Good Bye, Good Luck and Thank you to Payton Viles

Covering college sports allows me to meet many different folks I never would know. While I don't think of the players as friends, over the several seasons, I do develop rapport with the players. It's hard to see them leave after their college time. I can only imagine how much harder it is for coaches who have a much deeper friendship with the players.

I watched Payton Viles for her entire DePaul softball career. Payton played 52 games over four seasons (five if you count one game in the COVID shortened season). Payton's sister Brianna played for DePaul, as did her aunt. The California native was suded mainly off the bench, but she was a valued teammate. In one of her highlights, she tallied an RBI on Senior Day last season.

Payton was always good for a quick selfie after the game to help me with my coverage. She was always seemingly in a good mood, win or lose, play or not. That's the type of teammate everyone wants.

I probably won't see Payton this season, unless she visits DePaul. I might not see her again. Either way, she is part of the many pieces of DePaul softball that make up my several years of covering the team/

Thank you to DePaul for their hospitality all season. Go to DePaulBlueDemons.com for more info. Thank you and good luck always to Payton.

 Payton Viles and me in Chicago, IL-April 2022.

Sarah Logan Wrote a Book

I knew her as Crazy Mary Dobson many years ago, when she wrestled for Resistance Pro Wrestling. She was young, but experienced beyond her age. She was a star in RPro's women's division until she left for the WWE. We all thought she was bound for greatness.

WWE fans knew her mostly as Sarah Logan and later Valhalla. She was ranked #33 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Female 100 in 2018. She married WWE wrestler Raymond Rowe in 2018 and left the WWE in 2020. She returned in 2022, but left again shortly after.

Sarah has two sons with her husband and they live off the grid. They have embraced a natural farm life. She wrote a book, From the Farm to our Table, about their lifestyle.

I think we have seen the last of Sarah in a wrestling ring (barring maybe a token nostalgia appearance. She is still young enough at 31, but I think her focus and passion is elsewhere. From all indications, she is totally happy with her life.

I miss seeing Sarah in the ring She had it all, but her vision changed. We all thought she would be successful and she is. She's leading her best life and that is the greatest success of all.

Sarah Logan and me in Summit, IL-September 2015.

Meeting Newton at Travel & Adventure Show

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Travel & Adventure show in Rosemont, IL. It's a convention filled with travel planners, speakers, destination companies and more.

I have attended the show for many years. A couple years ago, I attended a session by actor Andrew McCarthy, who was promoting his latest book. McCarthy is also an accomplished travel writer/author. That meeting led to an interview and my Talking Travel interview series on Global Traveler.

One of the regular attractions is the New Beginnings Ranch area. The business offers petting zoos and animal rides for such events. This year, Newton the camel was the animal. I missed my chance last year, but made sure to ride the beauty. Unfortunately, the photog failed to get a pic of me away from the gate, but I now have another goal for next year. Newton was very friendly, giving big face licks to those who wanted selfies (without paying for rides).

There was also a lot of other fun stuff. You can read more about it at Travel & Adventure Show on Global Traveler.

For more information, go to TravelShows.com. Say hello to Newton or his friends if you go.

Newton and me in Rosemont, IL-January 2024.

Mascot Spotlight: Georgetown's Bulldog

In 1962, Georgetown's class of 1964 brought the first Jack the Bulldog to campus. The bulldog ranks eighth among the 125 most famous dogs in pop culture, according to the American Kennel Club. Legend has it the first Jack was originally called Hoya, but he wasn't responding well to it, seemingly preferring Jack. Thus Jack became the official mascot.

Jack actually has his own crew, who are responsible for walking him. During walks, the crew interacts with other students to make Jack more comfortable around students and to reduce his stress. I am usually not in favor of using live animals for such endeavors, but it seems Georgetown does a lot to make Jack's life pleasurable.

As for the costumed jack, I know he has a lot of fun. I have seen him plent y of times at Big East Women's Basketball games.

On a related note, I love the Bulldog nickname. It's classic. It screams old school.

Georgetown's team name is actually the Hoyas. That derives from the Hoya Saxa chant. Hoya comes from the ancient Greek language, where Saxa comes from Latin. Together they basically mean "what rocks!" I don't know how these two languages came together to produce that chant though.

Go to GUHoyas.com for more information on Georgetown sports. Check back here for recurring fun with mascots.

Georgetown and me in Chicago, IL-March 2019.

Iron Mike Curkov

When Wisconsin news man Mike Curkov started wrestling a couple years ago, I thought it was a gimmick. That's not a bad thing. I just figure he would do minimal work in one or two matches. Little did I know how serious Mike was and remains.

I started to realize how serious he was when I interviewed him at On the Beat With Mike Curkov. Mike was training hard and intended to actually wrestle, not just make an appearance in the ring. Of course, he was realistic. With a late start and a full-time job, Mike knew he wouldn't be the next John Cena, but he wanted to be respectable. He has  become more than that though.

Mike has worked himself into being a decent wrestler. He'll never be the technician like Bret Hart, the mauler like Brock Lesnar or the showman like The Rock, but he has accomplised more than I thought he would. He is actually better than some wrestlers who want to get to the big time.

Perhaps the best part of Mike's wrestling career is he donates his merch money to help animals. Tony and I will see him every time he's on the card. Although he gives free selfies, we donate something to his cause. It's something Tony and I both support.

For more info on Mike, check GLCWWrestling.com. Also, check here for my recurring wrestling coverage , including "Iron Mike" Curkiv!

Mike Curkov and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2024.

Friend Encounters: Laurence Juber and Glen and Alicia

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Once again, I feature my late pal Glen. I miss him and use this to keep his memory alive and honor many great memories.

We met at a wrestling show or comic con. I forget which. It was many years ago and we became friends through continually seeing each other at both events. Sadly, Glen passed a few years ago. We lost a truly good guy.

Glen met many celebrities and he got me with this one. At a Beatles convention, Glen and his wife met Laurence Juber. A guitarist, Juber was with Paul McCartney and Wings 1978-81. I have not met any of the Beatles, nor any affiliated folks. I would have loved to meet Laurence. 

Despite my envy, I am glad Glen got to meet him. I know how much that meant to him. While we would tease each other about beating the other to certain celebs, we always were happy for each other. We were happier when we both got to meet someone though. Several times, we met folks together.

Those were good times. RIP Glen.

Glen, Laurence Juber and Alicia in -August 2019.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #723 Billy Ray Cyrus & Tony Lindsay

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I get musical.

Is Billy Ray Cyrus more famous for Achy Breaky Heart or being Miley's father? It's probably generational. The native of Kentucky actually had eight top ten singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, although Miley had 11 top ten hits. Cyrus has also done acting. He went old school with a #19 Joe Montana Kansas City Chiefs jersey for his Celebrity Jersey Card.

New York native Tony Lindsay is the longest tenured lead singer for Santana, performing with the band for more than 20 years. After leaving Santana in 2015, Lindsay continued to perform on his own. Lindsay earned his Celebrity Jersey Card singing the National Anthem for the San Francisco 49ers. I don't know the significance of the #49. Maybe the team gives it to anthem singers? Maybe Lindsay is a fan of former defensive player Jeff Fuller.

Cards That Never Were: Marlin Briscoe Topps 1969-'71, '73, '75 & '77

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts. More of my creations and many great creations of others can be found in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group (and not just baseball cards).
Marlin Briscoe played college football at Nebraska-Omaha, before the Denver Broncos selected him in the 14th round of the 1968 AFL draft. Briscoe started his NFL career as a starting QB for the Broncos. That is a big note in history, being the first African American starting QB. After one season in Denver, he went to the Buffalo Bills, where he played wide receiver for three seasons. That was followed by three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He split 1975 between Detroit and San Diego, before playing one final season with the New England Patriots. All told in nine seasons, he played 105 games, throwing for 1,697 yards with 14 TDs and 14 INTs, while also having 3,537 receiving yards with 30 TDs. He also had three rushing TDs.
For his efforts, Topps gave Briscoe cards in 1972, '74 and '76. That left 1969-'71, '73, '75 and '77 missing. I made his '69 card reflect his QB play. I also unintentionally doubled up on 1971, but I'm leaving both here anyway.

On the Beat with Jeanne Basone

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeane Basone, former star of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling). Jeanne recently released her book "Hooray for Hollywood! and I got a little preview of it.

After starting her career in the medical field, Hollywood came calling and Jeanne's life went in an amazing direction. With no real acting or wrestling training, Jeanne won a spot on GLOW and eventually became one of the most popular and memorable characters on the show. From there, acting and modeling followed. She also started her own artisan soap company. She did all of this through guts and determination. She is very much a self-made success story. Through it all, she remains a humble sweetheart.

In our interview, she gives a brief recap of her journey, but her book tells the whole story. In our interview, you can tell how much this book means to her. It's truly a labor of love. It's her life in almost 400 pages. It's thorough and straightforward. Like her entire career, the book is all her. I can't wait to read it.  

Find the interview at On the Beat with Jeanne Basone. For another recap, go to theeverydayfan.com. Also, check out Basone at hollywoodbotanika.com

Gene Snitsky at Squared Circle Expo

Gene Snitsky is one of the 50+ wrestling stars and legends on the roster for the upcoming Squared Circle Expo V. Despite recently meeting him at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's Blizzard Brawl, I am looking forward to seeing him again.

Snitsky is a huge man (as if you couldn't tell from the picture). A former football player at the University of Missouri, Snitsky made his pro wrestling debut in 1997. He won a few titles elsewhere, but none in his several year stint in the WWE. One of his highlights was being ranked 83 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005.

I originally met Snitsky back in my Resistance Pro Wrestling days about 10 years ago. He hasn't lost any strength since then. Unintentionally, he nearly squashed my hand in our handshake.

On April 25-26, SCX returns to Indianapolis for its fifth annual event. This one promises to be bigger and better than ever. SCX is a convention by fans for fans, but it is run extremely professionally and is well-organized. It is a must on my yearly claneday.

For more info, go to SquaredCircleX.com. Also, check back here for my coverage.

 Gene Snitsky, Tony and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2024.