Sometimes good days turn out to be even better with surprises

Sometimes good days take us by surprise and become even better ones.

I'm not talking so much about unexpected things happening. Everyone has days like that occasionally, like turning around in Starbucks and finding Scarlett Johansson in line behind you. And even better, discovering that she has a thing for guys like you.

Superman flies.

No, I mean going to something you were already looking forward to doing. In 1978, I had tickets to the Washington, D.C., premiere of the first "Superman" movie. It's strange to recall how anticipated that movie was, mostly because people wanted to see how well they handled Superman flying.

The audience applauded the first time Chris Reeve flew through the Fortress of Solitude, but one thing that was an unexpected pleasure was realizing that I was seated directly behind one of the stars of the movie.

No, not Reeve. Or Gene Hackman. Or Marlon Brando.

Ned Beatty

I was seated directly behind the comic relief in the movie, Ned Beatty. He played Otis, Lex Luthor's bumbling sidekick, and he was very funny. I enjoyed watching him react to his character on screen. As I said, unexpected.

Another surprise came along two years later. I was working on my first professional job as a sportswriter, and a women's tennis tournament brought most of the big names in the game to Washington.

Chris Evert Lloyd was one of the biggest names, and I went into town for a press conference. It turned out that each of the few print reporters who were in attendance got 10 minutes or so for a one-on-one interview.

Chrissie and me.

I actually had a humorous exchange with her. Lloyd had just returned from a six-month hiatus, and I asked her why she had taken the time off. She started talking about how important mental toughness was for her.

"I'm not the most physically talented player, she said.

"Uh huh," I replied, just to encourage her to say more.

"You don't have to agree with me so quickly," she said with mock outrage.

Another great memory.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Three years later, I was working in North Carolina and I went to Atlanta on assignment to do a story on Los Angeles Lakers rookie James Worthy, who was from the town where I worked. This one was a little daunting for me. I had to talk one on one with some of the very biggest names in basketball -- Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Coach Pat Riley.

Jabbar was intimidating, but it turned out he gave me one of the most interesting quotes I ever got in all my years as a sportswriter when I asked him what he thought of Worthy.

"James is a very impressive young man," he said. "He is very enjoyable to work with."

It was one of the first times I had heard someone describe being a professional athlete as "work," which of course is exactly what it is.

David Lander

Another one of those pleasant surprises came at Dodger Stadium in 1992. I had been covering the Dodgers for two years, and I found myself in the media dining room before the game talking to someone I couldn't quite place.

His voice was familiar, and after about 10 minutes, all of a sudden I knew who he was. He didn't look anything like he had on "Laverne and Shirley" or in the movie "Used Cars," but it was David Lander.

I told him I hadn't recognized him, and added how much I had enjoyed "Used Cars."

"Everybody always says that," he said.

We talked a little while longer and then I told him I had an awkward question to ask him. He told me to go ahead, and I dipped a toe into the swimming pool.

"Are you still acting?" I asked.

He laughed out loud and then told me he had been in all sorts of things that never got released.

"I am in something that's going to be out soon that I think you will like," he said.

And that was the first time I ever heard of the wonderful film, "A League of Their Own."