An almost-brush with fame
Every three months or so, I get a phone call from a staff member at KETC Channel 9, St. Louis's public television station. The gist of the call is that the station wants me to come in and answer phone calls during their pledge drive. In return for my butt in a seat, the channel will provide me with some degree of remuneration.

Fair enough. I can always use the money, and it's nice to feel wanted.

The bonus is that periodically, St. Louis celebrities will come in or call in to the station to voice their support. Yesterday was one of those days, when the echoing voices of Tony La Russa and Joe Buck were broadcast over the airwaves. Each stated their ongoing support for public television, yada yada, Sesame Street, blah blah blah. The occasion on this night was that Dennis DeYoung, formerly of the band Styx, was at the station and on the air, hocking his January concert and giving away tickets in exchange for station support ($180 got you two tickets in the orchestra section at the Fox).

But here's the thing: Neither Buck nor La Russa actually supported the station during their phone calls.

So a few hours after DeYoung leaves, I got a phone call from Tony La Russa, and took down his credit card info, phone number, and billing address.

There you go: that's my story. It's right up there with almost killing Bud Selig in a bathroom.

And then I found 20 dollars!