Brush with Greatness: My Good Pal Amy Jacobson

On June 29, Kevin, Burke, and I went to the Cubs game against the Brewers. It was one of the most thrilling games I have ever been to, with Aramis Ramirez hitting a two-run walk-off home run, giving the Cubs a 6-5 win. You can watch the home run here.

After the game, the three of us went to Bernie's and had many beers. We always enjoy reliving exciting moments, giving grief to Brewers' fans, and generally people watching.

That afternoon at Bernie's, one of those persons happened to be Amy Jacobson, the then-intrepid reporter for Channel 5. I believe the conversation started with me saying, "hey, Amy Jacobson!" She came right over and we started chatting, about all kinds of things, just kidding around, and at one point, I asked about that missing woman in Plainfield, and asked her, "So, he did it, right?" She kinda laughed and said, "the things I could tell you...."

There really was no serious conversation, and because the weather was coolish and threatened rain, she was wearing her Channel 5 / Telemundo windbreaker. At some point, and for no real reason, she gave me her windbreaker...

She was with a bunch of friends, and at some point, they decided to take a picture. Being the goof that I am, I jumped in the back, and smiled. They didn't complain, and I gave one of them, I think the guy that was with them, my card and told them to send me a copy.

So, a week or so later, the story breaks about how Jacobson was videotaped in a bikini at the missing Plainfield woman's home with the missing/dead woman's husband and his sister. Apparently Jacobson told her Channel 5 bosses she was trying to gain the confidence of the sister by accepting an invitation to visit the family's home on her day off while headed out for a swim with her kids.

Anyway, that day at work, I get an envelope marked "personal and confidential" and enclosed was this photograph.

Let's just say I was very surprised.

Turns out, she was at the wedding of our friends Dan and Jennifer, though they will have to remind what her connection is/was.

Anyway, in what I really thought was a raw deal, she ended up leaving Channel 5 over it.

The whole sordid story is here. The video can be found here.

Here is the photo without the post-it. A shame you cannot tell I am wearing the sweet Telemundo / NBC5 jacket.

Good Luck to Amy.