Dear God No!...Dear God Yes!

At Days of the Dead 2012, I had finished all of my scheduled interviews and was roaming around looking for other interesting things.  Few things are more interesting than an effervescent, attractive, conversational woman and I spotted one in Rachelle Lynn.

Rachelle and Nick Morgan were there to promote Dear God No!, a comedy-horror movie.  The basic premise is a gang of outlaw bikers invade the home of a disgraced anthropologist, who is hiding a secret in his cabin basement.

As stories go, that sounds like a decent set up for a movie, but the enthusiasm of Nick and Rachelle are what sold me on it.  they were a blast to interview.  Plus, in the middle of the interview, there is an appearance by James Bickert, the Director.  Nice timing, but I missed actually including him in the questioning.  Okay, I was slightly preoccupied with the lovely Rachelle...oh and Nick, too.

As a quick update to this story, Nick and Rachelle were married recently.  I have to admit they make a nice couple and seem very much in love.  It is actually pretty heartwarming to see.

I hope to meet these two again in the future.  Until then, please check out my interview On the Beat with Nick Morgan and Rachelle Lynn.

Nick Morgan, Rachelle Lynn and me in Indianapolis, IN-July 2012.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #164 David Archuleta & Mike Piazza

This is a regular series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities.  Today, I salute the NHL conference leaders, the Anaheim Ducks and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Singer, actor, songwriter David Archuleta was born in Utah.  He appeared on Star Search, but found mass fame on American Idol.  Since then, he has been recording and performing, as well as acting.  When he sang the National Anthem at an Anaheim Ducks game, he became the first celeb Duck to appear on a Celebrity Jersey Card!

Mike Piazza was born and raised northwest of Philadelphia, but he landed on a Celebrity Jersey Card in a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey.  I don't know what the story is, but it would seem interesting.  Maybe I will interview him one day and I will certainly ask that question.

Melissa Coates, Johngy and an Evil Zebra

I have to start by giving the devil (or in this case, the zebra) his due.  I may or may not have been able to interview Melissa Coates without his help.  With his assistance, it was one of the easiest interviews I ever have had.
The Evil Zebra is a mysterious man from the east coast.  He has hobnobbed with the brightest of stars.  He has appeared on the old (but great) Mike Douglass Show.  He has been a referee in the wrestling business.
During the course of the interview, Melissa mentioned a restraining order that she had on EZ.  I knew nothing about that order, nor did I encourage her in anyway to get it or maintain it.  I was simply there uncovering the facts.
Since then, EZ has been a bit upset with me (as if I controlled Melissa).  I merely heard her story and expressed my opinions.  While EZ has moaned about my alleged participation, he has never really given me his side of the story.  I can only judge based on the facts presented to me.
I have nothing against EZ.  In fact, I continually encourage him to send me more contributions for Friendly Encounters.  In fact, I encourage him to write a book of his stories.  Maybe he can even tell his tale of the Coates situation.
I hope that he can settle whatever issues there are with Melissa.  They both seem like great people.  They both obviously took a liking to me for some reason.  I have offered before and I will offer again to mediate any meeting between the two.  Heck, I will even bring some cake (which EZ totally would enjoy).
What more can I do?  I expect some sort of reply from the EZ.  I expect his usual wit.  Check the comments later to see what he says.  Hopefully, this will serve as a first step in the mending process.

Melissa Coates and me in Arlington Heights, Summer 2013.

Brad Ausmus is a Rookie Again

The 2014 baseball season is approaching and Brad Ausmus will be one of the new managers on the baseball scene.  Ausmus will be leading the Detroit Tigers.

Ausmus was one of my favorite players (which was odd, because he was not a backup catcher).  Ausmus was an excellent backstop for four teams during his 18 season career.  One of those teams was the Houston Astros, for whom he played for 10 of those seasons).

For many of his seasons in Houston, I was fortunate enough to attend several games a year.  Unfortunately, I was not a credentialed member of the press during those seasons, but I did manage to land Ausmus for an interview in Milwaukee while he played for the Dodgers.  Actually, it is not so much an interview, but more like a video bit, but despite the brevity of this 20 second clip, I still count it as an interview.  That interview can be found at Brad Ausmus: On Los Angeles and His Future.

Ausmus was always considered an intelligent player and a great future manager candidate.  The future is now for Ausmus and I am happy for him.  He was always a class act and I enjoyed watching him and talking to him in Milwaukee.  Maybe now I can even get him at a Tigers game!

Brad Ausmus and me in Milwaukee, WI-Summer 2009.

Johngy on Page 42

I will probably never appear on the cover of Global Traveler magazine, but I have appeared in GT as a writer. (I also appear as "Distribution Specialist" in the staff listing.  I have also occasionally appeared in pictures in the magazine.

The March 2014 issue is hot off the presses and there I am again on page 42.  I am pictured with GT Managing Editor Kim Krol and her friend Kate.  We were enjoying food, drinks and conversation, while at GT's 10th annual awards event.

It's always fun seeing yourself in print.  I appeared many times in Lerner Newspapers while I worked there.  I appeared in ads, event pictures and even with a byline for several stories I wrote.  (I never made the cover there either.)

It had been awhile since I last appeared in picture form within GT.  I am sure it was also at another GT party, though.  It should have been the Los Angeles party where I met actor Patrick Warburton, but it wasn't.  Johngy with Puddy would have been awesome!

I can't complain though.  I have made several appearances and I am happy with what I get.  For now (aka the month of March), I shall enjoy my (very minor) celeb status.

Hey, at least I proved I don't always wear a JohngysBeat.com shirt!

Global Traveler March 2014 issue.

Resistance Pro Invades St. Francis De Sales High School

I hope I don't lose my Mt. Carmel Alumni Association card for this.  Well, the risk is worth it.

When I was growing up, there were a handful of choices for high school.  My sisters both chose Sf. Francis De Sales, a coed school.  I chose Mt. Carmel, an all boys school.  That was a lot of years ago and I have not been to either school since my graduation.

Recently, I returned to SFDS for a prelim meeting between Resistance Pro and some SFDS staffers.  The point of the meeting was to discuss the upcoming R Pro show The Battle Rages On, which is being held at SFDS on Friday, March 21.  Everyone is excited about this event, but now we must spread that excitement to the students and others in the area.

Last Friday, R Pro took another step in that direction by appearing in the cafeteria for all of the lunch periods.  Wrestlers don't usually just make simple appearances though and this was no different.

While full-fledged wrestling matches would be out of the question, Eric St. Vaughn and Matt Knicks did the next best thing.  They challenged all comers to an arm-wrestling match.

I was lucky enough to be on hand to cover the fun.  Several students (boys and girls) and a few adults took on one of the R Pro grapplers.  No offense to the rest, but Gloria was my favorite.

Check out the video below to see the fun for yourself.  After watching the video, go to ResistancePro.com to purchase your tickets to The Battle Rages On.  You'll get great wrestling action and you will be helping out a great high school.

Friendly Encounters: Chazz Moretti Meets Jim Cornette

This is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

It isn't often you can meet a real Hall of Famer in your given profession, but that is exactly what my pal Chazz Moretti recently did.  Moretti met legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette at the Squared Circle (one of my favorite places in Chicago).
Moretti is "the agent to the stars" on the local wrestling scene.  You can see him ply his craft at various independent wrestling shows, as well as on the Mancow Show.  Moretti is certainly building his career nicely.
Cornette has been in the business for over 30 years.  He has managed many of the great tag teams, most notably the Midnight Express.  He has managed in several organizations and has also contributed behind-the-scenes in many companies.  He has a brilliant wrestling mind.
One can only wonder what would have happened if a young Cornette tangled with a Moretti.  Even scarier is wondering what would have happened if the two ever teamed up.  They could create and manage a stable to rule the wrestling world.  Who could stop this duo?
It is not often that Moretti is in a building with a bigger managing star than himself.  For his part, the usually boisterous Moretti showed all of the proper respect due a man of Cornette's fame.  For the rest of the fans there, it had to be a real thrill to see the legendary Cornette and the future legendary Moretti side-by-side.  Fortunately for those not in attendance, I now present that special moment!

Jim Cornette and Chazz Moretti in Chicago, IL-January 2014.

The Chicago Bliss Invaded Resistance Pro Wrestling

George Costanza did not like when his worlds collided, but I could not have had a better time when the Chicago Bliss invaded Resistance Pro Wrestling last Saturday.  The fact that I facilitated this only makes me prouder!

As you all know, I do coverage for R Pro and the Chicago Bliss.  I consider both to be outstanding organizations always good for a fun time.  I always enjoy working with them or simply enjoying the action.

This night had been in the works for several months.  I was nervous and excited about how the evening would unfold.  I should have realized it would be great with these two companies involved.

The Bliss women were embraced by the R Pro crowd and vice-versa.  I think several of the Bliss players would have liked to really get involved, but they had to settle for being lumberjills in the final match of the 8 women tournament.

There is no doubt the Bliss players are beautiful, but they are also incredibly tough, as well as being very personable.  In short, they are the total package.  I love these women!

I want to publicly thank both the Chicago Bliss and Resistance Pro for being class organizations and providing so much entertainment.  I also want to strongly encourage my readers to come to their events.  R Pro generally has monthly events and the Bliss season starts April 5 in Milwaukee.

Chris Castro, Matt Knicks, the Chicago Bliss and me in Willowbrook, IL-February 2014.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #163 Maria Menounos & Hayden Panettiere

This is a regular series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities.

Born in Medford, MA, Maria Menounos is a noted fan of all of the Boston area teams.  Menounos has done a little of everything, including acting, writing and wrestling.  He segments on Howard Stern's show are always entertaining.  This might be the first Celebrity Jersey Card to show a championship ring.

Native New Yorker, actress,l model, singer Hayden Panettiere went Hollywood, at least for her career and for her Celebrity Jersey Card.  I don't really care about Los Angeles or New York, but I give her extra points for wearing a Lakers cap.

On the Beat with the Chicago Bliss-02/24/2014

After missing the Chicago Bliss practices while I was in Florida, I was back at the Darien SportsPlex to get back onto the Bliss Beat.  As much as I loved Florida, I really did miss the Bliss.
We are just about six weeks away from the season opener for the Legends Football League and the Chicago Bliss.  The Bliss travel to Milwaukee to start their title defense against the Green Bay Chill on April 5.  I am really looking forward to that game!
For now though, I am enjoying the Bliss practices.  Despite all of their hard work, I think the coaches, veterans and rookies are also enjoying practices.  The team is starting to take shape.  The veterans look to be game-day ready and the rookies are learning the plays, the drills and the overall feel of the Bliss.
At the Monday practice, we talked to another interesting mix of players.  We interviewed "The Ferrari" ChrisDell Harris, one of the major offensive stars of 2013, along with Alli Alberts, one of the top rookies of 2013.  We also talked to Katy Massey and Emma Kuhns, two Bliss prospects.  Each brought a unique and interesting perspective.

As my coverage partner jack says, "You have beauty, brutality and really excellent football."  We will continue to do our best to spread the word and get more people on the Bliss bandwagon!