Posing with tennis legend John McEnroe and Dave Price. I'm holding an ice pack to my head after Dave beamed me with the racquet just before we went on the air.
With my old friend Johnny Mac.
Russ and I are all smiles as we introduce a couple of my favorite gals who stopped by our plaza on Friday, Aug. 24, 2007. Superstars Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy are the first women to be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
With soccer superstars Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy.
Before going on the air Monday, June 25, 2007, I was playing with a basketball and made Harry Smith really nervous -- he thought I was going to knock over Tony Parker's NBA finals MVP trophy! Tony says his first couple of years in the league were a real challenge, because his coach was very hard on him. He realized that his coach's high expectations would only make him a better player.
Tony Parker came into the NBA just about when I was leaving sports to cover the news on The Early Show. So he was really surprised to learn after our interview that I had been host of the NBA on NBC for many years. Tony told me he wants to earn at least three more championship rings, to tie the great Michael Jordan with six. He's only 25, so he's well on his way.
Harry Smith and I got a chance to chat about baseball. Nick's team, the Oakland A's, went to the playoffs last season when they were a really young squad. He told me after the interview that the experience of beating the Minnesota Twins last year really helped them, but that they have a ton of injuries to overcome, and that's their biggest concern.
Some of our fans just happened to be from Oakland and they went crazy when they saw Swisher out on the plaza on June 22, 2007. Because of interleague play, the A's are in the Big Apple to play the Mets this weekend, and then back again to see the Yankees next week.
Swisher signing baseballs for the crowd. I asked him why charity work was so important to him. He told me that people put athletes on a pedestal and he thinks its his job to help others. He said there's so much negative publicity about athletes, that he wants to bring some of the good stuff to the forefront.
During his visit to The Early Show plaza on June 20, 2007, Toby Keith and I got the chance to chat a lot off camera about his endeavors outside of music. He's a big time restaurateur with his restaurants expanding rapidly all over the U.S. He's also co-written his first screenplay, which he says is hilarious. He plans on shooting it in the fall.
Toby's got a great sense of humor. Here we are cracking up at something we spotted in the crowd. One of my favorite things about Toby is his big ol' grin!
I love this picture, taken by my assistant Kate Morris. The atmosphere of a concert right in the middle of New York City is like nothing else. The energy was great with Toby because he has songs that folks love to sing and dance to. It's perfect for this setting.