On the Beat With Athletes Unlimited Softball 2021 Week 1 Part 1

Less than a week after Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse ended, AU Softball started its second season. After a year away from live action, it was great to be back live "On the Beat" in Rosemont.

Opening Weekend for Athletes Unlimited Softball featured the first no-hitter in AU history, walk-off home runs and more all played in front of a packed stadium in Rosemont. Softball was back and fans couldn't have asked for more.

In addition to pitching a no-hitter, Cat Osterman led her Team Gold to a 3-0 record. Victoria Hayward's Team Blue was 2-1, Jessie Warren's Team Orange went 1-2 and Erika Piancatelli's Team Purple went 0-3. 

Despite her dominating performance, Osterman is in the unfamiliar second spot on the leaderboard with 490 points. Sahvanna Jaquish claimed the top spot with 498 points. Tori Vidales (468 points) and Lilli Piper (438 points) round out the top four spots. These four will be captains next week, drafting those teams later today. Just missing the top four were Odicci Alexander (428 points), Haylie McCleney (420 points) and Aliyah Andrews (418 points).

The individual game MVP's were:

Game 1-DJ Sanders, Aleshia Ocasio, Amanda Chidester

Game 2-Tori Vidales, Odicci Alexander, Sahvanna Jaquish

Game 3-Taylor McQuillin, Sashel Palacios, Carrie Eberle

Game 4-Cat Osterman, Tori Vidales, Aliyah Andrews

Game 5-Gwen Svekis, Aleshia Ocasio, Ali Aguilar

Game 6-Lilli Piper, Haylie McCleney, Sahvanna Jaquish

The Week Two Draft takes place at 5 PM CST today. Team captains are Jaquish (Gold), Osterman (Orange), Vidales (Blue) and Piper (Purple). Check back here tomorrow for the draft results.

The Ballpark in Rosemont never looked better. In the right field concourse, there is a batting cage and a pitching area. There is a merchandise truck out front, featuring a large line of cool AU apparel. In-game host Kacy Standohar is all over the place, interviewing players and having fun with fans. The Ballpark was alive.It was a fantastic Opening Weekend and it looks to continue all season.

The media session featured Gwen Svekis, DJ Sanders, Aleshia Ocasio, Cat Osterman, Odicci Alexander and Tori Vidales. That media session can be found at On the Beat With Athletes Unlimited Softball 2021 Week 1. 

AU returns to the field Saturday, September 4 at 3 PM CST. Team Osterman battles Team Vidales. For the second game, Team Jaquish faces Team Piper at 6 PM CST. Check GWSR social media for updates and back here for the Week Two recap. Also, be sure to check out AU Softball coverage by Bruce Miles on AUProSports.com for more info on the league and players.

Friend Encounters: Jessie Warren and Jonathan Cimaglio

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I met both of these folks at the Ballpark in Rosemont. Jonathan (aka Cimags) is a big fan and Jessica Warren is an excellent player,although not for the Chicago Bandits.

Jessica was a star at Florida State University.She was selected by the USSSA Pride with the seventh pick in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch Draft. 

Last year, Jessica played third base for Athletes Unlimited in their inaugural season. She hit a scorching .510 (26/51) with five homers and 15 RBIs. She is also a defensive wizard.

When I first met Cimags, he lived around here, but has since moved to Minnesota. A big autograph collector, Cimags even has a Cimags YouTube channel highlighting his efforts and some of his collection.

I keep trying to get Cimags down here for any of the AU games. Maybe this season he'll make it back down.

AU plays six games every weekend for five weeks. The season just started a couple days ago and runs through September 27. Go to AUProSports.com for more info.

Jessie Warren and Jonathan Cimaglio in Rosemont, IL-August 2019.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #552 John Havlicek & Tom Sanders

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I continue working my way alphabetically through all MLB teams.

Born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, John "Hondo" Havlicek starred at Ohio State before being selected by the Bston Celtics with the seventh overall pick in the NBA 1962 NBA Draft. He went on to play 16 seasons for the Celtics on his way to a Hall of Fame induction in 1984. Havlicek had Parkinson's disease during his last years before passing in 2019, Havlicek took part in a special night at Fenway Park honoring the Celtics to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Havlicek's longtime teammate Tom Sanders was born in New York, starred at NYU and was selected by the Boston Celtics with the eighth pick of the NBA 1960 Draft. Sanders played with the Celtics for 13 years. Sanders eventually had a short stint as coach of the Celtics. Sanders was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2011. Like Havlicek, Sanders earned his Celebrity Jersey Card while being honored by the Red Sox.

Cards That Never Were: Andy Etchebarren Topps 1979

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual cards of players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of them. Many of my card creations, as well as a lot of creations from others (not just baseball cards) can be found in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group.
Andy Etchebarren made his Major League Baseball debut in 1962 by playing two games for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1963, '64 and most of '65, Etchebarren was in the minors. He made it back to the Orioles for a few September games in '65. He stayed in the majors with Baltimore until he was traded to the California Angels midway through the '75 season. The Milwaukee Brewers purchased Etchebarren after the 1977 season, but he only played four games for them in '78.
For his efforts, Topps gave Etchebarren cards in their sets from 1966 through 1978. His 2 games in '62 and 6 games in '78 weren't enough for Topps to include him in sets the next year. As always, that doesn't mean I can't attempt to correct the omissions.
The '79 Topps card was fairly easy. Severl decent pictures of him with the Brewers are available. The 1963 Topps card proved to be too challenging. Of course, I could have used a lot of pictures of him with the Orioles, but card creations need to be time-relevant in the picture choices. At least I was able to give Etchebarren a"career Capper" card. Unfortunately, Etchebarren passed away last October.

Looking Forward to Sara Richard at NYCC

New York Comic Con runs October 7-10. I'll be covering my first NYCC and I cannot wait. It'll be a whole new experience, but I will see some familiar faces like my artist friend Sara Richard.

I met Sara many years ago at a comic con and was blown away by her creations. I have interviewed her many times, including the latest at On the Beat With Sara Richard. That interview focused on her artwork in Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook. We also talked about her cosplay as WWE's Becky Lynch, her grave-cleaning project with her mom and much more.

Since then, Sara has done even more great things. Her artwork seems to be appearing everywhere. I am so happy for her. As amazing as her artwork is, she is even more amazing. If I sound like a fanboy, I make no apologies. If you ever get to meet Sara, you'll understand.

Sara promised me an update interview at NYCC and I am looking forward to hearing and sharing all the news. By then, there will probably be even more happening in her world. There always is!

Go to SaraRichard.com for more info on Sara. Also, check NewYorkComicCon.com for news and updates on NYCC.

Sara Richard and me in Novi, MI-May 2013.

Morgan Zerkle Loves Johngy's Beat

With the Athletes Unlimited Softball season starting this Saturday, it is a great time to run this promo by outfielder Morgan Zerkle. Morgan recently sent a shout out to Johngy's Beat. 

Morgan was a star outfielder at Marshall University. After graduating with a degree in exercise science with a concentration in clinical exercise physiology, Morgan went on to play three seasons with the Scrap Yard Dawgs. She signed with the Chicago Bandits for the 2020 season, but that season was cancelled due to the pandemic. With Team USA, she is a 2017 World Cup of Softball and 2017 Japan Cup silver medalist. During the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited Softball, she finished sixth overall on the points leader board.

I always appreciate the support of the folks I cover. In turn, I encourage everyone to check out Morgan at AUProSports.com and tune into AU Softball starting Saturday.

Looking Forward to Dirk Manning at NYCC

I am so looking forward to being "On the Beat" at the upcoming New York Comic Con, which runs October 7-10. It is a return to comnic cons and I will be seeing some of my usual con friends, like creator Dirk Manning.

Just because I haven't been able to see my creator friends at comic cons this year doesn't mean I have lost touch with them. Today, I am sharing some news from Dirk Manning.
Dirk is the writer/creator of comic series such as Tales of Mr. Rhee and Nightmare World. I have been a big fan of Dirk's work for several years. I have interviewed him several times, including On the Beat at Wizard World.
Dirk announced via Facebook Live, he is doing a second edition of his popular Write or Wrong (A Writer's Guide to Creating Comics) book. It will be about 25-30% new content. The book release will also coincide with the publication of Write or Wrong #2. Write or Wrong is a collection of Dirk's tips and advice to aspiring young comic book writers. The news of a 2nd edition and a book #2 was greeted with thunderous applause from the hundreds of watchers.

The two Write or Wrong books are not the only projects Dirk has coming soon. He's been extremely busy with his many other creative endeavors.

Dirk has so much stuff going on, you should go to DirkManning.com to get all of the info and learn all about him. Also, follow Dirk Manning on Facebook for more frequent updates, including his recent Facebook Live announcement detailing all of his projects forthcoming. Also, go to NewYorkCComicCon.com for news and schedules.

Dirk Manning and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2017.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #551 Philip Bailey & Michael Connelly

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I continue working my way alphabetically through all MLB teams.

Born in Denver, Colorado, Philip Bailey is a  singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known for his time as co-lead singer for Earth, Wind & Fire. He sang "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch of Game three of the 2007 World Series, the first World Series game played in his hometown of Denver. He also threw out the first pitch on June 30, 2012 at Tropicana to earn this Celebrity Jersey Card.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native Michael Connelly graduated from the University of Florida and became a beat writer for the Daytona Beach News Journal before becoming a famous novel writer. He has won virtually every award a writer can get and now he is awarded a Celebrity Jersey Card for tossing a pitch at Tropicana Field for the Tampa Rays.

Friend Encounters: Brenna Moss and Tony Feddeler

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I'd like to say I facilitated my buddy Tony Feddeler meeting former Chicago Bandits outfielder Brenna Moss, but the truth is, he could have met her on his own. The players regularly greeted all fans after the games. Technically, I introduced them, although that's not really a big deal. I'm just trying to glom credit in some way for this one.

Tony and I miss the Bandits, who haven't played since the 2019 season. The pandemic killed the 2020 season and surprisingly 2021, too.

When the Bandits return in 2022, I wonder what the team will look like. How many Bandits from 2019 will still be part of the team?

I'll be back "On the Beat" with the team when they start again. I am sure I can get Tony to join me at some games, too.

For more info on the Bandits, go to ChicagoBandits.com. Also, follow here, because when news is announced, I will be covering it. Without the Bandits this year, Athletes Unlimited is filling the void. Go to AUProSports.com for more info on that softball league.

Brenna Moss and Tony Feddeler in Rosemont, IL-July 2019.

On the Beat With Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse 2021 Week 5

Today, Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse ends their inaugural season. It has been a great 5 weeks (30 games) of lacrosse.

I went into the season with very little knowledge of lacrosse. Having covered AU softball and volleyball, I know how the league works. Teams are redrafted and there is a single champ. The players run the league with no coaches, managers or owners.

I admit, I am still not an expert on lacrosse. I have gained a lot of insight into the sport though and I love what I have seen.

Of course, these women are elite athletes, the best in the country and beyond. The AU league has to be one of the biggest stages for lacrosse. These women athletes got exposed to a large new audience. I saw the viewership numbers and social media interaction increase every week. I'm not going to say I absolutely love lacrosse, but I want to see more. I'll definitely follow college lacrosse. I will also be looking forward to AU Lacrosse Season Two.

Yesterday, AU held their last regular season big media session. Kayla Treanor, Mollie Stevens, Sam Apuzzo, Emily Parros, Katrina Dowd and Kenzie Kent talked about the specific games, the season and more. I was particularly interested in their bonds they made and the takeaways they had from the season.

The media session can be found at On the Beat With Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse 2021 Week 5. Go to AUProSports.com for more info on the AU leagues. Also, AU Softball starts next weekend.