Eeeeeeeeeek!!!!!

Oh. My. Gosh.

Let me just tell you about my night at work tonight. (No, this isn't my "terrible night" story.) One of the servers I work with told me I had a table of two. That's all she said. So I go walking up to my table (first table of the night), and facing me was......JERRY SLOAN!!!!! That's right. The winningest coach in NBA history with a single team. The longest tenured coach with a single franchise of all major professional sports. There are only two other coaches in NBA history to have 10 straight winning seasons: Pat Riley and Red Auerbach. Not to mention all his wins with the Chicago Bulls. Which reminds me...he's TALL!! I know he played in the NBA and obviously you gotta be tall, but I was surprised at how tall he is! Like 6'5".

I walked up to him and his wife and said, "Oh my gosh. Wow."
He said, "I gotta eat my ribs with two hands just like everyone else."
Me: "I can't believe you're at my table. My name is Amber."
Sloan: "This is my wife, Tammy."
Me: "Nice to meet you. Oh my goodness. My heart is beating a mile a minute, now."

So they order their drinks (him a raspberry lemonade and water and her iced tea) and each got a full rack of baby back ribs. He got a baked potato with butter only and baked beans. She got a baked potato and cole slaw.

So I go to the back and called Tavis and told him to get down there! Which, of course, he didn't. I also asked the girl that seated him if she knew who he was. She didn't realize it was him. DUH!!!

I took them their drinks and said, "I would just like to say that I have so much respect for you. You're amazing. I don't want to bug you but I just want to tell you that I think you're incredible."

Him: "Thank you."

So I send out a mass text: Guess who's at my table tonight??? JERRY SLOAN!!! Eeeeeeeek!

Here's the replies I got:

Niki: Are you kidding me? How many peeps are with him? He better tip you good!
Jill: Holy!!! Eek is right!! Good luck! Let me know how much he tips you!
Jason: Show him your boobs.
Kim: AWESOME! Treat him like gold. You know, Jazz him up!
Mom: Wow treat him well.
Dad: John Deere. Tractors and stuff. Ask Tavis. He restores John Deere tractors on his farm. (OHHHH!!! Gotcha. Ya, I was confused.)
Alison: Hopefully you get a big tip. That's awesome but kinda scary. Don't spill anything on him. (Thanks, Ali.)
DeNae: How very cool! Get an autograph! (I didn't dare to ask him.)
Vanessa: Awesome! Did he tip good? Was his new wife with him? Did you ask him how come Andre Kirilinko is such a sissy? (Me: BAAAAA!!! Um...no. I forgot to ask him that.)

So I deliver their meals perfectly. Refilled their drinks right on time. Basically, I nailed it! He had a crutch with him and his leg was extended out from under the table so I asked him, "are you laid up? What happened?"
Wife: "Apparently you don't read the paper?"
Me: (Crap) "No, sorry."
He told me he'd had knee replacement surgery. I asked how he was doing because my (ex) mother in law had her knees done and one was great and the other was not so great. He said at first there were some complications and they had to go back in a week later but that was 5 weeks ago and he was doing a lot better.

The owner came in and sat down and talked to them for a few minutes. His wife ordered dessert and as I was setting it down the owner was saying how good I was. And that I was one of the good ones. (Which when I tell you my "terrible night" story, you'll wonder if it's the same person.)

Apparently, the last time he came in he wasn't very nice. He actually told people no when they asked for an autograph and only tipped like $5. It was during the season so maybe that's why. Anyway, when he left he called my boss and told her that he was really impressed with me. And that he really liked me. Plus, they tipped me $12 on a $56 ticket. Yeee-Haaaw! And as he was leaving he posed for a picture with a little boy. I thought that was really cool.

It was seriously so amazing. I'm a HUGE Jazz fan. HUGE!!! It was such an honor to meet him. Better than when my boss's brother, Vincent D'Onofrio, came in. (Sorry, DeNae. I know you love him, but Sloan meant more to me.)

So there's my incredible story. I ended up making $50 tonight. Not bad for a Monday!!!