When I met Cliff Robinson in San Antonio

[GrandeDavid]

Here's a neat memory I'd like to share with you guys about when I met Cliff Robinson...

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1992 when I was in college and home for a semester and working on the Riverwalk at Lone Star Cafe, I was bartending one slow afternoon and served Cliff Robinson for lunch as he walked into the restaurant solo wearing some Blazers sweat suit. He was playing for the Blazers at the time and was a very nice guy, and since my manager comped his entire lunch (a t-bone steak, root beer, salad etc.) he still tipped me the value of the entire bill anyway ($22). A real class act. He was like the only one in the restaurant and he was playing that evening at HemisFair. What was interesting is that he lingered for quite a while after he finished lunch and we talked about football and how he wouldn't mind settling down in a place like San Antonio, which has nice weather and seems family-oriented. I recall him talking about his infant daughter.

I remember that he is from Buffalo and I, being from Houston, was a huge Oilers fan at the time. He is a huge Bills fan. I talked some smack to him at how the following day Houston would upset the Bills in the Wild Card matchup up in cold Buffalo. He thought otherwise and thought that Houston's fabled run and shoot offense would run into trouble in the cold weather. As some of you may recall, ole Cliff got the last laugh. I never saw him again but am sure that the following day he enjoyed watching what would become the greatest upset/choke in NFL history when his Bills stormed back from down 3-35 to rip mine and my Oilers' hearts out in overtime, 41-38.

Now, if Cliff does indeed come to San Antonio I'll hopefully have the chance to meet him again since I have reasonable access to the Spurs team. I think its a longshot that he'd remember me, but you never know. We talked at great length and I just may be a faint memory encapsuled whenever he recalls one of the greatest victories of his favorite football team.

[johnny00]

Good story, it's always interesting to hear about sports celebrities and thier offcourt encounters. Anyone else have any?

[dougp]

When I was between 8-10 (can't remember,) my dad, step-mom and I were flying to Dallas so that we could fly on over to Florida for a cruise. While we were waiting for our flight on Delta at SAIA, we saw a bunch of men sitting a few rows over from us, all of them rather long. My dad finally popped the question of, "Do you notice anything funny about the bags they all have?" Low and behold, we're sitting next to the entire Utah Jazz team, Karl Malone sitting in the middle joking around with everyone. I walk over, not expecting too much and got to talking with them, and of all people, Malone told me to go get some paper and the team would give me autographs (rather cool they voluntarily did this.) When I got done with them, I noticed that someone was missing, myself being a smaller white kid noticed the smaller white kid of the NBA didn't sign my paper ... "Where's John Stockton?" I asked Malone, and he pointed me to this guy reading the paper. He was pretty much an ass if I remember right, not sitting with his team and just doing the general loner stuff, but very easy going when I asked if he'd give me his autograph.

So, having met KM, I see no problem with the man, and the elbow he threw, it's just a game and he's paid to win and that's what he was trying to do; but it does suck!

[IX_Equilibrium]

good stories

[tlongII]

Did you smoke a doobie with Uncle Cliffie?

[gophergeorge]

One time, at band camp...

[PM5K]

I think we should trade Manu for him, as I read Manu doesn't tip at all and Cliffy drops 22.00 tips, he fits more into the good guy mold than Manu....

;-)

[ShoogarBear]

Did you smoke a doobie with Uncle Cliffie?

:lol

I was soooo tempted to say something like this, but showed some discipline.

Nice to see that the tlongster never disappoints.

[whottt]

Working in restaurants is a good way to a lot of celebrities.

I don't have any real indepth stories...but in my time in working in restaurants during college...I waited on:

Drob
Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and another guy(I think it was Tommy Agee). Emmitt is a great tipper BTW, the best celeb tipper I waited on.
Jay Novacek(kind of an Ahole)
Earl Cambell(at least 4 or 5 times)..Earl Cambell is a really nice guy...A nice guy that could drag four other grown men into an endzone...but still a nice guy.
Darry Royal
Fred Akers

I also waited on a ton of newsmen and some radio personalities.

One night I waited on some band after a concert...One of those suck poser metal bands...It was either Poison or Skid Row can't remember which, but I hated them.

I never asked any of them for autographs, I just treated them like normal people.

About the most interesting story I have...

Me and some of my friends were going to see a movie in 92. Waiting in line at the mall I noticed this one huge mofo standing with some other stout mofos, that I instantly recognized as Tony Casillas. I recognized a couple others as well..Ray Horton, James Washington. I made eye contact with Casillas and was just staring at him and he seemed to have this concerned look on his face...was almost a look of panic.

So I turned to my friends and said, hey, those are some Dallas Cowboys right there boys. One of my friends started to freak out and said he wanted to go ask them for their autograph. I though that was kind of cheap since he didn't even know who they were until I told him.

I told them, nah man...they just want to see a movie, and if you go ask them for their autograph everyone will start pestering them. I bet they are here to see the Unforgiven just like us. Let them go see their movie in peace so they can rest and relax after those hot fucking training camps, because they are going to win us a Superbowl this year.

Sure enough, the Cowboys went on to win the first of their 3 Superbowls in the 90's.

I've always felt like I contributed to that Superbowl by not giving away who those Cowboys were in that mall :). I know that look on Casillas' face was a "please don't give us away" look. And all 3 of the guys I recognized, and especially Casillas, had pretty good games in that first Superbowl.

So I've always felt like I did my part for that bowl. And I've also always wondered how in the fuck I was the only one that noticed them standing in a line with 50 other people. I mean Casillas kind of stands out in a crowd and there aren't a lot of guys that look like Ray Horton either.

[Spurminator]

One time Kobe invited me to his hotel room. I declined, and Jim Gray went instead. And the rest is history.

[whottt]

Oh yeah...there was one other time. When I was on my honeymoon I saw Willie Anderson gambling at the Flamingo Casino in New Orleans. Willie didn't look too happy.

[davi78239]

One time, think it was in 94, I saw Dennis Rodman and this little white man (guess it could of been his agent or something) at North Star Mall. He was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and had a bandage over the top of his nose. I proceeded to follow him just to see where he would go. On his way, a little boy noticed him too and asked him for his autograph with his mom right there. Of course, Dennis turned the poor little boy down and kept walking. So I kept following him through the mall to see where or what store he would go into. People would prop out of stores that noticed him as well, like the guys at Footlocker. So after a while, he finally went into some pet store and bought some stuff. The pet store might still be there today at north star mall, I don't know. Anyway, there's my celebrity spotting.

[ed_satx]

ran into cliff at all-stars gentleman club in 1995....what a Narcissistic gerk.

[GrandeDavid]

Manu's a bad tipper? Damn! I just lost some respect from him. Hopefully that was just a misinformed stiff. Maybe he's caught on to American tipping etiquete by now.

[dougp]

Err, forgot to add ... Went to Castle Hills w/ DRob a few times, he was always real friendly but the pastors had to beg people to leave him alone ... Also saw him go into the Office Depot next to the Schlotzkies (sp?) I worked at off of Wurzbach (you know the one ;P) ... What else, oh yah living down Vance Jackson from Sean Elliot (his first part on the team, before the kidney ... Saw him quite a bit around his house.)

[alamo50]

I love these stories!
Awesome.

[PM5K]

I heard Rasho and Beano drop hundreds like they are cigarette butts...

Just kidding, I had to say that because it paints a funny picture in my head, the Solvenians acting like big pimps....

[SequSpur]

Last year during the playoffs, I met Ron Mercer and Anthony Carter. They washed my car at the Wash Tub.

:smokin

[T Park]

John Lucas and Bob Hill just got done vaccuming the inside of my car.

Bob Hill was wearing a plaid Armani jacket, his hair dishelved.

He drew up a play on one of those paper mats they put in the cars, and begged me to take it to RC saying, HE CAN STILL COACH!!!


stfu sequ.