John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

A few years back, back when Chicago had a PROFESSIONAL hockey team, I started getting a ton of alumni mail from Syracuse University.

Not having attended Syracuse, I found it odd, and I just tossed it into the, "Junk Mail To Throw Away Later" pile.

This had gone on for 6 months, and while the JM2TAL pile had been tossed, many times over like a "lettuce salad", there was always something from Syracuse in it.

It was the middle of summer, so the early rounds of the NHL playoffs were underway. The Blackhawks were playing the St. Lois Blues, and the local sports channel was doing a remote from Joe's, blocks from my old place. (I believe this was Chicago's last playoff game for a long ass time). I'm no fan of hockey. Didn't grow up in a hockey market, only saw it during the Olympics, but I decided to go.

Why? The local sportscaster who was doing the remote: Eric Collins. (Scope ISN'T on the birth certificate, ya know.)

During the break between the second and third halves ;-) I walk up to him, give him "the question" look and said, "Excuse me, but did you happen to go to Syracuse University?"

"Yes I did," he replied. "Did you?"

"No," I said, "but my name is 'Eric Collins', too, and they keep sending me your alumni mail." And with that, I handed him some solicitation or another and then suggested, "You may want to get them your correct address."

While it cracked him up, due to Chicago's loss in the game, and their exit from the playoffs, his producer wanted to stick with hockey in the post game wrap up, so I didn't make it on air.

Oh well, at least Syracuse didn't mistake me for a stripper, right Sass?

* Sorry for the utter lack of links. I've been searching for this fool's picture for a while, and I'm getting Squanto to show for it, and now too tired.