So we're out to dinner last night at a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix with two former Newsday staffers, Judy Battista and Greg Aiello (another success story out of Syosset). After dinner, we ask the waiter to call a cab. 
He walks back to the table with a troubled look.
"The cab company says it will be a two-hour wait," he said.
Whoa. This is not New York.
Aiello, now the NFL's vice president of communications, takes matters into his own hands. He walks out the door and starts hitchhiking. Really.
We can just see the headline: "NFL executive and two reporters murdered day before Super Bowl."
"Are you insane?" I ask Aiello.
"What, you never hitchhiked before?"
"Yeah," I said. "When I was 18."
A few minutes later, a middle-aged couple walks out of the restaurant. The man is wearing an Arizona State University jersey. Aiello says, "Hey, you guys going back to the Hyatt by any chance? Can we get a lift? We'll give you $20."
The man says he'd be glad to take us back. And then he puts out his hand and says, "Hi, I'm Lenny Randle."
Yes, THAT Lenny Randle, the former Mets and Yankees infielder. Aiello, a huge Mets fan, is beside himself.
"Hey, great to meet you," he said.
Randle tells us his son, a high school running back who is waiting in the car, will be heavily recruited next season. He referred to him as "the next Reggie Bush." He dubbed our female colleague "Lady Battista," and off we went.
Along the way, Randle caught us up on his life after baseball. He is an area scout in Los Angeles, has extensive real estate holdings, and runs the Lenny Randle Sports Tours Academy, a fantasy baseball camp for mostly middle-aged, over-the-hill players who could only dream of playing in the Majors. Former Mets, including Ron Swoboda, Ed Charles and Felix Millan, are part of Randle's fantasy camp team.
"You should come to one of them," Randle told me.
Randle, who played for the Mets in 1977-78 and the Yankees in 1979, is perhaps best known for what he did in a game on May 27, 1981 while playing for the Mariners. The Royals were leading Seattle 7-4 when Amos Otis tapped a dribbler down the third base line. With no chance to throw Otis out, Randle got down on all fours and proceeded to blow the ball over the foul line.
Royals manager Jim Frey argued the call, and the umpire ruled the Randle had interfered and awarded Otis a hit.
Randle is also remembered for slugging Rangers manager Frank Lucchesi in 1977, after Lucchesi promoted Bump Wills over Randle at second base.
And Randle was at bat for the Mets when the power went out at Shea Stadium during the 1977 blackout.
Randle is now known to Glauber Nation as the man who kept this blogger alive the night before Super Bowl XLII.
Thanks for the ride, Lenny.
Comments (9)
All this time in Arizona and not one interview with Matt Estrella... I'm disappointed in you Bob
Gotta give it to ya Bob... first series and Burress runs the "Skinny post" - almost tips it into the hands of the defender too :-)
That's why you're Bob Glauber! :-)
Many thanks, B N G.
Let's give some props to BBiB! for harping on the red zone offense for Big Blue. They're 0-for-2.
You gotta be kidding me... F-U-M-B-L-E!!!!
Patriots get robbed by the call.... talking about dodging a bullet!
Voss vs. Schokey... debunking the Schockey myth...
Goooo Bradshaw... WV Marshall strikes again!
Giants lead in the 4th Qtr... who predicted that?
Did Lenny take the $20? And, how exactly does that look on the Expense Report? You can tell Baumbach to take Lenny off the list.
Chris:
Lenny didn't take any money, so we don't have to worry about it on the expense report.
Will tell Jim B. that catching up with Lenny R. won't be necessary.
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