Came back late yesterday night from Jackson, MS. I would have come back earlier, but my car wouldn't start (it's an old car and it was out in the cold parking lot for most of the week), but luckily, O'Hare has complimentary battery starts, so I only had to wait about 20 minutes for them to come by and give ma jump (there were a couple cars before me that they had to take care of.

However, that wasn't the most eventful moment of the night.

I had a connecting flight in Memphis, TN (where I had an AWESOME BBQ pork sandwitch). Once I got to my gate, I sat down, excited to try out the wi-fi at the airport. To my disappointment, it was $9.95 for 24 hours, and there was only about 40 minutes til my flight (30 minutes of which would be boarding time). So I just sat around and played with Photoshop.

I noticed a couple guys sitting in front of me, both wearing the same thing, jackets with 'Ole Mississippi Basketball Team' (it could have been just 'Ole Miss', but I don't remember). I thought, "Cool, I'm sitting near the basketball team. It was hard for me not to listen to their convo (well, I am a nosey little girl) which I thought was quite funny. They talked about various cheerleaders for their team that they thought were hot, how often they talked to them, what classes they shared with them. Just normal guys. Actually, the more I looked at them, the more I was surprised they were basketball players. They looked tall, but not as tall as I thought basketball players should be, even at a college level (remember I was standing next to that NBA player the last time I was in Jackson). They also seemed a little young to be on the team, seeming to be just out of highschool.

The called for people to board, and I saw them waiting to board, and they looked behind me and said to someone "See ya on the plane, man!" As they said that, a whole forest of trees passed by me to get on the plane. OK, it wasn't trees, but these guys were DEFINITELY basketball players. Tall, lean, and extremely confident. I figured these were the first string players. Turns out I was on the plane with the whole team, including the coaching staff. It was pretty cool.

But was that the coolest thing of the night?

No way!

My seat was near the front of the plane, so my group was chosen last. By the time I got on the jetway, there was a lot of traffic to get onto the plane, as we waited for people in front of us to pack away their carry on. I was standing in the front of the plane as I noticed various people staring at this man, some talking to him, some reaching out to shake his hand.

I looked at the man, who was a very big man, and I instantly thought, "Is that...no, it couldn't be! But maybe it is! I thought he'd be bigger, though. He's big, but not that big." I saw the coaches of the team look at this man with adoration, and later heard one of the guys on the team say, "Did you hear what coach said to him? He said, 'You're my idol, man!'"

Who was this guy? It was one of my favorite sports figures of my youth. Anyone who was born in the Chicago before 1980 will know who this is, even though he's never made any hall of fames or had any huge endorsement deals. He had a hand (a rather big one) in one of the most important sports moments in Chicago history - Superbowl XX.

You're lookin' at the Fridge, I'm the rookie. I may be large, but I'm no dumb cookie. You've seen me hit, you've seen me run, When I kick and pass, we'll have more fun. I can dance, you will see The others, they all learn from me. I don't come here lookin' for trouble, I just came here to do The Super Bowl Shuffle.

Yes, I was in the same plane as William "The Refrigerator" Perry, better know as The Fridge. If you lived in Chicago in 1985, you'd know what a hero he was back then.

So I stood there, almost staring, listening to the man next to him blab on about taking Kyle Orton out of the game on Sunday and putting in Rex Grossman, as The Fridge nodded politely and smiled. I wonder how many times people talk football with him. He took all the adoration that was put upon him in stride, waving, shaking hands, and smiling (though I could hardly remember if he still has that gap in his teeth). I wanted to say something, but I was struck mute, as I usually am in the presence of celebrities. If I had my wits about me, I would have asked him to lay his hand on my belly and bless my unborn child, but looking back, maybe it was a good thing that I was struck mute.

No matter what would have happened on the rest of the ride, I would have the glow that I saw The Fridge that carried me through the dead battery and all!

I think this is a good sign for this year's Bears. I've got a great feeling!

Posted by Yano at December 11, 2005 01:13 AM

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