Kevin's Celeb Pics

Yesterday and Friday evening were busy days in Springfield. In addition to trying to find out if the George Clooney and Matt Damon rumors were true (they were not!), I spent some time with four-time Boston and four-time NYC marathon champion Bill Rodgers at the Springfield Road Runners Club annual "Monster Mash."

"Boston Billy" likes . . . uh, "loves" to talk about his running experiences. As he signed a 1979 Boston Marathon poster, he carefully detailed each person shown on the poster, as well as why he took his cap off the last several hundred yards of the race (he thought he'd be faster). He also signed a Sports Illustrated and talked extensively about the 1978 race depicted on the cover.

The next day I was up early, still trying to check out those rumors. I did get an up close view of Senator Barak Obama as left the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Convention Center to make his announcement that he would be a candidate for President of the United States. He was running late as he left, so he opted not to stop for pictures or autographs.

No problem, though, as I have this great photograph with the Senator when he visited Jacksonville last year.

After Obama departed the hotel, I made my way to the Old State Capitol to check out the scene. It was a packed house! After the announcement, the crowds thinned and I made my way to the media area where MSNBC's Chris Matthews was conducting a live shot. I did manage to acquire some quality air time "in the background" during the live shot. I caught up with Chris afterwards as he was checking out of his hotel. The "Hardball" host was accommodating with the photograph and autograph requests, and he was especially thankful to be out of the cold weather.

Finally, how often do you get the chance for a photo opportunity with two legends . . . Mark Twain and Abe Lincoln!