Dustin' off an oldie

Having shown off my "Fever Pitch" DVD that Jimmy Fallon signed for me at Bananas last week, I thought I'd share another autographed disc from the somewhat-recent past...

This is indeed a DVD of Season 1, Disc Two from that beloved 1990s TV series, "Saved By The Bell." Look close enough, and you'll see it was signed by none other than Dustin Diamond, who played lovable loser Samuel "Screech" Powers on the show, which is still airing in re-runs each morning on Superstation TBS, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Just like with Jimmy, Dustin appeared at Bananas — probably about 3 or 4 years ago — as he embarked on a stand-up comedy career, having seen his "SBTB" money dry up. Then "Screech" went on to become a reality TV villain on "Celebrity Fit Club" ... twice!

Dustin was actually pretty funny on stage, though years later, I can't remember one of his jokes. Still, he was cool after the show, posing for pics with fans and signing autographs, as you can see.

I shook Dustin's hand, told him I was a fan of the show — hey, I do own every season on DVD — and then a few weeks later, I found out he was trying a new career. Then I wished I hadn't shook his hand. (Purell, please!)