Arriba...Tito Santana

When Merced Solis was a star tight end at West Texas A&M University, his quarterback was Tully Blanchard. This was certainly a sign of things to come.
Cut by the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp, Solis went on to play a season with the B.C. Lions in the CFL. After his season in Canada, Solis entered the world of pro wrestling and became Tito Santana.
Santana entered the WWF (now WWE) in 1979 and stayed there for over 14 years. During his lengthy stay, Santana carved out a career as a solid performer and a definite fan-favorite. Santana is one of just a few wrestlers who stayed on one side of the good-evil fence throughout his entire career in the WWF. Santana never turned to the dark side.
Santana won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, the WWF Tag-team Championship twice and the King of the Ring Tournament once. Santana had several big feuds and wrestled near the top of the card on many occasions, but he was never seriously in the WWF Championship picture. After his retirement from the WWF, Santana did win several Heavyweight Championships with smaller, independent organizations and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
Santana is now a teacher at a middle school in New Jersey, while his wife owns Santana's Hair Salon. By all accounts, he seems to be living a perfectly normal life. Santana may have never risen to the very top of his profession, but he has avoided the depths that so many have experienced.
It was nice to meet Santana. He was pleasant, talkative and relaxed. My friend looked at the picture and joked that we could have been a tag-team. Well, I certainly could have had worse partners in the ring. Arriba!

Tito Santana and me in Kokomo, IN-October 2007.

Phoenix in Chicago

Jennifer Widerstrom was a track and field star at the University of Kansas. She excelled in the hammer throw. Phoenix is a star on American Gladiators. She excels in hammering contestants.
Everyone knows my fascination with the American Gladiators goes back to the days of Zap, Nitro and Gemini. Sure some of the events were a bit hokey and the announcers a bit over the top (remember Todd Christensen?), but I still watched it every week. Even now, when I come across it on ESPN Classic, I end up watching the rest of the show.
I met Phoenix at the Wizard World convention. Fortunately, she did not have any pugil sticks, so I was safe. Even without any weapons, she still looked like she could put a hurtin' on most people. Wisely, I did not annoy her.
I didn't get much time to talk to Phoenix, because she was quite busy. Apparently I am not the only fan of American Gladiators. I also did not get the chance to compare biceps (I probably would have lost anyway).

Jennifer Widerstom and me in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2008.

Cards That Never Were

Steve over at White Sox Cards was at it again. A couple months ago, Steve wrote some blogs about baseball cards that never were and then cleverly brought them into being. Recently, I gave him the challenge of making a Mick Kelleher baseball card depicting Kelleher with the Cardinals. Steve produced another masterpiece and I am grateful.
Kelleher had several real cards, starting with the 1977 Topps issue. This card and the next few years, showed Kelleher in a Cubs uniform. Kelleher left the Cubs after the 1980 season. Subsequent Kelleher cards showed him as a Tiger and an Angel. Before all of that however, Kelleher's career started with the Cardinals. Kelleher played parts of 2 seasons with the Cardinals, 1 season with the Astros and 1 more season with the Cardinals before he joined the Cubs.
Very few pictures exist of Kelleher with the Cardinals, but Steve did not take the easiest path and use Kelleher's SSPC photo. The photo Steve used had a blue signature across it, which Steve carefully eliminated.
The 1973 Topps design was a great choice for the picture. It fits perfectly. If mixed in with other 1973 cards, it would blend right in. It just has that feel.
I will be printing two. One just to keep and one to send to Kelleher for signing. The card looks so authentic, it might confuse Kelleher.
The scrappy Kelleher was one of my favorites. Kelleher was slick and versatile in the field, but weak at the plate, hitting 0 HR's in over 1,000 AB's. One of the more inspirational moments in his career occurred when the 5'9" Kelleher mixed it up with the 6'6" Dave Kingman after a play at 2nd base.

Thanks to Steve for another masterful job of creating a much-desired card (at least by me) where none existed previously. Steve runs a great website and is a devout White Sox fan. Producing a card of an ex-Cub favorite might not have been Steve's first choice, but I really appreciate his effort!

Mick Kelleher's 1973 Topps card as produced by Steve of White Sox Cards.

Cubs Versus Dodgers

Today, the Chicago Cubs begin exhibition play against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last time these two teams met, it didn't turn out well for the Cubs. The last time these teams met in the regular season, the Cubs won 3-1 and I was there from (way before) the beginning to the end.
As I have mentioned before, I was at Dodger Stadium to interview Rick Monday for an online piece I was writing for Global Traveler magazine. Armed with a Press Pass, I decided to make the most of it and venture all over the field (and the dugouts and the clubhouses and the pressbox).
Among the highlights was Lou Piniella's pre-game interview session. Piniella discussed Ken Griffey Junior reaching 500 HR's and then answered questions from everyone, including me!
As a (frustrated) freelance writer, is it okay for me to say how cool it was to be there? Aside from playing in the majors, this was about as great as it could be. I wasn't some kid (or strange 40 year old) shoving a ball into his face asking for a signature. I was on the major league beat...part of the culture. Hey, we're all professionals here!
Since I was on the field for about 3 hours, there are many stories to be told. During the baseball season, I plan on telling them. Hopefully, you will have as much fun reading them as I did being involved in them.

Lou Piniella and me (and other reporters) in the dugout at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA-June 2008.

Copeland and Reso...Edge and Christian

Adam Copeland and Jay Reso have been friends for a long time. They made their professional wrestling debut in the early 90's and won some independent tag titles before signing with the WWF (now WWE) in 1998.
Once in the WWF, the duo became known as Edge and Christian. Originally part of a gothic stable known as the Brood, the duo eventually ventured on their own and started to rise to the top of the tag team ranks. Edge and Christian went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship 7 times.
Like most tag teams, they eventually split and feuded for a while.
Edge went on to major success in the WWE, winning the tag titles 5 more times (with different partners) and the WWE Championship 4 times and the World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. He is currently one of the major stars on the WWE Smackdown roster.
Christian left the WWE for TNA, where he became a singles champion, winning the Heavyweight Championship twice. Christian recently returned to the WWE and made his redebut on the ECW show.
I met the duo at the Pillman Memorial Event in 2001. This was just before the team split. In retrospect, they seemed so young, but had done so much as a team.
Edge and Christian have succeeded where many have failed. They have switched from a great tag team to excellent singles wrestlers on the rise to greatness.
When I met them, they were extremely funny and outgoing. They were having fun with their fans (or their peeps, as they liked to say).

Edge and Christian and me in Cincinnati, OH-August 2001.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

While doing some autograph research, I came across KC's Hockey Memorabilia, a blog by Kolin Walters, concentrating on signed hockey jerseys and photos. Kolin has other blogs as well, featuring signed hockey sticks, helmets, pucks, baseballs, golf memorabilia, Saskatchewan Roughriders stuff and one devoted to the Hart wrestling family. Each is filled with great stories, pictures and names. Kolin has quite an autograph collection and he is doing a great job showcasing it.
Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to ask him to share a story on Friendly Encounters. He agreed and told me about meeting Pat Quinn, one of my favorite hockey players from my youth. During his time as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, Quinn became one of my first autograph successes obtained through the mail.
Kolin's story is a lot more interesting than mine. Without further adieu, here is Kolin's story in his own words.
My wife and I attended the 2006 Telus Skins game in Banff Alberta Canada; a fund raiser for children’s hospitals in the area. The charity event included Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Greg Norman, Stephen Ames and Sergio Garcia. We had tickets for the two days and spent a few days prior in Calgary.
On the second day, after the practice rounds we walked by the Sponsors tent. The day before, Stephen Ames was signing autographs for ‘Making the Connection’, a heart healthy organization. I was taking pictures of the Cadillac Escalades in the parking lot that were marked for the golfers. I ended up bumping into Jason Zuback’s vehicle; it was clearly marked by the Alberta plates ‘GOLFZILLIA’.
My wife called me over to a lineup to something. She had no idea who people were waiting for so I walked to the front of the 30 or so people and saw ex-Leafs coach, Pat Quinn signing autographs. I came back and told my wife to get in line; we have to meet this guy. The line moved quickly and within 10 mins, we were in front of Mr. Quinn.
He is a very large man, almost forgetting his days in the NHL as a ‘tough guy’. I told him I had 4 questions for him; he laughed and said, “Sure”. I asked for his autograph, a handshake, a picture with him and while my wife was taking the picture, I asked if knew where he was going next year. He said, “Not yet” and I wished him the very best of luck and we walked off.
He is a kind and very cordial person. I hope he gets back in the game soon, so he can chase the only one he does not have; the Stanley Cup.

Pat Quinn and Kolin Walters in Alberta, Canada-August 2006.

Steve Trout, NIE and an Ad

When I was running the NIE program at Lerner Newspapers, I did whatever I could to promote the program. Since our budget was literally zero, I relied on advertising in our newspapers. Aside from the Lerner Salutes Literacy ad series (mentioned here several times), I also attempted to do as many other NIE-related ads as possible.
One such ad involved former major league pitcher Steve Trout, who had just written a book, Home Plate, about his father (Dizzy Trout) and him and their careers. Trout is a Chicago favorite, having pitched on both sides of town.
I was helping out at AU Sports in Skokie (IL) when Trout was doing a book-signing there. When I approached him about appearing in an ad promoting NIE and also his book, Trout quickly agreed.
Pictures were taken with a disposable camera (remember...zero budget). A few days later, I took a picture of my niece, Laura Fitzpatrick, reading a book. This picture would be presented as happening at the event.







Later that week, I presented all to our Graphics Department. They produced a decent, but uninspired ad, throwing all of the elements together. Had Laurie (the driving force behind the beautification of the NIE ad series) been involved, I am sure the ad would have looked much different. However, with the way things were at Lerner at the time, I was happy with what was produced (meaning I was happy that anything was produced).

No Juicy Post about Jose Canseco

I was never a huge fan of Jose Canseco. Ironically, I am more of a fan now, since he is one of the few baseball people who has told the truth. Yet, when I heard he was doing a book-signing at Borders, I decided to try to add him to my collection.
I got to Borders on time and found basically no line and no Canseco, so I left the store to grab a Coke. As I stepped outside, I almost ran into Canseco who was on his cell phone as he walked into Borders.
Canseco was huge. I have been around wrestlers and other sports figures. Canseco would easily be among the biggest of all of them. He is listed at 6'4" and 240 pounds. Granted he is solid muscle, but there is no way he only weighed 240. He was just massive.
As is the case with a lot of such signings, Canseco would only be signing his book, no other objects (baseballs, photos...). As is also the case sometimes, there would be no posed photos with Canseco. There would be no inscriptions either, just his signed name.
I hate these restrictions, but I understand them. However, the fact that Canseco did not even acknowledge a lot of the people as he signed is just crappy. Part of the time he was on his cell phone. Part of the time he talked with his assistant. None of the time did he look up and smile for any photos. Basically, he just sat there, head down, signing just his name in the book.
I saw a lot of people leave without buying his book because of this. Canseco probably didn't even see them, nor would he have cared. It just bothers me. I almost never complain about celebrities. I am not one who thinks they owe us autographs or anything else. I do think that if he is there to sign (and sell) his book, the least he could have done was look up for a quick picture. Is that asking too much?

Jose Canseco in Chicago, IL-Summer 2005.

Beth Horn is A Today's Chicago Woman

I was doing some interviews at the Wizard World in Chicago when I came across Venom (aka Beth Horn) from American Gladiators. I stopped by and briefly interviewed Horn.

Along with her gig on American Gladiators, Horn is a personal trainer, an author and an actress. Horn recently had finished filming her part in Fancypants, a movie currently in post-production. Roddy Piper is also in that movie.
I also learned that Horn was a local girl. Horn was born in Chicago and graduated from Resurrection High School on the northwest side. We talked a bit about her favorite Chicago spots.

We even joked about her appearing on the cover of Today's Chicago Woman in the future. Hopefully one day my crew will be distributing TCW's emblazoned with Horn's face! The only thing better would be if I was the writer for the accompanying article. Are you listening TCW?

Beth Horn and me in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2008.

Corporal Randolph Agarn or Larry Storch?

A while back I wrote a piece about how Dan Haggerty really was as close as you could get to being Grizzly Adams (the character he portrayed so famously). Other actors seem to try to keep their gimmicks alive for the sake of recognition at personal appearances. Still others seem to shun particular roles.
I met veteran actor Larry Storch at the Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo in 2007. Storch was in his mid-80's at the time, but still sported the kerchief and hat that was part of his look while he was on tv's F Troop over 40 years ago.
Storch has had a great career. Originally a stand-up comic, Storch went on to many guest-starring roles on tv, as well as countless appearances on various tv variety shows. He has appeared in over 25 films and numerous theater productions. He is also a master at impressions, a skill which lead to Storch providing the voices for many cartoon characters.
Clearly Storch has an impressive resume. I just found it sad to find him at the convention wearing that hat and kerchief. I don't need ex-players to put on their old uniforms at these shows. The same could be said for other performers. I don't want to meet the character. I want to meet the person.
With that in mind, I must add that Storch was a very nice man. He seemed genuinely grateful when people approached him. He even pulled out some very old jokes which made me laugh even though they were old and not very funny.

Larry Storch and me in Carol Stream, IL-October 2007.

Once a Rocker, Marty Jannetty

One year after Marty Jannetty started to wrestle professionally, he formed a tag-team with fellow rookie Shawn Michaels, known as The Midnight Rockers. The duo wrestled together for about a year, before joining the old AWA.
Once there, their careers started to flourish. The Midnight Rockers won the AWA Tag-Team Championship twice during their 2+ year run in the AWA.
The Rockers joined the WWF (now WWE) in 1988 and quickly became fan favorites. They never officially won a Tag-Team title, although technically they did. The Rockers wrestled and beat the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) in a match taped for later viewing on Saturday Nights Main Event on NBC.
The real story behind the victory was that Jim Neidhart was negotiating his release from the company, so the Hart Foundation had to lose the titles before he left. Unfortunately for the Rockers, before the match aired, the situation was cleared up and Neidhart agreed to stay.
The title change was never acknowledged (the good old pre-internet days of wrestling). Later, when the story started to come out, it was explained that the turnbuckle had broken and the match (and title change) had been thrown out.
Jannetty's luck continued to spiral downward, as the Rockers eventually split up in a move which would launch Shawn Michaels into superstardom. Michaels would go on to win numerous titles in the WWF/E, including the WWF Championship 3 times. Jannetty continued wrestling (in singles and other tag-teams), winning the Intercontinental Championship one time and the Tag-Team Championship (with the 1-2-3 Kid) once, but he never attained the success of his former partner.
In the 90's, Jannetty split his time between the independent wrestling scene and the WWE, jumping back and forth several times. During one stay in the WWE, Jannetty and Michaels wrestled for one night only as the Rockers, much to the delight of their fans.
Jannetty has battled various problems in his life. At one point, a court order in Florida prevented him from working in the WWE due to travel restrictions.
I always wonder how he feels seeing Michaels attain such success. Still, Jannetty seems to be a pretty happy guy. He is one of the friendliest performers at wrestling events and appearances.

Marty Jannetty and me in Kokomo, IN-October 2007.

Det. Frank Drebin...I mean Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen had been acting for about 30 years before he appeared in Airplane!, a movie which changed the direction of his career. It was that role which put him on the path to being "the Olivier of Spoofs" as Roger Ebert once said. Nielsen's serious demeanor in the face of absurd surroundings was uncanny and a delight to the audiences.
I met Nielsen at a Hollywood Collectors Show. It was a pleasure meeting the 81 year old Nielsen. There is always something special about meeting someone like Nielsen, who I have watched for most of my life.

Leslie Nielsen and me in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2008.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

In 1987, I took a job at Lerner Newspapers, where Louie Atsaves was working part-time while he went to Northeastern University. We both worked in the Circulation Department and we became good friends.
A few years ago, we left Lerner Newspapers (which had become Pioneer Press) and started our own publication distribution company, Arch News Agency. Our main clients are Global Traveler magazine and Today's Chicago Woman magazine. Sometimes it is a lot of hard work, especially in weather like this winter in Chicago, but it is always fun working with Louie.

Today is a special Friendly Encounters, as it is Louie's birthday. In honor of Louie's birthday, I am posting a picture of him and Patrick Warburton taken at the Global Traveler 5th anniversary event in Los Angeles (CA) earlier this year. Louie (father of 3) and Patrick (father of 4) discussed tales of child-raising.

Louie Atsaves and Patrick Warburton in Los Angeles, CA-January 2009.

Spotlight on Cards:Topps 1976-77 Basketball

In my last Spotlight on Cards, I ridiculed the tri-panel 1980-81 Topps basketball cards for being ridiculously small among other things. Today, I am shining the spotlight on the 1976-77 Topps basketball set.
The first thing that jumps out is the size of these cards. These cards are larger than the normal sports card issue, measuring a whopping 3 1/8 x 5 1/4 inches (almost twice as much total area as a regular sports card). Topps had done large basketball cards before, but that was in the earlier days of basketball cards (more on those in a future post).
The size works for and against the cards though. On the plus side is that the extra area size is great for autographs. These cards could easily fit a signature and an inscription courtesy of a bold Sharpie. Unfortunately, a lot of the action shots are dark, which would obscure most autographs, such as the one I got from Phil Jackson.
The action shots are pretty good looking pictures, but there is one other problem. Most of the action photos were taken in Landover (MD) at home games of the Washington Bullets. Therefore, most of the opposing players are Washington Bullets. That is just a bit boring.The large size also makes it harder to store these cards. Normal binder pages are made for 9 cards (3 rows of 3 cards). These big boys require a different storage sheet. Most collectors store their autographed cards by player, not year. Requiring different pages messes up that system.
There are a lot of standard head (and shoulders) shots. While they are a bit more boring in these larger cards, they do provide excellent backdrops for autographs, much better than the action shots.
One last cool feature is on the back of the cards. The college statistics of the player is shown for his entire collegiate career. Unfortunately, that is balanced by the silly "How to Play Basketball" and "Rules of Basketball" feature at the bottom of the cards. Apparently Topps didn't have anything better to put in that extra space.

(Bob) Love is Here

I have never met Bobby Valentine. Nor Ellis Valentine. So representing this special day will be former Chicago Bull All-Star, Bob Love.
Bob Love was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in 1965. After failing to make the roster, he spent time in the Eastern Basketball League. He went on to play 2 seasons in a reserve role before being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the expansion draft. After playing less than a season in Milwaukee, the Bucks traded Love to the Bulls.
In Chicago, Love became a 3 time All-Star, while averaging at least 19 points and 6 rebounds per game for 7 seasons. These were the glory days of the 70's for the Bulls.
Love split the 1976-77 season between Chicago, the New York Nets and the Seattle Super Sonics. Love retired after that season. Eventually, Love's #10 became the second jersey number to be retired by the Bulls (Jerry Sloan's #4 was the first).
As great as Love's career was, more impressive is the fact that he overcame a stuttering problem after his career ended. He was washing dishes in a restaurant until the owner offered to pay for speech therapy classes. This resulted in Love's second career with the Bulls. Love is now Director of Community Relations and also a motivational speaker.
Those Bulls teams of the early 70's will always be special to me. Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Chet Walker and Love were the heart of those teams. Nobody had more heart than Bob 'Butterbean' Love!

Bob Love at the Harlem-Irving Plaza in Norridge, IL-early 2009.

Gail Kim is a 'Knockout'

Gail Kim made her wrestling debut as La Felina in December of 2000. For the next 2 years, she worked on the independent circuit in Canada, before making her WWE debut in 2003.
After about 2 years in the WWE during which she won the WWE Women's Championship once, Kim signed with TNA. Reportedly, Kim wanted to be in a company which emphasized and utilized her wrestling ability. Kim spent 3 years in TNA, winning the TNA Women's Knockout Championship once.
Kim has been out of wrestling since late 2008, when her contract with TNA expired. Rumors are circulating as to her future. Kim is a great worker and it would be a loss for TNA if she returns to the WWE, especially if it is a matter of money. Reportedly, TNA's contract offer to Kim was on the cheap side, because they over spent on some other aging stars.
Kim should be wrestling in one of the big 2. Actually, she should be headlining events. She's that good. Kim also has a passion and a respect for the history of wrestling. Plus, she is really very nice.
I have met Kim several times. She is always very outgoing and talkative. I have seen her go out of her way to make sure people get good pictures with her. I have even seen her volunteer to take pictures for others with other wrestlers.

Gail Kim and me at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, MI-May 2007.

Steve Larmer:Iron Man on Ice

The Chicago Blackhawks spent much of the 70's mired in mediocrity. The 80's brought new hope in the form of players such as Denis Savard, Darryl Sutter and Steve Larmer.
Larmer was an iron man, playing in a record 884 consecutive games with one team (and the 3rd longest consecutive games streak in NHL history). Larmer was also a scorer, notching 1012 points in his career (averaging just over 1 point per game played).
Larmer and his brother Jeff joined a long line of brother combos who played together with the Blackhawks (such as the Hull's, the Sutter's, the Maki's, the Bentley's, the Bordeleau's). Larmer should join Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Keith Magnuson, Pierre Pilote, Stan Mikita and Denis Savard by having his #28 retired.
It is unfortunate that Larmer's consecutive games streak ended because of a contract dispute with the Blackhawks. It is even more disappointing that he finished his career with the New York Rangers. At least Larmer won a Stanley Cup with the 1993-94 Rangers.
When I met Larmer a few years ago, he was one of the most popular guests at the convention. Maybe it was because the Hawks were once again in a down period and he represented better times. More likely it was because Larmer was beloved during his time here and Chicagoans usually remember their favorites long after they have gone away.

Steve Larmer and me in Rosemont, IL-early 00's.

The Never Mets:Pete Maravich

Another in a series of celebs I wanted to meet, but never did.

Pete Maravich was one of the flashiest, most exciting basketball players ever. Maravich's father Press taught him at an early age. Maravich's practice sessions are legendary. Pete attended LSU, which was coached by the elder Maravich.
At LSU, Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game, leading the NCAA in scoring 3 straight years, while twice being named College Player of the Year. Upon entering the NBA, Maravich did not slow down. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 1971 and was a 5 time NBA All-Star during his 10 year career. In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and had his jersey retired by the Utah Jazz (formerly of New Orleans), the New Orleans Hornets (although he never played for them) and the Louisiana SuperDome.
As great as he was, I believe Maravich did not get the credit he deserved. He played in the pre-3 point era and the pre-ESPN era. Many of his shots were deep enough to be 3's and many of his moves were magical enough to be highlights on ESPN. Unfortunately, neither existed and Maravich is often considered to have been ahead of the times.
Late in 1987, I sent a few cards to Maravich, hoping he would sign one. On January 5, 1988, I received all 4 cards signed, along with a short note written by Pistol Pete on his wife's stationary. How do I possibly remember the date? Just hours after opening the envelope which contained those signed cards, I was eating dinner with my family and watching tv. The sportscaster came on and sadly announced that Pete Maravich had died while playing in a pick-up game of basketball.

I was both saddened by his untimely and premature death at the age of 40 and shocked by the fact that I had just received his autograph earlier that day. I definitely had some of the last autographs that Maravich ever signed.

Pete Maravich's signed 1977-78 Topps card (one of his last autographs).

Johngy and Huggy Bear

In the 70's, Antonio Fargas played Huggy Bear on tc's Starsky and Hutch. The role of the street informant endeared Fargas to all of us and carved a future spot for him on the convention circuit.
Fargas has acted for over 40 years. He has appeared in a ton of tc shows as well as many motion pictures. However, Huggy Bear is the role to which he is forever linked.
Fargas is a favorite at conventions, because he is a cool guy. He's one of those people who just exude 'cool'. He is also very fan-friendly.
For the younger viewers out there, Fargas is the father of Justin Fargas, currently a running back with the Oakland Raiders.

Antonio Fargas and me in Rosemont, IL-late 90's.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

I got to know Rod Richards while doing research for a piece I was writing. Richards is the master behind Padrographs, a great website which focuses on autographs from the San Diego Padres. Residing in Portland (OR), Richards runs a used bookstore for the county library system and reads about 2-3 books a week. A Navy brat, he went to 10 schools in 4 states and has lived in 7 states.
Richards started to follow the career of former Padres player Tim Flannery in 1985 (the year after the Padres broke the hearts of Cubs' fans). Just 2 weeks apart in age, the two formed a friendship after Richards sent Flannery (a devout surfer) a book on surfing for his birthday. Flannery often gets Richards tickets when the Padres play the Mariners in Seattle and Portland.
At a game in 1993, the Spokane Indians (managed by Flannery) were playing the Eugene Emeralds. Flannery wanted to fire up his team and asked Richards for matches. Flannery proceeded to light a smoke bomb in his team's dugout. Then he yelled at his team for not taking the game seriously! The Indians went out and beat the Emeralds, with that assist from Richards!
After playing his entire 11 year career with the Padres and managing in the Padres system after his retirement, Flannery now is a coach for the San Francisco Giants. Flannery is an accomplished musician who has recorded 8 cd's of folk music, "great" folk music according to Richards. "I really enjoy his music and would recommend it to anyone else," says Richards. I might just have to pick up a couple of those cd's and give them a listen.

Tim Flannery and Rod Richards in Eugene, OR-Summer 1993.

The Man Behind the Mask-Tony Moran

Tony Moran's biggest role was in Halloween and lasted all of several seconds. In the final minutes of the movie, when Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) lifts the mask off of Michael Myers, the face under the mask belongs to Tony Moran.
Moran is the big brother of Erin Moran (from tv's Happy Days). He has only done a handful of roles during his career. Moran reportedly was never really into the grind of rehearsals and call-backs nor the attention , that comes with an actor's life.
Moran is one of at least 5 people to wear the mask in the original Halloween, although his is the only face to be seen. An interesting side-note regarding the mask is that it is actually a mask of Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Of course, for the film, the Kirk mask had to be altered, including a fresh white paint job.

I met Tony Moran at the Motor City Comic Con a few months after I met Erin. Both were very happy to talk about the other. Tony was a bit self-effacing when he suggested holding his 8x10 for the photo, so people would know who he was.

Tony Moran and me in Novi, MI-May 2007.

Old Times at the Chicago Stadium

I went to my first Chicago Blackhawks game in 1981. The old Chicago Stadium was a great place back in the day.
The Hawks were coached by former Hawk Keith Magnuson and finished in 3rd place in the Norris Division. On this day, they lost to the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs who finished in last in the Adams Division.
Taking pictures at a game now is easy and worthwhile. With digital cameras and zoom effects, you can actually see the players in the photos. Back in 1981, photo-taking was pretty pointless, yet it is exactly what I tried to do.
My exercise in futility didn't end there however. I was so meticulous (anal-retentive) that I tried to write down the players in the pictures I took, so that later I could match up the players with the photos.
When the film was developed, some pictures didn't turn out at all and some were almost all black. What was left was a bunch of pictures like the one below.
I wasn't going to be denied. Obviously, I knew that 28 years later, I would be writing this blog and I would need to know who the tiny, blurry players were.
So I strained my eyeballs. I used a magnifying glass. I looked in different lights. I compared my guesses with regular Hawks' lineups. I identified every player I could possibly almost make out.
Clearly you can see Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito minding the net. (Okay, that one was easy.) The Maple Leaf tangling with the Hawk in the center is #99 Wilf Paiement. At the lower right is #8 Terry Ruskowski.
I'll even go a bit farther and guess the player tangling with Paiement. I am guessing it is one of Ruskowski's usual linemates. Since Grant Mulvey had a super 80's perm going, I'll guesstimate that player to be #28 Rich Preston.
Of course, I would much rather have pictures which benefit from the new technology, but there is something cool about these old pictures. I guess it is nostalgia. Maybe I just keep looking back to simpler times.

Christy Hemme the Quarterback?

Last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. There was another game scheduled for the same day, but the Lingerie Bowl VI was canceled because of possible nudity, not by the players but by the fans.
The game was scheduled to be played at the Caliente Spa and Resort, a clothing-optional resort. The Lingerie Football League (LFL) requested that people stay dressed in certain areas of the resort. Caliente would not agree to the mandate. Reports differ as to the extent of the LFL's request for clothing beyond the official game area. No agreement could be reached, forcing the game to be stripped...I mean scrapped.
Further adding to the absurdity of this situation was the St. Petersburg Times. Read about the event on their site and make sure to check out who the staff writer was. You just can't make up better stuff than this.
The original Lingerie Bowl was a special pay-per-view event, which was broadcast at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII. Coincidentally, the NFL's halftime show featured Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson (and we all know what happened there). This silliness evolved into a full-fledged league, currently consisting of 10 teams, including the Chicago Bliss.
One of the former 'players' from the Bliss is Christy Hemme, currently a star with Total Nonstop Action wrestling (TNA). Hemme went from quarterbacking the Bliss to the WWE and then to TNA. I had the opportunity to interview Hemme and her tag team mates, Jimmy Rave and Lance Rock at TNA's Bound For Glory event in Chicago last year. Previously, I met Hemme at the Motor City Comic Con.

Christy Hemme and me in Novi, MI-May 2008.

Playboy Buddy Rose and a Ham Sandwich

Yesterday, I highlighted Buddy Rose signing a guitar for the Guitar Guy. Today, I am presenting Buddy Rose again. This time, Rose is pictured with something a little more familiar to him, a big ham sandwich.
Rose is truly a wrestling lifer. He never gained huge fame, but he had a solid and lengthy career. Early on, Rose had a fairly muscular physique.
Later as age and food consumption caught up with Rose, he incorporated it into his gimmick. The WWF (now WWE) ran a series of vignettes featuring Rose selling the Buddy Rose Blow Away diet plan. Rose had fun with the weight jokes, using them to his advantage to build his character. (Oh for the days when a wrestler built his own character...).
There is one other important thing to note about Rose. Despite his girth, he always was a great worker. He never let the weight get in the way of his in-ring work.
I met Rose for the second time at the Wrestling Reunion in Tampa in 2005. He participated in a 6 man tag match consisting of him, Col. DeBeers and Bob Orton Jr. against Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Jimmy Valiant, which would turn out to be his last match to date.

Buddy Rose (with a ham sandwich) and me in Tampa, FL-January 2005.

Playboy Buddy Rose and a Guitar

Playboy Buddy Rose was a professional wrestler for over 30 years. Rose wrestled primarily for the WWF (now WWE), the AWA and Pacific Northwest Wrestling. Rose was a hard worker and a great heel, both in the ring and on the mic. Rowdy Roddy Piper credits his feud with Rose as the feud which made him (Piper) a name in the business.
I met Rose for the first time in Las Vegas (NV). Rose was there for a Cauliflower Alley Club reunion.
There weren't many fans there, as it is more for the wrestling community. One guy who was there was the 'Guitar Guy'. I don't know who the guy is, but his hobby (passion?) is getting signatures on guitars. At this event, he was trying to assemble a wrestler guitar.
Usually collectors get signatures on things related to the celebrity signing (like baseball players signing baseballs). When there is no tangible signable thing related to the celebrity, 8x10 photos are usually the next option. Obviously, you can't bring a turnbuckle for the wrestler to sign.
Then there are the exceptions. There are a few collectors out there who decide to build their autograph collection in an offbeat way. I have seen collectors building autograph collections on tshirts, hats, homemade banners and books. I even saw a guy with a professionally made robe just for signatures.
The Guitar Guy has one of the most offbeat collections. Guitar Guy gets guitars signed. Apparently, he has many guitars signed according to various themes or events. When I saw him in Las Vegas, he used the reunion as a theme for one guitar.
I am not really mocking this guy (although the Robe Guy is another story). He has every right to collect whatever he wants. I just don't understand the draw. Wrestlers on a guitar? Additionally, I would think a collection like this takes a lot of space and costs a lot of money. Of course, the logistics in carrying around the guitar would seem to be troublesome. I'd love to talk to this guy and ask him several questions.
Getting autographs is challenging enough at these such events. I wonder how he explains it to the people as he approaches them. Does it help? Do they even care? So many questions.

Buddy Rose and the Guitar Guy in Las Vegas, NV-early 00's.

Johngy in Print

Believe it or not, I have written several pieces which have been published by legitimate, credible publications. I have written serious pieces and I have written not-so-serious opinion pieces.
My most "prolific" period was 2002-2004. I was the Director of Circulation at Lerner Newspapers in Chicago (IL). Lerner occasionally ran guest columns. Most of my columns were printed in the Lerner Times, which had an adventurous, successful Editor at the helm. Laurie had a very loyal following, because she was talented and she knew her readers. However, my first piece in this period was written for my local newspaper, the Skokie Life.
It started when I went to the local White Hen for my usual lunch of a turkey sandwich and a big fountain Coke. During my purchase, Joe (one of the Managers) told me the White Hen was switching from fountain Coke products to fountain Pepsi products.
As a staunch Coke drinker, this deeply saddened me. (Okay, it enraged me.) I wrote a letter to the Editor of the Skokie Life, the late Don Alexander, a likable curmudgeon.
It was a bit long for a letter, but Alexander ran it as a 'Guest Column'. My "writing" career was back on track, although it wouldn't "flourish" until I started appearing in Laurie's Lerner Times. More on that in future posts.

My Guest Column from the Lerner Life-November 14, 2002.