Ballin' with Bill

Can you believe it has been months since my last post? I’ve recently been feeling like I’ve crossed over and actually become the jaded New Yorker I’ve tried so hard not to become. But last week knocked me back to reality with an event so exciting that it makes even the most obnoxious star-chasers jealous.

Toward the end of summer, I organized a kickball team with my City friends. Our team, Brews Your Daddy, plays through a non-profit organization called ZogSports. The company offers many sporting leagues in which you can create your own team, or act as an individual and join another team looking for team members. It had been such a blast for all of us…a good excuse to be outside playing an elementary school favorite AND an excuse to drink on a Sunday afternoon.

Last week our standard weekly game took an interesting turn when a Ghostbuster joined us. Yup, that’s right, folks—Bill Murray! The event happened so quickly it wasn’t until afterward that I actually learned how everything came about. Apparently, our referee met him on the tram on the way to the game. That particular Sunday we played on Roosevelt Island, which you can get to on a really cool tram that runs above the East River-- similar to a ski lift. Our referee invited Bill (yes, we’re on a first name basis now) to stop by our game to play, and what would you know, but he did!

He kicked the ball once for us, making it to first base. My teammate, M, then kicked the next ball, which was caught by the other team, and in turn, causing Bill to get tagged. As he was leaving, we decided it was probably in our best interest to get a team photo with him.

What a smart decision that turned out to be because in less than 24 hours, that picture went viral! You can see more about the story on Gawker, College Humor, Bro Bible, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Eonline, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine and my ultimate favorite…PerezFit!

Of course my teammates and I (whom the Gawker audience commented “look like hipsters who just left work”) took every opportunity to flaunt our 15 minutes of fame all over our social networks and attempt to invite other celebrities to join for the next game. Needless to say, Snooki did not show up at our last game as I hoped, but there’s always next season!

As a side note—I’m taking requests for public appearances and autographs, so just leave a comment on the post if you’re interested. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled because in 2013 yours truly will be appearing in a comedy documentary with my teammate, L, to talk about our time with Bill and, in his very own words, “…say a prayer, and drink to world peace.”