Seldom in life does anyone live up to others’ expectations. It is a difficult thing none of us are perfect and yet when we people are in the public eye they are often expected to be. Many of my boyhood idols have fallen by the wayside. Two of my heroes however have exceeded my expectations.
As I tuned in to SportsCenter at night the last few weeks to catch the events I missed, the stories I had heard too much of and the highlights I had probably already seen, I began to think about some of the people in the sports industry that I have admired who have let me down. Some have on the field meltdowns, many fall short in their personal lives, seem have even had criminal charges.
In the few encounters I have had with sports celebrities that did not involve a remote some are rude and short not that I blame them or even find fault. I will never understand what they go through on a daily basis and certainly we all have bad days. Some were warm and friendly, but two made me feel like a million bucks. When I look back at these two men I admire I do not first recall a homerun or dunk or even a famous interview. The first thing that comes to mind is the way they made me feel how they treated me like I was the celebrity.
I grew up watching the Murph on the superstation, a two-time MVP and outfielder for my favorite team the Atlanta Braves, I first met him as a young boy. He signed a ball for me and shook my hand and spoke to me. I was thrilled. I continued to follow his career and would have the chance of meeting him in a few more situations. Each time he was exceedingly kind and treated me with great respect.
A sports journalist who made his way from Boston to the sports capital in Bristol. In the summer a few months prior to his hall of fame induction, I met one of my adult heroes. It was a warm summer morning during batting practice in RFK Stadium in DC as I slid my way towards his direction and handed him a baseball as he stood on the field behind home plate. He signed the ball and I congratulated him on his Hall of Fame Induction. He was very humble and gracious. My wife asked if we could snap a photo he replied absolutely and then turned to walk away. I figured he must have gotten distracted and was thrilled with my encounter. As I began to leave I turned and saw him entering the bleachers. He approached me and put his arm around me. He went out of his way for the photo with me. We continued to talk and he spoke with me and my wife for what seemed like a half hour. It was probably much briefer, yet the experience was not.
Peter Gammons is a Hall a Famer and Dale Murphy should be, but both more importantly are Hall of Fame people. If you ever get to meet them, you will leave feeling like the one with a plaque in Cooperstown. I know I did.
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