Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy

Before he was on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Ted Allen was part of the Famished Four, a quartet of reviewers for the (now defunct) Lerner Newspapers. I was also at Lerner Newspapers at the time.
When I first started, Allen and I worked out of different offices. Within a couple months, I was sent to the Chicago office to work on the annual circulation audit. I ended up working out of that office for a lengthy stretch and then splitting my time there for another long stretch.
During that time I got to know Allen a bit. We were not tight as friends, but we were certainly friendly co-workers. We occasionally could be found at the same bar or party. Allen was a nice guy and seemed talented. He looked destined to go on to bigger and better things and he did!

Pre-Fame...Pre-White Sox Cards

I have a recurring series called Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy, which is about me, before I became Johngy, meeting people before they became famous. Today, I am starting a spinoff, featuring others in the Pre-Johngy slot. First up is Steve, from White Sox Cards.
Before there was a White Sox Cards...and before Rob Mackowiak played for the beloved White Sox (and the Pirates, Padres and Nationals)...
Steve and Rob were classmates at Oak Lawn Community High School in Oak Lawn (IL). Not only were they classmates for three years, but they took gym class together.
I learned this fact while reading an April Fool's piece on White Sox Cards. The post was brilliantly done. Had it not been April 1, I would have believed it completely. Mackowiak is exactly the type of player who the Cubs would sign in hopes that he would regain his form of several seasons ago.
I asked Steve about his encounters with Mackowiak. Steve stated, "The thing I will always remember about Rob in school is that we took a gym class together and we would talk White Sox baseball during down time. It makes me laugh to think we used to talk about Ozzie Guillen as a player and that years later, Rob was being managed by him."
Awesome! Thanks to Steve for sharing this and for being the first person in the Pre-Fame...Pre- ?? spinoff series.

1993 Oak Lawn Community High School yearbook photos of Steve and Rob Mackowiak.

Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy

This is another in a recurring series about me (before I was Johngy) meeting people (before they became famous).

The last time I wrote about meeting someone pre-fame, it was my Mt. Carmel schoolmate Erik Pappas. Today, I am once again going to my MC roots, by highlighting Tony Furjanic, my former teammate on the Track and Cross Country teams.
Furjanic was one year ahead of me at MC. He was also definitely the star athlete during that era. Furjanic was named Sun-Times Prep Athlete of the Year in 1982. Furjanic went on to have a stellar career at Notre Dame. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 8th round in the 1986 draft. Furjanic played two years with the Bills and one with the Miami Dolphins, appearing in 28 games.
Back during our time at MC, Furjanic and I were teammates for a season. Furjanic was a shot-putter and I was a long-distance runner. I did spend some time in the weight room with Furjanic (hey someone had to teach him how to lift!).
Seriously, Furjanic gave me quite a few pointers and was always a great guy. He never let his success change him. He even showed me a bit of the technique used in shot-putting (not that I ever competed, but it was fun anyway).
I have lost touch with Tony, although I know he still lives in the Chicago area. I hope to catch up this summer and when I do, I will have an update here.

The 1981 MC Track team (I'm on the right side) in Mt. Carmel gym in Chicago, IL-Winter 1981.

The 1981 varsity MC Track team (Furjanic is in front row in jacket) in Mt. Carmel gym in Chicago, IL-Winter 1981.

Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy

Erik Pappas was a year behind me at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago. Pappas was a very good athlete and I wasn't, but our paths crossed a few times during intramural sporting events.
Pappas was selected as a catcher by the California Angels in the 1984 amateur draft, but made his major league debut with his hometown Chicago Cubs in 1991. Pappas only played in 7 games for the Cubs who released him after the season. He signed with the Kansas City Royals, who later traded him to the Chicago White Sox.After spending the 1992 season in the minors, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and made it back to the majors in 1993, playing in 82 games and hitting .276 for the Cardinals. Pappas slumped in 1994, batting only .091 in 58 plate appearances. In 1995, Pappas played in AAA for the Florida Marlins. In 1996, he played in AAA for the Texas Rangers. Pappas retired with a career average of .242 with 1 HR and 35 RBI's.
In 2004, he represented Greece at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Currently Pappas is a coach at Cangelosi Baseball.

Erik Pappas from the Mt. Carmel yearbook.

Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy

Some people have asked me if I ever knew anyone who became famous. I have had a few brushes with people who went on to some form of fame. One of those people was a young kid named Stanley Burrell.
In the mid-70's, my dad took my best friend Tom Skalski and me to a game between the Oakland A's and the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. At some point in the game, we somehow found ourselves sitting next to a kid a few years older than us who claimed to be the Executive VP of the A's. We listened politely, because he had some great stories, although we didn't quite believe him. He even signed our scorebooks without us asking.
It wasn't until several years later that we realized who Burrell was. By this time, he was known as MC Hammer! Apparently Burrell grew up in Oakland and caught the eye of A's owner Charley Finley. Burrell was a batboy and unofficially the Executive VP (just as he said). Burrell was given the nickname 'Hammer' by Reggie Jackson, who felt he resembled baseball great 'Hammerin' Hank Aaron.
I am quite sure Hammer does not remember me. I don't even know how I remembered that incident. I am sure in some box somewhere, I have an autographed scorecard with 'Stanley Burrell' on it.