Recent celebrity sighting (here's mine, add yours) ...

Uh, shared an elevator with Big Chuck and Little John? (Only you Cleveland-ites will be in awe of that one...)

 

As a kid I shared an elevator with Derrick Thomas. As a 13 year-old Bama fan, that was waaayyy cool.

 

... which was better than sharing a car with him later.
(Sorry 3 bags -- and thanks for that stock info)

 

I love Gwen Knapp. Vince Vaughn and Chad Pennington, too.

 

Met and had my picture taken with Mick Foley (wrestler). Incredibly nice and cool dude, who I still remain a big fan of.

 

On Fathers Day 2003, I was vacationing in Florida and, for want of anything better/cheaper to do, ran over to St. Pete to catch the Devil Rays-Pirates game (can you say baaaaaad baseball?).

As I walked along the concourse looking for the section my seat was in, Dickie V. came up from the other direction holding his six-month-old grandson. We exchanged pleasantries and I made some comment about the little one taking grandpa to a ballgame for Fathers Day. I was extremely proud of myself for not referring to the kid as a Diaper Dandy.

 

I know what you're saying, but people are mean and it is Dick Vitale.

 

In one of John Feinstein's books, Dave Odom broached the topic of Dick Vitale. Realizing that Dickie V. had his critics he told Feinstein "about the only thing you can criticize is that he has too much enthusiasm. If that's the worst thing you can say about the man, that's pretty good."

Or something to that effect. I couldn't agree more with Odom.

I took Roger Twibell and Dick Vitale back to an airport terminal when I was in automotive rental right out of school. Vitale was so spent, but still had enough humor when Twibell asked me if I knew who was in the back seat. Vitale fired back, in Dickie V's best "It's me, baby ... Billy P!" It's hard not to like a guy who pours that much energy into what he does, and still finds time to click off a one-liner to some young nobody in mechanics' scrubs driving them to the terminal.

Years later, when I was in the biz, he came back to press row after the game. Not close to being "on," he looked at us as a group and said "I don't see how y'all do it."

Now tell me after those two incidents that you wouldn't quickly volunteer to buy the man a beer.

 

I don't have a problem with Dickie V. I think he's great. Just have a lot of friends who don't think he's so "totally awesome."

 

No joke, Moddy. After the Paxton blunder at the Durham Herald-Sun, the one in which Al Featherston lost his job, Vitale went on to praise Featherston and critcize the Herald-Sun for its botching of the process during a game broadcast in the Triangle.

Vitale has always been quick to praise scribes. Nice to know someone in TV notices.