The Giants had just arrived at their hotel in Costa Mesa, Calif. in advance of Super Bowl XXI in January, 1987, and a crush of fans had already invaded the lobby. 
I'd say a hundred or so fans camped out by the elevators, hoping to get a peek at their favorite players. They waited mostly in vain, until out pops Landeta.
He sees the crowd, but instead of getting back into the elevator or trying to get away, he says, "Does anyone know where a payphone is?"
I'm thinking, wow, don't they have phones in the rooms? Of course they do, but Landeta clearly enjoyed being mobbed by the fans. To his credit, he fulfilled every single autograph request.
(Obviously, with the proliferation of cell phones, this story could never happen in today's world. Not only that, but the beat writers no longer stay at the team hotels during Super Bowl week.)
Landeta is a really good guy. And he was a great punter, too. Always enjoyed visiting with Landeta, wherever he went. It became a year ritual, whether he was in Green Bay, Philly or St. Louis, that I'd go up to him. He'd smile and say, "Hey, still working."
Comments (1)
well,i will sleep good tonight.i was just dying for a good sean landeta story.