OT: Cool Story Bro!

I won this contest once to sing the National Anthem at Busch Stadium for a Cards game. I was 7 years old so it was a pretty big deal. I got to meet John Mabry. Got my picture taken and my mit signed.  I was bummed out becase it was supposed to be a "surprise" player who we got to meet, and it was Ozzie Smith day at the ball park, so I was pretty sure we were gonna meet Ozzie Smith. No dice though. John Mabry is a loser. 

On my senior trip we went on a Black college tour by bus through Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. After touring FAMU we had the option of going to Disneyworld or Universal Studios. We chose Universal and while there I met Warren Sapp and got his autograph. He had a GORGEOUS lady on his arm.

I was in Chicago for a Cubs/Cardinals game. Well the game was rained out, so we went over to Harry Carey's for dinner and drinks. About two minutes after we ordered our food, the manager comes by our table and asks us if we could move downstairs. We were seated in the VIP section on the 2nd floor as it was the only open area of the resturant after the rainout. The next thing we know the entire Cardinals pitching staff comes up. We ended up getting free drinks after they kicked us out. 

So yeah Cool Story

I had the pleasure of playing against OLSM in 2000. Their team was completely stacked and had several future college/pro players: Anthony Sherrell, Charles Davis, Grant Mason, and Morgan Trent.

During the game, in which we were of course getting curb stomped, the future Michigan DB Morgan Trent picked off my QB. Since I was abused most of the game by the 6-6 280lb future Stanford Cardinal DE in front of me, I was pretty happy to see a little guy intercept the ball, thus giving me a shot at a blindside tackle on someone. Yeah, well that dude is fast, and it turns out strong. I dove at him and he stiff-armed me into the turf on the way to an easy TD return.

When a freshman DB can do that to a senior OL, you know you're pretty much not gonna make it in college football lol.

I was at the Cowboy Classic with my friend and his family (Dad was QB @ UM in the 70's), and on the elevator to the welcome dinner what looks to be a body builder gets on and starts talking to my friend and I. Asked us if we played any sports at UM (more out of courtesy, the answer is obvious looking at us), but we could tell he obviously had. After we got off the elevator I informed my friend that he was Jarrett Irons. Afterwards at the Welcome Dinner I talked with my friend's Dad's teammates from the 70's and just missed talking to Dave Brandon (also on friend's Dad's team).

Senior year I lived in an apartment that Barry Larkin lived in the previous year. I'd get his bank statements in the mail.

After the 2008 Illinois game at the Big House, I hung around outside the tunnel and got to meet some of the players.  Got to talk to Brandon Graham, get an autograph, etc.  Nice guy . . . happy kid in a monster's body.

The interesting part is that I got to talking with his mom who was also with him.  Brandon moved on, but I talked with her a good long while about the life of a big-time college football player.  Everyone had been speculating about whether he was going to come back to Michigan the next year, but she assured me that he was not going to leave for the NFL and he was going to come back.  

We talked about the risk ot him getting hurt.  She informed me that they had a $2 Million insurance policy on him in case of career-ending injury.  The family had to pay the premiums themselves.  The NCAA does not pay them.  We both agreed that if the NCAA wanted kids to stay in school, they should provide the insurance policy. 

It was interesting to hear this kind of discussion from an insider's perspective.

 

I was in Palo Alto maybe 10 years ago for a friend's wedding and before the ceremony we toured the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Stanford campus. I was in some kind of administration building that looked like a Spanish Versailles when a comely young lass approached me and asked if I knew where the restroom was. I had just visited said loo, and so I was prepared to say "down that hallway on the left."

But when I realized it was Natalie Portman I instead said "schloaksdjfberflaffenhaffenfarvergnugen," wet myself (hard to do when you've just gone to the restroom) and ran away simultaneously giggling and sobbing.

#CSB

If we're talking about talking a pounding in football, I'll share mine:

I played football from 5th grade to my senior year in high school, finally reaching an anti-climatic ending with some interest from non-power DII teams and a request from Northern Illinois to try out on d-line.

My junior year of high school in the fall of '02, I got switched to left guard since my natural position, center, had decent depth there already, but we had a complete lack of lineman who could pull.  One of the games that season was an away game against Saginaw, which featured a well known man among boys named Lamar Woodley.  Since our running game was heavily reliant on pulling guards, and Lamar often played up on the edge, a meeting between the two of us was inevitable.

I was no small and meek pulling guard, standing at 6'2", 265 with a decent 40 for a 17 year old OL.  The first time my name was called to pull to his side, I shot out of my cannon, and dropped my shoulder as I braced for the hit.  I ran into an immovable Woodley, who was waiting for me, and fortunately was able to (only) distract him enough for the tailback to slip through.  What I say now doesn't consist of an ounce of exagerration: Lamar picked up all 265 punds of me, turned a little bit with me in his hands and then gently tossed me to the side out of his way.  He then proceeded to chase down the tailback who made it a few yards farther than he would have if Lamar hadn't been mildly distracted by me.

I was still down on the ground in complete shock at being manhandled for the first time in my football career when Woodley came back over to me, lifted me straight up off the ground and back on to my feet, and said "good block."  I don't think what I did that play can really be considered a block, but to this day, getting politely put in my place and then complimented by someone who ended up being a Wolverine great and a Super Bowl champ is the highlight of my career.

By the way, we were absolutely destroyed in that game and I even got to talk to Lamar about it a couple years later when I ran into him while I was visiting a friend in West Quad. (I know, cool story bro).

Got to know him a little bit as he use to come in to the lounge I managed at in Chicago.  He was always fun to talk to and had a lot of interesting stories.  Prior to Rich Rod's last season he told me he had played golf with Dave Brandon and Brandon personally told him Rich was done after the season and Harbaugh is a done deal.  He also had a few good Tom Brady stories, one of which involved him banging Jenna Jamison. 

story bro.

with Glen Rice and company (dating myself a little), and on a fast break threw a pass to Glen that I thought was way over his head and out of bounds. He went up and snagged it and jammed it for a picture perfect alley-oop.  He high fived me down the court and I won't ever forget the pass I thought was five feet over his head.

My roommate plays basketball in a pretty competitive local rec league.  He guarded Walter McCarty the other day.  Said he was bombing 3's and going probably about 60%.

On my way home from Atlanta and the final four this year, Denard was on my flight two rows ahead of me in first class going to Dayton. There was only 20 minutes left in my flight before I finally realized it was him. It was the am flight to Dayton so it was quite humorous to me to watch Denard's dreadlocked head bob back and forth while he was trying to sleep on the plane..... this is totally worth a "cool story bro" response, I know.

Either '92 or '93 I was sitting at the bar waiting for a buddy at Rick's for dollar pitchers and Steve sat next to me in a happy mood. (He is obviously monstrous and I am 5'11" 170). I had no idea it was him, but I was done with my first pitcher and he said hi, and I responded with this, "If you want to go outside and practice falling down, I will be out in a minute." He chuckled, so I kept on it. "I will hit you with so many lefts that you will be begging me for a right." At this point he is still amused by me. So I confidently say, " I used to fuck guys like you in prison!" He laughs. The bartender comes over and says, "Steve, is this guy bothering you?" No he says and laughs and walks off. The bartender asks if I knew him, and I said "was that Steve Everitt?" I laughed, thanked God and drank more beer. Also played pool with some of the Fab Five Freshman year there. They were nothing in the summer of 92. Yeah yeah, CSB

I met Brad Nessler before the Wisconsin game in 2008 and got my picture with him. He asked who the handsome man was who took the picture...it was my dad.

...respected by both Chuck Norris and Bill Brasky.

And I have a picture of Harry Houdini locking his keys in his car.

I did pretty much the same thing as the OP, but in summer camp before my freshman HS year. I was big for a freshman so I got lined up against the other 'big' guy who happened to be going into his senior year, and happened to commit to staee as a LB under Saban just a few months later. I remember getting hit, then I remember feeling very tall, then I remember laying on the ground. That was my only experience going up against a D1 athlete as I broke my shoulder in an accident a few weeks later. CS,B.

 

with Derek Jeter... He was always a solid player even in little league but he turned monster good after his freshman year.

Why don't you tell it to the one-legged man, so he can go bump it off down the road.

I was the 2,000,000th customer of 1993 at the Meijer Thrifty Acres on Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw. I won a $100 gift certificate and a basket of Bob Evans pork products, as well as a commemorative 9x12 plaque.

More than twenty years ago, when he was a senior in high school and I was a sophomore on the JV basketball team, Voskuil took the time to teach me how to shoot a jump shot. I've won 3 different three- point contests and can still shoot the lights out. Thanks James!