I’ve now been through my fair-share of interviews. They’re actually a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed them so much, that I’m now going to answer some questions that I haven’t been asked – but wish I was. Or maybe this is all just pretense for a random blog entry. Either way:

Q: Can you name some public figures that you like?  Why? Oh, and if you can pick some people that you’re reasonably certain no one else would pick that would be swell.

A: I’ll go to the sports world and pick two people. Manny Ramirez and Gilbert Arenas.

Both Ramirez and Arenas are super-talented, but not super-overexposed. They are not the most popular players in their sport and are both off-the-wall eccentric. And that’s the main reason I love them.

Just watch this Adidas segment on Arenas and you start to really get a feel for his story. He’s the classic underdog who perseveres and has wild, incredible success. Also as eccentric as it comes. He yells out things like “hibachi”, makes bets with fans about hitting game winning shots, has come out wearing a boxing robe. Past these stunts, he has his own personal style. I love people who don’t feel the need to conform. As long as they’re not harming anyone else, why shouldn’t they be their own person? Arenas is the man.

Manny Ramirez is a great story. This New Yorker article does a great job of describing why Manny is unlike any other Red Sox, baseball player, and possibly a human being. That on its own makes me like him. You add in that apparently he practices harder than any other player and believes fully in hard work making your luck, makes him golden. You got to love the individualism.

So there you have it. I’ve never heard people pick these two as their choices for most interesting or whatever. I’m going to continue to answer questions that no one ever asked for the near future.

(And yes, this was likely just window dressing to get you to watch the really good Arenas Adidas video and especially to read the awesome New Yorker article on Ramirez).

4/28/13 – Well, I certainly picked them. Arenas went on to have an embarrassing incident with a firearm and then a career-ending knee injury. Ramirez had his public pouting and then PED scandal. Change happens fast.