Baltimore neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson is a hot commodity these days. Two weeks ago, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush during a White House ceremony.

And then, last night I was watching a Season 4 episode of HBO’s highly acclaimed series “The Wire’’ and his name surfaced on the show. One of the West Side’s corner kids said he wanted to grow up and be a surgeon like Carson. Of course, if you’ve ever watched “The Wire,’’ you know the kid said it in a more colorful way.

Last summer I wrote a feature story about Myron Rolle’s academic pursuits and his stint studying overseas. During an interview with Rolle, I asked him who his role model was. I certainly didn’t expect his answer.

You guessed it, Dr. Carson, who grew up poor but worked hard and is now considered a gem of his profession. Carson is currently the director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He’s the guy who turned cerebral hemispherectomy surgery - a once-unpopular procedure that includes half the patient’s brain being removed during surgery - into a widely used operation to treat brain tumors during the past two decades.

After talking to Rolle, I decided to give Dr. Carson a call. He eventually called back, and when I informed him that Rolle considered him his role model, Carson was delighted.

Carson said he has never met Rolle, but had heard about him through someone mailing him a newspaper article.

“I like it when people in sports get inspired to do intellectual things,’’ Carson said. “It shows that they are not just jocks. I think they are very good role models for other students.’’

Who knows, maybe someday Rolle will be as famous as his idol.