My David Brenner Encounter

The Tosa Thunder lost their soccer game 11-4 this morning. Their best player Dom missed the game due to illness. My son Coco stepped up and scored the first goal of the game and had an additional 2 shots that missed the mark. Coco has certainly improved his offensive game and is already looking forward to next weeks game.

Phil Jackson is returning to where his NBA career started. Jackson signed a 5 year contract to be the new President of Operations for the New York Knickerbockers. He was drafted by the Knicks and spent the majority of his playing career in the big apple. Jackson has 11 NBA championship rings for coaching the Bulls and Lakers and I'm sure he believes he can turn the mediocre Knicks around. I read his book "Maverick" when I was a kid and he was still playing. Jackson is a very eclectic individual and just isn't a one trick pony in the game of life. I've met him once at an Illinois sports bar and a couple years ago in front of the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Always a kind word for everyone and I wish him well except when they play my Chicago Bulls.

Famed comedian David Brenner passed away yesterday. In a 2004 Las Vegas trip I wondered into an Asian bistro and was seated next to Brenner and his girlfriend Tai Babilonia who was absolutely stunning. Brenner is a Vegas headliner complete with his face plastered all over taxi cab promotional boards. I made a mental note to catch him on my next visit.

My next Vegas trip in 2005 I was true to my word and bought some tickets to see Brenner. He was funny in a very unique story telling fashion. He started out producing documentaries and it shined through in his show. The one story I remember is how the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta are less than 20 or so pages when they are combined. To play a show in "new" Las Vegas, he had to sign a contract over 100 pages in length. In his words, "I just tell jokes." He certainly missed "old" Las Vegas. When he started out he made a verbal agreement and shook hands, played his gig and walked off the stage and some mobster handed him the agreed amount in cash. He never forgot the good old days and that's what made David Brenner legendary.

Later