Celebrity Sighting

With the exception of the time last year when I saw the Indianapolis Colts and Dan Reeves, I never see famous people at airports. That changed today. As I was walking to my gate, I noticed someone who looked very familiar. Some people may even say that he looks like former president Andrew Jackson (see below). As I got closer, I heard him talking on the phone about Roger Clemens. Yes, I saw Peter Gammons at the San Francisco International Airport. Gammons is widely regarded as one of the best baseball writers and reporters for his work at The Boston Globe and ESPN.

Over the next half-hour, I debated whether or not I should go over to speak to Gammons. I’m sure people come up to him all the time and I wanted to respect his privacy. Several of my colleagues offered to take a run-by picture of me standing behind Gammons. I figured that could be rude. I actually called a friend and talked somewhat loudly about fantasy baseball players hoping Gammons would notice. Of course, Gammons was on the phone nearly the entire time. At one point, I think I heard him say that Melvin Mora of the Baltimore Orioles is awful. Finally, as I was boarding, Gammons got up and walked around. As he passed me, I said, “Hi Mr. Gammons. I just wanted to let you know that I love your work.” He smiled and replied, “Thank you very much.” That was the entire conversation. I really wanted to ask him if the Pirates will ever be good again. I guess I’ll have to wait until the next time I see him.