Peter King of Sports Illustrated in the Bleachers Today
by cubsonWGN4ever on Jul 11, 2008 6:57 PM CDT
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My girlfriend and I went to the game today and sat in the bleachers - sorry we didn't stop by this time Al - and were treated to a very sunny game that ended up being a pitcher's duel. The guys to our right were abuzz and I learned that it was because the guy immediately to our left was Peter King, a senior football sportswriter from Sports Illustrated.
He was apparently in town for a day and decided to walk up and buy a ticket to enjoy the game. It was his first game in 3 years and he had a very professional looking spiral book of scorecards. Being from Boston, he wore a Boston Red Sox hat but as soon as people figured out who he was, they were very cordial and friendly. A few people bought him beers and made him feel welcome.
Unfortunately, he left after the 8th inning and didn't get to see Wood pitch. He did get to see the Aramis Ramirez 3 run bomb and was hooting and hollering and high-fiving with the rest of us, a broad grin on his face.
Thought I'd mention this because it was a pretty cool experience - I could repeat a couple stories he told us but I don't want to do that without his permission.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.
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Thats cool
although is he as famous as Al?????
Ill be at the game tomorrow and I dont know if Id rather sit next to Jordan or get a Cubs win?
Well-—-—-
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
by Hammer on Jul 11, 2008 7:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
what about in 20 years?
what would you rather remember?
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
by Hammer on Jul 11, 2008 7:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Cubs win.
Incidentally, I doubt he “walked up and bought a ticket” to a sold-out game unless he “walked up” to one of the storefront brokers. Probably paid over $100.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jul 11, 2008 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt he paid for his ticket at all.
IF he did I bet it was face value and thats still a big IF if he paid a penny to begin with.
by Mikey06 on Jul 11, 2008 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
AL---really?
Youve been to over 2000 games….how many of them have you sat next to someone like Jordan??? Dont you wish you could go back in time and sit next to Jordan in say…...03’??
See you at 945am tomorrow….
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
by Hammer on Jul 11, 2008 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, maybe.
I sat across the aisle from Dan Patrick, then of ESPN, in 1998 (he was here covering the Bulls championship run that year), and went up, introduced myself, said I work in the same business he does, etc.
Found him to be a pompous ass.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jul 11, 2008 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The only celebrity I've sat near was Woo-Woo...
and I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone..
"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." - Jacque Barzun
by Bump Bailey on Jul 12, 2008 12:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And I wouldn't call him a "celebrity".
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jul 12, 2008 4:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i've heard the same about keith olbermann
but i still like his show on MSNBC ;)
by nathew on Jul 12, 2008 12:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And what would I say to Jordan?
What’s the best way to shave strokes on the links?
Don’t you think 5% is reasonable gratuity on a dinner tab?
Do you suggest not paying your gambling debts?
Hey, got a good divorce lawyer?
This guy is one of the biggest scumbags around, but the media has always given him the hall pass.
"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." ~ George Burns
by tville on Jul 12, 2008 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Depending on when he bought it...
... he could have bought it on the street for that price.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jul 12, 2008 4:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe
you could show jordan how to hit a curveball.
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana
by copes006 on Jul 11, 2008 7:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Anyone ever hear Brenly talk about Jordan's Baseball?
Brenly has mentioned a few times how he is convinced that if Jordan was taught by a hitting coach who was similar in body type or known for teaching guys with body types like D Lee, he felt Jordan would have fared a lot better and he never really was placed in the best situation to succeed because of that. Who knows but was just curious of what other people thought.
by Mikey06 on Jul 11, 2008 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
As a fan, I might be bias...
but I felt Jordan might actually make it at baseball. He only hit .202 at Birmingham, but hit .260 the last month and was one of only five players who had 50 RBI and 30 SB’s in the Southern League. If the strike had not happened, I think Jordan would have continued to improve. To the Major League level? Maybe not, but his drive is unparalleled and the athleticism was there. He might, MIGHT, just have gotten good enough to crack a ML had the strike not cut him down. I realize trying to succeed at a sport that late in life is next to impossible, but Jordan was always driven by failure.
Free Ronny Cedeno
by Kansas25 on Jul 11, 2008 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
nice post....
but…Jordan was driven by failure???
EXPLAIN…..?
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
by Hammer on Jul 11, 2008 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Multiple examples...
Getting cut by the Varsity team as a sophomore in HS. Getting repeatedly beaten by the Pistons in the East. His #45 return that originally led to a playoff loss (mostly on his shoulders) to the Magic. “Failure” may be a relative term, but Jordan always found a way to use any defeat as motivation.
Free Ronny Cedeno
by Kansas25 on Jul 11, 2008 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He could have made it in baseball...
... if he had played it through high school and/or college and been drafted and gone through the minor leagues. Trying to pick the game up at age 30, having not played in over a decade—nearly impossible.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jul 12, 2008 4:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ill never forget when Jordan pulled up to the bag drop.
Jordan and a few of his boys came out unannounced to all members of our golf course including our GM and head pro. Its an experience ill never forget and was extremely nice and generous with tips, autographs, and interactions. A day I will never forget, and I story I will tell to my grave.
by Mikey06 on Jul 11, 2008 8:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I worked at a fast food joint in high school
and Jordan came through the drive-thru really late one night. My sister was working the window and called me over when she saw who it was. All five of us that were working found reasons to head over to the drive-thru and just gawk at him for a few minutes – we were trying to be sneaky, but were probably pretty obvious. He knocked on the window, smiled real big, and asked us if anyone was making his food. We apologized, made his food, and he signed a few scraps of cash register paper for us. Just another annoyance in his life, but I still remember it 15 years later.
This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.
by HectorVillanueva on Jul 11, 2008 10:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well...
How many games does he have the Bears winning?
Jim Edmonds has seriously become my favorite player. WHAT'S HAPPENING????
by Cub Style on Jul 11, 2008 8:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm surprised he's not down in Mississippi
Trying to get the “scoop” on Brett Favre.
Old Style is the nectar of life.
by Mordecai on Jul 11, 2008 9:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
From his SI.online column today...
“
July 11, Chicago: Don’t tell my boss, but on the way back from Scappoose, I stopped for the afternoon in Chicago, lathered on the 55 SPF sunscreen, and sat in the seventh row of the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field for Cubs 3, Giants 1. The guy a few seats away asked me, “What’s your favorite ballpark?’’ And I told him the story of taking my late mother to Wrigley for the first time, maybe eight or 10 years ago, and how she’d been used to Fenway Park and didn’t think any place could every be better, and in the seventh-inning stretch, she leaned over to me and said, “Peter, I think this is better than Fenway.’’
I love the sun beating down on the bleachers, and the 20-somethings sitting with the 60-somethings, and the organ playing, and the balls flying all around you in batting practice. There’s not a lot of places purer in sports. Now, the $110 price tag for the general admission bleacher seat is another matter. But once every five years, I’ll pay it happily. What a great afternoon.”
Nobody cares about your fantasy league team
by carmen_fanzone on Jul 14, 2008 6:39 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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