Posted: September 12, 2008, 5 a.m. EDT
Michael Phelps greeted a crowd of 5,000 cheering fans at Chicago’s Millennium Park for Monday’s season opener of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and told the talk show host that he can’t wait to get home to Maryland to see his Bulldog.
“I need to get home so he remembers me,” Phelps said. “I have a picture of him on my computer, but I haven’t seen him in real life” since before the Olympics, the 8-time gold medalist said.
Phelps appeared on the show with some 150 other U.S. Olympic team members. “It’s good to be back on American soil,” Phelps said. Asked by Winfrey whether he’s single, he demurred: “I try to keep my private life private.”
Meanwhile, Phelps – who is expected to rake in tens of millions of dollars in endorsements – also announced a donation of $1 million to the Boys & Girls Club of America. At a visit to a Burbank, Calif., Boys & Girls Club on Monday, Phelps said his packed schedule has been worth all the sacrifices. “I’m living my dream,” he said.