Comedian opening for the pope is no joke
Comedian Jim Gaffigan got a lot of attention last week when it was announced that he would be the opening act for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia. Gaffigan, a practicing Catholic, noted that there wasn’t even anyone to ask for advice about opening for the pontiff, since this was a first.
Well, not really. There is another comic who opened for a pope, and he’s right here in San Francisco. Michael Pritchard, who is also a proud representative of his Catholic faith, was the opener for Pope John Paul II when he appeared at Candlestick Park in September 1987.
“I was 37 years old,” Pritchard said. “It was an amazing, astounding time.”
Timing-wise, things couldn’t have been much more hectic. Pritchard’s wife, Mary Jo, was about to give birth to their daughter. Meanwhile, the national media converged to talk to this San Francisco comic who was going to open for the pope.
“I had CNN, ABC and the Wall Street Journal all at my house,” he said.
He thought he was handling it all pretty well until the Monday before the Saturday appearance with the pope. That’s when Mary Jo announced that it was time to go to the hospital.
“We were in shock,” he said. “We’re leaving the house, driving away and I looked in the rear view mirror — and the suitcase is still sitting back in the driveway.”
His daughter, Katelyn, now 28, arrived without problems, and Pritchard went to Candlestick in a state of grace. Combined with the birth, the time spent with the pope turned out to be a turning point in Pritchard’s life.
A popular comedian who’d been on “The Tonight Show” and ’80s sitcoms like “Taxi,” Pritchard was so moved by the experience that, he said, “I drifted away from show business because of it.”
Pritchard, known as St. Michael to his admirers, has been doing social work ever since. This year, when he needed a triple bypass, a crowdfunding site raised over $100,000. Today he says he feels great.
But c’mon, there has to be a funny story here somewhere. And there is. It seems there was a mix-up boarding the popemobile, and John Paul II took the wrong seat. No one knew exactly how to handle that.
But, Pritchard said, “There was this little Danny DeVito cardinal with him. Nobody knew what to do. So he walks over, pokes the pope in the butt and says, “You gotta move over.’ ”
The pope did, and the cardinal turned and looked back at all the handlers and functionaries.
“Hey,” he said to them. “How hard was that?” Da Mayor: Lots of response to last week’s column about the tragic shooting and death of Kate Steinle at Pier 14. It has been a terrible time for Steinle’s parents, of course, but her father, Jim, does tell a somewhat lighthearted story.
He met with Mayor Ed Lee in the days after the shooting, and Lee asked if there was anything he could do. Steinle said they were hoping to put a small plaque on a bench near the Pier 14 scene.
Steinle said Lee’s first reaction was to point out that it wasn’t city property and any installation would need the approval of the Port of San Francisco and ...
“But then,” Steinle said, “he paused and said, ‘Well, I am the mayor.’ ”
The plaque was up soon thereafter. Soccer talker: I was driving down Third Street last Monday. Looking casual in shorts and a T-shirt, someone who looked like Carli Lloyd, the USA women’s national soccer team’s leading scorer, was strolling down the sidewalk holding a cup of coffee. When I got to work, I tweeted: “Almost certain I saw USAWNT leading scorer Carli Lloyd walking down Third Street.”
A few minutes later a Tweet appeared from Lloyd: “You are correct!” There’s a line and no cuts: A colleague’s son stopped in at his favorite, somewhat eclectic, Market Street barber shop for a trim just before the weekend. The barber said there was no way.
“This is the busiest day of the year,” he said. “Really? Why?” “Folsom Street Fair,” the barber said. Upheaval in police work: Over at the Richmond Police Station, Capt. Simon Silverman continues to send out the droll asides in his regular newsletter. Recently he told the tale of a man driving a Jeep who nearly rear-ended a patrol car. When the officers noticed that the Jeep’s windshield wipers were going despite the lack of precipitation, they put the driver through field sobriety tests. He did not do well.
Placed in the back seat of the cruiser for a trip to the station, the driver had a sudden queasy episode and vomited all over the back seat.
“Did I mention that the SFPD is recruiting?” Silverman asked. “If you have a desire to serve and have a strong stomach we may have just the job for you.”