Semi OT: Another Cool UM Story (at least for me)

Submitted by ChalmersE on

It seems Michigan is everywhere. From Rome to a suite at Nationals Park. On Friday, I was the guest of a bank at one of THE most luxurious suites at Nationals Park. I was early and there were only one or two fans in the suite, which offered buffet, the opportunity to order from the menu; tablecloth covered tables, etc. I had just stepped through the sliding glass doors to sit in the theatre style seats and watch the end of batting practice when I noticed a young lady showing two older guys around the suite. At first, I thought they were other guests arriving early, but then it was clear that this was some kind of a tour. One of the men opened the sliding glass doors and looked out at the field. Then he noticed I was wearing a Michigan golf shirt and he immediately said, "Go Blue". I responded in kind and introduced myself; he responded, "I'm Fred Wilpon"; i.e., the owner of the Mets, funder of the Wilpon Complex, former high school teammate of Sandy Koufax. We spoke for about 10 minutes. Among the things he said was if you call him, his phone plays "The Victors."  I smiled and said so does mine.  He seemed genuinely nice.  [P.S. I was wearing a Met baseball cap, but resisted asking him about the Mets' inability to manage injury issues.]

oriental andrew

April 30th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^

is not that cool. I was speaking at an event this past Wednesday at PNC Park before the pirates cubs game. started talking to this other guy who was all city in everything growing up. stated talking college and mentioned that I went to Michigan. he says, "oh, my cousin played football at Michigan." I was just thinking he was a walk-on or something until he asked me if I know who Steve Breaston is. talked Michigan football for a while before turning to other topics. he's a fan of the wolverines, to say the least.

Sam1863

April 30th, 2017 at 2:53 PM ^

This one isn't mine, it's my brother Jim's. He and his wife run an event planning company and do a lot of work for a client in Ireland. Their latest event took them to the Maldives. (In case you don't know where it is - like I didn't - it's a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, and it's supposed to be quite the gorgeous vacation spot).

Getting there took about 36 hours of travel, which included big planes, little planes, and a kidney-crushing ride on a speedboat. But there they are, on this secluded tropical paradise. They take a bike trip down a mostly-deserted trail, and as they pass some of the few people they meet, one yells "GO BLUE!"

Jim was startled, until he realized he was wearing his white UM hat. So he replied with an even louder "GO BLUE!" which scared the tropical birds into squawking. The power of the brand, half a world away.

So, Harbaugh can choose somewhere else for next year's trip. The Maldives are already Michigan's.