When my son was in college at OSU I went to one of the stores there...Ross or Marshalls etc...I forget but they had a rack of red Greg Oden jerseys that were actually Greg Oden's size...they looked like dresses they were so long...I really should have bought one or at least taken a photo of the rack but those were days before I had a cell phone....yes I was the last boomer in Oregon to get a cell phone!
Over the years I've met/run into numerous Blazers, local politicians etc, etc, usually in company with @BLAZINGGIANTS. We've usually taken it in stride, as they're "just" people. But one year we were at the Annual Maurice Lucas Foundation Auction and happened to be seated at the same table as Ken Boddie and his lady friend. Ken and his lady were extremely nice, and the best part was watching BG geek out like a fanboy, as Boddie was THE newscaster during BG's formative years. We were surrounded by current and former Blazers (including Bill Walton along with other celebrities) and Ken Boddie was the highlight of the evening. I probably would have been the same way if I had been seated at a dinner table with Richard Ross when I was a younger man.......(and name checking Richard Ross probably has three quarters of the forum going, "Who....??).
2014 here...still kept my land line until 2017 though...I just swapped that phone for my son's new old one....the battery finally gave out on that original Iphone...so you and I are probably still the last two boomers to get a cell phone!
I’ve met a lot of people I thought were cool. Stephen Hawking and Michael Jordan are the first to come to mind, but there’s been many others.
Met a lot of Blazers over the years, as UCD mentioned. Got pics with Dame, Uncle Cliff, Shonz, Lenny Wilkins, Walton. Met some famous chefs and wine celebs. I’m sure I’m forgetting someone or something, but meeting part of the Friends cast was pretty cool. My ex had a cousin that was one of the main writers, so we went to a live filming during the final season, got to go backstage and everything for pics. We even got to see some “spoiler” scenes filmed while they emptied out the studio audience and I got pics in Joey’s chain. Liked the show, wasn’t a huge follower, but given the popularity of the show, I felt like it was a pretty big deal.
I know and played hoops with Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics. Ive never looked at him as a celebrity or a famous dude.
My brother lived in L.A. and spent years with a leather basketball in his car, trying to find and get MJ to sign it. Finally, one day my bro is working on a golf course and some guy says "Jordan is on the 18th tee!" Bro gets the ball out of his car, hustles to the 18th green, and finds Michael alone as he walks off the course. My bro holds out the pristine ball and a felt tip pen and says, "Could I get an autograph, Mike?" "No." That dusty ball sits in his garage to this day.
Oh man..... this hits. Reggie Miller was my favorite player when I was a kid and I finally got to meet him when I was covering the Blazers. I knew Dale Davis when he was on the team and he was back with the Pacers. He and Reggie were sitting in the locker room before a game talking and I walked in, said hi to Dale and then asked Reggie if I could get a quick interview. "No." I'm still crushed just thinking about it.
Had an interesting conversation on the road at the hotel bar in Houston after a game….. who is the most famous person in your contacts on your phone?
