What’s Going On Would Like Extra Onions

I had meant to tell this story on the Good Podcast, but I forgot, and then I forgot again, and then the show went on hiatus and even if it does come back soon, I won’t be on it until football season, save for maybe a segment talking about the NFL Draft, because nobody else here wants to talk hockey. *shakes fist at everybody else here* But anyway, with today being the start of the first round of the NCAA tourney, I thought I’d tell my Bill Raftery story.

Raftery emceed Hoosier Hysteria one of the years I was at Indiana (2011 sounds right, but I’m not sure). Normally, I couldn’t have cared less about Hoosier Hysteria. I think I went my freshman year and whatever year this was, and that’s it. I’m more of a football guy, and after that, I’m more of a hockey guy, and as far as basketball goes, I like the pro game a lot better, and I’m a Michigan fan in the first place, and the only other college basketball team I root for at all is North Carolina. But if Raftery was gonna be there, I had to be, too. They introduced the women’s team and they had a scrimmage. Then the guys did some bad karaoke – Victor Oladipo and a few goofballs singing and dancing to “You Got it Bad.” No bueno. Raftery referred to this as a performance by “Victor and the invalids.” The crowd appreciate that too much. But that’s just Raftery being Raftery.

Anyway, Mr. Joani Harbaugh introduced the men’s team and tried to get the crowd excited about the season, the guys had their scrimmage and I think a dunk contest and three-point shootout. The thing finally ended and they let the crowd onto the floor to get autographs. Most people flocked to the current players, or Eric Gordon, who was there that night. Come to think of it, he was able to be there because of the NBA lockout, so yeah, it had to be 2011. I think he actually made reference to the lockout like “I’m happy to be here, since I don’t have anywhere else to be tonight” or something along those lines. I’m not sure – I’m just typing this from memory. So, yeah, most people wanted Gordon or Zeller or whoever’s autograph, but I was far more concerned with finding Raftery. I did, and, somewhat surprisingly, there weren’t any other autograph seekers around. He was talking to a few older folks, so I stood by and waited until he had a minute. He noticed and excused himself to sign an autograph for me and chat briefly. Really cool thing of him to do. He’s a great guy. As he starts signing the autograph, though, he starts signing the name of the guy he had been talking to instead of his own name.

(Yep, it was 2011.)

I’m guessing the guy he was talking to was named Bob. No, I don’t know why Raftery didn’t use any of the white space. Just Raftery being Raftery. The best.

Twitter: @KSchroeder2325

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com