How Goodfellas kept us from acquiring a priceless Keith Olbermann memento

Back in 1986 Keith Olbermann won a semi-prestigeous Golden Mike Award when he was a silly-looking sportscaster on KNX-TV in Los Angeles

Randy Kerdoon currently does news at KNX Newsradio in Los Angeles and he found a copy of Olbermann’s award in the trash bin when KNX was moving from one building to another.

keith-olbermann
Keith Olbermann, circa 1986: If there was ever a guy who looked like he should be delivering pizza in a bad porn movie, this is he

When we found out that Randy had offered the Golden Mike for sale on eBay, we realized that we wanted it more than life itself. After all, who wouldn’t want a little piece of a broadcasting legend like Olbermann.

We weren’t sure what we’d do with it, but there are always doors that need to be propped open and bugs that need to be squished, so we were pretty sure it would come in handy.

We were willing to go as high as $200. The bidding on eBay rapidly reached $129, but then just sat at that price day after day. The bidding was scheduled to end at about 4:40 p.m. last Sunday so we it flagged on our calendar, fully intending to swoop in at the last minute and place the winning bid.

Then we got busy watching Goodfellas on TV for the 27th time and just plain forgot about Olbermann’s award. Our computer was in the next room and we didn’t hear it beeping out its alerts and the damn award sold for the $129 ($145 including shipping).

LARadio.com reports the results of the auction:

The ‘Mike’ sold for over $145 including shipping to a Keith Olbermann fan in Texas. Her reason for buying it was touching. Seems she and her husband were watching Olbermann co-host the Vice-Presidential debates at night a few years ago. Her husband wasn’t feeling well. He excused himself to go to bed and told her as he left ‘now you just stay down here with Keith.’ He passed away the next day. So basically the last real conversation she had with her husband was about Keith Olbermann.

If the Editor dies tomorrow morning, Mrs Editor will remember that the last story he ever wrote was about Keith Olbermann.

Our post mortem advice: Don’t buy any old awards to commemorate the event, honey.

H/T: LARadio.com

This post was last modified on January 26, 2021

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View Comments (19)

  • Olberman was a pretty good sportscaster for KNX and ESPN (he and Dan Patrick made a good team on Sportscenter). He went waaaaaaayyyy downhill when he tried to get all political. And he's still an a--hole!!!

    • Never having watched a "sports" oriented show in my life, I wouldn't know how he was as a sportscaster. So all I know is the asshole I speed by on MSNBC on my way to more watchable TV.

  • Protip: Use auctionsniper to automaticaly bid last minute.

    Also: That molestache is too cheasy, even for a porn talent. Thats child molester facial hair. I wonder how much the child molesting per capita decreased when Keith moved (using an old panel van, no doubt).

  • The ‘Mike’ sold for over $145 including shipping to a Keith Olbermann fan in Texas. Her reason for buying it was touching.

    That's funny, I thought Olivia lived in Illinois!

  • With me it's the Godfather movies. I've seen them all 400 times but if one of them is on I'll usually watch. Talk about ticking the wife off. I saw the first one when it came out. Talk about suspense.

  • "We were willing to go as high as $200."

    Really, you expected them to pay you that much to haul away a silly little award?

    • 'Zactly what I thought. Of course you freeze a video of anyone you will eventually get a frame where they don't look pissed off. Exceptin for Michelle of course. That's probably not accurate either. I'm sure you can draw a grin out of the ole gal with a taco or a pile of fries.