PHOENIX -- When you hang around the Brewers for a living, you may get a chance to share dinner in the press room with Bob Uecker or chat casually with Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig or Hall of Famer Robin Yount.
Events like that happen so frequently that you forget how cool it is.
Today was a reminder.
Brewers media relations director Mike Vassallo, a huge professional wrestling fan, brought a friend to the ballpark to watch the game against the Padres. That friend was former WWF champion, Honky Tonk Man.
Honky ate lunch in the media dining room and shared stories of his career. He told us that he'll visit Wisconsin later this month for shows in Milwaukee and Racine.
Vassallo was beaming. He's been telling the media crew for a long time that he knew Honky, but he was lacking proof and people were beginning to doubt him. Today changed that. My friend Tom Haudricourt, the longtime baseball writer from the Journal Sentinel, was ecstatic about meeting Honky Tonk Man and even more thrilled to pose for a picture.
The Brewers announced Honky's presence over the public address system and he got a nice hand from a large crowd. After signing dozens of autographs, Honky hit the road to beat the Friday rush hour.
I haven't seen Haudricourt this happy during spring training since "The Sopranos" returned to the air while we were in Phoenix several years ago.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
