Friend Encounters: Cecil Cooper and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today I feature my Wisconsin friend Dennis. Fortunately for me, he is pictured with a Milwaukee Brewers legend whom I already met. That's a bit of a rarity, because Dennis meets a lot of folks I would love to meet. Of course it helps that he lives in Wisconsin where a lot of Brewers and Green Bay Packers do conventions.

Cecil Cooper was a very underrated first baseman who started with the Boston Red Sox, but really became a star with the Brewers. He eventually became a coach and managed the Houston Astros for a few seasons. I met him in Houston, although I was on official press duty and unable to get a picture with him.

Some day, Dennis and I must join forces for a celebrity picture. Perhaps someone like Bill Sharp, who split his career between the Brewers and White Sox, would be a great choice. If anything like that happens, I'll report it here. Until then, I'll feature other pictures from Dennis.

Dennis and Cecil Cooper in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #783 Ginette Reno & Kaylee Williams

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys.

Canadian singer, songwriter and actress Ginette Reno is a gold and platinum selling musician.  A singer in both French and English, Reno was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1982. Shortly after recovering from heart surgery in 2014, Reno sang the anthems for the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. She has since returned multiple times. Those appearances landed her on a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Chicago native Kaylee Williams rose to fame as a scream queen, although she is not limited to just horror movies. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kaylee back in 2011. That interview is at On the Beat With Kaylee Williams. Kaylee earned her Celebrity Jersey Card by repping the Chicago Wolves American Hockey League team.

Laynie Luck Appearing at Squared Circle Expo VI

The wrestlers lineup at Squared Circle Expo just keeps getting better. Independent wrestler Laynie Luck was recently announced.

I first saw Laynie a few years back. I quickly realized she is an excellent wrestler. She married fellow wrestler GPA. They have wrestled in mixed matches and separately. Both are extremely nice outside of the ring, too.

After making her pro debut in late 2015, Laynie has wrestled for several companies, including Impact. She has won several titles and has appeared on the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 250 Female Wrestlers list four times.

SCX VI features more than 75 wrestlers appearing for meet-and-greets, along with vendors, panels, Q&As, photo ops and much more. There will also be two full nights of wrestling. Matches haven't been announced yet, but I would think Laynie would be in one of the matches. I hope GPA is also there.

Go to squaredcirclex.com for more info. Check back here for my updates.

Laynie Luck and me in Northbrook, IL-December 2023.

Talking Travel with Michele Lindsay

When I go on trips with my friends, I usually do most of the planning. I'm okay with that, but if I wasn't, I would use someone like Michele Lindsay.

The founder of Blue Pointe Travel, Lindsay is a travel advisor. Although she specializes in luxury trips and cruises, she can help with any trip. I had to start by askin what makes someone an expert. She responded with the steps she took to achieve that status. It's not a false claim.

Then I had to give her a short quiz about the current state of cruises, the changes over the years and upcoming trends. Lindsay easily passed my pop quiz with plenty of info to back up her answers. There's no question Lindsay knows her stuff.

My full interview with Lindsay is at Talking Travel with Michele Lindsay on Global Traveler. Once you've watched it (or even if you don't), please subscribe to the Global Traveler YouTube channel. Every subscription helps.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Today I celebrate the birthday of my youngest niece. Who knows where Sam is today, but wherever she is, I am sure she is celebrating with her friends or husband.

Last November, I had the pleasure of joining Sam and family and friends in Cancun for her wedding. I could not be happier for Sam. She deserves every bit of happiness in life.

She is tough, funny, smart and oh so adventurous. I love following her adventures online. I admire her spirit. She's always out there and living life. I am so proud of all she has done and all she is. 

She could be halfway around the world, but wherever she is today, I wish her a happy birthday! I love you Sam, don't ever change.

Dan, Sam and me in Cancun, Mexico-November 2025.

Talking Travel with Raymont Harris

My latest Talking Travel interview for Global Traveler is with former NFL running back Raymont Harris. The Ultraback just published a book and was happy to discuss it and a little travel.

Raymont's book, Control the Controllables, was especially of interest to me. It's a philosophy I try to use whenever I face a tough situation, like running a Marathon. If you take care of the things you can control, the rest is a bit easier and you have more time and brain power to handle all else. Of course, that is my simplistic interpretation. Raymont's book is much more in depth and informative.

This was a fun interview, because Raymonth was a popular member of the Chicago Bears for four seasons. The interview came together quickly and it was a pleasure working with Raymont.

I'm not just plugging the book because of the interview. It really is a good book. There are  life lessons mixed with his stories. Raymont's life wasn't always easy, but he shares all of it, including his mindset.

The interview is at Talking Travel with Raymont Harris. Also, do me a favor and subscribe to the GT YouTube channel.

Friend Encounters: Greg Valentine and Herb Simmons

Friend Encounters is a weekly series about friends meeting celebrities.

Herb Simmons is the man behind Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling. One of the great events is the Fan Fest. This year, it is May 8-9 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Last year, Tony and I made the trek south to cover Fn Fest. Our main goal of Kevin Von Erich had to cancel due to horrible weather in St. Louis. We actually almost drive into a tornado one day. Anyway, despite his cancellation, we had a great time meeting so many other legends like David Schultz, B Brian Blair, Ricky Morton and many others.

This year, the guest lineup is just starting to get released. So far, Johnny Rodz, Spike Huber, Mick Foley and a few others have been announced.

Herb works tirelessly to make this a great event. Usually on the first night, some of the wrestlers are at their booths, but there is also a special session. Last year, it was a Q&A with the legendary ill Apter. This year, Foley is doing something special.

I don't see a lot of pictures of Herb with wrestlers. He is probably too busy making sure everything runs smoothly...and it does. I did manage to find a pic of him with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. That makes two legends and Hall of Famers in one picture.

We are planning on being "On the Beat" again at Fan Fest. It's a fun roadtrip and there are great wrestlers to meet. It is also always good seeing Herb.

Go to SICW.org for more info on Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling and the Fan Fest/. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Greg Valentine and Herb Simmons in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Happy Birthday, Louie!

Today I celebrate the birthday of Louie, my longtime friend and work partner. I am sure he is celebrating with his family, but I celebrate him here.

Around 40 years ago, while I was at DePaul, I often ate at The Seminary, a restaurant across the street. It was owned by Louie's father and Louie worked part-time there. I saw him, but didn't put any significance to it.

In September 1987, I started at Lerner Newspapers and began working with Louie, who also worked part-time there. When we got to know each other a bit, I made the connection that I had seen him at The Seminary.

Over the next many years, Louie became one of my closest friends. His extended family welcomed me and his friends became my friends, too.  I also became an honorary Greek. We basically worked side-by-side for 17 years, followed by many more years working together at Global Traveler. At a low point in my life, Louie put me on his softball team, despite my lack of skill (I eventually got better lol). I stood up in his wedding. Most recently, he included me with his family when he was inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame. I could not have asked for a better friend or co-worker.

Many years ago, we started using jersey numbers in our birthday greetings. I won't reveal Loui's age, but Ron Rivera is happy to see him.

I will text Louie a pic of Rivera later today and we will have a birthday dinner soon. For now, I wish my dear friend a great birthday!

Celebrity Jersey Cards #782 Patrick Stewart & Jo Koy

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series on which I create digital trading cards fo celebrities wearing jerseys. Today, I salute the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Born in Yorkshire, England, Patrick Stewart has enjoyed a career spanning 65+ years. He has racked up a bunch of awards, including two Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for a Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was also knighted in 2010. Stewart donned a Seahawks jersey and joined Ian McKellan, who wore a Denver Broncos jersey (see earlier Celebrity Jersey Cards) for a photo shoot. Stewart's Celebrity Jerey Card goes old school before the Seahawks even existed.

Joseph Glenn Herbert was born in Japan, when his military father was stationed there. He took his stage name Jo Koy from a nickname given to him early in life. Koy was a regular guest on Chelsea Lately. When Koy hosted the 81st Golden Globe awards, his work received criticism, but Koy handled it all well. Koy was a 12th man flag-raiser for the Seahawks to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Kylie Rae Appearing at Squared Circle Expo 2026

Kylie Rae is one of the best and one of my favorite independent wrestlers. I am excited to see she is appearing at Squared Circle Expo VI in Indianapolis in March.

After a long wait, I finally met her a few years ago. I have seen her once or twice since then. The last time was at 2econd Wrestling's show at St. Demetrios last year.

Kylie had her first child a couple years ago and came back strong. She won the newly-created WWE ID title for indy wrestlers. Then she got pregnant again and had to give up the title (a trade I am sure she gladly made).

When we met Kylie at St. D's, we talked a bit and learned she is a bit shy about meeting fans. That is funny, because she is so engaging while wrestling.. I guess I give her even more credit for that. She never fails to entertain when she wrestles. I think she is better as the good guy, but I have seen her as a heel and she is quite good, too.

Kylie is one of about 75 wrestlers scheduled to appear at SCX VI. It is a great 2 day wrestling convention, featuring two full wrestling cards at night. It is a must on my yearly convention circuit.

Go to squaredcirclex.com for more info. Check back here for my updates.

Kylie Rae and me in Chicago, IL-January 2025.