In his 35-year career in sports media, FOX’s Chris Myers has done plenty of interesting things and become friends with plenty of interesting people.
Myers joined Brandon Contes on the Awful Announcing Podcast this week and one of the topics that came up was how Myers became friends with actor Bill Murray.
“Through the ESPYs in the early nineties, I was doing SportsCenter with Dan Patrick and ESPN said Bill Murray’s going to be at the ESPYs and he’d like to have you guys in there somewhere,” Myers said. “So we walk into this room and there are all these writers in there and Bill says ‘Hey we don’t really need you guys [the writers] in here, because these guys write their own stuff for SportsCenter,’ so after that, him and I talked a little bit. He’s an astute sports fan. Not just the Cubs. Golf, other things.” Myers added.
From there, the friendship blossomed as Murray suggested the two go to a Mets game at Shea Stadium the following day. “He pulls up in a van and he gets out and he’s got his hat down and you wouldn’t recognize him, so I’m like ‘Okay, he doesn’t want to be bothered.'” Myers added.
Murray’s disguise likely would have worked if not for a bad call by the umpire. “There was some pitch with the umpire or something and Bill starts yelling like a fan. [The hitter] Mark Grace looks back and says ‘Hey Bill!’ and then everyone swarms around him and the rest of the game was fans being interested in Bill Murray.”
Myers and Murray have been friends ever since, visiting each other’s houses and meeting up at some of Murray’s movie premieres. “Everything you hear about the kind of guy on the street he is, he likes that. He loves people. We’re friends to this day and I’m grateful for that.” Myers said.
