Mike Greenberg was 29 when he started at ESPN in 1996. He left his girlfriend back in Chicago. He had Monday
and Tuesdays off. He would take off from the Providence airport every Monday because it was cheaper than
Hartford and visit her on his days off. Eventually this got tiresome and the money was not good. He thought
about coming back home and resume the local sports stuff.
One day back in Bristol he was in the restroom washing his hands, the door flings open and Berman walks
in to do his thing. He says hi Greenie. Greenberg had never met him before...he was shocked he knew him.
When Berman was done washing his hands he turned to Greenberg and said welcome home. Greenberg
said from that point on he knew he belonged...Bristol became his new home and the rest is history.
I have told this before - will do it again;
So it is some Sunday in June or July (I forget - I looked at the 1991 Angels schedule and it might have been June - exact days are irrelevant, though). Berman is doing BBTN (Baseball Tonight) and I am running prompter for the show. Back then that meant we had to print every page of the show. There were maybe 5-6 copies of it. One went to each on air person (if there were 2), the show director, producer, prompter person and maybe 1 other one. The person doing prompter is at the mercy of the on air talent to get stuff done so we can print stuff out and get them to the appropriate people. When the on air person was done with a write-up they would put an *** by it indicating we could print it out. John Saunders was the best. Not even close. His stuff was done waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of time. Gary Miller was the worst. We'd be getting shit from everyone but Miller didn't care. If his stuff was done 5 minutes before the show we were lucky.
So Berman has the show done way ahead of time so I print it out and get it to the right people. We had time to talk. I ask him where he is going this week. He tells me Anaheim. I ask him what hotel he is staying at - he tells me (for those who know - the Doubletree at The Block of Orange - located maybe a mile from the park). I ask him if he likes chocolate chip cookies. Stupid question - I know - but I ask anyway. We know what his answer was. I tell him when you check in there will be something for you at the hotel. He asks and I say "Trust me" - you'll be happy.
I then call my brother. He worked across the street from Cal State Fullerton. There was a place by the Brea Mall, Campitelli's Cookies, that made some of the best cookies you could ever hope to eat. I tell my bro I need him to go get me a dozen and drop it off at the Doubletree for Berman. OK he says - no problem.
That next Sunday, I see Berman once again since once again I am doing prompter for BBTN. He thanks me saying those were some of the best cookies he has ever eaten. He thanks me and asks how he can re-pay me. I say that isn't necessary. I was glad to do it and besides, I did nothing. My brother was the one who got them. Berman says he is going to Anaheim again on Tuesday and asks if my brother wants tickets to the game. I say I have no idea but let's call and find out. I tell Berman my brother's name and that he, like Berman, is a SF Giants fan. I call my bro and then say someone wants to talk to him. Berman picks up the phone and starts talking to my bro. He mentions the Giants to him and they talk for about a minute. They work it out so Berman will get my bro 2 tickets to the Tuesday game. I get back on the phone and my bro tells me he thought I was playing a joke on him an d it wasn't really Berman but then he realized it was. So all is set for Tuesday except I ask my bro to once again get cookies for Berman - and he does. I tell Berman my brother has fire orange hair and you can't miss him. He asks for a phone number for my bro and I give it to him.
So Tuesday comes along. Berman calls my bro at work and says everything is taken care of - the tix are at Will Call.
So game time comes along. My bro and sis go to the game. Before the game Berman is on the field talking to some of the players. There are some fans along one of the stands along the lines calling out Berman. He occasionally turns and waves to them. But then Berman starts walking over to these people. I guess he saw someone with fire orange hair and assumed it was my brother. He comes over to my brother, sticks out his hand and says something along the lines of, "Good to see you. Peter. Glad to see you got the tickets. Hope yo enjoy the game" and then takes off to go somewhere else. My brother said he had a few people there he knew and they watched the entire thing take place and just stood there with the mouths agape at what just happened. Here they are trying to call over Berman, who ignored them, but then he comes over and heads straight to my brother. knows who he is and talked to him. My brother said he felt 40 feet tall and when he and sis left he could feel those same people shaking their heads in disbelief at what just happened.
Once again, I know this was almost 30 years ago but the memories I have of Berman are nothing but great. He even wrote me a letter of recommendation when I left - something I still have today and cherish and treasure.
So he may be a cocksucker and asshole to some. But never to me and I will always hold him in high regards for the way he treated me and my brother.
