The latest guy to be suckered by Greg Packer is Ed Barkowitz of the Philadelphia Daily News:

Robinson was like a lot of Yankees fans who made the trip to Philadelphia for a chance to see their team close out their 27th World Series Championship. Tickets would be easier to get last night, they reasoned, than if the series continued in New York tomorrow.

Greg Packer, from Huntington, N.Y., paid $200 for a $125 seat in Section 302.

“That’s a bargain,” he said, “because if it goes to Game 6, tickets are going to be impossible.”

Ah, nothing’s impossible. You might have thought it would be impossible for Greg Packer to get himself quoted in Big Media any more, but you’d be wrong about that . . .

Previous Packer sightings compiled here.

The latest journalist to get punked by the nation’s Man on the Street is Mark Saxon of the Orange County Register:

It wasn’t hard to spot Lisa Cavallo, Lupe Edwards, Sandra Raigoza and Anna Herrera coming out of the subway stop at 161st Street.

The group of friends from the San Fernando Valley stood out in their red Angels clothing amid a sea of navy blue worn by Yankees fans.

The women happened to be headed to New York for vacation when they heard the Angels would be playing the Bronx Bombers. They went on-line and bought tickets on the secondary market for $205 a piece.

They were a little worried about the treatment they would receive from New York fans.

“My cousin said I’m cute, so they won’t hurt me,” Cavallo said.

A Yankee fan wandered over while the women were being interviewed by the Register and Edwards, Cavallo’s mother, said, “You won’t hurt us, will you?”

Afterward, the Yankees fan, Greg Packer of Huntington, N.Y. opined on the lack of Angels fans.

“Angels fans don’t have the guts to come up to the Bronx,” Packer said. “It’s not just the fans, it’s the neighborhood.”

- Mark Saxon

Greg Packer wandered over? While a journalist was talking to somebody?

What are the odds?!

JammieWearingFool catches the latest Greg Packer sighting. This time it’s the New York Post:

One devoted Torre fan, 45-year-old self-proclaimed retiree Greg Packer of Huntington, even stood in freezing temperatures from 3:30 a.m. on to get the first spot for the afternoon signing – and that was after standing in a long line the day before at a Midtown bookstore to get Torre’s signature, too.

“It was worth it,” Packer said. “I wish he was still the [Yankees] manager. With the talent we have on this team now, we’d be guaranteed to get to the World Series with Torre in charge.”

I love this guy. His indomitable spirit and need to be quoted serves as an inspiration to us all.

Barbara Barker of Newsday is the latest reporter to get suckered by Greg Packer:

The weather was bad. The economy is worse. But that didn’t stop Greg Packer from standing on line for nearly six hours outside a Barnes & Noble yesterday in order to purchase three autographed copies of Joe Torre’s book at $21.56 a pop.

“I had to be here,” said Packer, a Huntington resident who first parked himself outside the Fifth Avenue store where Torre was doing his book signing at 6:30 a.m. “I’m happy with what he wrote, because he spoke his mind for the last 12 years. Why should he stop now?”

Packer was the fifth person on a line that by 12:30 p.m. stretched up Fifth Avenue, snaked around the corner and ran east on 46th Street nearly to Madison Avenue.

Oh, Greg. Only fifth in line?

Waiting for Joe was one of those crazy New York experiences, the sort where one finally gets to know his neighbor.

If any one sentiment — other than craziness — tied this group of waiting fans together, it was an appreciation for Torre’s years in New York. Packer, who goes to many book signings, said this appears to be the most well attended.

Yes, Packer goes to many book signings. He also talks to a lot of reporters. Had you not heard, Barbara Barker?

All this reminds me that my interview with Packer is long overdue. The main thing holding it up is the combination of the three-hour time difference, and Packer’s insistence that we speak by phone rather than e-mail. Maybe this weekend . . .

So Tom Daschle has a $140,000 tax “glitch”. Or should we say “glitches,” plural?

After all, we all know that he failed to report six figures’ worth of taxes he owed due to his being driven around by his good buddy the chauffeur.

Oops!

But Daschle had some other whoopsies as well:

Due to an apparent clerical error at InterMedia — which paid Daschle $1 million a year for consulting services — Daschle also failed to pay taxes on one month’s salary.

Oops!

And he improperly deducted several thousand dollars in charitable donations.

Oops! Oops! Oops!

But I have another bone to pick with the former Senator: he’s yet another lobbyist working for an administration that claims not to be employing lobbyists.

Yes, I know: he’s not a lobbyist:

Let’s be clear: Tom Daschle is not a lobbyist. Which is good, because the Obama administration does not employ lobbyists (mostly).

A lobbyist, you see, uses his special insider knowledge, connections, and status to turn a buck and help special interests. Oh, and a lobbyist also has to file a paper certifying that (s)he is a lobbyist. This is a huge difference from what Tom Daschle has been doing the last four years, right?

. . . .

Lobbyists use their insider knowledge and connections to make money from special interests and because they do so directly (call their former colleagues, for example), they must register as lobbyists. Tom Daschle used his insider status and knowledge and connections to make money from special interests but because he did not directly lobby (rather than calling a former colleague, he would tell the special interest who to call), he did not have to register as a lobbyist. And so he can work in the Obama administration.

Got that? Daschle is not a registered lobbyist, so we can overlook the $5.2 million he made advising health insurers and hospitals, among others. We can overlook Daschle’s likely conflicts of interest.

Never mind that Big Media described him as a lobbyist back in 2005, when he became one. NPR interviewed Daschle, who denied being a lobbyist in the interview — but NPR didn’t seem to buy it. Their segment was titled Tom Daschle on His New Role as Lobbyist.

Daschle joined the “Legislative & Public Policy Group” at Alston & Bird with Bob Dole, and it’s not hard to guess why the firm boasted of having both men on the payroll. The firm publicized a discussion featuring Daschle and Dole by saying that their Legislative & Public Policy Group “is well-positioned to provide sound, strategic advice to clients, helping them create new opportunities through the legislative process.”

Bob Dole put it more colorfully in a quote from this 2005 Washington Post article, which described Daschle’s joining Alston & Bird along with Dole:

Dole said the Democrat would be a valuable asset to the firm even though Congress is run by the GOP these days.

“He’s got a lot of friends in the Senate, and I’ve got a lot of friends in the Senate, and, combined, who knows — we might have 51,” Dole joked.

You got Dole’s joke, I take it. 51, you see, is how many votes it takes to get the client’s legislation passed.

Look at how the Washington Post described Daschle’s job then:

Daschle is merely the latest high-profile former lawmaker to jump to the lucrative world of lobbying and law firm work in what has become an increasing trend.

Hmmm. Guess the Washington Post considered Daschle to be a lobbyist, just like NPR — and just like any man off the street would. (Maybe I should ask Greg Packer what he thinks!) Registered or not, the guy’s a lobbyist — pure and simple.

Well, at least he’s popular with the left. Here’s Glenn Greenwald, who says Daschle

embodies everything that is sleazy, sickly, and soul-less about Washington. It’s probably impossible for Obama to fill his cabinet with individuals entirely free of Beltway filth — it’s extremely rare to get anywhere near that system without being infected by it — but Daschle oozes Beltway slime from every pore.

Heh. The folks at Democratic Underground don’t care for him much either, noting that Daschle defended Obama’s 180-degree spin on telecom immunity, even as Daschle was working for Alston & Bird, which lobbied on behalf of AT&T with respect to that very issue.

So, add it up. A tax dodger, a lobbyist in an administration that supposedly doesn’t employ lobbyists, and a slimy, sleazy, soulless politician hated by the right and the left alike.

What’s not to like?

I’m set to interview him after the holidays. I figure, everyone else is quoting him. Why not me?

I’m hoping to convince him to be a part of a semi-regular feature on the site. The idea is: when something big happens, I get Greg Packer’s take on it. It would be the ultimate example of blogs beating the media!

Anyway, leave your proposed questions for Greg Packer in the comments. I will ask him the best ones.

And be nice!

Greg Packer’s latest victim is a Times Beacon Record reporter, to whom Packer waxed philosophical at a memorial for Jewish victims of terrorism in Mumbai:

Another audience member, Greg Packer, of Huntington, had a different take.

“This is not just a Jewish thing,” Packer said. “The terrorists didn’t just kill Jews in Mumbai. Many people were targeted and killed. Yes, the Jews have always been targets. We have to continue to be vigilant and watch our backs. But when something like this happens, we are all one people.”

Mickey Kaus once said: “Greg Packer will not be not quoted.” You know, if everyone else is going to quote this guy, I want to as well.

Greg, I know you must be reading this. E-mail me, babe. Let’s talk.

The Daily News article is headlined Revelers pack city as Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade delights young and old:

“It brings out the kid in all of us,” said Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, L.I. “It’s that sense of togetherness that keeps me coming back.”

That — and the incessant need to be quoted in newspapers.

Don’t feel bad, New York Daily News. Even the New York Times recently fell for Packer’s cheerful brand of obsessive media whoring. You’re not alone.

Incredible. The New York Times again cites Greg Packer as a typical man on the street, as if he hadn’t been cited as such in dozens of other stories. Writing about a Philadelphia parade celebrating the Phillies’ World Series victory, the Paper of Record says:

The parade drew fans from beyond the region, too.

Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, N.Y., drove in for Game 5 of the World Series and stayed for the celebration. He arrived on Broad Street near City Hall at 5 a.m. to secure what he considered the best spot.

“In New York right now, we have no Mets, no Yankees, no stadiums,” he said. “I came here to represent and cheer our neighbors.”

No wonder this is the most admired paper in the country.

The Pope delivered a mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City yesterday. And Greg Packer was there!

Suzanne Struglinski of Salt Lake City’s Deseret News reports:

Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, N.Y., traveled to Washington earlier last week for the Mass at the new Nationals Stadium and was on Fifth Avenue Saturday.

While he does not have tickets to the Yankee Stadium Mass, he does have a T-shirt ready asking for “one Mass ticket please.”

Packer, who is Jewish, said he still enjoys the Masses.

“The homilies bring me out and the togetherness of everybody,” Packer said. “It was really beautiful. It was worth going to Washington, but this is home. I feel like he is coming over to visit me.”

Packer added that he liked the fact that Pope Benedict has mentioned the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Kinda weird that he’s so into the Pope even though he’s Jewish, huh, Suzanne Struglinski?

Who wants to be the one to explain it to her?

M.E. Sprengelmeyer says:

UPDATE: We fell right into Times Square’s infamous PACKER TRAP! M.E.-a-culpa.

The link is to yours truly. Well played, Mr. M.E. Sprengelmeyer. Well played.

M.E. Sprengelmeyer of the Rocky Mountain News has worn down some shoe leather and managed to dig himself up a true-blue Giants fan: one Greg Packer:

“It’s all about the Giants winning,” said Greg Packer, 44, a retired highway maintenance worker. “I’m as proud as I was in the Yankees dynasty years.”

Don’t forget the Mets, Greg.

And the Jets.

The full Greg Packer story can be read here, along with links to previous sightings. Or just search this site for Greg Packer.

You’d think there’d be a little more media awareness of a guy who is notorious for trying to get his name in the paper — and who admits he isn’t above lying to do it.

You’d think that. But you’d be wrong.