Introducing Carla MacLeod of the PWHL

Last month, I got my first live take on the Professional Women's Hockey League. Although the PWHL doesn't have a team in Chicago, the league is playing some neutral site games. The Ottawa Charge played the Minnesota Frost in the Takeover Tour stop in Chicago.

Saturday was a day of practice, meet-and-greets and clinics in Rosemont. I attended all of it. The meet-and-greet featured four Charge players (more on them in the future). I was hoping to meet Charge Coach Carla MacLeod. Patience paid off as MacLeod came out shortly before the clinics started. I was fortunate to chat with her for a bit.

A native of Alberta, MacLeod starred at the University of Wisconsin. She also played internationally, winning the gold medal in two Olympics and a gold and three silvers in the world championships. MacLeod was a force on defense.

She began her coaching career shortly after retiring in 2010. In September 2023, she was named head coach of the Charge, one of the original six PWHL teams. In her first year, she guided them to a fifth place finish. Last season, the Charge finished in third place. Currently, the team is struggling a bit in last place.

MacLeod was very engaging. She thanked me for covering and supporting women's hockey. I said I was hoping for a Chicago team. A a former Wisconsin player, she knew what a team would mean to the area.

I had read she announced she was battling breast cancer. I did not broach the subject. I didn't think it was the time or place. I did wish her well.

The next day, the Charge beat the Frost in overtime. The game drew a respectable 7,200 fans. On the weekend before Christmas, for Chicago's first taste of women's hockey with two non-Chicago teams, I thought that was encouraging. As for the hockey itself, I was impressed. It was competitive and exciting.

For more info on Coach MacLeod and the PWHL, go to thepwhl.com. Also, check here for my recurring coverage, which hopefully will eventually include a Chciago team!

Carla MacLeod and me in Rosemont, IL-December 2025.

Happy Birthday Scott

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Scott. I'm sure he is celebrating somewhere in Florida, but I am raising a toast to him from here.

After writing these for so many years, there really isn't much I haven't said. How do you thank someone who has been a friend, mentor, role model and brother? Scott has been all of that and more, including an occasional tormenter depending on our sports bets.

We have been across the country, at many sports events, fishing in remote Canada and even on the field interviewing Minnesota Twins coaches in Spring Training. There's so many great memories, but some of the best times are just with all the family poking, prodding and laughing.

I celebrate these birthdays because these folks in my life are so important. I am a lucky guy.

Happy birthday Scott. We'll celebrate in a couple months.

Scott, Jean and me in Chicago, IL-September 2025.

Friend Encounters: Andy Armadillo and Kevin

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today's Friend Encounter also qualifies as a "Mascot" spotlight. My pal Kevin met a great mascot.

Kevin is a friend I met at Chicago Bandits games. An astute fan of the game, Kevin was always good for a softball discussion. When Athletes Unlimited started, we continued our chats and added gripe sessions about how AU mishandled a few things. We agreed AU was good, but we wanted it to be better and of course, we had the answers. lol. Unfortunately, Kevin moved northwest and I haven't seen him lately.

I do follow him on social media. That is how I saw him meeting Andy Armadillo, the mascot of Texas Roadhouse. Andy has been the mascot since Texas Roadhouse debuted in 1993. Although I have only been to a Texas Roadhouse a couple times, I have never seen Andy. If Andy was around more, I would definitely dine there to meet him. Until then, Kevin has this one on me.  

Kevin and Andy in Rapid City, SD-August 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #776 Billy Gardell & Cesar Millan

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. I'm showing a little love to Pennsylvania.

Born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, actor Billy Gardell is perhaps best known for his title role on tv's Mike & Molly. Citing Jackie Gleason as a major influence, Gardell's entertainment roots are in comedy. Although he was born in Pennsylvania, he grew up in Florida, yet he is still a major fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although his favorite player is Hall of Famer Jack Lambert, Gardell is wearing a #7 Ben Roethlisberger jersey for his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Born in Mexico, Cesar Millan rose to fame from his work with dogs. His show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan ran for many years. I don't know of any connection he has to the Philadelphia Eagles. nor the #43, which was worn most notably by running back Darren Sproles. I don't know ewho the woman is either, but at least he got a dog in the picture.

Blizzard Brawl Returns!

The 20th annual Blizzard Brawl was another fantastic event. It was full of surprises and good news.

Held at the Waukesha County Expo, Blizzard Brawl is Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's big event of the year. There was talk of this being the last. Even promoter David Herro admitted he was unsure of its future.

Fortunately, David ended the suspense right away by announcing Blizzard Brawl 2026 would happen. It would be held in Milwaukee though. David said it will hold more fans, allowing for lower prices. As long as it returns, the rest is just an added bonus.

David works tirelessly to make Blizzard Brawl a great event. He is also very visible there, talking to and thanking fans. David always looks relaxed and in control, which is great to see in a promoter. It is also because things run so smoothly at Blizzard Brawl. That's more kudos to David and his staff.

As always, I'll be featuring more folks from Blizzard Brawl throughout the year, but I wanted to start with the man where it starts. David is more than a promoter. He is a #Superfriend (as he calls his circle of buds).

Speaking of David, I highly encourage everyone to watch The Herro's Journey about David's incredible life. It is not a wrestling movie. It is a movie about a man and his son (Kal). I guarantee it will bring smiles, laughs and tears.

Go to GLCWWrestling.com for more info on all of their great events. Check back here for my recurring coverage.

David Herro and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2025.

Mortal Kombat's Lia Montelongo and Who Else?

How does this happen? My partner on The Johngy "OR ELSE" Podcast interviewed actress Lia Montelongo on a different podcast and didn't tell me? I'm not made he interviewed her elsewhere, because I do it, too. I just wish I would have known.

I found out after meeting Tommy for lunch at Alfie's in Glen Ellyn. It had been a while since we caught up in person and we planned on going to see her at an appearance at our friend Joseph White's Whitney Collectibles store in Glen Ellyn.

After lunch, we made the quick drive and caught up with Joseph while we waited for Montelongo. Upon her arrival, she greeted Tommy with a big hug. We let the crowd go first, before we made our way to the signing area. Lia was as nice as could be and we got the picture.

I will admit, she threw me off a bot when she said we should do the Mortal Kombat pose. Sheepishly, I said I didn't know what that was. I wasn't a big Mortal Kombat fan. 

Montelongo is a native Chicagoan. The 2025 Mrs. Illinois Petite, she is an author and a fitness expert. You can ready my full recap on Global Traveler at .

Tommy, Lia Montelongo and me in Glen Ellyn, IL-July 2025.

Missing The Alright Maybes

After finally seeing a couple performances by The Alright Maybes, I have not seen them doing any shows of late. I hope this isn't permanent.

The Alright Maybes are fronted by Angie Reinhart, sister of Haley Reinhart, one of my very favorite singers. Angie's fiance and a couple others make up the rest of the band. The last time I saw them, They had a fill-in for one of the members. I did my due diligence, but couldn't get the musician's name (which explains the picture below).

Coming from a musical family, Angie's mom and dad often join either daughter on stage, as well as performing with others. Angie sounds very similar to Haley at times but different enough to have her own sound. She also leans a bit towards edgier rock music than Haley, although both can cover a wide range of music.

I hope to see Angie and The Alright Maybes perform this year. They have too much talent not to be on stage somewhere.

Angie Reinhart, an unnamed musician and me in Highwood, IL-April 2025.

Back at Cosmic Underground

My friend Chuck and I were finally able to coordinate our schedules with Cosmic Underground to see a performance. I recapped the experience at Cosmic Underground on Global Traveler.

Although not by profession, Chuck is a magician. He has done more than 2,700 in-room shows at hospitals, among other performances. I am especially grateful for his hospital visits, but that's for another time.

I was happy Chuck could make the show, because I wanted his take on the experience. Owners Kayla Drescher (who I previously interviewed and who has made an appearance on Penn and Teller Fool Us) and Harrison Lampert combine magic, mentalism and comedy into a night of pure entertainment.

After the show, Chuck admitted her knew all of their secrets, but more importantly, he was impressed by their skills. Their sleight-of-hand and misdirection were masterful.

I also must mention Harrison's ability to name ever cereal mascot. Proving his skill, he rattled off about a dozen, then challenged the audience to stump him. Nobody did, although we threw out another dozen cereals.

I really hope Cosmic Underground succeeds. Kayla and Harrison are so positive. I look forward to a return visit.

For more info, go to cosmicundergroundtheater.com. Check here for more of my Chicago area pop culture bits.

Kayla Drescher, Chuck, Harrison Lampert and me in Chicago, IL-December 2025.

Talking Travel with Sara Richard

Happy New Year. I will start the year with one of my favorite people, artists and interviews. 

I have been an admirer of artist Sara Richard for many years. From the moment I met her around 15 years ago, I was immediately fascinated by her illustrations. She is amazingly talented. Over the years, I also learned what a cool person she is. I am proud to call her a friend.

While all of that is great, it isn;t the reason I interviewed her on Talking Travel for Global Traveler. I have met Sara in several places, including Chicago, New York, Columbus, Detroit and maybe a couple others. That is a part of the reason for the interview, but her recent travels are really the main reason.

Sara's work pulled her to Shaghai, where she made two trips and spent several days. Her passions brought her to Gettysburg, where she looked for the supernatural, while absorbing the history. All together, it made for a fascinating and fun interview.

Of course, I was happy to expose her talent to the GT viewers. I am always happy to spread the word on talented folks and just as happy to deliver talented folks to my viewers. The perfect combo is when that talented person is a friend, like Sara.

Watch our interview at Talking Travel with Sara Richard. While you are there, please subscribe to the GT YouTube channel.

Friend Encounters: McKinley the Princess Moose and Nancy

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

My sister Nancy is back with another great mascot. The things she does for her brother...

McKinley Moose joined the Princess Cruises family in 2019 to celebrate 50 years of sailing to Alaska. He is reported to be a friend to Stanley the Bear, the first Princess mascot. There's no mascot jealousy here. Like I say about mascots, the more the merrier. 

I found some confusing info. One source listed him as Morris. There really needs to be a mascot database. There was the ill-fated Mascot Hall of Fame, but that closed after an unsuccessful run.

What really matters though is my sisters go out of their way to indulge me in this silliness. What have I done to them> They love me and I am so lucky to have both of them and all the mascots they find. 

McKinley the Princess Moose, Nancy and her friend in Pacific Ocean-August 2025.