Encounters with Celebrities who were jerks (Athletes or not)

Johnny Rotten. wrote:

I'm always getting all kinds of w@nkers asking for my autograph at airports, I tell them to fück off, funny thing is they're happy because that's what the dumb cünts expect.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7273610/johnny-rotten-snapped-looking-larger-than-usual-as-he-waits-for-luggage-at-lax/

Funnily enough I did meet Johnny Rotten once and he did tell me to fück off, and yeah, it was what I expected of him, so not disappointed, but he said it with a smile on his face, so that makes him a good bloke in my books.

kids play out front wrote:

Michael Johnson (after his running career) simply a rude a-hole

Calvin Smith (during and after his running career) pleasant as can be.

Left her a check ..

His other tuition story …

https://www.espn.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=verdi_bob&id=2756572

Caddied at an exclusive so cal country club a long time ago and interacted (some very brief and others I looped for) with the following people:

Michael Jordan: not as good at golf as his index; always gambling

Gretzky: pretty damn cool

Nicholson: deceptively decent at golf and did not seem to give a $hit

Tiger: was finishing up high school and was a geeky 150lb bean pole. No doubt he did steroids or hgh at some point. No disrespect to the dead, but I saw enough of his Dad to know Tiger was doomed as a person

Alice Cooper: Dude could flat out play

Kenny G: One of the best celebrity golfers I've seen. Rarely shot over even par.

Kelly Slater: before his many world titles - also close to a scratch golfer

Larry Fitzgerald: low single digit player and cool guy

Mark Wahlberg: was younger and don't remember much about him

Drew Brees: quiet and kind

Rick Suctliffe: 1st class Adam Henry. Major league jack a$$

Lou Holtz: wrote me an inspirational note I still have. Always coaching

Many others if I gave it some thought.

Prince Philip _ (brief) chat. Very relaxed guy

Nigel Mansel - great guy

Roberto Carlos - perfectly normal and chatty

almostsbs1 wrote:

Left her a check ..

His other tuition story …

https://www.espn.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=verdi_bob&id=2756572

There was nothing in the article about writing a check for the tuition of a random waitress he met. I'm a nice guy, but if I wanted to pay for her tuition, it would be through periodic payments with my accountant tracking her progress through school. I'm not going to hand her a big check and have her drop out of school a week later. There are also thousands of people in the same situation, including maybe some of her coworkers, so I would be reluctant to single her out for such a gift.

Back in '06 and '07 USAs were in Indy. Can't remember which year this happened...

A buddy of mine ran with Fam at TN. He came over to his apartment and we headed out to The Slippery Noodle to meet a friend his, it was WEJO! Us four sat out outside and had a few and had a great time. Nice guys, I've always wondered why he (WEJO) gets so much crap on here. I have been around ROJO also but not in the same kind of setting (more people) and still, I like these dudes.

Don Henley in a bookstore - friendly, funny. Actually approached me first.

John Cleese in a hotel bar - Omph. Hit him on a bad night.

Susanna Hoffs - Before concert. Charming

Drew Bledsoe - His house and at a restaurant (worked with a relative) - Quiet but friendly and nice.

James Taylor - On ferry to MV - friendly

John Kerry - Shoe shine stand at Logan airport - super funny. Talked Red Sox.

Ryan and Sara Hall - behind me in security line at SFO - incredibly chatty, friendly.

Vince Neil - Table beside me at Vegas sushi/club. Talked on way into men's room and at urinal I confused Motely Crue with Guns and Roses. He called me a "f'ing idiot". But only one of us was arrested that night for drunk driving on the strip. :-)

Bill Rodgers - a number of times at his store - Does anyone have anything bad to say about him?!

Chris Gardner (Guy the movie Pursuit of Happiness is based on) - larger than life. Talked about our kids.

Carl Yastrzemski (yeah, I'm old) - Restaurant and Super Market - Both times very patient with an awestruck kid.

I'm sure there are more. I have traveled coming up on 2 million miles on United and hundreds of nights a year in hotels. I apparently sat next to some Disney star (her team was waiting for her beyond security) NYC to LAX and we didn't say a word to each other. I forget her name but my daughter was exasperated I didn't get autograph when she showed me pictures of stars. I was more happy to get the upgrade and aisle seat.

I was standing next to a 10 year old boy who asked Dave Winfield baseball for an autograph. He said “Get out of my #@?&ing face kid!”

Johnny Ramone in a club before a show when I was pretty young. He has a reputation of being surly, but was very friendly in a New Yawk way chatting with me. Asked me what it was like where I was from etc. and patiently tolerated my fan-boy awkwardness. Eventually he had to get going to get ready for the show, and asked me if I wanted a guitar pick. I of course said yes, so he rummaged through his gear and found one and gave it to me. I later learned that the surliness was merely an image he cultivated, and in actuality he was generally engaging and nice to his fans.

JohnnyJoeyDeeDeeTommy wrote:

Johnny Ramone in a club before a show when I was pretty young. He has a reputation of being surly, but was very friendly in a New Yawk way chatting with me. Asked me what it was like where I was from etc. and patiently tolerated my fan-boy awkwardness. Eventually he had to get going to get ready for the show, and asked me if I wanted a guitar pick. I of course said yes, so he rummaged through his gear and found one and gave it to me. I later learned that the surliness was merely an image he cultivated, and in actuality he was generally engaging and nice to his fans.

The Ramones were awesome, typical guys from my neighborhood - Forest Hills, NY.

Lots of Celebs coming thru the Monterey Peninsula Airport when I lived there. Nicest celeb/athlete I met was Johnny Miller, the golfing great of the 1970s, and former NBC commentator, who had a house there in Pacific Grove at the time. Spent 20 minutes chatting as we waited for our delayed plane from SF coming thru the fog...super nice man...he was so relaxed he stretched out on the floor of the waiting area in front of me while we chatted.

Uncle, nearly impossible to believe that positive comment about Henley. I guess if you get him in the right setting. Love his music, but he has always been said to be abrasive and agitated.

A bad encounter, not totally his fault, was my brush with Jim Valvano in 1992 several months before he passed. I went by him and his wife sitting in first class, actually nudged him on the shoulder with my large carry on duffel bag. His wife looked like she was going to KILL me, and Valvano did not look pleased at all.

Flew back from Edmonton World Champs 2001 sitting next to Olympic Gold Medalist Madeline Manning-Mims, super nice person, so humble and kind. Told me stories about all the athletes of the modern era she worked with, not a bad word about anyone or anything.

almostsbs1 wrote:

I was at a diner and Phil Mickelson was there eating by himself .. he was talking to the server and she was telling him about college and student loans …. He left her $$$ to cover all of her tuition.

He also did the for a former NFL players kids

That’s actually a favorite ploy from servers. Talk about your money problems and hope someone feels sorry for you. Happens often. Especially with women. It’s a game.

Why the hell wouldn't a lowly paid server talk to a well monied celeb about their money problems? Astute.

Many years ago. Kim Batten was still world record holder. I was working a pet store in her home town (Rochester) and she walked in. Immediately recognized her. Local celebrity and running legend. At least at the time. She was in the news for any performance.

I was incredibly shy at the time. I nudged my coworker. He had no idea who I was talking about. He chatted her up and encouraged me to go talk to her. I was star struck. But I’m sorta a numbers nerd and started to talk to her about some of her prep performances, blah blah blah. I must have been so annoying. She was so sweet and kind. I can’t say how “big” she was but at the time it felt like she was 6’6.” I was in awe of her.

I also used to be a mediocre prep runner and met a lot of pros going to big meets. Had an encounter with Dan O’Brien . Funny and friendly. Met many others too, but Dan sticks out.

I worked at a very popular resort. Many many celebrities. You name them, they’ve been there. Actors, royalty, musicians, politicians. Met quite a few either in passing or actual conversations. 2 stories. Jimmy Fallon? Complete a$$hole. Always. Every time. To everyone. I throw him under the bus because I don’t like his show so he deserves the dirt. Met Aly Raisman after the allegations. No details. But I felt so sad and bad for her, every time I saw her I wanted to hug her and apologize for what happened. The incel d!ckbags on LRC will conflate that with a sexual tone. It was anything but. After hearing the stories. The testimony. And then meeting one of those young women, it tears you up. It’s very sad that’s her legacy with me. More so than the gymnastics. And that’s not fair. She was incredible every time I interacted with her. Nasser can rot in hell. Or in a public square.

I hated Charles Barkley when he was a player. Brother drove him in a hotel shuttle van from the airport 25 years ago. Barkley was really nice and then tipped him 50 bucks.