Remembering two great interviews

So, I am sitting at my regional office at Indigo Joes with my friend, Jack. And, we got to talking about some of the great sports celebs I got to interview as the sports editor at the Illinois State Vidette. Without a doubt, Bill Veeck, the Baseball Hall of Famer, and Gale Sayers, the Chicago Bears running back, were two of the nicest people I had the pleasure of interviewing. Sayers, at the time, was named as the athletic director at Southern Illinois, the Redbird's biggest rival.

Thirty years later, I haven't forgotten the look of the paper's secretary when she told me that "Mr Sayers had called and he would like me to call him back."

As for Veeck, I thought I would have to leave a message, but I was patched through into him for what turned into a 20-minute interview on the merits of amateur college baseball as opposed to Class A minor league baseball.

As a publicist, I have never forgotten the professionalism of both individuals. I try to help my clients understand the need to respond to questions from journalists.