Celebrity Jersey Cards #535 Special Star Wars Edition: Leva Bates & Velvet Sky

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing jerseys. Being May 4, today I present a special Star Wars edition and May the Fourth be with you!

Leva Bates has wrestled all over the world, including for the WWE and AEW. She is known for her cosplaying while wrestling. It was her appearance as Han Solo which landed her on her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Velvet Sky has probably appeared on more Celebrity Jersey Cards than anyone else. Velvet modeled every NFL team jersey for pictures a few years back.  She is currently with Ring of Honor. For her latest Celebrity Jersey Card, Velvet did her best slave girl Leia impression.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #516 Marcus Kruger & Velvet Sky

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards fo celebrities wearing sports jerseys. I'm featuring my Chicago Bears and their opponent this week in the playoffs.

Sweden born Marcus Kruger was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks  Kruger played in Switzerland last season. Kruger was one of several Blackhawks to make a special appearance at a Bears game. On his Celebrity Jersey Card, Kruger wore his familiar #16 (not just for Bears punter Pat O'Donnell) and was joined by former teammate Andrew Shaw.

Wrestler Velvet Sky has probably made more football Celebrity Jersey Cards than anyone else because of her NFL poster line on RatedV.net. This time, Velvet is wearin a New Orleans Saints jersey for her Celebrity Jersey Card. Coincidentally, Velvet is wearing #80, from former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who has been a big part of the Bears success this season.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #505: Halloween Edition: A.J. Lee & Leva Bates

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys. Today, I present a special Halloween edition.

April Jeanette Mendez was born in New Jersey and dreamed of becoming a pro wrestler. She was misdiagnosed with depression, before being properly treated for a bipolar disorder. AJ rose to the top of the WWE, married CM Punk, wrote a book about her experiences and retired from the ring. She remains active in raising awareness for mental issues and is quite an inspiration. During her career, her character went through several phases. One such phase saw her cosplay as Kane. Her bit as the Big (little?) Red Machine earned her this Special Edition Celebrity Jersey Card.

A native of Kentucky, Leva Bates has a degree in theater and radio and television production with a minor in dance from Murray State University. She worked as an entertainer at at Universal Studios in Florida, but she gained real fame in the wrestling ring. "Blue Pants" has incorporated cosplaying into her wrestling persona. She currently wrestles for All Elite Wrestling, but she earned her Celebrity Jersey Card by becoming Mankind.

Celeb Jersey Cards #42 Chris Rock & Will Ferrell

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

I am surprised I haven't found more pictures of celebs wearing the Yankees pinstripes.  In fact, Chris Rock is only the third Celebrity Jersey Card to feature the Yankees.  Rock broke one of the unofficial "jersey rules" by wearing a dress shirt under the jersey.  At least he eschewed a tie!

I think another unofficial rule is you can't have the Yankees without the Red Sox (or maybe that is just what ESPN thinks).  In either case, Rock's fellow funny man and SNL alum Will Ferrell provides the Red Sox counterpart to Rock's Yankees love.  Farrell even shows a pretty good pitching form.  Lastly, I always love any card which shows a scoreboard like that in the background.

Celeb Jersey Cards #41 Rob Lowe & Mario Lopez

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

The Dodgers are a popular choice for a lot of celebrities, because of their success and their location.  In addition to ceremonial first pitches, there have been celebrity softball games at Dodger Stadium.  That is the source of the first Celebrity Jersey Card today, which features actor Rob Lowe.  Lowe's career certainly has been filled with hits and misses, but my guess is a hit during this at bat.  Lowe would have been a nice platoon catcher as Steve Yeager's career ended and Mike Scoscia's career started.

Mario Lopez is young enough to still be playing, however his Celebrity Rookie Card is from 1985.  These things only happen in the land of Celebrity Jersey Cards (and other virtual card creations by my fellow bloggers).  Lopez is clearly athletic and could have easily handled the rigors of playing shortstop.  Don't tell me that back in the day, he couldn't have beaten out Dave Anderson (or at least stole some playing time from him).

Celeb Jersey Cards #40 Richard Gere & Danny DeVito

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

Actor Richard Gere is seen behind a batting cage at Spring Training in 2010.  I believe he just took some bp with the team and did not actually get in the game.  His gray hair might be kind of odd for an active player (apologies to Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry), but those such notions are suspended for Celebrity Jersey Cards.

With the Phillies outstanding rotation set for 2011, they don't need another pitcher.  On the other hand, Danny DeVito isn't that much older than Jamie Moyer.  Hey, at least I resisted the urge to list him as a shortstop!  I am assuming it was because of his role on tv's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, that he was asked to throw out a first pitch in Philly.  It's also why he got on a Celebrity Jersey Card!

Celeb Rookie Cards #38 Troy Aikman & Kurt Warner

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better and are enjoyable.  In either case, they are Celebrity Rookie Cards, my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  In honor of the big game, I am presenting two of the greatest Super Bowl quarterbacks.
Troy Aikman enjoyed a 12 year career with the Dallas Cowboys which included 3 Super Bowl victories and one league MVP award and concluded with a Hall of Fame induction.  These days, Aikman often wears a different jersey.  As part-owner of the San Diego Padres, Aikman can wear the Padres jersey any time he wants.

Near the end of Aikman's career, Kurt Warner jumped from the Arena Football League to NFL stardom.  Warner was a two time NFL MVP, while leading two different teams to the Super Bowl.  He retired after the 2009 season as a sure lock for eventual Hall of Fame induction.  After leading the Arizona Cardinals to their first Super Bowl, he was invited to throw out a first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  That pitch landed him here, on Celebrity Rookie Cards.

Celeb Rookie Cards #37 Denise Richards & Shania Twain

I joined the world of virtual card creations through my Celebrity Rookie Cards.  The concept is easy.  Find a celeb wearing a jersey.  Create what would be the rookie card for that celeb based on actual card designs.  Feel free to submit your own creation or just follow along.

Only XX days until pitchers and catchers report.  Today's Celebrity Rookie Cards are meant to ease the pain of a woeful winter by the Cubs and to bring better thoughts as we head into the season.
Born in Downers Grove (IL) just outside of Chicago, Denise Richards has had an excellent career.  Richards earned a Celeb Rookie Card and my high praise by wearing a Cubs jersey in public.  Could she be heading to or from a Cubs game, since I see another Cubs jersey in the background?

In a bit of 1994 Topps symmetry, Shania Twain makes her first Celeb Rookie Card appearance.  While she probably tossed the first pitch and later sang the 7th inning stretch, I thought the photo looked like she could be stretching for a throw at first base.  Okay, she's no Mark Grace, but she's in better shape.

Celeb Rookie Cards #36 Duff Goldman & Bobby Jenks

Celebrity Rookie Cards are my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.  I find pictures of celebrities in sports jerseys and put them on the card design which would be their (old school) rookie card.

Duff Goldman makes his second appearance in a hockey jersey.   This time, Duff dropped a level to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.  As fans of Duff and his Charmed City Cakes show know, he is often seen in hockey jerseys.  Therefore, we might be seeing Duff on future Celebrity Rookie Cards.

Representing the city where he has been a star pitcher for years, Bobby Jenks donned the Chicago Wolves jersey.  Coincidentally, the Wolves are AHL rivals to the previously mentioned Griffins.  In a pregame ceremony, Jenks dropped the ceremonial first puck (as opposed to tossing it at 95 mph).

Celeb Rookie Cards #35 Garth Brooks & Danny Glover

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better and are enjoyable.  In either case, they are Celebrity Rookie Cards, my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.

We're going West coast baseball today with Garth Brooks leading off.  Brooks actually played in some Spring Training games for the San Diego Padres, the KC Royals and the New York Mets.  His time with he Padres produced his first rbi and also his Celebrity Rookie Card.

In Angels in the Outfield, Danny Glover plays the manager of the California Angels.  I looked for a photo of him in an Angels jersey, but came up with one in a Giants jersey instead.  I put the veteran actor at catcher, because he seems like he'd have a strong arm and good leadership qualities.  Plus, I think he could have beaten out the competition (namely Mike Sadek, Dennis Littlejohn, Bob Kearney, Marc Hill and John Tamargo, who hit a combined .207).  I think Glover's card would fit in nicely with the 1980 set.

Celeb Rookie Cards #34 Kevin Connolly & Justin Timberlake

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better and are enjoyable.  In either case, they are Celebrity Rookie Cards, my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.

Kevin Connolly was born on Long Island (NY).  His first film major was in Rocky V, but he is probably best known for playing Eric on tv's Entourage.  Connolly has stayed true to his roots by being an avid fan of the New York Islanders.  He even attended the 2010 NHL draft and announced the Islanders' pick in the first round.  He has also dropped the ceremonial first puck at a game.  This is where he wore the Islanders jersey that landed him on a Celebrity Rookie Card.

Justin Timberlake has come a long way from his time in 'N Sync.  He has developed into a fine actor, while maturing as a singer, too.  In The Love Guru, Timberlake plays Jacques Grande, a goaltender with the Los Angeles Kings.  He might be sporting a different look, but it's good enough to earn him a Celeb Rookie Card.

Celeb Rookie Cards #33 Emmy Rossum & Ralph Macchio

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better and are enjoyable.  In either case, they are Celebrity Rookie Cards, my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.

Emmy Rossum is a young actress-singer.  She was nominated for a Golden Globe award (for Best Actress in a musical or comedy) for her work in The Phantom of the Opera.  She became the youngest person ever to be nominated for that award.  As prestigious as that was, I am sure she would be prouder of her appearance on a Celebrity Rookie Card in New Jersey Devils garb.

The next Celeb Rookie Card features Ralph Macchio, who seems like he has been around forever.  Macchio is posing in an Islanders jersey, a photo I later learned was used for a ProSet card in the early 1990's.  Although it goes against my basic mindset (like there are rules involved in this?), I had already made my card and didn't want to be wasteful.

Celeb Rookie Cards #32 Jared Fogle & Mark Wahlberg

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better and are enjoyable.  In either case, they are Celebrity Rookie Cards, my attempt to join the world of virtual card creations.

Jared Fogle gained fame by losing a lot of weight on his self-organized Subway sandwich diet.  I know, normally you would think I would not give more publicity to a "non-celebrity" celebrity.  However, even I can't argue with his success.  The diet worked and the ads worked.  When Subway started to go away from using Jared, the company saw sales drop.  When they brought him back, sales increased.  Go figure.  Jared donned the Colts uni for his Celebrity Rookie Card.  With the number of injuired to the Colts, maybe Fogle could help them, too.

Mark Wahlberg has come a long way from his days as Marky Mark, leader of the Funky Bunch.  Wahlberg has established himself as one of the better young actors of this era.  It was his performance as Vince Papale in Invincible which earned him his first Celeb Rookie Card.

Celeb Rookie Cards #31 John Cena

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better.  These are my attempt at the world of virtual cards.  These are Celebrity Rookie Cards.

Today I am featuring the Grand Slam of Celebrity Rookie Cards.  Pro wrestler-actor John Cena is the first CRC'er to appear on all four major sports cards.
Football is certainly Cena's most likely sport.  At Springfield (MA) University, he was a Division III All-American center.  In his early days of wrestling, he usually wore football jerseys to the ring.  This starts his California theme, but at least he went old school with the powder blues.

Cena threw out the first pitch before a Dodgers game and greeted the crowd with his signature "You can't see me" gesture.  A big thanks goes to Steve at White Sox Cards for putting together this baseball card.  Steve continues to be the king of creations.

For basketball, Cena stuck with his California theme.  For a guy raised near Boston, you'd think he would have donned the Celtic green.  Sitting next to Cena was Shane McMahon (son of WWE owner Vince McMahon...Shane-O was not wearing any jersey).

Finally, we have Cena's hockey card and finally he ventured out of his California dreaming.  Cena probably wore the jersey on a WWE trip to Edmonton.  Gretzky would have loved having Cena protect him on the ice.

Celeb Rookie Cards #30 Jennifer Love Hewitt & Britney Spears

They have never been perfect, but I think I am getting better at them.  They are my attempts to join the world of virtual cards, via Celebrity Rookie Cards.

Jennifer Love Hewitt has acted on tv and the big screen.  She has also sung, written a book and contributed to a comic book.  That has brought her fame, money, celebrity status, but it didn't get her on Johngy's Beat.  When she wore her Boston Celtics jersey while gardening, it landed her on a Celebrity Rookie Card and allowed me to create one odd looking card.

 

Larry Bird and the Celtics had Magic Johnson and the Lakers.  I felt compelled to present that symmetry here with Britney Spears representing the Los Angeles Lakers.  Hewitt is a bit older and shorter than Spears, but I still think she would take Brit on the court, but that could be my Celtics bias.

Celeb Rookie Cards #29 Johnny Carson, David Letterman & Conan O'Brien

They aren't perfect, but hopefully they are getting better.  These are my attempt at the world of virtual cards.  These are Celebrity Rookie Cards. Today is a special "Late Night Television" edition.

Leading off is the king of late night tv, Johnny Carson.  Steve of White Sox Cards found the picture and sent it to me for celebrity card creation.  The original picture showed Carson clowning around a bit on the field with some other Yankees.  Steve's find allowed me to create my oldest card to date and one of my favorites.  Thanks Steve.

 

Art imitates life, as David Letterman follows Carson. Letterman, a native of Hoosier land, donned an old Art Donovan jersey for a tv ad.  While Carson's card is fairly true to the form of the 1951 Topps, Letterman's card would not fit the feel of the 1971 Topps football.  Still, I like it.  How often do you see a player eating chips while watching tv?

 

Conan O'Brien rounds out this edition with an awesome shot.  I have seen pictures of O'Brien in various NHL jerseys, but how could I not use the one of him holding the Stanley Cup (especially if it also features a comfy chair)?

Celeb Rookie Cards #28 Gary Dell'Abate & Lex Luger

They aren't perfect, but they are my attempt at the world of virtual cards. They are the Celebrity Rookie Cards. These cards feature celebrities of all sorts wearing jerseys of all sports using the design which would typically be their rookie card.

Like him or not, Howard Stern is a radio (all media?) legend.  Louie listened before I did and he always said that Gary Dell'Abate (Stern's long-time producer) was 'the man'.  Gary might be overlooked for his part in the show, but maybe his new book (They Call Me Baba Booey) might open some eyes.

Gary wishes something else was overlooked.  If anyone saw Gary's horrible first pitch at a Mets game, you would know what I mean.  The pitch has taken on epic proportions, including hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.  The good news is that the pitch did land Gary on a Celebrity Rookie Card.

 

Larry Pfohl played for the Montreal Alouettes and then spent a season on the Injured Reserve list for the Green Bay Packers.  He is listed on the official all-time roster in the Packers Hall of Fame.  Pfohl gained real fame in the wrestling ring under the name Lex Luger, the Total Package.

Luger enjoyed a lot of success in the ring, but experienced some problems outside of wrestling.  Luger is a born-again Christian and seems to have put his substance problems and health issues behind him.  He has lost a lot of his size, but he still looks pretty solid in that Carolina Panthers jersey.  The number doesn't match his pro position, but Celebrity Rookie Cards don't live by those standards.

Celeb Rookie Cards #27 Duff Goldman and The Schwab

They aren't perfect, but they are my attempt at the world of virtual cards. They are the Celebrity Rookie Cards. These cards feature celebrities of all sorts wearing jerseys of all sports using the design which would typically be their rookie card.

First up is no cupcake (actually he famously hates cupcakes). Duff Goldman, of Ace of Cakes fame, has lived in several cities and runs his business out of Baltimore (MD). He is unorthodox and is always good for a laugh (and an interesting baked good). He played hockey in high school and can often be seen wearing a jersey on the show. When he threw out the first pitch in Fenway, he opted for a Bruins jersey.I believe this was when he created a cake version of the legendary stadium. If Goldman ever creates a Johngy cake, I will be sure to feature it here.
I have previously written about my angst over my sister and her husband meeting The Schwab. While Howie Schwab is not a mancrush, I do admit to being a staunch Schabbie (Schwabhead? Schwabophile?). My nephew and I have wagered many Cokes while watching Stump the Schwab. Why isn't that show still being produce? Anyway, the Celebrity Rookie Card below was made using one of the in-person pictures my sister took of the trivia legend.

Celeb Rookie Cards #26 Kevin Costner & Dennis Quaid

They aren't perfect, but they are my attempt at the world of virtual cards. They are the Celebrity Rookie Cards.

For today's Celebrity Rookie Cards feature, I went to the movies and to the minor leagues. I didn't go too crazy though, as both are pictured on legitimate team cards from existing (at the time at least) minor league teams.
Crash Davis, as portrayed by Kevin Costner, was an aging catcher for the Durham Bulls. Costner has worn several jerseys while playing several athletic figures in his various movies. Recently, we saw Costner as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Today's appearance with the Bulls makes him the first 2 time Celebrity Rookie Carder as well as being the first minor leaguer. I kept the card the same size as an actual Bulls card from that year.
Jimmy Morris was a high school baseball coach who made a promise to his students and eded up on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Before appearing for the major league Rays, Morris made a stop in Orlanda, which is the basis for the Celebrity Rookie Card featuring Dennis Quaid who portrayed Morris in The Rookie. For whatever reason, the only pictures I found of Quaid in the movie were of him in The Orlando Rays uni.

Celeb Rookie Cards #25 Nat Neidhart and Drew Barrymore

They aren't perfect, but they are my attempt at the world of virtual cards. They are the Celebrity Rookie Cards.

Today, I am featuring two women on Celebrity Rookie cards. The first CRC'er is Nattie Neidhart, third generation wrestling member of the Hart dynasty. Nattie, daughter of Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, is currently wrestling for the WWE, although she is more a manager than a wrestler for some reason. Once again, I see the WWE not letting an excellent female wrestler show her skills. At least, Neidhart showed off her Vodafone soccer jersey on a promo tour for the WWE. Nattie becomes the second CRC'er to be shown in a soccer jersey.
Despite still being young, Drew Barrymore has already had a long and interesting career. More interesting is the Marlins pinwheel. The tied jersey is good enough for Barrymore to get a Celebrity Rookie Card, but the whole ensemble is questionable. It does remind me of some of the Fleer cards of the late 80's though.