Peace Out

Ahh, the good ol' days...

After last night’s debacle at Red Bull Arena, you’re probably expecting a typical piece from a blog featuring to D.C. United fans giving New York “the Nelson.” But there’s only so much grief you can heap on the beleaguered club. It’s just fitting that Thierry Henry missed a wide open header in the dying minutes when he easily could have knocked it down with his hand and scored.

Instead, with so many players retiring this year, the My 2 Cents duo thought we’d pay tribute the only way we know how. These are humorous interactions we’ve had with these players at some point in our respective careers.

Mike Petke

Bushman: After another DC loss under Rongen, I went in to talk with him. Usually talked to him after games so he knew me. He was obviously pissed off and I asked him to talk about the game - “Dude, I am so tired of f*ckin' losing...wait, are we on live television?”

Walsh: When Petke was in DC he was a regular on Munk and the Mick. On one of his numerous call-ins, during our random question segment at the end we asked him “What celebrity, alive or dead, would you want to make a comeback?” Typical answers were Jim Belushi or Chris Farley. Petke, however, went with Florence Henderson because he apparently had a thing for Mrs. Brady. Easily the weirdest answer we ever heard.

Taylor Twellman

Walsh: Sad to see the former Terp succumb to concussions earlier this week. But for all the glowing praise being heaped on the former Revs striker, he was a dick to the media. Prior to the 2002 MLS All Star game, I talked to him at training, asking him about being back in the area of his old college days. Twellman though, didn’t want to talk and tried his best to walk away as everyone else that day was more than willing to chat for several minutes, even answering ridiculous questions (like Alexi Lalas saying his favorite Slurpee flavor is Mountain Dew).

Alecko Eskandarian (he's not officially, but why not?)

Bushman: After a game early in his career, we went into the locker room and he was conducting an interview with no shirt. It was obvious that he waxed his chest. When someone asked him why he does that, his response was “Dude, if I didn't, I'd look like I was wearing a sweater.”

Walsh: Like Petke, Esky was a regular on Munk and the Mick. There were probably funnier answers, but one that I remember came from when he was playing in Toronto. We asked him what pickup lines he used in the Great White North and his answer was “I’m from Jersey.” Granted this was before the Jersey Shore was on MTV, but he claimed it worked.

Eddie Lewis

Walsh: Neither of us ever talked to the longtime USA vet. So the memory that sticks out comes from early in his career it seemed like anytime he was on camera, he was blowing snot rockets. So “Snot Rocket” became his nickname on Munk and the Mick. Classy, I know.

Chris Klein

Bushman: Talked to him after he scored the winning goal for the U.S. against New Zealand in Richmond. On-camera interview was about 4 minutes. Afterward, he shook my hand and said “I've never been on camera that long before...did I sound okay?”

Jaime Moreno (We already both wrote about him, but we can do one more)

Bushman: Marco Etcheverry repeatedly interrupted my first on-camera interview with him. Etch kept tapping me on the shoulder to get me to turn around, and then went behind Jaime to give him rabbit ears or make faces at the camera.

Walsh: After one multi-goal game Jaime couldn’t make it back to his locker before the media swarmed around him. Seconds later Ben Olsen also exited the shower area, saw the congregation, and promptly pulled off his towel and started whipping it around his head why chanting “JAIME MORENO!!!” while skipping to his locker naked (except for his sweater of chest hair).

Brian McBride

Bushman: I had just gotten back from FAO Schwartz toy store in New York City, and they had a life-sized Lego built of McBride. I took a picture and showed it to him a few weeks later. I said, “Dude, you are REALLY yellow...” He responded with “I didn't know they were gonna make me the same color as Homer Simpson.”

Walsh: After the friendly against England in ’05 at the new Soldier Field, my co-host Kevin and I were lost in the bowels of the stadium. We saw McBride with his family and figured they would know how to get out, which they did. The entire elevator ride we left him alone as his two daughters climbed all over him, not caring he just went 82 minutes. He nodded his thanks for not asking any questions as the doors opened and we all filed out. One of the classiest guys I ever talked to.

C.J. Brown

Walsh: Neither of us talked to him. The only thing that jumps to mind about the longtime Fire defender is Christian Gomez spitting in his face.

Clint Mathis

Bushman: We had him on Dyson's radio show right when his career was really taking off, and Randy Ruff called him “Clint the Cowboy.” As far as we're concerned, we're the first ones who called him that because he said “I like the sound of it...” I still have a copy of that show. So everyone else who called him that thereafter obviously ripped it off from us!

Walsh: After playing Holland at the new Gillette Stadium prior to Japan/South Korea ’02, the Dutch security guard was being fairly strict. Josh Wolff came out to see his girlfriend/wife and went to go back to the locker room to get something, but Mr. Tough Guy wasn’t having it. Wolff even said “I just played you guys,” but dude didn’t budge. As Wolff got angrier, here came Mathis to get his Georgia boy’s back. I thought there was going to be a fight before Mathis’s mom stepped in and calmed things down.

Steve Ralston

Bushman: Funniest moment in my career... Saw him at MLS Cup 2001 in RFK. We were walking through the VIP section on the field and saw several players and executives. Saw Ralston and asked if he wanted to chat for a minute. He didn't notice the camera despite the microphone (guess he thought it was just a really big radio mike), and throughout the 1st half of the interview he kept sipping his beer while I was asking questions. He finally noticed Luis filming and he just stopped talking and tried to hide the beer behind his back, but you could still see it. He was mortified and, like Petke, asked “Please tell me we weren't live.” Told him no, and made sure Luis blurred out the beer can when editing the final version. Saw him a few times after that and he always remembered me for some reason.

Steve Taylor

Walsh: The perennial “Assistant Referee of the Year” on Munk and the Mick, an award we gave well before MLS started handing it out, is hanging up his flag this season. For his sake I’ll pass on numerous nights I’ve gone out with him after games. However, prior to MLS Cup 2007 at RFK, he had several extra tickets. As he sold the last one, he accidentally gave his ticket away. Fortunately he had his MLS Referee badge with him and was able to get in that way. Then he promptly went to the beer stand where he and my dad knew the vendor and drank for free.

Hope you enjoyed the stories. We’ll be back next week as we look forward more of our picks being wrong this weekend.