What's your cool story bro?

In an early round at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc in 2002 I believe, a buddy of mine, Luke (who happens to be the little bro of former Wolverine pitcher Nick Alexander) and I were walking around from group to group.  We were down the right side of the fairway on the par-5 13th, when a ball from the tee winds up near us in the rough.  There's no one else around for 50 yards, so we stand next to the ball and wait for its player to claim it.  Turns out it was Billy Andrade's.  The 13th at Warwick Hills is a reachable par-5 with a few huge specimen trees down the right side (either maples or weeping willows), with the green tucked a bit to the right immediately over a pond.  So Andrade's got about a 220-yard shot with his ball in the moderately thick rough, with one of these big trees about 70 yards in front of him, with the pond and the green directly beyond.  He's talking with his caddie right in front of us, still with no one else around for many yards.  Andrade decides he's going to hit a 3-iron out of the rough, with a low cut under the tree and over the hazard, and somehow stop his ball on the green.  In short, this is an absolutely ridiculous shot that Nicklaus in his prime couldn't have pulled off in a dozen chances.  It's one of those shots that just isn't physically realistic, regardless of one's talent.  I just start chuckling, and Luke looks at me and asks, "What?"  I said, "Luke, I don't think he's got that shot in his bag!"  Of course we're only eight feet away, and Andrade just rolls his eyes and shakes his head as his caddie shoots daggers at me.  Andrade ends up totally screwing up the shot, hitting it way thin and advancing it about 30 yards further up into the rough, with the ball never getting much more than a few inches out of the grass.  Luke doubles over and starts guffawing, and Andrade turns around and glares at him.  Despite that shot, I recall that he might have had a respectable finish in the tournament.

Also that day, we were right to next to Fred Couples as he hit a beautiful little wedge out of the rough through the tiniest gap up in the trees, and landed his ball three feet from the pin.  The crowd went nuts all around us, including a huge guy right behind me (think "Guns don't kill people; I kill people") who started yelling, "Yeah!  Big, big titties, Freddie!  Great big funbags!  Whoooooooo!"  Couples turned around and grinned.

It really is a shame that tournament doesn't exist anymore.

Sat next to Terry Francona's parents on a flight from AZ to Boston the day after the Red Sox broke the Curse in 2004.  Couldn't have been 2 nicer or prouder people. 

Last Friday I was at a golf outing in North Olmsted, OH. We stopped to get some food at the turn and when I come out there’s a couple of guys with Baldwin Wallace College shirts pointing at my cart (I have a block M golf towel on my bag) and they start asking who the Michigan guy is. I say “That would be me”, expecting to get some shit when a another guy in a blue shirt says “Go Blue!”.  His buddies (the BW guys) start in on how I’m talking to a Butkus Award winner and former NFLer so I introduce myself to find out I’m talking with Erick Anderson! Turns out he is coaching at BW this year. Super nice guy. I have a picture but I can’t embed from the phone.

In the 2017 season, I went to the Michigan-Penn State game in Happy Valley. My friend and I didn't really know where to go, so we bought a 12-pack of beer downtown and were wandering through the tailgates drinking and taking it in. Someone called out my "Worst State Ever" t-shirt and it turned out to be Seth Fisher, who was hanging out with Patrick Barron and the Homesure Lending guys at their MGoPartyBus. We ended up joining their tailgate and having a blast.

Given how the game went, that was the highlight of the day.

I took my 4 yo son to the fall practice they opened up to the public last year right before the season started. As we were walking out we saw Jack Harbaugh standing outside the exterior entrance. I asked for a picture and he was really nice about it. He even picked up my son to make sure it was a good shot and talked with us for a few minutes. 

I also met Lloyd Carr while he was still coaching several times when I was younger as he had gone to my high school and would come back for a youth football camp they did there. I still have a cheap hat that he autographed for me

There's a couple athlete ones:

Met the entire Michigan hockey team 3 years in a row from ~1991-1993). 

Met Shawn Kemp at Meijer in Elkhart IN. 

When Cal beat USC in triple overtime in 2003, I was at Cal and rushed the field along with most people.  High-fived Aaron Rodgers, Lorenzo Alexander, and a few other future NFL players.  I started yelling "Whose house?  Our house!" soon the whole crowd was yelling it.  Later, I see Rodgers with that on a t-shirt and I believe he trademarked it.  Saw him in Green Bay with one on.

Also, I have worked closely with a couple Nobel Prize winners.  One, in his lab for 4 months, and the other was almost on my thesis committee and I chatted with her regularly.

EDIT:  I also got to chat with Henrik Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronwall etc. and see the locker room in Joe Louis in 2014.  My buddy is an executive chef who used to cook regularly for the Ilitch family so he got to do cool shit like that all the time.  They always gave him Tigers and Wing tix too.  I've been to 3 or 4 games "on the Illitch's dime."

A few cool stories on my side:

When I lived in Los Angeles, I lived with a friend from UM and we had a girl subletting from us.  When she first moved in, she saw all the UM stuff in our place and said that she was Rod Payne's sister (or step-sister?) and that her ex-fiancé was Charles Woodson.

We kinda called BS on the whole story until one night she called me to see if I was home and awake... it was nearly midnight on a Monday.  She said she would be home in 5 minutes and to wait up for her. When she walked in the door, there was a guy following her in... that man.... Charles Woodson! 

I figured he would make a comment on the Michigan flag we had hanging in the living room, but no... I then asked him if he wanted something to drink and he said, "You have bottled water?"... and me, being the ever so clever one, replied, "Only if it is mixed with barley and hops..."

You could here the crickets on that one... he then proceeded upstairs with my female roommate. The next morning at work, I emailed my other roommate who worked from home at the time and told him to keep his door open, that someone would walk out of her bedroom soon... He was also surprised that Charles Woodson was in our place!

After that incident, I hung out with her a few times and one night we went to a bar for her friend's party and a guy approached her as we walked in... before he said hello to her, he introduced himself to me with a handshake and said, "Hi, I'm Kenny Smith"... the rest of the night we drank on his tab and talked all night. I also got a chest bump hug when we left that night...

Last one... it was my birthday and my friends had gathered in a bar in West Hollywood. It was packed and there was a line. I went to check with the bouncer to see if I could get a few friends in... there was a guy talking to him and I noticed it was Michael Irvin! He was going to a friend's birthday party (not mine) also! I drunkenly said to him, "You're Michael Irvin... I thought you would be taller...". Needless to say he didn't care for that comment. At the end of the night, however, I apologized to him and I took a photo with him... I need to find those photos!

Only one that comes to mind for me is meeting Dhani Jones last year at a tailgate.  Others may already know this, but what a solid guy.  Couldn’t have been nicer to my friends and I.  I actually saw him again later in the year and he even remembered my name.  

Edit: MGoBlog CSB - actually met and talked to the one and only Brian Cook a couple of times last year.  Good dude, took it ok when I drunkenly admitted that I was giving him shit online about the site redesign.  

I’ve had my share of chance meetings with known people that those people will never remember. I worked at a hospital in LA and met perhaps 10 recognizable actors, most of whose identities I cannot disclose. The biggest name was a name I can discuss, Bruce Willis, to whom I gave directions to our elevators as he accompanied a friend on a visit. 

When I went to Baton Rouge to watch an LSU game (home against Ole Miss in 2001) I walked around the Stadium the Friday before the game and randomly ran into Nick Saban. He gave me a terse “hey” as he passed. 

Almost forgot: sat with Tyson Chandler at LAX waiting for a plane we were both taking to Phoenix a couple years ago. Didn’t talk to him-he respectfully declined a couple of requests to take a selfie and it appeared that he preferred to be left alone-but I did find the image of him sitting in standard-sized chairs with his knees almost at chest level due to his height amusing. I’m 6’5, but that was another kind of tall.

CSB and all that. 

I was born.

1) Watching the Desmond catch vs. ND from the student section.

2) Two weeks later, raising middle fingers with the whole student section to the beat of FSU's band saying "F$$$$$$ck, the $eminolllllles."

3) Eight weeks later, watching Desmond's punt return in one of Michigan's few real ass whoopings of O$U since the leather helmet era.

My dad worked at the Kmart International Hdqtrs in Troy.  He was in charge of the advertising for the home care and home improvement.  One of his buyers got tickets to the Michigan/Ohio State game and couldn't go so he got them and took me.  We had no idea it would be Bo's last home game. When we were watching the bowl game, I asked him if we would he have gotten the tickets if it had been known that it was his last home game, my dad, who never swore or said anything harsher then darn, looked at me and said "no way in hell".  He passed 8 years later (fuck you cancer) but that memory still gets me choked up.

Story number 2, Meineke Bowl in Charlotte, December 2005. It's NC State vs UCF. My kids had never been to a college football game before, so I tell them that we'll try to get tickets from a scalper before the game.  We go down, park and wait for kickoff.  As we walk up, there is a NC State alum who is desperately trying to get rid of 3 tickets.  I say all I have is 50 dollars.  At first he declines and as I walk away with my kids, he changes his mind and sells them for 50.  They were club seats.  Perfect view.  However, my daughter, who is almost 3, and my son (5 years old) decide we have to sit at the highest part of the stadium.Upper level nose bleeds  Then we have to sit under the scoreboard on the upper level.  Then we have to walk to see the trains out the window on the club level. Then we have to go to the restaurants.  We sat in our actual seats for maybe 10 minutes of game time.  They had the best time of their life and we have gone back as a tradition every year since.  3 years later, I started bringing them to a Michigan game every season.

I’ve got too many to go into detail. I worked at Crisler and the AA News sports dept when I was at Michigan. Followed Mitch Albom around the tunnel watching him interview players, met Dick Vitale before a big home game (Duke, I think), met Keith Jackson (when he was still alive) holding court in Crisler with Bo, Bruce Madej and a bunch of reporters on the Friday before a home game.

The biggest thing for me I already posted a few months ago, but here it is again if you missed it. Down off the tunnel at Crisler are hallways with wrestling practice areas, a weight room, classrooms and industrial washers and dryers. We’d wash all the towels for MBB, WBB and wrestling. I was back washing and folding towels when Bo Schembechler held his press conference in a room just off the tunnel, announcing his retirement. I knew something was going on, but didn’t know what. It turns out I wasn’t supposed to be back there. There’s also a stairway that leads to a back door from the arena, and Bo was escaping that way so he didn’t have to face people. He got to where I wasn’t supposed to be, thinking he was alone, and leaned his head against a cement pillar and wept. I crouched down behind a table and didn’t move a muscle until he headed out a few minutes later.

Back in `06, shot the breeze with Michael Phelps at TDs, He bought me a drink. That's all I got.

Met John Beilein as he was coming off an airplane in Huntsville, AL.  He must've been on a recruiting trip.  I was waiting to board the plane he was coming off and happened to have my Michigan t-shirt on.  As he walked by he gave me a fist-bump and a "Go Blue!".

Not really cool at all but furthers my hate for Dantonio.

My mom has had breast cancer so my sister and i agreed to do some Susan g komen walk with her. This was right after Dantonio go the the job.

It was rainy that day and although for a good cause, I was youngish and didn't want to be there so I was already in a bad mood. I was waiting in the crowd for my mom and sister when someone from behind me walks into me pretty hard, enough to take a step, when I was just standing there looking at my phone. I look up and am getting ready to say something to the person and it's none other than Mark Dantonio who bumped into me on his way to a stage area to give a speech and didn't even give a simple I'm sorry or excuse me. 

I also had his phone number and address at one point because I worked for a moving company that moved his stuff (I worked in the office), and I took down his information from his file. I was going to prank call him some day but never did

I've had a lot of random run-ins (too incidental to mention), but a funny story. A few years ago I was walking out of Schembechler Hall and ran into a couple coaches walking into the building. They thought I was a former Michigan player back for a visit, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

in high school I played OL and when I was a junior our freshman starting RB was Sam Gash. He  went to Penn St then played FB for Pats, Bills and win a Super Bowl with the Ravens. Two time All Pro. Nicest guy, was class president as a senior in HS. 

Jim Harbaugh is my opposite. Besides him being rich and famous, which I am not...

Jim grew up in Ann Arbor while his dad was employed at U of M. Finished high school in Palo Alto while his dad was at Stanford.

I grew up in Palo Alto while my dad was employed at Stanford. Finished high school in Ann Arbor while my dad was at U of M.

Despite those opposite paths, Jim sat next to me in math class at Pioneer HS in 10th grade. We were born about 4 months apart. 

Way too many of these anecdotes involve blog regulars listening in on OTHER people getting it on. Cool story bro.

I once had a scantron for Ryan Mallett.

I once sat next to and had a brief conversation with Mike Tyson and his entourage at the airport in Atlanta.

Once stood face to butt with Dennis Rodman and Bill Lambier on the escalator at that same airport. 

Rode an elevator with Troy Aikman 

Tailgated with Mitch McGary's family before the NCAA finals against Louisville 

Played a round of golf with Todd Gurley while he was at UGA

Let David Terrell use my computer in the dorm (he lived next door) to write his paper on Komodo Dragons. 

My wife, while we were dating, got asked out by Ian Poulter and she foolishly declined in favor of me. To be fair she didn't know who he was at the time and was annoyed that he was complaining to her about the airline losing his golf clubs.  

I played 1 on 1 against Charlie Ward at one of his basketball camps he held back in the late 90s.

I was in 7th grade at the time and something I’ll never forget.

Such a good dude.

Was playing summer league hockey in Kalamazoo. We got moved up to advanced after going undefeated in intermediate that winter. Unfortunately, advanced hockey in the summer in Kzoo means playing against a Michigan team, Michigan State, WMU, and one with these funny Blackhawk stickers on the back of their helmets.

Third game in, we're 0-2 and had given up about 33 goals to our 4. We're playing the team from Chicago including Probert and Sergei Krivokrasov (this was right before his All-Star year in Nashville). I'm playing defense, and going back on a puck in my own corner. Krivo picks it up and I ride him off with a nice shoulder check and take the puck away and clear it. He looks at me and says, "nice play, kid. Don't EVER do that again." I looked him right in the eye and said, "yes sir."

We bumped back down to intermediate after that game.

I met John Beilein at Miles of Golf hitting range balls. It was during his first year at Michigan and I was about ten minutes into practicing when the guy in the stall next to me asked what clubs I was using.  I turned around and it was JB.  He proceeded to talk to me the entire time and I realized how genuine of a person he is.  I was going to play D3 golf in college the next year and he asked about the school I was going to, how long I had played, what I wanted to study, and even some swing tips.  

When I was very young, I lived in Vista California. I played T-Ball for years on a team with a kid named Riley, his last name was Hawk. We become close friends for being in our early childhood. We would go over to each other’s houses and his house was pretty big for a house in California. His dad, “Mr. Hawk” to me,  was just a regular dad, and would teach us how to “Ollie” and just learn how to balance on a skateboard from time to time.

I remember one day, after a T-ball game we were playing catch with Mr. Hawk who’s arm was in a cast. And Riley said his dad broke it at work somehow. (My parents never wanted to tell me who Mr. Hawk actually was)

A few years later, as i got older (around 8) I got more into skateboarding and was watching the X Games and I saw Mr. Hawk on the TV. He won and completed the first ever 900 move and won all the events. I  then realized that Mr. Hawk was a huge deal and wasn’t just a friends dad, he was one of, if not the best and well known skateboarders of all time.

That’s my cool story bro. Wish I wasn’t so young at the time to be so oblivious. 

1. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, when I still lived in Michigan, I was working for what was Citizen's Bank in downtown Flint, and we had some team building event at the old Hyatt Regency hotel.  Walking through the place after it was over, I ran into Bob Probert who was rehabbing an injury (I'm pretty sure this was during the time when he couldn't travel to Canada).  He was with some people, hanging out, but I recognized him and stopped to shake his hand and chat for a few minutes.  He was very friendly, said his injury rehab was going well and he was looking forward to getting back on the ice.

2. Fast forward about 10 years...I was living outside Birmingham Alabama, working for a software company, and we were hosting our annual User Group meeting/party for various groups all over the US at a hotel/event center in the suburbs of Birmingham.  A couple of my coworkers mentioned seeing some "super tall athlete looking dude" in the hotel, and we figured he was there getting surgery from Dr. James Andrews who worked at UAB and worked on all the pro athletes.  Shortly after, Kevin Nash (Big Sexy/Diesel/Big Daddy Cool) the pro wrestler came walking through the lobby on his way to breakfast, all 7-feet of him.  I had to go say hello.  He was very polite and while I have large hands for a 6'1" guy, his dwarfed mine.

Not sports related, but...

Sneaking into back-to-back Grateful Dead concerts at Hill Auditorium on December 14th and 15th 1971.

Stopped into Hill during the soundcheck on the 14th and unlocked a bathroom window behind the stage.  Astounded the 1st night that it was still unlocked, absolutely shocked the 2nd night that it was still unlocked.  Ended up sitting in the aisle both nights within the first 10 rows.

Warm up band was the New Riders of the Purple Sage with Jerry Garcia playing pedal steel.  What a weekend!

I was in line behind Bo Schembechler in the men's department at Jacobson's at the Briarwood Mall circa 1980.  I was buying my dad a father's day tie.  I was pretty sure it was him but didn't want to make a fool of myself so I was grateful when the saleswoman said "Thank you Mr. Schembechler."  I smiled at him and said "Go Blue." He smiled, nodded and left.   I was surprised at how tall he was. (I guess he always appeared short next to his players)  

That's as cool as it gets for me.

Was in line behind coach Harbaugh at the movie theater and he pulled out his wallet to pay. Of course he had the Bad Mother Fucker wallet from Pulp Fiction. 

On another occasion I had a girl over (from Tinder so I didn't really know her well) and Will Campbell kept calling her try to get her to go to Rick's. I guess they were both pretty frequent flyers at that fine establishment.

I am likely quite a bit older than most of you. As a Detroit area kid in the 1960s I caddied at a local country club and was lucky enough to caddie for guys such as Al Kaline (every boy's hero ), Norm Cash, Bill Freehan and Pat Studstill among others.

However, my best encounter was with Bobby Hull around 1999. Aside from Kaline, every boy's other sports hero was Gordie Howe. When Bobby Hull came on the scene, he threatened to derail Gordie from NHL record books for a while and was the hated enemy. When the Red Wings played the Blackhawks in the 1966 playoffs, to counter Hull, coach Sid Abel had Bryan Watson shadow Hull for most of the series. Watching it on TV, Watson would truly not pay any attention to the game and would simply stick to Hull. Apparently Abel's directions to Watson included that if Hull went to the concession stand, you follow him.

Anyway, Bobby was a tag along with son Brett at a hockey camp where I live out west around 1999. Bobby's other son was living here at the time. My 9 year old son was excited to see Brett and skate with him, When we got to the rink, Brett was set up at a table and all the kids were swarming him. At another table was Bobby Hull, sitting alone. I approached and he graciously invited me to sit down and chat and we spent about 60 minutes together, talking about the old NHL, his teammates and opponents, Detroit and Chicago. At the end I asked if I could ask him a personal question and noted that he did not need to answer. He encouraged the question and I asked him about his memories of Bugsy Watson. His verbatim reply was, " I wouldn't piss in his ear if his brain was on fire."

That's it.