I had a fun assignment recently for the Los Angeles Times, hanging out with one of the Seattle Sounders’ owners, actor/comedian/game-show host Drew Carey. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Carey was a great guy and very down-to-earth. I anticipated a real high-energy Chris Farley-like personality, but he was nothing like that. He was very humble. If you passed him on the street you likely wouldn’t recognize him–especially without his trademark black, horn-rimmed glasses. click on Travel blog for more travel related information.
I met Carey, his girlfriend and LA Times columnist Kurt Streeter at a bar in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle. We hung out at a few watering-holes with soccer fans before heading to Occidental Park to join fans that were congregating where the Sounders’ band was playing.
We then marched down to Qwest Field to watch the Sounders’ match against the San Jose Earthquakes. The four of us then watched the game from Carey’s private box.
When I first heard he was an owner I thought it might be just a way of getting a celebrity name in the owners group. But that was clearly not the case. He is passionate about soccer and travels to most of the games, both home and away. He also very knowledgeable of the players and their careers. For example, he even knew the minute that goalie Kasey Keller would set a record for consecutive shutout minutes for a goalie. The Sounders went on to win 2-0. It was good night all-around. -Scott Eklund