#23 Ralph and Woody

I thought I would share a funny story from the 2009 Men's Final Four in preparation for the 2010 Final Four, and since it has a tiny link to fashion, which I have referenced. It was Sunday night at the Marriott in Detroit and my friends, Krista, Kenny (Krista's husband), Julie and I were sitting in a bar area. Julie spotted Woody Paige, one of the guys on ESPN's "Around The Horn." I had never heard of him. (Sorry Woody.) In the meantime, I noticed a gentleman with white hair wearing a stylish coat and scarf. Ralph Lauren! Oh my gosh! I watched him walk through the crowd and decided I would try to get a picture with him. I took Kenny with me, bravely said hello, and told him that I loved his clothing. He was very embarrassed but agreed to have his picture taken with me. Then he asked me if I played basketball and said that he used to write for Sports Illustrated. Ooops. This was NOT Ralph Lauren. I ended the conversation and dragged Kenny back to the table, very embarrassed myself. And to think he thought I was complimenting him on his outfit and not his clothing line!

In the meantime, Julie and Krista had snagged Woody as he walked by. They wanted a picture with him, but I was the only one with a good camera. They asked him to come back in a few minutes and mentioned that I had gone to meet Ralph Lauren. I returned and told them my discovery. (I am usually so good at celebrity spotting!) A few minutes later Woody returned saying, "Ralph Lauren? That's not Ralph Lauren! That's Curry Kirkpatrick! He used to write for Sports Illustrated!" I never went back to apologize, but knew I'd been found out.



As if that wasn't funny enough, the next day at the finals we saw him again. Krista is a huge North Carolina fan so we all have jumped on the bandwagon and have UNC shirts. I really do like the program, for the record. Anyway, we were in our seats before the game decked out in Carolina gear when I turned and saw Curry walking down the aisle toward us. He stopped midway, pointed at us and gave us a friendly wave, then went back to his seat. I wish I had gone back and talked to him and apologized. Oh well - he was a good sport.

In my research I learned that he is a UNC grad and, along with writing/editing for Sports Illustrated, he has also written for ESPN Magazine and has written several books. Maybe I will see him again in Indy this year.