Jason Cameron has rubbed elbows with a lot of famous people over the years.
The co-host of DIY Network's Man Caves can maintain an aura of cool around most of them.
But meeting the great Nolan Ryan in April was a different story.
"Nolan Ryan is one of my heroes," Cameron says. "He's a living legend. I've never been more nervous in my life to meet somebody."
Cameron spent time with baseball's strikeout king when he and the DIY team came to Arlington to give a Man Caves makeover to Casey's Corner, an upper-level suite in right field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Ryan, as president of the Texas Rangers, was among the first to get a guided tour of the space once the five-day renovation was completed.
"I was so nervous when he came to check it out," Cameron recalls. "I really wanted him to like it."
Turns out there was nothing to worry about.
The transformation, as Rangers fans who have rented the suite this season can attest, was a home run.
The makeover was completed in April before Opening Day. The episode showcasing the work that Cameron and his crew did airs for the first time at 9 p.m. Friday on DIY Network.
Casey's Corner has been part of the ballpark ever since the facility opened in 1994. It's leased on a nightly basis to groups of up to 100 people. But the space was in need of a facelift.
"It was a little blah," Cameron says. "It definitely needed to be redefined. So we spent a lot of time figuring out the best flow for the space -- and I think we achieved that. It's very usable now."
The changes include an elegant high-tech bar that's lined with Louisville Sluggers, a row of high-backed leather DreamSeats from which fans can watch the game, and a custom-built table with giant 3-D letters that spell "TEXAS" in the familiar Rangers logo typeface.
Cameron, a carpenter and licensed contractor, says the table is his favorite new element of the room. "That was a pretty tough build, especially given the limited amount of time we had," he says.
Once he started work on the table, in fact, Cameron became concerned that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. "But I was really happy with how it turned out," he says.
And when Ryan flashed a smile, signaling his approval, Cameron could not have gotten a bigger ego boost.
"The table was what I was most excited to show him," he admits.
Rob Matwick, executive vice president for ballpark operations, says that customer response has been phenomenally positive as well.
"There are a lot of repeat rentals of that space over the years," Matwick says. "When the repeat customers come in and see the changes, they're blown away. They say, 'Wow. What did you guys do?'
"The biggest feedback that we've received has been about the DreamSeats -- everybody seems to love those -- and just the overall interior of the space. Our guests have been very pleased with the amount of openness that we have created by relocating the bar and changing the way the food side is now operating."
Cameron and crew also recently made over a suite at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., but it's rare when the Man Caves team works in a professional sports facility.
As the episode shows, former Rangers pitcher Mitch Williams, a hardcore do-it-yourself type, showed up to lend a hand -- although Williams and co-host Tony Siragusa mostly just goofed off very far away from where any actual work was being done.
"Goose was doing what he does best," Cameron says. "He shows up, he ... moans, he cracks jokes and he clowns around a little bit. But Goose will be the first one to complain if we're not done. He can make my job difficult at times, but it wouldn't be the same show without him.
"It's a great gig for him. For me, however, I'm the one responsible with getting my crew in there and making sure the job's done on time. But I've come to terms with that."
Aside from meeting Ryan, there was one other unique experience that made the Rangers Ballpark gig unforgettable for Cameron: He was toiling away on the room when a tornado swept through north Arlington, requiring everyone to evacuate to a more-protected area of the stadium.
"I felt really safe," Cameron says, "but I don't want to be that close to a twister again."
Matwick says the renovated Casey's Corner has been rented out for almost every Rangers game this season.
But once the episode airs, once more people become aware of the upgrades that have been made, it's entirely possible the room will be in even greater demand.
"I hope that's the case," Matwick says. "Although, by the time it airs, we'll be down to just seven home games left for this season."
That's true, but the Rangers also will be able to benefit from the changes for many years to come.
"We put a lot of energy and a lot of TLC into these things," Cameron says. "We try to build them to last."
But eventually, wear and tear might start to take a toll. For example, the wood in that "TEXAS" table, Cameron's pride and joy, might start to warp in places.
When that happens, Cameron says he'll be available to do touch-ups, on one condition.
"If Nolan Ryan asks me to come over and do something for him," Cameron says, "I'm there."
