PTIF: The waiter, Brett Favre and the ultimate sacrifice

Friday 01 July, 2011 at 12:00 pm bomani Blog, People Think I'm Famous 8

(Before I go too far, please say you like my new Facebook Fan page, a request that will seem ironic in just a couple of sentences.)

People think I’m famous. My friends don’t, and they actually know me, but strangers do. You could say their opinion matters, since fame is ostensibly a measure of recognizability (is that a word?). But people tend to extrapolate from fame some greater significance, and that’s the part that makes me laugh.

So as funny stuff happens, I figure I’ll share. Plus, I like to overthink, and this is fertile ground, since this stuff is so opposite of my take on everything.

Anyway, I’m in DC for a few days. Close enough to drive, hookup on the nice hotel for the $80. Giddyup.

Went and sat outside at a cafe for breakfast. Waiter comes, and he figures he knows me. Now, this always makes me uncomfortable because I’m not the guy today, “I’m Bomani Jones of various national broadcast outlets.” For all I know, he might think I owe him money. So, I hope he’ll drop it.

“Where you from?”

I ask if he follows sports, and we get to the answer. “oh, cool.”

Maybe we’re done? Nope.

Buddy comes back. “Brett Favre, any chance he comes back?”

I chuckle. He doesn’t.

“I mean, if he needed a leg or arm to play one more year, I’d give it to him.” Again, he isn’t chuckling.

“I know this may seem twisted, but I thought about, if I had a kid…I wouldn’t wish for this, but if he got cancer or something, I’d put down for his one wish to meet Brett Favre.”

First, I’d like to point out that this made me wonder how many people manipulate the Make a Wish people like this. “My baby wants to meet Buffie the Body!”

Second, my dude was dead damn serious. Now, I’m positive he doesn’t tell this to chicks at the bar. He told me cuz he saw me on television. Presumably, that means he thinks I can relate? Maybe I’m like a stripper, the psychologist for the uninsured?

Either way, I put my headphones on. Asked for the check, and he gave me a fist bump and said I was good. Left a $7 tip and kept it moving.

Keep it real: for a free steak and eggs, he can tell me he would Gillooly someone to get Favre on Around the Horn, and I’d smile and admire his dedication.

Anyway, as these things happen, I’ll share the fun. Like the valet at my hotel who asked when I was on ATH next…then asked my name for the ticket. And misspelled it.

Tellin you: people think I’m famous, even though they know better.

Tags: Bomani Jones, Brett Favre, people think I'm famous

http://twitter.com/marcowill Marcus Vanderberg

You make other folks like me quasi-famous just by knowing you. Someone was like “Wow, Bomani follows you on Twitter? Tell Bomani to follow me.” SMH.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1539214979 Rod Jones

I got free steak and eggs at my hotel stay on Monday morning but it was because I had sleep and a pull-out sofa with a sandwich-meat-thin mattress. I had to hunt for sheets in the laundry room myself only to find out there were no more pillows.

I bet your steak and eggs taste better than mine did…

Reminds me of this lady at the reservation desk at the hotel I was checking into telling me she smokes around her asthmatic 4 year old even though she knows its wrong and expected props because she said she wasn’t even going to lie about it. As if not lying about it made it ok?
Digital

Bomani,

I was going through my emails from about 6 years ago, and came across this one that I sent you. I can’t remember what you had wrote at the time, but it was right after the Packers went 5-12 in 2005. Probably something across the lines of Favre needs to hang it up. He’s lost the magic, blah blah blah. I wanted to rub this in now that time has told the story. This guy had 3 more Pro-Bowls, and 2 MVP caliber seasons after you made your jargon. Please revisit the email below…..

“I think you are absolutely crazy about Brett Farve. Did you watch any Green Bay games last year or not? If you did, you would have saw a quarterback who had no pass protection, and no team around him that actually gave a crap. Meanwhile, Farve, in the middle of the season did his best not to just say “Screw it, I’m done playing with you guys.” Nothing compared to the offensive team around him in the ’04 season.

Let me ask you something, if your first, second, and third string position players got injured, that leaves little leadership and knowledge of the offense doesn’t it. Exactly! Brett Farve in many cases in ’05 was forced to throw into triple coverage because that was their ONLY chance of scoring ANY points at all.

Farve doesn’t necessarly want T.O. or Eric Moulds. He just wants guys who want to play extremely competatively and fight for receptions and for their team (i.e. Donald Driver (although you probably don’t even know who he is Bomani because he wasn’t in the Pro Bowl last year.)) It seemed obvious to me last year that Farve can still move out of the pocket, still plays with intensity, and has lost NOTHING with his throwing capabilities. Now you tell me Bomani, who’s to blame. The legendary QB that still has his physical abilities, or the fourth string teammates that run around like chickens with their heads cut off. You can believe what you want and say what you think will stir up a bunch of crap throughout the media world, but you are wrong! I’ve watched this guy play every single week since 1992, and if he has lost it I would admit it.

It’s okay though Bomani, it’s people who talk like you that Brett Farve loves to prove wrong. And if he chooses to play one more year, I gaurantee you that he will prove YOU wrong.”
Digital

I found it funny that you’re still talking about Favre when I googled your name and found your website too:)
Bomani

smh, Marcus. smh.
A guy who listens to TMJ

Hey, Digital … you spelled Favre’s name wrong.

Six times.
Digital

Actually 12 times, because I originally sent this to him in 2006. We all got my point though.
http://twitter.com/aaw1976 Adeshola

Sadly i have been unable to parlay knowing you into any quasi-famousness. lol But I must say that buffy the body line made me laugh out loud.

PTIF: The waiter, Brett Favre and the ultimate sacrifice

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