re: Spin Off from OT - What Movie\TV celebrities have you met and how was the experience?

1. In September 1978, when I was 12, my stepdad got 4 tickets to the Ali-Spinks rematch in the Superdome (2 pairs in separate sections). He brought along a drinking buddy and I was allowed to bring a friend. He and the drinking buddy met up with a bunch of other cronies and hung out at one of the Superdome bars, while my friend Mike and I wandered all over the Dome until the main event.

While we wandered around the corridors, I saw Judd Hirsch enter one of the bathrooms (carrying a full cocktail, too). This was when he was just getting his start; in fact, the 1st season of "Taxi" had just premiered. Mike and I waited outside the bathroom, and got his attention after he came out, asked for his autograph. He was very nice and polite and said 'sure, boys'. But we stupidly didn't have anything to sign or even a pen, so we said thanks anyway, and as he was turning to walk away, I added that we hoped his new show did well. He stopped and smiled and said that was nice to say, and thanked US. Really nice guy, I've always enjoy seeing him on screen since then.

2. The late CRAIG SAGER. Nice guy; I had the pleasure to speak with him twice.

The first was when I was in graduate school at Georgia Tech, in 1988. I had a couple of friends from New Orleans up visiting, catching Braves baseball and staying at my apartment during their spring break; mine was a different time. I finished a project at school around 10 PM on a weeknight, and we decided to go out for a beer or two to celebrate. We went to a relatively new sports bar in midtown Atlanta called Jocks and Jill's, which was noted because it had as part owners some Atlanta Hawks players, and though we didn't know it at the time, also Craig Sager.

So we walk in; there was hardly anybody at the place; we take a stool at the bar and the bartender comes over, and it's Craig Sager -- tending bar at 10 PM on a weeknight. He comes over and says, "Hi, fellas, I'm Craig (like we didn't already know)--whaddaya have?" We ordered some beers and he just hung out and talked to us about sports. Real down-to-earth, nice guy. The two topics I clearly remember us discussing were baseball expansion (he seemed to think Indianapolis had a great shot to get a team, certainly over New Orleans) and the fact that he had to interview Larry Bowa (who at that time was managing the Padres) the next day, and was dreading it as Bowa was quite full of himself, saying, (and I quote) "Larry Bowa--that guy's got the biggest f***ing head..."


The second time was during the 2015/2016 NBA season. My firm has really great Pelicans season tickets at mid-court right behind the scorers tables/press area, and Sager was wandering around there-- I guess it was a TNT game. I was there with my best buddy Mark, who was also at Jocks and Jill's that night in 1988. After the game, I caught Sager's attention and he came over. I told him we had met him before, at Jocks and Jill's in 1988-- his reaction was "tending bar at Jocks and Jill's?-- whoa, that's WAY BACK there..." We thanked him for his hospitality back then and wished him all the best. He said he was sorry he didn't remember that exact night, but it was his pleasure and he enjoyed dealing with people, and he wished us well, too. RIP, Craig.


3. Alex Trebek -- when I was on Jeopardy! in 2013. Other than the on-air taping interaction, the most I talked to him was the post game stand-around they do as the end credits roll. Our match was the last game of the season, and the other two contestants were standing around like completely mute nerds, so I broke the ice by saying 'last game of the regulars season, Alex-- but don't you still have the teacher tournament coming up?" to which he replied that while it would broadcast after our game, they had already taped it, and that he was looking forward to being on vacation for a few months. I asked if he had any travel plans for vacation, and to get the other two players involved in the conversation, I said-- "...I know Jared (the winner) has a lot of HIS money he can use to travel." That sort of broke the ice and we chatted for a little while later to fade out. But what was really cool about him was to see him behind the scenes, the way he dealt with the staff, the audience (he takes questions from the audience during commercial breaks), etc. Not a prima donna, a real class act. RIP, Alex.