Cards That Never Were Mike Corkins Topps 1975

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Mike Corkins was signed by the San Francisco Giants prior to the 1965 season. Still in the minors, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres from the Giants in the 1968 expansion draft. After making his MLB debut in 1969, he split time between the minors and the Padres through the 1974 season. Although his MLB career was over, he spent one more season in the California Angels minor league system. All told, he went 15-28 with 9 saves and a 4.39 ERA.

For his efforts, Topps gave Corkins cards from 1970-'74, leaving only a career capper, which once again was created by Gio of When Topps Had Baseballs before I could make it. Gio is the master!

Player Turned Coach Coach Abby Ramirez

Chicago native Abby Ramirez starred at shortstop for the University of Michigan. Among her highlights with the Wolverines, she was named to the 2015 NCAA All-Tournament Team after the Wolverines finished runner-up at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Abby went on to play two seasons with the National Pro Fastpitch Chicago Bandits and three seasons with Athletes Unlimited..With all those teams, Rosemont was home and local gal Abby was a definite fan favorite.

Her coaching career started as a grad assistant with Northwestern. Abby joined DePaul as an interim assistant coach in 2021. Abby brings a wealth of experience for such a young coach. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Abby several times. Those interviews can be found on the Chicago Bandits playlist on the Johngy's Beat YouTube channel.

Abby remains one of my favorites. No matter how busy she is, she always makes time for a chat or quick picture. It's been a lot of fun watching her career develop.

For more info on Abby and DePaul, go to depaulbluedemons.com. Also, check back here for my recurring NCAA softball coverage.

Abby Ramirez and me in Rosemont, IL-February 2023.

Player Turned Coach Kristen Butler

This is another in a short series about my former pro softball players I know who have become coaches.

Kristen Butler was a four-year starter for the University of Florida from 2003-06. Mostly a catcher, she was the 2006 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. She still holds season records for most runners picked off (8) and runners caught stealing (22), and the career record for most runners caught stealing (61).

Kristen started her pro career with the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch. She was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. She also played for Denso in Japan, where she was the first player to hit three home runs in a game. After joining the Chicago Bandits, she helped them to the 2015 NPF title, where she 

broke the league's all-time records in both home runs and RBIs. 

Kristen retired after the 2015 season, but had already started her coaching career as an assistant with Florida in 2007. After a couple other assistant coaching stints, she was named Head Coach at Toledo in 2015.After the 2018 season she took the helm at Rutgers.

I was a bit surprised when I saw her at Northwestern in 2019, five years after I had last seen her, she remembered me right away. I probably shouldn't have been surprise, because she was always very kind to the Johngy's Beat team when we were at the ballpark. My interviews with Kristen are in the Chicago Bandits playlist in the right column.

For more info on Kristen and the Scarlet Knights, go to scarletknights.com. Check back here for a few more in this series.

 

Kristen Butler and me in Evanston, IL-Spring 2019.

Player Turned Coach Kirsten Verdun

With collegiate softball season underway, I am highlighting a few women coaches I have known for years.

Kirsten Verdun was a star pitcher for the DePaul Blue Demons. A two-time All-American (2012 and 2014), she helped DePaul to two NCAA regional final appearances and was named the 2014 Big East Pitcher of the Year.

Upon leaving DePaul, she drafted by the Chicago Bandits of the now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch. She played two seasons, the second of which saw the Bandits win the championship.

She entered the coaching ranks as a grad assistant at Louisville in 2014. After two seasons there, she went to Wisconsin, where she stayed for eight seasons before joining the Illini.

As an assistant with Illinois, she works mainly with pitchers. The staff's ERS dropped half a run from her first to her second season.

Kirsten was always great to me during her time with the Bandits. My interviews with her are on the Chicago Bandits playlist in the right column.

She even indulged me every time I remind her she struck me out in a charity game. I did work it to a 1-2 count, before whiffing for the third time. She claims it was about a 45 mph pitch. I say it was closer to 70 mph (or at least it looked like it was 70 mph). Actually it doesn't really matter. She probably could have thrown 30 mph and still got me. I wear it proudly as a badge though. It was one of many highlights from my time covering the Bandits.

.For more info on Kirsten and the Illini, go to fightingillini.com. If you see her, give her my best and tell her I am still whining about the strike out. Stay tuned for a few more of my favorite players-turned-coaches.

Danielle Zymkowitz, Kirsten Verdun and me in Evanston, IL-Spring 2019.

Player Turned Coach Danielle Zymkowitz

I am continuing my series of highlighting former pro softball players who are now coaching.

After a stellar career at the University of Illinois, Danielle Zymkowitz was inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame in 2022. Danielle is the Illini career leader in batting average (.384), stolen bases (91), runs (202) and hits (277).

Danielle went on to have a successful career in National Pro Fastpitch with the Chicago Bandits. After earning a spot in an open tryout, Danielle proved to be a valuable part of the team for seven seasons. She was one of the first Bandits to really standout in my eyes. She was just a pure ballplayer.

She joined the Wisconsin softball staff in 2017 and is currently associate head coach. I see a bright future for Danielle and she deserves it. I definitely see her as a head coach somewhere. I hope it is around here, because I enjoy the yearly trip to see her team.

For more info on Danielle and the Badgers, go to uwbadgers.com. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage of NCAA softball.

Danielle Zymkowitz and me in Evanston, IL-Spring 2021.

Friend Encounters: Scarlett Bordeaux, Killer Kross and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

After a two year absence, Tony will be rejoining me "On the Beat" at the Squared Circle Expo, the best wrestling convention of the year. Happening March 28-28, I am counting the days.

At the last one Tony attended, he met wrestling couple Scarlett Bordaux and Killer Kross. They had a little extra fun with him. Well, really Kross had more fun. When Tony was taking a solo picture with Bordeaux, Kross did some fun photo-bombing. I had to be extra careful to sneak a picture in when Kross stopped. Of course, it was all just fun.

That's the sort of fun at SCX. Every wrestling seems interested in being there, ulike other conventions where guests sometimes seem like they just want to leave. I have never had one bad experience at SCX. In fact, I have had nothing but vey good encounters.

That is a credit to the talent there, but also the promoters who select the wrestler lineup. They work hard to make SCX a fantastic convention and they always raise the bar.

SCX VI runs March 27-28. This couple, actually this trio, will be there, as will I. I am sure Bordeuax and Kross will get many more fans than Tony and me though lol.

For more info, go to squaredcxirclex.com. Check back here for my updates and recaps.

Scarlett Bordeaux, Tony and Killer Kross in Indianapolis, IN-April 2023.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #786: Matty Beniers, Samantha Bohrer & Charlotte North

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create digital cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Last week, I featured the first Celebrity Jersey Cards for Professional Women's Hockey League teams. Today, I feature the three other American teams.

Repping the Seattle Torrent is Matty Beniers, a center and alternate captain of the NHL Seattle Kraken. The 2023 Rookie of the Year was born in Massachusetts, but played college hockey at Michigan, after Covid cancelled the Harvard hockey season. He also represented the U.S. in international play, including the 2022 Olympics. His Celebrity Jersey Card comes from his show of support of the women's Seattle hockey team.

Proudly wearing a New York Sirens jersey, Samantha Bohrer was born in Colorado and graduated from Fordham University. She studied dance for 15 years. A New York-based broadcaster, Bohrer in the In-Arena host for the New York Sirens of the PWHL, as well as the Islanders. I will look for an Islanders picture of her, but for now, she gets a Celebrity Jersey Card with the Sirens.

Donning the Boston Fleet sweater is Charlotte North, a Dallas native and current lacrosse player for the Boston Guard of the Women's Lacrosse League. North did a ceremonial puck drop for the Fleet to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Cards That Never Were: Alex Johnson Topps 1976

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Outfielder Alex Johnson had an interesting career. After being signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1961, he made his MLB debut in 1964. In his 13 seasons, he played for 8 teams, ending with the Detroit Tigers in 1976. He was a complicated man, often in unhappy situations. He was also the brother of former NFL running back Ron. Still, he had a solid career, playing in 1,322 games, hitting .288 with 78 HRs, 525 RBIs and 550 runs scored. 

For his efforts, Topps gave him cards in every set 1965-77, except for 1976. I was not going to let taht exception go, but neither was Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls. Gio has created thousands of cards. Not wanting to mess with perfection, I highlight his card instead of trying to do one myself.

Jamie Koala's Art

I first met artist Jaime Koala several years ago at a comic or horror con. I was immediately drawn to her beautiful art, but her engaging personality sealed the deal and I have followed her since.

Along with her awesome art, Jamie also has a line of clothes and jewelry. I already own a couple of her tshirts and will be buying more.

One of Jamie's latest projects is Dreamscape: A collection of artwork and short stories. With her friend A.K. Kubica, Jamie put together a cool book featuring 17 of Jamie's original paintings with high quality art prints and 14 original spooky short stories to match by A.K. For the lifelong pals, this truly is a labor of love and a proud accomplishment.

Unfortunately, Jamie doesn't do many conventions anymore. She has some longtime medical issues which make it hard for her to deal with that scene. This is part of Jamie's inspiring story though. Her issues do not prevent her from producing so much wonderful art. She is as remarkable as her art.

For more information, go to jamiekoala.com/. Also check here for my coverage.

Jamie Koala and me in Chicago, IL-March 2023.

Samantha Brown at Travel & Adventure Show

In the travel world, it doesn't come much bigger than Samantha Brown. After meeting many legends in other fields, I finally met a true legend in travel.

Over the last 25+ years, Dallas-native Brown has hosted a few different shows on the Travel Channel, PBS and elsewhere. She is one of the top go-to people in the travel industry. Winner of Emmy awards for Outstanding Travel/Adventure Program and Outstanding Host, Brown calls herself an airport geek. Part of that is probably because she views travel as a way to connect with people. Travel is very much people-related for Brown.

This was the bulk of her presentation at the Travel & Adventure Show. Brown discussed her interest in immersing herself into the area and connecting with people, not just seeing touisty things.

Knowing her line in the meet-and-greet would be long and being a veteran of such events, I zipped over to the area immediately after her presentation ended. I was first in line to meet Brown (mission accomplished). She was very engaging, asking my name and thanking me for being there. Again, to the non-convention goer, that doesn't seem like much, but when there is a line of several hundred folks, niceties like that can be lost. Brown, however, treated each person as a special person.

For more info on Brown, go to samantha-brown.com. Also, go to travelshows.com for more on the travel convention.

Samantha Brown and me in Rosemont, IL-February 2026.