I've been busy with real-life projects (like writing a piece comparing Brett Favre to Cal Ripken) this week, so I haven't had time to write about how Squawker Jon and I went to The Michael Kay Show's remote broadcast at Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant last Friday.
But I was inspired to finally write about our fun day, thanks to Michael Kay being in the news in Yankeeland. Squawker friend Andrew Fletcher of Scott Proctor's Arm was on The Michael Kay show yesterday to discuss his hilarious drinking game inspired by Kay's TV broadcasts. It's a very funny appearance. To his credit, Kay had a sense of humor about the whole thing.
Anyhow, Squawker Jon and I went to see The Michael Kay Show in person at Point Pleasant - partly to get a day in the sun, partly to enjoy the delicious clam strips at Martell's, but mostly to see the show itself. We were curious about what they would be like at such an appearance. Would Kay eat a condiment? Would Joey Salvia sing a song? Would Don La Greca switch allegiances and become a Yankee fan? Would our clam strips be good as remembered?
Here's what happened:
The show was done on a stage, with Kay interviewing guests at a table, while he had a band behind him.
Joey, of course, sang (several songs, actually). He has a real stage presence. He also gave away copies of his good CD "Long Lost Weekend."
Don did not switch over to root for the Yankees, even though Michael offered to get him tickets. It was one of the more amusing things of the afternoon.
And while I didn't see Kay eat a condiment, I did (drumroll please) get to meet him and shake his hand. On a personal note, I'm six feet tall, so I'm used to being taller than most people I meet. It was not the case with Kay. He is at least 6 foot 4 or so.
Kay is also very charismatic and friendly. He seemed to tirelessly meet and greet everybody there. I'm happy to say that he came across as a really likeable, fan-friendly guy. He even sang a note or two with Joey (I missed hearing that, though.)
I also got to meet Al Leiter, shake his hand, and get his autograph. He's also very tall. Unlike everybody else, who had cards and baseballs ready for him to sign, I just had him sign the back of an ESPN contest entry form!
Legendary Jet Joe Klecko had neat-looking photo cards all made up, courtesy of ESPN. Jon is a big Jet fan, so we both got autographs from Joe as well. I also asked him if he roots for the Yankees or Mets - turns out he's a Phillies fan! (But Jon decided to keep the autograph anyway.)
We also saw Ray Lucas and Rick Peterson get interviewed, but we didn't meet them.
All in all, we had a very fun day seeing TMKS in person. We got free t-shirts commemorating the day, courtesy of ESPN. And the Martell clam strips were just as tasty as ever. But no, we didn't do any drinking games!
Photo courtesy of ESPN Radio
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2 comments:
Martell's? You're kidding! Point Pleasant was our family's beach town for over 30 years! But when my grandmother, who lived in neighboring Brick, died, it didn't seem to make much sense to go there anymore. But now that the nieces are 2 years old, they can go on rides, so maybe we'll start again.
I can't believe you went to Martell's. That's a major no-no! Oh, wait, you don't know about that, do you? It's a fact that the Yankees have never, ever, EVER won when I'm at Martell's. They're like 0-15, and that includes Mets and Sox games! I particularly remember a disaster against Boston, where Jose Contreras made me wish Brian Cashman had minded his own business and let the Sox sign him. But the food's good.
Martell's Pavilion, as it was known until the 1990 fire that tore up much of the Point Pleasant boardwalk, was also where Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons were performing in September 1962 when they found out that their song "Sherry" was not only their first hit record, but had hit Number 1.
Thanks for the background! When I was growing up in Passaic,NJ, we never went to Point Pleasant. Seaside Heights was the place to be. Now I like either Point Pleasant or my new fave, Asbury Park. I can make it to Asbury in shorter time than it takes me to go to Manhattan!
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