A Road Trip That Took an Unexpected Turn
After a busy month, I am finally back with a new Game Day Story. I spent two weeks on the West Coast, and the trip gave me more content than I expected. I planned to write about my visits to the Dodgers, Angels and Padres games. These stops pushed me closer to my bucket list of visiting every MLB stadium. I assumed my next posts would focus on baseball. And yes, those stories are coming. But life has a funny way of throwing you a curveball when you’re expecting a fastball.
I never imagined I’d be writing a game day post about cheerleading (or should I say a with a cheerleading connection). Yet here we are.
It reminded me of my Peyton Manning story. The one where I went to Knoxville knowing basically nothing except “Lady Vols” and “Peyton Manning,” and somehow walked away with a whole new appreciation for a place I barely understood. This trip had that same energy.
Our family road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway from Seattle to San Diego included a couple days in Los Angeles, and that’s where things took a turn, I absolutely didn’t see coming. While we drove, we posed the question which celebrity we would most want to meet in LA. The kids chose Steph Curry and Olivia Rodrigo. I tried to think logically about who actually lived in LA. Since I had no clue, I picked LeBron James. My fiancée answered instantly with Will Ferrell. She said it with the confidence of someone ordering their favorite dessert. She also noted that he was currently filming in North Carolina, so meeting him was unlikely.
And yes, you read that correctly. Fiancée, not partner. I proposed in the Redwoods, and she said YES! So, this trip already had a built‑in highlight.
A Hollywood Morning That Turned into a Star-Studded Walk
Our first LA day took us to a Dodgers game on Father’s Day. On Monday, we visited the Hollywood Sign, the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. We parked under the Dolby Theatre around 10:30. As we walked up to the street, we took pictures of the Dolby Theatre and the Jimmy Kimmel Live buildings. Soon we stepped onto the star walk.
Within one block, we found Sandra Bullock’s star. It was the only star I truly wanted to see. We had not looked up coordinates, so finding it by chance was a serendipitous. I doubted we would be that lucky again, so I looked up Will Ferrell’s star. It turned out we were about to walk past it anyway.
A tent was set up on the sidewalk in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum. A small crowd had gathered. We learned that Molly Shannon’s star ceremony was happening in 30 minutes. So of course we stayed. When else do you accidentally walk into a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony?
While we waited, I noticed people holding posters of Anchorman and other Will Ferrell movies. None of these posters had anything to do with Molly Shannon. I turned to my fiancée and said that Will Ferrell might appear. Our son had apparently said the same thing moments earlier.
Then he arrived. Will Ferrell. In the flesh. Feet away from my fiancée. So much for the proposal being her favorite moment of the trip! However, I’ve never been so happy to be in the right place at the right time. It felt like the universe handed her a gift with a bow on top.
A Superstar Moment Worth Its Own Game Day Story
Connie Britton and Will Ferrell gave opening remarks for Molly Shannon. Will delivered humor while keeping his message warm and sincere. Molly’s star became the 2,850th star as of June 22, 2026. Her star was placed next to Will’s, which made the moment even better.
Since Will Ferrell is known for the Spartan cheerleader sketch and Molly Shannon is known for Mary Katherine Gallagher, the cheerleading theme suddenly became part of my Game Day series. I never expected cheerleading to enter the lineup.
The trip, the day, the ceremony and the surprise can be summed up in one word: Superstar.
Game Day Stories Series
- Post #1: Stadium #18 at Last: A Birthday Trip, Extra Innings, and a Legendary Delay
- Post #2: My 2019 NFL Draft Experience in Nashville
- Post #3: The Day I Almost Met Taylor Swift in Nashville
- Post #4: The Peyton Manning Almost‑Autograph Adventure
- Post #5: The Royals Claim the Championship in a 4–0 Showdown
- Post #7: Three Stadiums, One Coastline, and A Whole Lot of Baseball
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