Friend Encounters: B Brian Blair and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

I witnessed and photographed today's Friend Encounter. I also helped plan it.

Since missing the SICW Fan Fest in 2024, Tony and I kept waiting for the announcement for this year. Once it came out and we saw the guest list, we knew were had to make the trip to St. Louis for it.

Herb Simmons runs a fantastic Fan Fest every year. It features about 20 wrestling legends. This year, B Brian Blair was one of our main targets.

Blair attained his biggest success with Jim Brunzell as The Killer Bees in the WWF. Blair wrestled in the WWF from 1981-88 without winning any titles. Keep in mind, titles did not change hands very quickly and the WWF had a lot of great tag teams at the time. Still, The Killer Bees made a name for themselves. Blair continued wrestling for many years after leaving the WWF.

In 2021, he released his autobiography, Truth Bee Told. Unfortunately, he also lost his son Brett to a murder.

As excited as I was to meet Blair, I think Tony was even more giddy. Blair is old school. No offense to more recent wrestlers, but Tony and I will always have a soft spot for the wrestlers from our youth.

We had a blast at the SICS Fan Fest and plan on returning next year. For more info, check sicw.org and look for updates here.

Tony and B Brian Blair in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Today is the last special birthday of the year. Jim would say I saved the best for last.

Although I would laugh at that, Jim is really among the best. For the last 30 years, he has been the best friend I could ever want. We've traveled the country, had serious and silly debates, discussed religion and so much more. We've shared many great moments.

I won't be there to share this moment, but I wish Jim a happy birthday from here! Happy birthday, Jim and here's to more fun next year.

Jim, his siblings and his late mom in Chicago, IL-Spring 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #773 Jenna Bandy & Melanie Iglesias

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series on which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys.

Jenna Bandy is a sports content creator. She also holds the Guinness World Record for the farthest football thrown into a target (90 feet) by a woman. An excellent basketball player, her amateur career was derailed by a serious knee injury. Bandy continues producing fun content, usually involving sports and trickshots. For her Celebrity Jersey Card, Bandy is seen preparing to toss a football while wearing a Los Angeles Clippers Jersey. 

Actress and model Melanie Iglesias was born in Brooklyn. In 2010, she was voted the winner of Maxim's Hometown Hotties and the next year, she made the Maxim Hot 100 list. She showed her hometown pride by donning a New York Knicks jersey for her Celebrity Jersey Card, earning extra points for having a basketball. Her #7 was most notably worn by Carmelo Anthony.

2026 Bandits Morgan Zerkle

After adding two new teams and having the expansion draft, Athletes Unlimited Softball League looks forward to a successful second season. The rosters are not totally set, but we know several players who will play for the Bandits (presumably located in Rosemont (Chicago).

One such player is stud outfielder Morgan Zerkle. A four year letter-winner at Marshall University, Zerkle was a two-time Marshall Female Athlete of the Year. She also played in the 2016 and 2017 World Cup of Softball and the 2017 Japan Cup. Zerkle played professionally for the Scrap Yard Dawgs, before joining the old Chicago Bandits in National Pro Fastpitch.

Now, Zerkle will excite the Bandits fans again. Although it hasn't been made official, the prevailing thought is the Bandits will play in Rosemont. It's the only place that makes sense, given the name of the team.

I look forward to an exciting season and Zerkle will be a major part of it. She is equally excellent in the field and at bat.

Having Zerkle on the team is an excellent start. Go to the ausl.com for more information on the league. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Morgan Zerkle and me in Rosemont, IL- Summer 2024.

Happy Birthday, Dave!

A month and a half ago, I celebrated my niece's wedding with my family in Cancun. Today, I celebrate my brother-in-law Dave's birthday.

The weekend in Cancun was awesome, because we don't have the opportunity to spend much time together away from our homes. I appreciated Dave and Nancy allowing me to be a third wheel for some of the trip, as my other sister Jean and her family were busy with wedding preparations.

Since moving to Indiana, Dave has become quite the football fan. While some would call him a fair-weather fan for cheering for the now successful Indiana Hoosiers, I find his fandom amusing. He even attends Purdue football games. Maybe someday, I'll get him out to a Purdue softball game.

Besides that fun, I do really appreciate Dave. Sure I poke him about his love of Domino's pizza, but he pokes me back just as hard. Over the years, he has been a tremendous help and I am grateful for all of it.

He might be celebrating today with a Domino's pizza, although I hope he upgraded. Either way, I wish happy birthday to Dave!

Nancy, Dave and me in Cancun-November 2025.

Animal at C2E2 2020

Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is about three months away. C2E2 is one of the biggest comic cons I attend yearly.

C2E2 is loaded with awesome celebrity guests. They usually have a few wrestlers in their celebrity lineup. Such was the case a few years back with Road Warrior Animal (aka Joe Laurinaitis).

Younger wrestling fans have no idea how popular the Road Warriors were back in their day. They were so good they were cheered even as bad guys. Obviously, they were booked to be dominant, but no matter how you are booked, you still need to have the talent and charisma to get over with the fans. The Road Warriors had it all.

They were most successful in the NWA, WCW and in Japan. They had a few runs in the WWE as a tag team and Animal as a solo, but it just wasn't a good fit. The WWE even made them a joke with a stupid ventriloquist dummy (for marketing purposes) and a drunk Hawk storyline. 

The Road Warriors were a great team when there were a lot of excellent tag teams. Now most teams are mongrels, put together strictly for storylines. The Road Warriors had a long run together and were a legit team.

When I met Animal atC2E2, I talked to him mostly about his son James, a former NFL player. After a solid NFL career, the younger Laurinaitis went into coaching. Animal also had two brothers in pro wrestling.

Once again, I'll be at C2E2. The guest lineup has not been announced, but I am sure it will be stellar as usual.

Go to C2E2.com for more news and updates. Check back here for my recurring coverage.

Animal and me in Chicago, IL-March 2020.

Meeting Fres Oquendo

Fres Oquendo is a Puerto Rican former heavyweight boxer. He is also a Chicago favorite.

Before turning pro, Fes had an amateur record of 105–5: Among his many achievements, he was the 178 lb. Springfield 1990 Golden Gloves Champion, the 178 lb. Chicago City 1992 Golden Glove Champion and the Chicago City 1995 Golden Glove 201 lb.+ Super Heavyweight Champion. As a pro, Fres went 37-8 with 24 knockouts. 

Of course I had heard of Fres long before I met him. When my friend Jodie told me she won a lunch with him at her high school alumni event and asked me to join, I quickly accepted. It's not often I can meet a world class boxer.

Fres was extremely nice. He shard stories of his career and life. He also told us of some of his work in the community hoping youths.

It was a lot of fun and very interesting hearing stories of his fights and charity work. I left quite impressed with Fres. Again, I thank Jodie for this one. 

Fres Oquendo and me in Chicago, IL-January 2023.

Friend Encounters: Phil Simms and Tammy

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today, I feature two champs. Phil Simms was a two-time NFL champ and Tammy Williams was a three-time National Pro Fastpitch champ.

Simms played quarterback from 1979-93 with the New York Giants. He led them to two Super Bowl victories and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXI. He is in the Giants Ring of Honor and the team retired his jersey number 11.

Williams starred at Northwestern before joing the Bandits. She still hold several record at NU. In six seasons with the Bandits, she hit .314 with 28 homeruns,119 RBIs and 145 runs scored. She also played stellar defense. Williams is my all-time favorite Bandit.

She has since relocated to the Indianapolis area where she works in finance. She's making her mark there, just as she did on the field. I follow her online and I see the accolades she receives and all are well-deserved. Any team, business or sports, is lucky to have Williams.

On one of her business trips, Williams met Simms. That's five professional sports titles between them. There is a lot of similarities, too. Each was relatively soft-spoken, but lots of fun when they are off field. Each is underrated for their accomplishments on the field, despite both having their numbers retired.

Tammy and Phil Simms in New York, NY-November 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #772 Hulk Hogan & Patrick Kane

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I feature a little mascot fun.

To many folks, Hulk Hogan made wrestling. Love him or hate him, Hogan is one of the most legendary wrestlers. Unfortunately, Hogan died earlier this year, but he left behind a legacy that few people will ever even approach. Hogan donned a Toronto Raptors jersey to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card. He even happily shared it with the Raptors mascot (cleverly named "The Raptor").

Currently with the Detroit Red Wings, New York native Patrick Kane played parts of 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. After half a season with the New York Rangers, he is in his second season in Motown. The only thing that matters though, is his time wearing the Indian head jersey. Three Stanley Cups and many awards came from his time in Chicago. He showed his love for the city by donning a Bulls jersey and playing around with Benny the Bull. The #1 was most notably worn by Derrick Rose.

Appreciating Jordan Kross

Jordan Kross is a young wrestler based in Wisconsin. I have followed him since his debut.

A second-generation wrestler, Jordan carries his father's ring surname, but is making his own path. He has worked very hard over the last few years and it shows. He is extremely talented in and out of the ring. I think he works better as a babyface, but he's good as a heel, too. His charisma is undeniable. The crowd loves him wherever he goes.

Jordan is a great young guy, too. He is polite and appreciative of all. He thanks us profusely at every show for our support.

Jordan's only drawback is his size. He's in great shape and has worked on bulking up and defining his body. He's still young enough to keep building. Even if he is at top size, he is still quite capable of having an excellent career. Perhaps he won't be a heavyweight champ in a major company, but he has all the skills to go a long way. I guarantee, if you see Jordan in a match, you will be impressed. Also, he incorporates different stuff in each match. He is not a cookie-cutter wrestler.

Follow Jordan on social media and see him if you can. Look here for my recurring coverage.

Jordan Kross and me in Kenosha, WI-September 2025.