What is the weirdest celebrity sighting or encounter you have had?

I've seen/met several celebs, but this is probably the "weirdest" I can think of at the moment.

My mom has always been a big fan of the Texas Rangers and worked for them on and off over the years. She'd sometimes bring my sister and me to the games. Afterwards, there was always a group of people waiting by the garage exit waiting for players to drive out because sometimes they'd stop and sign autographs.

Mostly it was parents and kids there, but this time there were 2 women there dressed a little over the top for a baseball game who kept name dropping and talking about how well they know the players.

Some of the players stopped to sign autographs, but the 2 biggest stars at that time were Pudge Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez. I don't recall Alex driving out, but Pudge drove out in a cool yellow sports car (forgot what kind).

To everyone's disappointment, he didn't stop, which was fine because we'd already met him a number of times and it was late, so he probably wanted to get the hell out of there. Well, the 2 scantily-clad women were quite upset and started cussing and yelling at him as he drove past. My favorite line was "he's no A-Rod!" As if A-Rod would give them the time of day.

And that's the story of when I discovered groupies.

I met Michael Moorer, who was the heavyweight boxing champ of the world in the 1990s. I was a busboy at a restaurant in Pittsburgh when he came in on a Saturday night, and he was from a town nearby. He wanted privacy so they seated him over in a corner near where the servers came out with food, but I overheard at least one table that recognized him. The only unusual thing about the encounter and the only reason I interacted with him was that I dropped a tray, pretty much right in from of him. He was amused and some thing like "that's OK man."

Stood in line behind Dean Ween in a Starbucks before work. Had no idea they were in town. I told him I liked my coffee brown.

Was at a convention for work and all of a sudden found myself in a small room with Donald Trump. This was in the early 2000s. He was a lot bigger than I would have expected, both fatter and taller than he looks on TV.

When I was in college, I met former president George H.W. Bush at the Latrobe, Pennsylvania K-Mart. Very friendly, despite being surrounded by Secret Service. He was there to buy a belt before going to the funeral of Arnold Palmer’s wife.

I saw Larry Bird in the Hard Rock Cafe in Minneapolis about 13 years ago. It was when he was an exec with the Pacers and they were in Minneapolis to play the Timberwolves. I walked in and saw him, and sat about 4 seats away. It was mid-afternoon and pretty empty. He was there with another guy. He was wearing a cheap looking track suit. I remember he quickly put down like 7-8 gin and tonics in the middle of the day, and that's just what I saw. I also remember when he got up to leave, I was struck by how enormous he was, and it was also clear that he had pretty bad back problems.

I have been fortunate to have met many of my favorite musicians and runners at "official"meet-and-greets. For these events, I follow an etiquette of: be pleasant and don't hold up the line. The one runner that I met and that kept talking to ME and that I couldn't get away from was Bill Rodgers. And I am not bad-talking Bill--he's a sweet guy and obviously a running hero to us. It was at an expo and there was a huge line to meet him. I just wanted to tell him thanks for the inspiration, get an autograph and a picture, and then leave to let the other fans have their meetings with him. But he kept talking and talking and I didn't want to be rude to him. My friend Jack also met Bill Rodgers years later and told me the same thing. It is not a character flaw on Bill's part...it is just his very kind nature.

a) In early 80s, I am working as a bartender at Hobby Airport, which was the hub for SW airlines. A lot of people flying on the low cost airline, so the bar I was at was usually busy. One day, after his loss in the ring, Jerry Quarry was there, but sat with his manager in the lounge. He was bruised, and I guess how the fighters look the next day usually doesn't make the press, Jerry was so large-boned and muscular that he looked like the Hulk.

b) in mid 80s, worked a few months as a bartender in a lounge with a big dance floor at a very popular hotel just outside of Cleveland. The pro sports teams stayed there when playing against the home teams, the musicians who gave concerts often stayed there. Example, seeing a crowd of people just outside the bar area, and then realizing it was Phil Collins talking to them. Another night, Air Supply was at the bar having drinks and talking with patrons. I waited on Hubie Brown, who was talking to his asstistant coach, while some of the Knicks were dancing. Hubie is quiet and dignified.

c) However, my favorite incident at this hotel bar and lounge was while I was the day bartender, which was often. Almost never does anyone come into a hotel bar during the day, so all I would do is cut fruit for the evening and chat with the bar back. One day two men walk in--only ones in the place--and come up to the bar. I recognize one man, but say nothing. The man says "Hi Glenn, can we get a drink." Glenn (the bar back) says "sit anywhere you like" and let's them know that I will get their order and bring the drinks. They sit in the lounge, I go over and get their order, and when I am back at the bar I say "Glenn, how does Paul Warfield know who you are, and who is the other guy?" Turns out Glenn was a huge 3 sports star when in a Cleveland HS, and was so talented that MLB, NBA and NFL were all real possibilities. Glenn chose baseball, and a little seasoning in the minors earned his chance for the majors with Cincinnati Reds. On a day to throw but not a game day, while warming up in early April after a rain, his foot slipped on the mound and he blew his shoulder out. Gone in a flash (he had 95 mph as a starter, and that was the old way of measuring fastball when it crossed the plate). The other guy with Warfield had played running back for the Cleveland Browns. Glenn had an engineering degree and was working as a bar back while his company was getting going (optic fiber), and soon afterward I think he quit, as that became a big industry.

d) Mid-80s, showing my book, I was chatting briefly with Renee Simonsen, who had just returned from filming a movie in Italy. Around that time, was standing near an elevator and Kelly Emberg was also waiting. We exchanged looks, but she was being stared at by people, so didn't say anything.

e) In late 80s, I am taking a train in Tokyo, and it was fairly empty because it is so early and on Sunday. Taking up the entire middle seat (train had seats lengthwise) were two Sumo wrestlers. They nodded at me, I was only a couple of feet away and there were probably a half dozen people on the train. These guys are so huge in their skeletal structure--enormous hands and thick fingers, huge necks, etc.-- that going up against them for the average person would likely be fatal in almost no time at all.

f) Early 90s in Buckhead Atlanta, I am at a nightclub and standing with some other guys. After a few minutes, I turn and realize one of the guys is Dominique Wilkins. Another time at a restaurant, I am getting ready to leave when a large group of very athletic men enter with a few women, and quickly I realize the men play for the Atlanta Braves.

g) Early 90s, staying in South Beach Miami (SoBe), one evening I am walking and the local press is talking to nightclub owner only a few feet away. It was Mickey Rourke, and he had just thrown out a couple of rowdies from his place.

h) I did have Dennis Hopper shake my hand and introduce himself to me, but that was on a set of a movie he was producing. I was just an extra. He was very short.

i) '95, I run 5th avenue mile, but not the feature race. Jogging back up the avenue, 2 women and a man enter the street from the housing. A 5' 11" woman is only a couple of feet away, and we look at each other as I jog by. It is Sigourney Weaver. Very pretty, delicate features.

j) Walking on 5th ave NYC in 90s before Xmas. See an older, powerfully built man going into Tiffany's. It was Sonny Jurgensen. NFL quarterbacks tend to look like college linebackers, indicating how rough the pros are (Saw Kenny Stabler at his club near Houston in early 80s, and he is large as well).

k) I was walking through Century City Plaza in Los Angeles in the late 90s, lots of people, and I see a very short woman approaching and going the other way. Two guys are walking the same direction as I am, and they are about 5 feet ahead of me, and they voice my exact thoughts: 1st guy says "that's Whoopi Goldberg" and 2nd guy says "who gives a ______"

l) Saw Dick Clark at Burbank Airport (a few feet from me, only myself and the man he was talking were at the gate's booth. Very short, but young looking.

I used to have to fly to LA for work. Of all the times I had been there I never bumped into anyone famous until this one time I saw the same guy two times. The first was on my flight. He was sitting one row ahead of me and to the left. I recognized him as the guy who claimed he was "jesus" on an episode of Barney Miller. He must have noticed me at some point because I wouldn't stop staring. (Mostly because i was trying to place his face. I didn't remember where or how I knew who he was . Yet)

Fast forward a day or so and I am in Beverly Hills with a co-worker who had never been there so we're doing the touristy thing. We stop in a sunglass store and the only customer in the store is the same guy from my flight. Kenneth Tigar. He looked at me with that..."not you again look..." Anyway. I said Hi and said I loved that episode of Barney Miller and he was totally cool.

What are the chances of running into the same guy...?

https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/kenneth-tigar

Left out David Letterman: I worked a couple of months as a waiter in New Canaan CT, and the restaurant had the Sunday brunch that everyone came in for. It was the mid-80s, he was in a baseball cap and shirt and shorts and tennis shoes, looking like he had recently finished working out. He looked very fit.

He asked about the buffet, I told him to go easy on the first few serving trays because the best food was near the end. He wanted coffee, and because he kept pulling his cap down and then lifting it, I finally figured out who it was. I thought he was a little too worried that he would be under a microscope in the town where he lived, and I didn't care, but as I went around to other tables the people were curious about him. He liked to come to the place because none of the staff cared who he was....

When I was dating my wife, I took her to the Palm because I was an 837 club member and they would send you a coupon once a year for $30 off your meal. So I made the reservation and it happened to be when they had the NBA all star game in Denver. So we get there in her dad's old pickup and they have the entry to the Westin cordoned off and a bunch of paparazzi standing behind barriers taking pictures when we dropped off our car at the valet. We get inside and it is full of NBA players, former NBA players, celebrities and their WAGs. I've never seen so much fur and bling in my life. Saw three players that I recognized (Mutumbo, Iverson, and Boykins), a bunch I didn't, saw P Diddy in the hotel lobby and fist bumped a Denver Broncos offensive lineman (George Foster, who had the biggest diamond cross I've ever seen) and his reality star wife while I was out waiting for the valet to bring the old pickup around. The best part was I had a coupon, and the food was delicious as always. A number of years ago I had dinner with Randy Gradishar at Morton's Steakhouse, which was a neat experience as well. I've got a good picture with Culpepper, Meb and Abdi the year they won the Bolder Boulder as well.

76chine wrote:

l) Saw Dick Clark at Burbank Airport (a few feet from me, only myself and the man he was talking were at the gate's booth. Very short, but young looking.

Flew on an airplane with him in the 80s. Those are my thoughts exactly. Short little guy. Talked exactly like Dick Clark.

Saw River Phoenix in the late 80's, at a Gainesville, FL phone booth, calling someone for a ride home from the grocery store. He was dressed like he was homeless, and I was tempted to give him a ride, but for some reason, didn't . A few months later, he was dead.

inagreementwithu wrote:

Saw River Phoenix in the late 80's, at a Gainesville, FL phone booth, calling someone for a ride home from the grocery store. He was dressed like he was homeless, and I was tempted to give him a ride, but for some reason, didn't . A few months later, he was dead.

Since he died in '93 it probably wasn't him.

I was doing the tourist thing in NYC in about 2000 (pre 9/11) and was checking out St. Patricks Cathedral. I sat down in a pew for a few minutes. Guy to my right was sort of disheveled by praying a rosary really hard. Looked over and realized it was Martin Sheen.

I worked in Austin, TX in the mid-1990s. One morning I was in the kitchen/break room at work, a lady usually brought in breakfast burritos. I was pawing through them and behind me someone says "those look good". I turned around, it was George W. Bush. He had just been elected Governor of Texas and was at our place for a meeting or something.

Met Jim Nabors @ the Ala Moana Mall, Honolulu. You know him from Gomer Pyle USMC, Mayberry RFD & singing 'Back home in Indiana' @ the Indy 500.

Went into a 7-11 store in Studio City CA a few years ago and came across David Lee Roth standing in line. We asked what was up and he said , “ not much, man, just buying some batteries.”

Same store a few months later we came across “Booger” from revenge of the nerds. Buddy of mine said “ hey, you’re Booger from Revenge of the Nerds”. He denied it of course.

Also spotted the blonde guy from the Karate Kid at Venice Beach that always plays a dikk in every movie he’s in. My buddy said he still looks like an a$$hole.

Slim wrote:

When I was in college, I met former president George H.W. Bush at the Latrobe, Pennsylvania K-Mart. Very friendly, despite being surrounded by Secret Service. He was there to buy a belt before going to the funeral of Arnold Palmer’s wife.

You must have went to St. V's. I'm originally from Latrobe but moved away before this happened. I heard the story but slightly differently. I was told it was Fred Rogers's funeral and he was buying a tie. I know it was Kmart, though.

About 25 years ago I was making a delivery on San Carlos St in Carmel. In Carmel they don't have numbers on the houses or places of business. I guess numbers are too crass. In the residential neighborhoods the address on the package will read 3rd house SW of 6th & Ocean, etc. In the business areas it's usually just the name of the business and cross streets NW, NE etc. I can't remember the exact way the addressing went, but along those lines. Regardless, I was driving slow on San Carlos trying to locate the store. I was looking to the left, when I looked up at the road to make sure I wasn't going to hit a car or pedestrian. I had to slam on the brakes because there was this tall lanky guy dancing out of my way. I almost ran over Clint Eastwood. I saw him again a year later leaving a medical facility in Monterey with his daughter. I was walking in, they were walking out. All I could think of to say was, "Hey, Bronco Billy." He just laughed.

When I was driving a cab in the City I had Cindy Wood, the Playmate of the Year in my cab. She sat in the front seat, threw her legs up on the seat turned towards me and said, "Hi, I'm Miss May." This was just before she became Playmate of the Year. Her girlfriend and some guy had gotten in the back. I didn't know what she was talking about. Her girlfriend explained, "Playboy Magazine."

Raymond Babbitt wrote:

Slim wrote:

When I was in college, I met former president George H.W. Bush at the Latrobe, Pennsylvania K-Mart. Very friendly, despite being surrounded by Secret Service. He was there to buy a belt before going to the funeral of Arnold Palmer’s wife.

You must have went to St. V's. I'm originally from Latrobe but moved away before this happened. I heard the story but slightly differently. I was told it was Fred Rogers's funeral and he was buying a tie. I know it was Kmart, though.

I did attend SVC.

It was Arnold Palmer’s wife. I was a freshman at the time and at K-Mart with my girlfriend. Fred Rogers died in 2003.