Please enjoy this story about the time Jeff Bagwell went to Darren Rovell's bar mitzvah
This week, ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell really embraced the concept of "throwback Thursday" and shared a few photos of himself at his bar mitzvah in 1991. What, you may wonder, prompted this particular trip down memory lane? Well, just look at who's standing with him:
Yes, that's Jeff Bagwell, newly minted Hall of Famer and '90s style icon. OK, in '91, he was still working toward the realization of both those goals (nice beige jacket, Jeff), but that didn't mean that little Darren wasn't thrilled. From ESPN.com:
At some point, Bagwell walked in. I was an avid baseball fan, so I knew who he was right away.
My eyes lit up. I was speechless. I remember Bagwell being quiet, too. We made some small talk and Bagwell went to a table to sign cards for my friends at the party.
… We were mostly Mets fans, so I knew they were wondering why a guy like Dwight Gooden wasn't there.
… I recall explaining to them that Bagwell was a great young rookie and, since we all dealt in baseball card currency back then, it was smart to get his autograph now.
Little Darren was right, and he didn't even have to wait until Bagwell was elected to the Hall of Fame to prove it -- the year of Rovell's bar mitzvah, Bagwell won NL Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, those kids held onto those autographs.