Monday, March 21, 2011

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebs.

In one of our first attempts to gain access to a pressbox, we failed (but just barely) to work our magic at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  As we were walking away, we were already planning on how to make the next attempt a success (and we have achieved that goal).
Suddenly Chuck (ever the eagle eye) looked up and noticed Bert Blyleven walking towards the pressbox.  While we might not have been fully accredited press members, we were armed with our baseball knowledge and street smarts.
Translation...I called out to Mr. Blyleven and Chuck immediately threw out a few of his stats and Chuck's belief that Blyleven deserved Hall of Fame status (which he did gain this year).  Although rushed, Blyleven couldn't have been nicer, posing for pictures with both of us separately.
Three years later, we would meet Blyleven again, but this time actually as press members in the Twins pressbox.  We were talking to Jack Morris (a Twins broadcaster who also arguably belongs in the HOF).  We did greet Blyleven (we're all professionals here), but we stuck with the interview with Morris (press etiquette).
With Blyleven's HOF induction, the picture below features two Hall of Famers in my humble opinion).

Chuck Gekas and Bert Blyleven at the HHH Dome in Minneapolis, MN-June 2007.

No comments: