Like so many others, I was an unapolgetic Uncle Bill fan. What really made me more so was the story a neighbor related when she met him while a contestant on Joe Garagiola's $otC. Bill came out to promote the then-new 3OAM, and she was taken aback by how thin and unhealthy he looked. He had recently recovered from pancreatic surgery, and that day his skin was clearly blotchy and pot-marked to someone who was seeing him from mere feet away. Making small talk during a stopdown, she remarked to Garagiola that her husband was a huge Yankees fan and had loved watching Joe call their games, always dreaming about being a baseball announcer himself. Bill quickly joined their conversation and confessed that was one of his dreams as well. When she confessed that instead he had become a hairdresser, Bill broke into genuine laughter and said, "And I thought I went a different route!".
When she told us the story, she confessed "I always wondered how someone so unattractive could be so popular. What he showed me at that moment was just how much of a regular guy he is. It was the highlight of my day". (I should add she lost her only game and didn't buy a single Instant Bargain).
As for crushes, I always did have a thing for Paola Diva, if for no other reason how she was able to make Bob Clayton blush when she'd dance for him on Mexico Day.
