You Never Know Who You May Meet At A Baseball Game

[Bruce Breedlove]

Last week I drove to Austin for a conference and caught a Round Rock Express game Monday night before the conference kicked off on Tuesday. Round Rock is the AAA team for the Houston Astros. They are in the Pacific Coast League. They have the nicest stadium I have ever seen in the Minor Leagues. It is called Dell Diamond. (Dell Computer is headquartered in Round Rock.)

After the conference ended Friday I drove to Houston to see the Houston Astros play the Pittsburg Pirates. I got a great seat two rows behind the photographers well located between Home and the Visitors Dugout. My seat was right beside one of the tunnels that are used to access the VIP seating located directly behind Home. Not long after the game started I noticed a VIP slowly making his way along the tunnel not three feet from me. You may recognize him from the photos I took. He is older now and walks with the aid of a cane and his grandson. I saw his wife sitting with him during the game but she took a different route in and out. (You can see her in the second photo. She is wearing a blue dress.) Also accompanying the VIP were three men in jackets with earpieces. One of them was always within arm's reach of the VIP and another nearby. One of them spent most of the game standing beside me in the tunnel. I tried not to attract their attention. I most certainly did not want to find out what they were carrying beneath their jackets.

After the game was over the VIP shook a few hands and posed for a photo or two. He signed a baseball for a girl standing beside me. I did not have a ball but he was gracious enough to shake my hand. That was a thrill and an honor.

The next night I went to a Texas Rangers game. I didn't meet any VIPs there but I did get an Elvis Andrus bobblehead doll.

Please don't turn this thread into a political pi$$ing match.

[Erby Crofutt]

It's always kind of neat when you get to see or even meet old celebrities, be they political, movies, or sports celebrities.

Glad you got the opportunity to see some good baseball while in Texas.

Did you get some good barbecue too! I always favored the Green Mesquite!


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[Nick Ostrowski]

Neat. The Bushes take in quite a few Astros games.

[Scott Patterson]

Very nice Bruce, Thanks for sharing!

[Ron Bibler]

Its aways a good at a ball game... I need to get out more...

Thanks Bruce...

Best

Ron

[Raymond Wand]

He looks pretty good even if he is using a cane.

[mathew stouffer]

Petty cool.

[chris mcintyre]

I have been fortunate enough to get some seats only a few rows back at a Carolina Panthers game, it is a very cool experience being that close to the action.

To have seats that good and a former president that close, very, very cool indeed.:)

[Scott Jarvis]

When I was in high school, our school band played for the VP at the time. It's an amazing thing to be standing face to face with one of the most powerful people in the world, retired or in office. My wife and I are jealous.

[Jack Feldmann]

Very cool!

[Bruce Breedlove]

Please don't turn this thread into a political pi$$ing match.

Nine out of ten people who have responded honored my request. That's pretty much what I expected.

[Bruce Ramsey]

In 78 or 79 Gerald Ford came and spoke at my high school in the gym. They installed phones with a white house logo in the center of the dial in several of the classrooms the week before his speech. Removed them after the speech. I guess they used the classrooms as staging areas and various other functions and needed communcation. Long before cell phones. Yes, dial phones were still in use then.

I attended the speech. Gerald stood on the stage and I was at the far end of the gym. Not nearly as close as a ball game but still kinda neat to have the President visit your school.

[Ted Menelly]

BB: So then, you were impressed by having caught a glimpse a war criminal?

Schmuck....................Funny man. The propaganda minstrel has been in your living room way to long.

[Raymond Wand]

Hey is that Barbara Bush in the background? How did she look?

[Bruce Breedlove]

Hey is that Barbara Bush in the background? How did she look?

Yep, that's Barbara Bush. She looked great but I never got any closer to her than that. She came and went via a different route.

[Raymond Wand]

No doubt those men around George are secret service agents?

[Bruce Breedlove]

No doubt those men around George are secret service agents?

Correct. He gets Secret Service protection for life.

[Rick Hurst]

Speaking of meeting people, I didn't meet a celebrity today but who I did meet was truly a nice experience.

I inspected the home of my 8th. grade woodshop teacher. Good Lord, I'm 53yrs. now, and I can't even think of how many years ago that was but it was really nice to see him again.

He taught me how to use all the wood shop tools like lathes, bandsaws, planers, drill pressses, table saws and everything else.

Cool thing is I still have some of the items we made those years ago.

It was really nice to see him again.:D Shame though he had that FP panel I got to write up.

rick

[Ralph Stakely]

My grand daughter and some guy that walked in off the street.


RES

[Billy Stephens]

My grand daughter and some guy that walked in off the street.


RES
.
:eek: ... Did He Grope Her? ...:D
.

[Ralph Stakely]

Nope, She would'a slapped the crap out of him.

:O

[Billy Stephens]

Nope, She would'a slapped the crap out of him.

:O
.
Good For Her.

You Raised Her Right.
.

[Ralph Stakely]

Yep. even if I say so :)

She didn't vote for him, just was invited to the party by her friend that works for Senator Saxby of Georgia.

She thought it would be nice to hobknob with the "elite." :)

[Damon McCarty]

Now thats cool Bruce.
The last picture is a nice one
And then to get to shake his hand.

[cliff kornegay]

I'm not crazy about politicians regardless of party, but it is really neat to get a chance to meet the president. You'll talk about it the rest of your life.