Happy Birthday Kareem

Thursday April 16th, 2009 - Milwaukee, WI/Lake Villa, IL

Today is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 62nd birthday. He was an icon when I grew up back in Milwaukee and I still remember when he and Oscar Robertson and the rest of the Bucks won the NBA title in 1971. It was right when my interest in sports was starting to explode and it was a very exciting time as I followed the Bucks and Kareem’s career religiously.

Oscar Robertson was a superstar but Kareem was the MAN. Actually he was known as Lew Alcindor then but whatever his name was he was still amazing. Like Andre the Giant it was his size that made him the center of attention and I remember going to a game with my grandfather and seeing him walk past me in person for the first time. I totally froze up.

To watch him score 30 points a night with his soft as silk ‘sky hook’ shot is a treat I had no idea how special it really was as it was happening. When he got traded to the Lakers it felt like part of my childhood innocence was over and it hurt to hear him say things about not wanting to live in Milwaukee because he didn’t like it there. Later I agreed with him.

When I was in high school I was lucky enough to get a job with the Bucks as a ball boy. I was assigned to the visitor’s locker room and I hated it at first but then I realized I got to interact with every other team in the league and I eventually got to meet all the superstars.

Some were very nice and some were total asses. I’d heard that Kareem was a total ass to deal with and my boss told me to not even think about interacting with him unless he said something to me first. We were all told to just do our jobs and not approach the players so that’s what we did. All the ball boys got along great and we were just thrilled to be there.

As luck would have it I was in the locker room doing some work and there was Kareem Abdul Jabbar just sitting by himself. He was putting his shoes on and then he read a book but it got to be ten minutes and it became apparent he wasn’t busy. I was standing a few feet away so I mustered up all the guts I had and started talking to him. And he answered.

We actually had a nice conversation as I remember and after a few minutes I disobeyed my boss and asked for an autograph anyway. I sincerely told him how much I enjoyed his play when he was with the Bucks and how I knew it was probably a pain in the ass to sign autographs for so many people but I would really appreciate it and he said he’d be glad to.

I had a pennant and he signed it ‘Abdul Jabbar’. I thanked him and he said ‘You’re very welcome.’ To this day that was one of the biggest thrills of my life and I’ll never forget it. He was a very intelligent person and soft spoken and he didn’t talk down to me at all. We had a conversation between two people for a few minutes and I will always remember it.

Of course he doesn’t remember me nor would I expect him to. He went on to have a lot of great moments and a lot of troubles too from what I read. He had a fire that wiped out a house he had in L.A. and I think he also was ripped of by a manager and had to play a lot longer than he wanted to. Still, his career is right up there with anyone who ever played.
But now he’s 62 and not in the limelight anymore. I wonder how his life is now? I hope he’s healthy and happy and in good spirits and financially secure but there is no guarantee of that unfortunately. He was THE guy for a long time but now that time has passed him.

He doesn’t remember being nice to me thirty years ago but I sure do remember him and it still brings a smile to my face to think about it even now. Maybe he was an ass to a few or even more than a few people. I don’t know, but he never did it to me so I’m still a fan.

I’m such a big fan that I remember his birthday when not a whole lot of others do. I saw it on the back of his basketball card as a kid and I never forgot it. ‘4-16-47’. It stuck in my brain as a kid and it’s still there today. Happy birthday Kareem. Thanks for the autograph.

I sure hope I can bring some happiness to people in my time. If anyone is remembering me on my 62nd birthday whether I’m living or dead it will be a huge honor. I try to always be courteous and approachable with fans after shows and I’ve heard very nice things later from people saying ‘You really made us feel special.’ I’m not faking. They ARE special.

That has never been something I’ve forgotten and I hope I never do. Yes, there are those very few idiots who don’t know how to act but by and large most people are unbelievably nice when they come up after a show and I’m getting to the point now where I’m signing a lot more autographs for some reason. If someone asks I’ll always try to accommodate.

It’s not the autograph that means so much as the time spent with the person signing it. It is a chance for a mini one-on-one meeting and hopefully it will have lasting meaning like meeting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did with me. I think of that every time I sign an autograph.
I may never have the fan base of a Kareem but whoever is my fan is much appreciated.

Finding and pleasing fans needs to be on my priority list and it totally is. I am hoping to use my new website to build a fantastic fan base and serve them well. I went to Shelley’s house today and made some more adjustments and tweaks and improvements and it’ll be a work in progress for a long time until we work the bugs out but it’s worth all the effort.

All of this is a very important part of being a working comedian in the 21st century. It’s something we all need to learn to embrace or we’ll be out of the game in a hurry. Being a funny comedian doesn’t mean anything if nobody knows about it. There are a lot of funny guys who are not nearly as famous as they should be in my opinion. And I’m one of them.

There’s no excuse for me not to be spending much of my time marketing myself. I have an opportunity to use the internet to put myself on the map and I have to be intelligent and plan my attack. Having a website is a good start but now I have to fill it with content for a fan base to enjoy. Then I have to seek out a fan base to go to the site to be able to enjoy it.

I took a break and went up to Milwaukee to have dinner with my cousin Brett. He made me laugh like he always does and it was a great battery recharge. I’m ready to sink myself into my projects and make them come to life. My 62nd birthday will be here all too soon.