Hope Springs Eternal

A number of my fondest memories come equipped with mementoes—the ball that Ted Williams signed as I followed him all the way to his cab outside Washington’s old Griffith Stadium, the ball Sandy Koufax tossed to my 8-year-old son during batting practice in Dodger Town, in Vero Beach, Florida.

I could go on and on and in fact I did in a Reminiscence called I’ll Grow Up To Be A Gum Card, for Sports Illustrated.

Later in life, having spent my youth chasing ballplayers for signatures I carried this tradition foreword when I developed a marketing plan for NC State University called Celebrity Salutes. To celebrate NCSU’s 100th year, accompanied by a university videographer, I slipped under the ropes at celebrity golf tournaments, including  the Bing Crosby Pro-Am which had been moved from L.A. to nearby Winston Salem, NC.

With cameras rolling the celebs wished us a Happy 100th birthday. We packaged the wishes in cassettes---in birthday wrapping paper--and shipped the 30 second spots to local, national TV stations and networks. 

Pat Boone sang Happy Birthday, Leslie Nielsen wished us the best while pretending to being an AIRPLANE in flight. Larry Linville, who  played Frank Burns, one of the surgeons in  M*A*S*H, said, “A hundred and still kicking. You must have quite an ‘operation’ over there.” 

You get the idea.

The problem was that I only had my video crew for one day and the prize of all the celebrities---Bob Hope---wasn’t coming until the next day.

But, on a whim I, wearing an NCSU T-shirt, went back again—camera less---with Bob Smith, my next door neighbor.

Then just minutes after we’d walked on the Bermuda Run golf course, we spotted a commotion by an ESPN truck. When we got there, we could see ESPN’s techs busy putting a lavalier microphone on none-other that Bob Hope his own self!

I, unannounced, entered the ESPN production truck, where I begged them to---after they’d interviewed Bob Hope---record him wishing NC State a Happy Hundredth.

The producer, said, “If you can talk him into it, we’ll record it!”

After confusing Mr. Hope with my request, he agreed and we---thank you ESPN, thank you Bob Hope---had our video salute.

Needless to say, the produced spot with Bob Hope saying, “NC State a hundred? Who’s your President Bing Crosby?” was a big hit, and ran both locally and nationally.

That’s one of my all-time favorite memories but as mementos go a cassette tape of all this isn’t something with today’s TV technology, I can enjoy.

So, where’s the memento?

This spot with Bob Hope was shot in the spring of our centennial year, 1987.  The following Christmas, I found, under our tree, what appeared to be a picture frame. I opened it to discover my memento, one that I treasure to this day.

Unbeknownst to me Bob Smith, my neighbor, had taken a great color photo of  me negotiating with Bob Hope to do the birthday wish for NC State.

I have the keepsake hanging here on my office wall. And the thing is that---other than the fact that I’m about 60 pounds lighter and clearly into my pitch with Bob Hope---is the look on his face. It’s one of total confusion, the very opposite of those standard celebrity grip and grin photos that people impress friends and family with.

I’ll never forget what he said. “You’re who and you want what?”

So, it’s not just me and Bob. It’s the spontaneity. It’s the interaction, the humor my neighbor caught in this very special photo. That’s what memories and mementos are made of.