Friendly Encounters: Joe Torre and Ira Knobler

This is a weekly series which features friends who have met celebrities.

Ira Knobler is another person I met through some wrestling site.  Ira meets a ton of wrestlers in the New York area.  Today, however, he is featured with a baseball legend.
I loved Joe Torre as a player.  He was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game I ever saw outside of Chicago.
Does anyone remember that he was a player-manager for the New York Mets in the late 1970's?  It's hard to believe that there were three player-managers in the 70's (Torre, Frank Robinson and Don Kessinger).
It's also hard to believe that Torre received so little support in he Hall of Fame voting.  Torre made the HOF as a manager, but as a player, he hit .297 with 2342 hits.  He won one MVP award, was a 9 time All-Star and won one Gold Glove.  If he isn;t HOF worthy as a player, he is that next step of very close players.
I met Torre on the field during his time managing the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I was part of a pre-game dugout media session, but failed to land him for a one-on-one.  Still, it was a thrill just being on the same field as Torre.
I'm a bit envious of Knobler.  I am sure he got to chat with Torre a bit.  Just add it to the lengthy list of great celebrities he has met.

Ira Knobler and Joe Torre in New York-December 2014.

Friendly Encounters: Ira Knobler Meets AJ Lee

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.  Have you ever met a celeb (of any sort)?  Join the fun by sending the picture over to me.

I first came across Ira Knobler while doing research for some wrestling story years ago.  While I have never met the East Coaster, I always enjoy the many pictures Ira posts from his encounters with various wrestlers.
Recently, Ira went to another signing and posted a picture with AJ Lee of the WWE.  AJ (April Jeanette Mendez) has been involved in wrestling since 2007.  She has been with the WWE since 2009, but recently really caught the attention of the fans with her quirky character.  Currently, she is the General Manager of Monday Night Raw, but she is certain to get back in the ring at some point.
AJ's character is refreshing and said to be an extension of her.  The best wrestling personas are usually based on the real personality of the wrestler.
Ira enjoyed his experience meeting AJ and I enjoyed running it here.  I have not met AJ, but when I do, I will report it here, too.
Ira did ask me to mention MarkedOut.com, a site about meeting celebrities.  He is a member of their message board.  I am a big fan of MarkedOut.com and have contributed a few pictures to the site.  Take Ira's advice (and mine, too).  Check out MarkedOut.com.

Ira Knobler and AJ Lee in New York, NY-October 2012.

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly feature highlighting friends who have met celebs.

I have featured Ira Knobler here before, when he met the Hart Dynasty (Nattie Neidhart, Tyson Kidd and DH Smith).  Today, Ira is sharing a picture of him meeting Trish Stratus, coincidentally another wrestler from Canada.

Ira met Stratus at a recent signing in New York.  Ira said, "She's such a sweetheart."  Stratus talked at length to many of the attendees and everyone left happy (although they waited longer than expected).  Still, a long wait is fine, if the end result is good.

Stratus embarked on her appearance tour a couple months ago.  Stratus is a former wrestler (winning the Woman's title 7 times) and is currently an actress and television personality.  Recently, she hosted Stratosphere, a tv show featuring Stratus visiting exotic locations around the globe (hmm, seems like a good idea for a Global Traveler tie-in).
Ira has met a bunch of wrestlers and I am glad he is willing to occasionally share the evidence.

Ira Knobler and Trish Stratus in New York-September 2010.

Friendly Encounters

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

I have seen pictures of Ira Knobler with various wrestlers on many sites. Recently while perusing Michele Mupo's site, I came across Ira again and decided to ask him to share one of his experiences.
I was working for a magazine, in which I interviewed David Smith's mother Diana Hart. When I got to the Hart Dynasty signing at the Cold Stone Creamery, David remembered me from his mom, from I guess a picture with him and his mom from a convention or because we are friends on Facebook.
This Hart Dynasty is actually a second generation of the Hart family, consisting of Nattie Neidhart, David (DH) Smith and TJ (Tyson Kidd) Wilson. David is the son of the late British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. Nattie is the daughter of Jim Neidhart. TJ is Nat's boyfriend. All currently wrestle for the WWE.
Ira's site is MarkedOut.com and is loaded with pictures, stories and events announcements. It's a fantastic treat for wrestling fans, but it goes outside of the squared circle, too. There are hundreds of searchable pictures among everything else.
I hope Ira will be willing to share more of his stories and pictures in the future. Thanks, Ira!

Nattie Neidhart, TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd), DH Smith and Ira Knobler in NY-September 2009.