Meme-Tagged: Eight things you (probably) didn’t know about me

Todd Defren tagged me with the current blog-meme going around, “Eight things you (probably) didn’t know about me.” Despite what Todd says, I think people actually do like these, and aside from the obvious ego exercise we each go through in writing these, I also enjoy reading those of others.

This meme is apparently distinct from the “8 random things about me” meme I was tagged with last summer. Have a look at that one, I don’t think I should repeat any of that stuff here. I will make this eight as different as possible, which means it will probably be a bit random. Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. List EIGHT random facts about yourself.

3. Tag EIGHT people at the end of your post and list their names.

4. Let them know they’ve been tagged.

Here my (new) eight random things, concentrating on the random over last time around:

1. I failed swimming merit badge at Boy Scout camp because my shirt was too big. One of the requirements is to inflate your shirt while floating. Another factor is that I wasn’t such a great swimmer.
2. I am one of five boys– just like the Marx Brothers. I am 3rd, which makes me Groucho (look it up).
3. My first rock concert was The Kinks at Boston Garden in 1984.
4. My first car was a 1973 Oldsmobile Omega. Orange with black interior (a lot like the one in the picture, we called the “Halloween-mobile.”I paid $700 cash for it.
5. I got heavily involved in multimedia while in the Boy Scouts, going so far as to produce shows for national conferences. Back then, “computers” that synced multiple slide projectors was state of the art, and signals were often stored on cassette tape. At one of the show I produce, the computer died and I signaled 10 projectors by hand, going by the script.
6. I grew up with a classic suburban Boston accent, dropping the “r”s and everything. Voice classes in college rid me of the accent, and I have spent much of my adult life trying to remember it.
7. My longest bicycle ride to date is about 38 miles. Do i really think I can do the Pan Mass Challenge?
8. In my job producing NPR’s “Only A Game,” I got to talk to a lot of sports legends, and met several in person. Highlights:
   1. Calling Yogi Berra at home to schedule an interview. When he eventually came in, he repeatedly called host Bill Littlefield “Bob.”
   2. Had a great chat with former Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard, who gaveup Roger Maris’ record 61st home run on 1961. Nicest man I ever spoke with. He said he rarely has to buy a drink and gets a lot of meals paid for him due to his dubious honor.
   3. Former Red Sox pitcher and legendary goofball Bill Lee’s answering machine: “If you’re calling about the wood chips, they’re back of the barn to the right. Help yourself.” Yes, he called me back.
   4. Senator McCain calling me back from his limo to talk about some boxing legislation he sponsored. Yes, he;s that accessible. That part of his reputation has endured.
   5. Favorite sports news headline I wrote: “Cardinals outranked the Padres.”

I tag: Sandy Kalik, Chuck Tanowitz, Dave Austin, Cathryn Hrudicka, Mark Goren, Ike Pigott, “Ontario Emperor” and Aaron Brazell.

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