A column by Kerry Barboza - Sport Editor
I had been working at the Boerne Star for about a month or so in 2002 when I received a phone call at the office one afternoon informing me that Nolan Ryan was going to be in Boerne that night.
“Big Tex” or the “Ryan Express” as he is called, was in San Antonio at a convention that day but was going to be in Boerne that night at a BBQ restaurant in town that sold Nolan Ryan beef products.
Ryan’s representative said the media was invited, and that Nolan would gladly meet with the press and take questions afterwards. They wanted to know if they could count me in. I answered “yes” immediately after the person asked me, probably interrupting them before they could finish the question.
I had grown up watching Nolan Ryan play and he was my favorite player, so to finally meet him was a bucket list kind of a thing. I only have one autograph and it’s of – you guessed it – Nolan Ryan. It was a gift to me from a family bought online many years ago because she knew of my admiration for him.
The restaurant, which is no longer around, was at the corner of Highway 46 and Main Street. I arrived early and there was already a crowd of people there.
They ushered all the guests into a back party room that had big hay bales scattered around on the floor and added to the rustic atmosphere of the place. After about a 20- or 30-minute wait, Ryan walked in and started working the room.
He walked up to people, extended his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Nolan Ryan, nice to meet you.” When he said that to me, I felt like saying, “Nolan, you’re the only reason these people are here and we all know who you are, so you don’t need to introduce yourself.” I bit my tongue and instead said hello. His representative told me that he would be able to meet with me shortly after he took care of a few things there at the restaurant. They eventually approached and said “he’s ready for you in that room over there” as they pointed to the empty room where I was to interview him.
As someone who works in the media, I’ve been able to meet a few “famous” people or celebrities, mostly athletes, actors and singers. I’ve rarely felt intimidated by them, but it was different this time, and it wasn’t so much intimidation as it was awe.
That pretty much sums it up; I was in awe of him and kind of nervous. I’ve only felt that way one other time, and it was with a Hollywood actor, who had come out in a couple of TV series and written a few hit songs. That actor had perfect hair and teeth, and almost didn’t look real up close, like he was created in a laboratory or something. Like he was created by AI or something.
Anyway, Ryan eventually walked into the room, and we talked for about 15 to 20 minutes. I put my nervousness aside and managed to not flub the interview. He was nice and sincere and treated every question like it was important.
At that time, Ryan had been retired for a few years and was a spokesperson for Advil, the pain reliever. I asked him if he would consider a comeback. He said that if he could be playing, he would be playing.
I then asked him if taking a bunch of Advil would help with that. He looked at me for a moment and said, “it’ll take a lot more than Advil to get me back on the field” and then we both had a good laugh before I shook his hand once more and thanked him for his time.
I don’t know if Ryan has been in Boerne since then, but back in 2002 when he was in town, I was able to meet and interview him, and it’s been one of the highlights of my journalism career.
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