Who is the most famous person you've talked to for more than 30 seconds?

[gametime]

Because of work I have developed friendships with Mick Cronin, Chris Mack, John Brannen, Travis Steele and Danny Hurley. As a kid who grew up a college hoops junkie, it is wild to think I'm friends with the coaches at UC, UL, UCLA, UConn and X.

 

As far as most famous person I've ever had an interaction with, it would have to be Bob Hope. One year our family reunion was at a hotel he was staying at. I was around 10 or so and running around the hotel with my cousins when I saw a man trying to get in a locked door. I looked again, and sure enough it was Bob Hope. He and his crew thanked me for letting him in and signed a couple autographs.

[Jim Schue]

I "met" him once, shook his hand. But it was a very quick exchange. Definitely could feel his aura though, it was nuts.

 

Same experience with Ali. Shook his hand. His hand was huge.

 

All of my memories of Ali have been in a deteriorating state (I never actually met him). Did any of you folks that have met him meet him when he was in relatively good health?

 

Like GT, I have had a chance to meet bunches of them through work.

 

Some of the best didn’t come through work, though.

 

I met Ali in the early 90s when I was doing community service at the Girls’ Club in Bowling Green. He was deteriorating but still had good wits about him. Like Deuce said, that aura ...

 

Ran into Pete Rose fairly regularly at Turfway back in the day, exchanging handicapping tips. That was a situation where whatever luster he still had after the ban quickly melted away, just two degenerate gamblers talking shop.

 

When Ken Griffey Jr. was first traded to the Reds, he came into the Best Buy in Florence where I worked at the time and we talked for a few minutes. He had once roomed with an old roommate of mine at a HS all-star game.

 

Also met Bill Clinton when he campaigned for Hillary in 08, but the conversation did not last 30 seconds. That was work-related, though.

[The Professor]

I suppose Tubby Smith. He and one assistant came to Owsley County back in ‘99 or ‘00 to scout a player that was on the visiting team. I was the AD at the time and chatted with him several times during the evening.

[BigTuna6]

Ryan Freel for me. I used to work for the Reds as a runner and we'd be down in the player tunnels a lot moving things around. Freel was always really down to earth and would enjoy talking to us as we were all high school aged kids who loved baseball.

 

Ken Griffey Jr on the other hand wanted nothing to do with talking to us.. which I always understood to a point. He was there to do a job and not deal with a bunch of minimum wage high school kids.

[sumoroyal]

Barry Larkin, Eddie Milner, Paul O'Neill, Todd Benzinger, Leo Cardenas, Coach Cal and Bruce Pearl.