#1157 my brush with celebrity

Yesterday was the Jazz's last home game of the year. The group I work closely with had the suite, and I was invited to go to the game. Lucky! Suite tickets have been hard to come by this year, so I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to go to the last home game. The Jazz were playing the one team that I like the absolute least in the whole league, the Los Angeles Lakers. Really, I don't know if it's the Lakers I dislike more or the Laker fans that live in Utah. Anyway.


MT came with me (date night!) and we were sitting there in the suite, enjoying some dinner when Thurl "Big T" Bailey walked into the room. Thurl played for the Jazz back in the 80s and now he lives here in Salt Lake and works on the broadcast team. He also sings. One night when T and I went to a game, Thurl sang the hell out of the national anthem.

Thurl Bailey is TALL - nearly 7 feet. I am not tall. I couldn't resist the opportunity to stand next to him. I jumped out of my chair and stood in front of him. I came up to about the top button on his jacket. I looked up at him and said, "Hi Thurl Bailey. I'm Sandy. Man, are you tall!"

He shook my hand and said, "Come over here, Sandy!" then he put his arm around me, so I put my arm around him, grinning like a damn buffoon. Thurl said, "Man, you're small!" I sort of squeezed Thurl and said, "Wow! That's not something I hear every day. You're awesome Thurl Bailey!"

I giggled like an idiot and Thurl laughed and my friend Ryan took our photo.

Actually, I don't know if that many words were exchanged or if this conversation mostly happened in my head. I was pretty excited. I'm pretty sure I babbled through most of my two minute encounter.

The Jazz would go on to lose (badly) to the Lakers, so meeting Thurl Bailey was definitely the highlight of the night.