Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

This is a very special Friendly Encounter.  To be honest, I never even knew Griffin Bohan, today's friend.  I wish I did though.  He was a great kid.
I first heard of Griffin through a report by NBC 5's Paula Faris.  Griffin was a beautiful 6 year old boy who had a rare brain tumor.  One of Griffin's wishes was to meet a player from the Blackhawks.
Jake Dowell of the Blackhawks granted Griffin's wish by visiting him in his home.  The Bohan family also went to a Hawks game and met up with Dowell again.
Little Griffin lost his battle on January 1, 2011.  He went much too soon and endured much too much.  He was a happy and brave child right to the end.

If you would like to help the Bohan family:
For Cards
The Bohan family
PO Box 3073
Greenwood Village, CO 80155

For Donations (payable to "Friends For Griffin")
North Shore Community Bank & Trust
4343 West Peterson
Chicago, IL 60646

Griffin Bohan (in stroller), Jake Dowell (in suit) and the rest of the Bohan family in Chicago, IL-December 2010.

On the Beat with Paula Faris

My friend Chuck is fond of saying "We're all professional." It can be used in many situations and Chuck uses it wisely. It is sort of his way (and now mine, since I have begun using it, too) of saying that we belong (wherever we are). Of course, Chuck doesn't announce it to the world, although occasionally he has tossed it into the small talk of an interview.
Now, with several years under our belts, we really do belong and really are all professional. We've been on many major league fields and in many clubhouses. We even took part in a pre-game interview session with Ron Gardenhire and the beat writers in Gardenhire's office at Target Field.
Last week while at Wrigley, I saw NBC's Paula Faris interviewing Randy Wells of the Chicago Cubs. Okay, yes we are all professional, but Global Traveler and I don't quite carry the weight that NBC does. I was not able to interview Wells. I did not walk away empty-handed though. I jumped at the opportunity to interview the interviewer, Paula Faris. Paula talked about her favorite vacation spots and traveling with the Cubs for the playoffs (which unfortunately won't happen this year).
I was very happy to be able to talk to Paula. She does a great job for Chicago's NBC5 sports news team. She is a multi-time Emmy winner, including one for her coverage of the Chicago Marathon.
I also really appreciate Paula giving a few moments of her time. She was busy doing her own job, including getting coverage of the Alan Trammel on-field session.
Unfortunately, the camera work was not the best effort. The sun was so bright, I couldn't even see Paula through the viewfinder. I was further hampered by the zoom, which was stuck. Still, it did not deter me. Sometimes things happen and cause challenges. Sometimes the conditions are not the best. The key is to muddle through it. After all, we are all professional!

Paula Faris interviewing Randy Wells in Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-July 2010.