"Cards That Never Were" is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players who were missed in the original sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from too many others to list, but I thank them all.
Catcher Mike Ryan made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1964. Topps rewarded him with a multi-player "Red Sox Rookie Stars" card. After four seasons in Boston, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he played for six seasons. Philadelphia traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played the 1974 season. He was released in October, ending his major league career.
I understand the decision by Topps not to include Ryan in the 1975 set. Still, that does not prevent me from making one for him. This would be a "career capper" for him, as well!
Gary Lee Vincent is an author, actor, musician and producer. I met him at Days of the Dead, while learning all about Belly Timber, a movie project promoted by Bobby Easley.
Vincent has his hand in many projects. In addition to Belly Timber, he his latest movies include Endor, My Uncle John is a Zombie and The Goddess. You can learn about those movies and his other projects at GaryLeeVincent.com.
His works generally involve horror, mystery and bizarre themes, which makes him a natural fit for Days of the Dead. It also makes him popular among fans of that area.
Vincent is also an accomplished author. I have not yet read any of Vincent's books, but I am interested in them and will be purchasing them. His Attack of the Melonheads sounds like the perfect title for a horror flick. He's got a lot more books, but that will be my first choice.
He is a great guest at conventions. With so much to offer, his versatility works well. Plus, he is very personable. Definitely stop by his booth if you should happen to see him at a convention.
Gary Lee Vincent and me in Indianapolis, IN-June 2015.
Days of the Dead Indianapolis 2016 is in the books and what a great time it was! This was the 19th DotD event and I was at the first one (also in Indy) and 11 of them total.
Adolfo is the man behind DotD and he has an awesome crew. Like any such convention, there will always be a glitch or two, but the DotD team smooths out glitches quickly. Fan service is one of the main priorities at any Days con.
This year seemed to be the largest crowd ever. It could be the presence of wrestling legend Shawn Michaels, a cumulative growth, a packed celebrity guest roster or any combo of these and other variables. The fact is DotD is growing in size and obviously popularity.
The Days crew (including "Hardcore" Heather Owens and Ed Gonzales, two friends I've met through Resistance Pro Wrestling) is very visible. This isn;t a con run by some nameless, faceless corporation. This is a con for the people, run by the people. I cannot say enough good things about Adolfo and his bunch.
What I can say is that I am already looking forward to Days of the Dead in Schaumburg (Chicago). For more info on Days, check out DaysoftheDead.net.
Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.
I have featured wrestling legend Ric Flair several times here, because he is the biggest name in wrestling many friends have met. Today though, the biggest name in wrestling is pictured with one of the most underrated names in comic cons. Don't be surprised if Adolfo ends up as one of the biggest names in comic cons sometime down the line.
Adolfo is the man behind Days of the Dead, the little comic con that has grown into five events every year around the country (Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Louisville). Don't be surprised if more cities are added soon. He's only been doing this for a few years and already it has grown into big events.
Right by his side is Carrie, his beautiful significant other. These two appear to be a perfect match. She is just as much of a blur at these conventions as he is. Together, they are the dynamic duo who oversee a very smooth operation.
He is pretty low key. Adolfo doesn't post tons of pictures of him with celebrities, but the ones he does are usually important ones to him. When he posted this picture with Ric Flair, the significance of it hit me. Adolfo and Days of the Dead are in the early years of a great run. Check out DaysoftheDead.net to get in on the fun!
Carrie, Ric Flair and Adolfo in Atlanta, GA-February 2016.
This is a regular series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities. We continue working our way alphabetically through Major League Baseball.
Music star Kenny Chesney was born in Knoxville, TN, but there are no baseball teams in Knoxville or in all of Tennessee. He actually claims to be a Boston Red Sox fan, but his Celebrity Jersey Card shows him wearing a Baltimore Orioles jersey. Is the #7 for Mark Belanger? He does earn points for the hat and glove, but I still want to know why I can't find him repping his Red Sox.
Pro wrestler Seth Rollins is a native of Iowa, but he brought his title belt to Baltimore to throw out a first pitch. It also landed him on a Celebrity Jersey Card. I love title belts on these cards. I'm going to guess he is wearing an Orioles cap (backwards).
I am enjoying my third season covering the Chicago Bandits. I freely admit, my journey started with me looking for something new to cover. I did not expect to enjoy it this much and to love the organization like I do.
General Manager Aaron Moore was one of the first people I met within the organization. He welcomed us and he thanked us for spreading the word on the Bandits. I promised I would do my best to provide coverage and to promote the team.
Since I write for myself, I don't have to be fair and impartial. I can openly admit I cheer for the Bandits!
Aaron has continually mad me feel at home at Bandits games and events. Like the rest of the organization, Aaron is a class act and a true professional.
I contiunally hear from fans and staffers how the Bandits draft and acquire quality people and I agree completely. These young ladies are elite athletes and great role models. At any game, you can see hundreds of young fans line up to meet the players and get autographs and pictures and the players always give their all, especially to the youngsters!
Owner Bill Sokolis, Manager Mike Steuerwald, Coach Roman Foore and Aaron are all part of that drafting process. Aaron also juggles hundreds of other duties.
I have added a bit to my Bandits workload this season. I am also the distributor of their pocket schedules. My company Arch News Agency has been busy putting schedules all over the Chicago area.
I enjoy helping teh Bandits. I am very happy and proud to be a part of the organization. The Chicago Bandits are topnotch and deserve more praise and more expsure. I plan on continuing to help in any way I can. I hope to see you all at games. For more info, check out ChicagoBandits.com.
Days of the Dead has had Tara Reid as a guest multiple times. Reid has an impressive resume, including the American Pie franchise and The Big Lebowski. Recently, she has been in the Sharknado movie series (with Howard Stern's Benji Bronk among others).
Reid is a pretty big name for any con, but Days got her and the fans were ecstatic. Reid is one of those stars you cannot pass up. Adding to the benefit is that she is extremely nice.
At the last Days, I was in the lobby of the hotel when I saw Reid walking to the convention. She really stood out. In a room full of beautiful celebs and the chaos of the frenzied fans, it is easy to overlook anyone. In a lobby alone, when Reid walks by, she is not easy to miss.
Once again, Days nails it. I heard from a few people who drove six hours just to see her at the event.
Days always has big name celebrities and interesting celebrities. For more info on Days, including the future events and celebrities scheduled, check out DaysoftheDead.net.
This is a regular series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities. We continue working our way alphabetically through Major League Baseball.
Georgia native Paula Deen rose to fame as a television cooking show host. While she has been criticized for alleged racial remarks and for her overuse of butter, there is no denying her success as a host and restaurant operator. For her Celebrity Jersey Card, she donned the uni of the Nationals, instead of her hometown Braves.
Jose Rene "J. R." Martinez is an actor, motivational speaker, former Dancing With the Stars contestant and more. The job which changed his life, however, was his stint in the United States Army, during which he sustained severe burns to over 34 percent of his body while in Iraq. Martinez survived and inspires others through his speeches and every day life. It seems only fitting that his Celebrity Jersey Card would feature him with the Nationals.
Today our coverage of the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch champion Chicago Bandits continues with rookie piitcher Shelby Turnier. Welcome to Chicago Shelby!
Shelby had an outstanding career at the University of Central Florida. She was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and was also the first All-American in UCF softball history. Among other great stats, she ranks first on the UCF all-time wins list (79) and has the lowest single season ERA (.87). Her career at UCF was capped by being the highest draft pick in UCF history after the Bandits selected her with the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NPF Draft.
So far in this young season, Shelby is 1-1, with a 4.71 ERA in 16 1/3 innings. Shelby also has 12 strikeouts and only four walks.
Along with welcoming Shelby to the Bandits and Chicago, we talked to her about joining the champions and adjusting to the NPF. We also talked about pitching in her native Florida.
Shelby showed real poise and maturity in discussing joining the NPF and not the USSSA Pride. She made some very interesting and refreshing points.
We also talked about seeing Chicago. Shelby has seen "The Bean," unlike her teammate (and yesteday's interview subject Tatum Edwards LOL).
I walked away from the interview with Shelby very impressed by her maturity and character. I am not surprised though. This is what the Bandits do. They bring in talented players with upstanding and outstanding character. Shelby will do well in the league and I look forward to following her progress.
You can head over to ChicagoBandits.com for more info on Shelby and the Bandits. You can also check back here for our continuing coverage. My best advice though, is to go see a game!
Our recurring coverage of the Chicago Bandits continues today with our interview with pitcher Tatum Edwards. Actually, I probably should add "slugger" to her title, because she is seeing action at bat and in right field, too, this season.
Tatum and her sister Taylor had stellar careers at Nebraska. Tatum was the 2013 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Tatum's name is all over the Nebraska record books for her pitching and hitting. She ranks in Nebraska's Top Ten in no-hitters (2), wins (70), shutouts (24), complete games (69), innings (623.1), strikeouts (551), winning percentage (.714), home runs (46), RBI (158), total bases (367), slugging percentage (.556), doubles (38) and walks (87).
Following her career at Nebraska, she signed with the Pennsylvania Rebellion. After one season there, Tatum and Taylor were traded to the Bandits. Last season, she was 3-3 with an ERA of 4.81 and 12 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
This season, she is 0-1, but she has been doing damage with her batting. She is 5-18 (.278), with 5 rbi's and 3 doubles.
During the recent homestand, I had the chance to catch up with Tatum. We talked about her hitting and her goal of hitting a home run. I think she'll do it this season. We also talked about the championship season and other fun stuff.
In our interview last season, I learned Tatum has not been to "The Bean" in Chicago. I had to find out if that has changed since then.
Tatum is another of the fine women athletes on the Chicago Bandits. I continue to repeat that the Bandits are a class organization and players like Tatum prove my point. You can learn more about Tatum and the Bandits at ChicagoBandits.com and also return here for recurring coverage. Better yet, get out to see a game in person!
Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.
My friend Jack Keenan works hard for Johngy's Beat. As our ace photog, he is always at the ready to snap the perfect picture. Every once in a while, he can even be persuaded to get in a picture. Such was the case last year at Days of the Dead.
While we were covering Days, we hit the Ace Frehley photo-op area. Ace waved us over and we got the pics. Jack didn't even have time to put down his camera. The photographer got photographed.
Ace was very cool and talked a bit to Jack about taking pictures. I'm always happy to see Jack get something like this. It is an added bonus that you really can't buy.
This is still another example of the cool stuff at Days of the Dead conventions. For more info on the next Days event (and all the info on Days), check out DaysoftheDead.net.
Ace Frehley and Jack Keenan in Schaumburg, IL-November 2015.
Last Friday, we returned to the Bandits Ballpark in Rosemont. Unfortunately, the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch champion Chicago Bandits lost 6-5 to the Akron Racers. Prior to the game, we sat down with Brittany Cervamtes.
Cervantes is a major success story. She had a successful career at Kentucky, including being a 2012 All-SEC First Team selection and a 2012 All-SEC Defensive Team pick. Following her career, she went undrafted. The Bandits signed her in June of 2012, after open tryouts. Since then, she has developed into one of the best players in the league.
She has improved every season. Last season, she was named NPF Offensive Player of the Year and was an All-NPF Team at-large selection. Brittany set career high marks in batting average (.358), runs (26), hits (38), doubles (6), slugging percentage (.670) and on-base percentage (.507). She also had a 27-game on-base streak.
In the interview below, we talked to Brittany about her great 2015 season, winning the championship, making her NPF catching debut and more. I also continued my push for her to switch allegiances from the Los Angeles Kings to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Brittany is a lot of fun and a great role model for youngsters. She is another example of the quality of players and people who are brought into the Bandits organization. I continually stress how much I love this team and people like Brittany are the reason.
For more info on Brittany and the Bandits, head over to ChicagoBandits.com. Also, continue to check here for continuing coverage of the 2015 NPF champion Bandits!
Many old friends turned out to support PL Myers at the "Benefit For Thailand Volunteer Work" benefiting his step-daughter Desire. PL had a lengthy and successful career in wrestling and former allies and foes all came.
One of those people was The Wrestler Formerly Known As Whiplash. In other names, James Riggio was in attendance.
As Whiplash, Riggio delighted wrestling fans for years. He was a multi-time, multi-title champ at PCW, where I first met him. He was always good for an exciting match and a fun interview.
Riggio hung up his wrestling boots a little while ago. He now spends his free time running obstacle courses and he appears to be in great shape.
It was fun catching up with Riggio. It was even more fun, because he was sporting the Johngy shirt.
American Graffiti starred so many actors and actresses who went on to fame. One of the more under-the-radar stars was Cindy Williams.
Williams went on to appear in many roles in episodes of tv classics such as Room 222, Nanny and the Professor and Love, American Style, before finding huge success on Laverne & Shirley.
Cuzz Gekas and I met Williams at the Motor City Comic Con back in 2011. She was charming and delightful. We talked a bit about her famous roles. Of course, I had to bring up her role in Beware! The Blob, a horror classic I have seen many times.
Williams looked great, too. It also appeared that her looks were (at least mostly) natural. She still retains that youthful look she always had. It was a real pleasure meeting her.
On a side trivia note, Williams was married to Bill Hudson, of the Hudson Brothers. Bill is the uncle of actress Kate Hudson.
Cuzz Gekas, Cindy Williams and me in Novi, MI-May 2011.
Briana "Breezy" Hamilton is a two sport athlete. Already a competitor in the National Pro GRID League, Breezy joined the Akron Racers and the National Pro Fastpitch last season. She has done quite well at both and her careers are just beginning.
GRID is described at "professional team CrossFit." Breezy has "guns" and she knows how to use them. She also has the rest of a necessarilty fit body. On Breezy's Twitter profile, she states "I only wear muscle shirts. im a cross fit champ and i drop bombs."
I won't argue with her, but for the Racers, she wore actual sleeves and she hit bombs. In her two week tryout with the Racers, she hit .240 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. That earned her a roster spot for the rest of last season.
I had the pleasure of watching and talking to Breezy when the Racers were in Chicago to play the Bandits. Despite a loss, Breezy took time to meet Bandits fans and me, too. She was a real class act. I hope she continues to play for the Racers and being a two sport threat!
Breezy Hamilton and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2015.
At 4'11", Kelley Montalvo packs a lot of talent in a small body. The University of Alabama product joined the Akron Racers in 2010 after a stellar career at Alabama. She has been a defensive standout, while being a solid contributor on offense.
Kelley was named the 2014 NPF Jennie Finch Award Winner for her positive impact on the sport, both on and off the field. I witnessed some of that spirit firsthand last season. Even on "enemy" turf at the Ballpark in Rosemont, Kelley had a group of fans waiting for her after the game. Despite a loss, Kelley signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked to her young fans.
Kelley is a great role model. You don't play as long as she has in the NPF without talent and determination. Obviously her size was somewhat of a hurdle, but she has proven that smaller women can still make it in the NPF. That is another great thing about that league, too.
I am a big fan of Kelley (despite her playing for the rival Racers) and a huge fan of the NPF. You can learn more about Kelley, the Racers and the NPF at AkronRacers.org. You can also follow Kelley on twitter.
Kelley Montalvo and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2015.
Withe the Chicago Bandits having a series against the Akron Racers, I am featuring some of the Racers I have met over the years. This just makes me more excited for the planned trip to Akron later this summer.
Sarah Pauly graduated from Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in 2005, where she had a 4 year record of 112-46. You can read all of her NCAA accomplishments on the Sarah Pauly Wiki page.
In the NPF, she has pitched for the Connecticut Brakettes, Washington Glory, USSSA Pride, Pennsylvania Rebellion and Akron Racers. He overall record is 100-58.
At 33, entering her 11th season of pro softball, questions of retirement start appearing. I'm no pro scout, but I saw her pitch a couple times last season and she is still one of the best pitchers in the league. I'm not trying to break up the Racers, but Pauly is currently a Assistant Coach at the Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, so maybe a move to one of the Texas teams might keep her in the league longer.
This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities. If you have met a celeb, feel free to send me the picture.
With the Chicago Bandits back in action, it is a great time to feature a friend I have met through the Bandits and one of the cornerstones of the Bandits. Actually, I am happy to say I can count both people as friends.
There is a rumor that the Ballpark in Rosemont was built around a ahandful of fans and Tony is certainly one of those. He is a fixture behind the home plate area at most games. He is a great fan of the team, but also celebrity conventions.
Emily Allard has quietly become one of the team leaders. She is a talented outfielder who also is giving back to the youth with her "Be The Momentum" program. The mission of Be The Momentum is to empower slap hitters to be catalysts for game-changing moments. In other words, you don't have to be a power hitter to be a producive player. This is a bit of a game-changer for some young softball players who might lack the size and strength to be a thumper, but can still contribute to the team.
The picture below would be one I would put in a Bandits recap story. The fans are so loyal and the players are so friendly. You can see both of these fine people at the Ballpark through early August. Check out ChicagoBandits.com for more info and schedules.
Emily Allard and Tony Feddeler in Rosemont, IL-August 20145.
A couple months ago, I spent time in my old neighborhood on the far south side of Chicago. As my sister and I drove to my aunt's home (also the home where mom mom grew up), we passed a building which really caught my eye.
Back in the day, I am pretty sure it was a store, with living space in the back end for the store owners. Now, I am not sure what the building is or if it is even in use, although I am guessing it is because the paint job looked pretty recent.
It is that paint job that grabbed my attention. I suppose it could be just coincidence. It's not exactly a common color theme.
I checked to see if perhaps it represented someone's nationality. I checked country flags and found none with the yellow, orange and green combo. That leaves me to my initial thought.
This building was painted as an homage to Aquaman, the most unsung of all Superheroes. How could would that be if this is true?!
I am a big fan of Aquaman, but even I would not paint my house (or even one room) in the colors. That doesn't stop me from admiring this building though.
This is a weekly series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for sports trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities. We continue to work our way alphabetically through the Major League Baseball teams.
"Back to the Future" writer Bob Gale and actress Claudia Wells team up for a Celebrity Jersey Card. With no offense to Gale, the lovely Claudia is really my focus here. She was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but made her fame in Hollywood. She took a break from acting, but has since resumed her career.
Born in Málaga, Spain, Antonio Banderas became a Hollywood heartthrob. He also married actress Melanie Griffith, but they later divorced. Sorry ladies, but Banderas loses points for tucking in his jersey on his Celebrity Jersey Card. That is a jersey infraction!
Comic book artist Chrissie Zullo was born in Canada. A really cool biographical note on her is that she was discovered by an editor at the DC Talent Search at San Diego Comic Con in 2008. That is awesome.
Chrissie's first big job was illustrating the covers of the Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love series. She also has done sequentials on interiors for Fables #100 and sequentials on interiors for Madame Xanadu #26.
You can check out some of Chrissie's creations on Deviant Art. You'll see her take on Princess Leia, Snow White, Wonder Woman and more. They are all beautiful and clearly show her immense talent.
The oddest things can propel you to stardom in wrestling. Scott Taylor is a perfect example of this.
Taylor joined the WWE as part of their lightweight division. He transitioned into a tag team with Brian Christopher. They jelled as a team and started to develop their routine. Part of the fun was when Scotty would do "the worm" on a fallen opponent. It was silly and unrealistic. The opponent would have to be unconscious not to recover during the time it took Scotty to rev up the crowd and perform the maneuver. Still, Scotty and "The Worm" were super big hits with the fans.
That was all 1998-2001. Since then, Scotty has wrestled for various companies and promoters. "The Worm" is still very much in demand. I was at the Blizzard Brawl last December and I witnessed the fans go crazy at the first signal of Scotty doing his move. It was unreal.
I write this not to belittle Scotty or his wrestling talent. Scotty made it to the WWE without any fancy gimmicks. He was undersized, but worked hard at his craft. However "The Worm" came to be, it was his charisma, timing and connection to the audience that made it a hit. I credit Scotty for making something as goofy as this into a lasting bit.
Scotty 2 Hotty and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2015.
This is a regular series which attempts to combine my lifelong passion for trading cards with my semi-professional interest in celebrities. We continue working our way alphabetically through Major League Baseball.
Tennis legend John McEnroe was born in West Germany, but now resides in New York. He is a fan of his hometown Mets. When he threw out a first pitch, catcher Travis d'Arnaud received it and joined McEnroe on his Celebrity Jersey Card.
Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin was born in New York and despite playing for the Golden State Warriors, Mullin has remained true to his NY roots. He went to college at St. Johns and is currently their basketball coach. For his first pitch, Mets ace Matt Harvey gave him tips and joined him on his Celebrity Jersey card.
After a stellar career at Northwestern, Emily Allard was drafted 12th overall in the 3rd round of the 2014 NPF Draft by the Chicago Bandits. As she enters her third season with the Bandits, Emily is proving to be a star in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch).
In her first season, she was named to the 2014 All-NPF Team. Last season, she her 51 hits were tops on the team, aswere her 12 stolen bases. She was also perfect in the field with 53 putouts.
As impressive as she is on the field, she is even more so off the field. She is one of the most popular and fan-friendly players. As you will hear in our interview, Emily is very devoted to the Bandits fans, especially the young ones. She has even started BeTheMomentum.com to help and teach the youth about the power of slap-hitting.
Emily is a great role model, along with being a great player. With the loss of Monica Abbott, Tammy Williams and Amber Patton, Emily is poised to be one of the leaders and faces of the organization. You could not ask for a better ambassador to the great sport.
After you watch our interview, head over to ChicagoBandits.com for all of the info on Emily and the Bandits. I am sure you'll enjoy it all, just like I do.
Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.
American IFBB professional physique competitor Sadik Hadzovic won the first ever inaugural Arnold Sports Festival Pro Men’s Physique contest. His family came to the United States, escaping Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has had a very successful contest career. This all makes for a very interesting story.
Another interesting story belongs to Dominique "DC" Collins, a two time Legends Football League champion with the Chicago Bliss. As I have previously written many times, DC is one of the most underrated and toughest players in the LFL (and probably all of sports).
At the Arnold Sports Festival, DC found herself walking next to Hadzovic. Of course, she took the opportunity to take a selfie. It is only fitting, because if you know anything about DC, you'll know how hard she works and what progress she has made over the years.
Dominique has always been a dedicated and successful athlete. It is even more credit to her that she continues to work on her skills and her physique, instead of resting on her accomplishments. I follow her progress on social media and I see it at practices. Nobody works harder than DC.
I can't help but think somewhere there is a blogger friend of Hadzovic who will write a similar piece about him meeting DC. Afterall, how often do you run into a two time LFL champ like DC?
Sadik Hadzovic and Dominique Collins in Columbus, OH-March 2016.
I am very excited to be back on the Beat with the Chicago Bandits. I love this organization and I totally enjoy these games.
The 2015 National Pro Fastpitch champions started their title defense with a three game series against the expansion Scrap Yard Dawgs (of The Woodlands, near Houston). The Bandits started with a three game sweep!
Prior to the second game, we sat down with Manager Mike Steuerwald (aka Coach Stu). We talked about last year's championship, the loss of three veterans (Tammy Williams, Amber Patton and Monica Abbott), the gelling of this year's team, "Coach's Corner" and more.
On the field and off, Coach Stu and the entire organization are doing great things. Coach's Corner is a wonderful program to get tickets to underprivileged youth. It's just one way that the Bandits reach out to teh community.
Covering the Bandits has been wawesome and I look forward to another fantastic season. Even if I wasn't reporting on the Bandits, I'd be out there supporting the team. I continue to get my friends to the games and they always want to come back!
After you listen to the interview, head over to ChicagoBandits.com for more info and the schedule. I hope to see you at the Ballpark in Rosemont! I'll be there quite often and I'll be reporting back here.
I don't remember who I contacted first, Jacques or Gabe Baron, when I was trying to get press credentials for Resistance Pro. I know I met both on the night of RPro's debut. (I also know that somehow, I missed the whole RPro booth at Wizard World in 2012, but that's another story.)
Despite the chaos of RPro debuting, each Baron brother spent a few minutes with me to talk about RPro and what I could possibly do with the company. That was the start of a lot of great times with them and RPro.
I always loved the relationship and interaction of these brothers. There were disagreements, but they were always brothers. They worked, laughed and cried together. They got beat up by some who left RPro (even years after they had left), but they got further embraced by those of us still with RPro.
They aren't perfect. They made their mistakes with RPro. If they had to do it all over again, things would be different, but there would still be mistakes. That's life and business.
I firmly believe that these two always had the best intentions. They always looked out for everyone involved at RPro. I have seen their homes filled with wrestlers, instead of making them get hotel rooms. I have seen them drive and feed wrestlers and workers. I have seen a lot of the good they have done. I have never seen the bad.
People criticized me for staying with RPro, but nobody ever gave me a solid reason to leave and the Baron brothers gave me every reason to stay. They never forced my hand either. In fact, they both made it clear that there would not be hard feelings if I left. I didn't leave and I have no plans on leaving. I have not regretted the choice either.
In fact, I will be at Sabotage, the next RPro show. It's on Saturday, July 9 in Summit. I hope to see many of my friends (especially all of my old southside friends) there. For more info, check out ResistancePro.com.
Gabe Baron, Jacques Baron and me in Lockport, IL-March 2015.
If you saw Hardcore Heather Owens in the wrestling ring, you would be impressed with her ability and tenacity. If you see he at a Days of the Dead convention, you would be impressed with her ability to remain calm and handle many things while the convention explodes with the usual insanity./ If you see her outside of either of these regular places for her, you would probably not recognize her at all.
Outside of the controlled chaos of the conventions or the wrestling world, Heather is a completely normal person. In fact, she looks rather small. Somehow when she is in er element, she seems to gain size. Maybe it is because she handles all so masterfully.
It's always fun seeing Heather either at Resistance Pro or at Days of the Dead. I still think those two concepts need to be combined somehow and maybe Heather is the one to get that going.
Seriously, Heather is a solid wrestler in the ring. She works well in either tag or singles matches. Check out ResistancePro.comfor their event schedule.
Later this month, you can see her behind the scenes, juggling many duties as she is part of the Days crew. Check out DaysoftheDead.net for more info on that great con.
At the SuperFriends Fan Fest, I saw ODB again. The One Dirty B*tch is always a treat. She is funny and very fan-friendly. She also makes some outstanding barbeque sauces and hot sauces, which I got to taste at this event.
ODB is Jessica Kresa, a unique character in the world of wrestling. ODB has won several titles in different organizations. She doesn't have the usual female wrestler look and that is not a bad thing. In fact, she is one of the most popular female wrestlers despite a lack of "enhancements" that others may have. ODB needs no enhancements. She is a "knockout" as is and she looks even better in person. She has that aura around her.
At the fan fest, she was kind enough to take a couple moments to do a Johngy's Beat promo. Despite being busy meeting fans, she walked all the way out of the room for a quieter place to video the promo. That is special and was much appreciated.
I already liked and respected ODB, but I gained a little more affection for her on this day. Thank you ODB!
You can get more info on ODB and her awesome sauces at ODBBam.com. Check it out and try the sauces. You will love them and her!
As the 2016 season opener for the Chicago Bandits draws closer, I am featuring some of the Bandits here. This is just the beginning of my coverage of the 2016 Bandits.
Emily Allard played college softball at Northwestern, where she holds the Northwestern single-season batting average record (.491) and single-game hits record (5) and tied the Northwestern career stolen base record (118). After an outstanding career at Northwestern, outfielder Emily was drafted 12th overall in the 3rd round of the 2014 NPF Draft by the Bandits.
In her rookie season, she led the Bandits in hits, batting average, runs and on-base percentage,while leading the NPF with 57 hits and 35 runs scored. In her second season, Emily led the team in hits (51) and stolen bases (12) with a perfect fielding percentage and 53 putouts.
Those stats only paint part of the picture. Emily has started a program called "Be The Momentum," with a goal of "Empowering slappers to be catalysts for game-changing moments." Through BeTheMomentum.com and her teaching clinics, Emily is giving back to the softball community. Everyone doesn't have to be a big slugger to be a big part of a softball team. Emily proves that every game and is teaching that to today's youth.
Emily is another of the great young women on the Bandits. She is such a pleasure to know and follow. She is one of the young leaders on the Bandits.
For more info on Emily and the Bandits, check out ChicagoBandits.com. Also, stay tuned here for recurring coverage.
