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CHAPTER I

Why I Wrote This Book

NOT LONG AGO, having just entered my ninth decade on this earth, I was sitting in an airplane looking out over the wonder of our vast country. The immense landforms put me in a contemplative mood. Not for the first time, it occurred to me that as miniscule as we are in the grand scheme—and especially from thirty thousand feet—the best part of life is sharing it with other people.

It’s why my own life has only gotten richer with each passing year, which became very clear to me as I sat in that plane. I became increasingly excited when I thought about all the sports, entertainment, business, and political figures that my life had given me a chance to meet. I still think of myself as a small-town boy from Ohio, and I still wonder if I’m really in a dream. I was feeling especially so while cruising above the clouds, and as I allowed those special relationships—and others—to roll around in my head, I was suddenly compelled more than I had ever been to get it all down on paper. I have been fortunate to live several quite different lives—lawyer, business executive, sports Commissioner, consultant, and mentor. The stories and people that you will read about in this book are the happy result of this life.

Always a list maker, I took out a legal pad and started jotting down—at first slowly and then in rapid succession—stories about the amazing individuals with whom I have been associated. Many have been famous, some haven’t, but all have left their mark on me. That list was the genesis of this book. Writing it has allowed me to vividly relive a lot of wonderful moments. Even better, it’s allowed me to share them. I have gone into some detail on my own life on the premise that it will put the “people stories” and other stories in some context and make it easier to understand how they were part of my ongoing life. But, this is by no means an autobiography. Rather, a “stage-setter,” a backdrop for the people and stories that have meant so much to me.

Inevitably, some readers will feel that I’m engaging in excessive name-dropping. A fair comment, but I plead “not guilty.” Name-dropping, at least to me, means dropping the names of famous people to make the “dropper” seem more important. My intent, however, is precisely the opposite. What I have tried to do is to show a side of the various people I speak of that underscores the kind of people they truly are and has nothing to do with me—except that I was there!

A brief word about the title of this book. There is an old, old joke about the guy named Joe who went to Rome and, quite by accident, had his picture taken with the Pope. When he got home he proudly showed the picture to friends who were suitably impressed. One of his friends, however, had a most unexpected response. He looked at the photo and said, “Who’s that with you, Joe?” I was reminded of this story as I reflected on the personalities that I profile in this book. With few, if any, exceptions they are far better known than I. Hence, the title Who’s That with Charlie? The final section of the book is titled “Lessons Learned” As the name suggests, in this book I want not only to share the stories about the wonderful people I met along the way, but also to share with the reader the lessons that I have learned from these associations.

I hope you enjoy!