ETA: That's what I am. Probably a good movie to show in schools actually, anti-bullying theme.

[ConstableRabbit]

My most recent celebrity encounter was meeting Ed Harris in a bookstore in Evanston. He was a lot shorter and crazier than I expected, plus he was wearing a big floppy sunhat.

I go to church with his parents. Extremely friendly, normal family.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeha, well, their son is hanging around the lake dressing like Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau.

[rocket]

when i was 16 i got pushed by the pro wrestler tazz for wearing a stone cold steve austin t-shirt at his autograph signing

[Guest]

joe paterno's nephew once threatened me on twitter

[Sammys Boombox]

I once saw Angel Hernandez on the street in St. Louis not long after the Steve McMichael game. I said, "Hey, Angel, you suck!" I was 13 or 14. He looked at me like I just told him his dog died.

[davell]

when i was 16 i got pushed by the pro wrestler tazz for wearing a stone cold steve austin t-shirt at his autograph signing

 

 

Oh God, autograph signings or shows......Bo Jackson signed a ball for the guy in front of me at a show in Charlotte, rolled it off the table hard, smeared the ball in the process, and when the guy complained, BO KNOWS......Leaving. Didn't come back either.

 

A buddy and me were in Atlanta for a Super Bowl Upper Deck party and saw Mike Piazza. Some kid ran up to him and asked for his autugraph. He started to sign, but the pen ran out of ink. He looked at the kid and goes "Well God damn!" He asked for another pen and while the kids dad was looking for one, one of the hottest chicks I've ever seen walked by......Piazza then said "Kid, I'm not a dick, your dad understands" and ran up to the chick, introducing himself.

 

Shaq, at an autograph show, had to put up with some elderly dude yelling "Wilt Chamberlain would have owned your ass" for at least the entire hour I was in line.

 

Alonzo Mourning signed at a Montgomery Ward Department Store while I was in college and left in the middle of it to use the bathroom, but ended up nailing a frat brother of mine's GF instead.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Tyler Houston once borrowed my sharpie to sign everyone hanging over the dugout before a game but forgot to sign mine before walking off with my sharpie. I will hold that grudge forever.

[Tyrant]

Tyler Houston once borrowed my sharpie to sign everyone hanging over the dugout before a game but forgot to sign mine before walking off with my sharpie. I will hold that grudge forever.

 

"forgot"

[Derwood]

My family shared a cabin with the Sandusky family at a church retreat

[TruffleShuffle]

i saw randall cunningham in a bowling alley when i was a kid.

 

i played basketball with ron anderson (former 6th man for the sixers) when i was in like 9th grade. i have no idea what he was even doing at the ymca on a weekday afternoon. at the time ron anderson was trying to stay in shape and hoping for a 10 day contract from another NBA team (he'd just been on a 10 day contract with the nets). he was 35, but it was like 2 years removed from him averaging about 15 ppg for an NBA team. we split up teams and my team was me (a gangly white kid with zero vertical leap and a decent jump shot), some short pudgy 45 year old white guy, and ron anderson. he tried to pass to us but mostly he just ran around burying jumpers whenever the score would get close. he probably could've found a better game at like 500 other places in south jersey or philly.

 

i also saw brad garrett in the security line at LAX in 2010 with some hot blonde who was probably half his age.

[Clem Fandango]

My parents owned a health club when I was a kid in Bradenton, FL. A lot of the Pittsburgh Pirates worked out there during spring training. The good era Pittsburgh Pirates. I got to meet Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke (I played little league with his son [not the one in the majors right now]), Doug Drabek, and Neal Heaton. I actually still have a Neal Heaton game used jersey as well as a Neal Heaton autographed bat. Why an autographed bat from a pitcher I have no idea... but it was a black bat and the mofo signed it with a black sharpie. WTF.

 

During the 2nd to last season Bonds was on the team (or whatever last year he attended ST with the Pirates) he was there and ym father was getting signed baseballs for a charity auction. He was asking around the other players asking if they thought Barry would sign some, and they all said no way in hell he would because he was an [expletive]. My Dad figured he'd ask anyways and he ended up signing the entire box with no issues whatsoever. My Dad said he was very nice about it and didn't mind at all.

 

I also got to meet Kevin Foster, he worked out at the club in the offseason for a few years. I think his wife had family in the area.

[XZero771679666304]

My most recent celebrity encounter was meeting Ed Harris in a bookstore in Evanston. He was a lot shorter and crazier than I expected, plus he was wearing a big floppy sunhat.

 

My most recent celebrity encounter was almost running over Dean Stockwell as he was being helped across the street by his twentysomething girlfriend.

[Guest]

here is a pro-hendry story

 

i was at a cubs/marlins doubleheader in 2004 and we had gotten free luxury box tickets. during the game my little brother (13ish) goes to to the bathroom on the private level and when he comes back he tells us that he met jim hendry in the bathroom, and that he said he'd stop by the box to say hi. we all laughed. 5 minutes later, hendry comes walking into the box and starts talking to us and shaking our hands. it briefly got awkward when my other brother (who had a black styrofoam ball attached to his chin in honor of matt clement's chin poof) made a bad joke about nomar and mia hamm, but i thought it was pretty cool of him to come in and do that. there was really no reason for him to do it other than to be nice.

[SouthSideRyan]

My most recent celebrity encounter was meeting Ed Harris in a bookstore in Evanston. He was a lot shorter and crazier than I expected, plus he was wearing a big floppy sunhat.

 

My most recent celebrity encounter was almost running over Dean Stockwell as he was being helped across the street by his twentysomething girlfriend.

 

Wtf, Dean Stockwell hasn't done anything in 20 years, and Quantum Leap cannot be making him much in syndication. I knew I should've moved stuck with acting.

[apete6]

Met Buster Olney at the Tampa Airport during Spring Training. Couldn't have been a nicer guy. Talked baseball with him for about 15 minutes. This was 2010 and he prophetically saw the end of Piniella coming quickly.

 

Met Desmond Howard at O'Hare. Also an extremely nice guy despite having an overnight layover trying to get to Fargo for Gameday back in September. He texted my MSU friend a "Go Blue", which was fantastic.

 

When I was 7 or 8, I played playground basketball against one of Kareem Abdul Jabaar's kids. First black person I ever met. Nice kid. Slaughtered me in hoops, though.

 

But, the most pertinent story comes when the Cubs were in San Francisco in 2004. We went to Maddux's 300th win (randomly, trip had been planned for months) and then later that night were out at a dive bar by our hotel and the crew of Farnsworth, Bako, Rusch, and Mercker come rolling in already half in the bag. We shot the [expletive] with them for probably 2 hours. They all thought the team was going to win the WS, all loved Nomar, they all agreed that "#21" was the biggest douche on the team, and they all said playing for the Cubs was basically the best thing ever. Farnsworth ran the pool table all night and took some chick home (she was probably about a 6), Rusch and Bako were pretty low key and were texting their wives/family all night kind of just hanging out in the corner. Mercker, however, drank more beers than I could count, was completely shithoused, falling all over the place. He ended up blowing the game the next night on Sunday Night Baseball by allowing the tiebreaking run to score as an inherited runner. (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200408080.shtml. We lost out on the Wild Card by 1 or 2 games. [expletive] Kent Mercker.

[Guest]

My family shared a cabin with the Sandusky family at a church retreat

Get out. Any shower play?