He loves it when I call him Big Papi*

Last week I went to New York for a business trip. It was one of the better trips I've had there in a long time, I think the fact that the weather was gorgeous had a lot to do with it. Also, our schedule was perfect. Sometimes we pack so many meetings into a few days that it feels like one gigantic, taxi-dotted whirlwind and suddenly I'm on a plane back home.

This time my clients and I were on our way to meet up with a freelance writer near NYU. That part of town, Greenwich Village, is great -- much more colorful and lively than midtown Manhattan where I usually spend most of my time. Since the Village is home to lots of celebs, including Anderson Cooper, Julianne Moore and Anna Wintour, it wouldn't be unusual to run into someone famous.

We were walking down the sidewalk when a large man in a Red Sox jersey walked toward us and asked us for a hug. I happily gave him one but because I was wearing sunglasses and not my prescriptions my eyes weren't completely sure if I was seeing who I thought I was seeing.

Imagine my surprise that the celebrity I ran into was none other than my favorite Major League Baseball player David Ortiz, a.k.a Big Papi, of the Boston Red Sox.

If you don't follow baseball closely then you may not know that the Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry may be the fiercest in all of sports. The U of U vs. BYU one may be a close second. It's that bad. So it was a little strange to see someone in a Sox jersey walking around the Big Apple with a huge smile on his face.

What I didn't realize during our hug fest was that a camera crew from the MLB Fan Cave filmed it. I believe this is called, in showbiz speak, "my big break." Since this video launched I have become quite busy/very important/good at 'doing lunch' and am in the process of hiring my own manager.

After the hug that was caught on camera (I'm at 2:40), I was able to talk to him and thank him for signing a baseball for Little A last year (it was a very thoughtful gift from my cousin who works for the team). David couldn't have been nicer.

And I got my best NYC souvenir to-date.




*This post's title was inspired by a comment from my friend Scott.
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