Catching Up with Andrew McCarthy

Back in the 1980s when I was watching Andrew McCarthy in movies, I never thought I would interview him. Fast forward 40 years and I have interviewed him multiple times.

I admit, several years ago I had no idea he became a travel writer. I attended a travel show and there he was, giving a presentation on travel. He was promoting Walking with Sam, a story of his walk in Spain with his son. It was a great lecture and later I saw the book was great, too. It was about his relationship with his son, with travel (a lot of travel) as the backdrop..

I immediately wanted to interview him for Global Traveler. It was a great fit and should get lots of views. To my surprise, his people set it up quickly. Since then, I have seen, chatted with and interviewed him a few times. He is extremely nice and very passionate about travel.

After my last interview with him, he did a book chat close to me. Afterwards, when I chatted with him, the first thing he did was ask how the interview was. How cool of him.

McCarthy is a very talented writer. I have read all of his books and enjoyed each one.

My latest interview with him is at Talking Travel with Andrew McCarthy. While you are there, please subscribe to the Global Traveler YouTube channel, too.

Andrew McCarthy and me in Winnetka, IL-April 2026.

Mr. Zubaz at Squared Circle Expo

Today, I feature one of the unsung heroes of the Squared Circle Expo wrestling convention. Ed (aka Mr. Zubaz) is one of the four promoters who make this a great event.

I have actually known Ed's wife Hardcore Heather longer than I know Ed. I might have crossed paths with both at a horror convention we all attended years ago, but I got to know Heather during her stints in Resistance Pro Wrestling. I don't think Ed was ever there or at least I never met him there.

There is more to Ed than his ever-present Zubaz. I do applaud him for his determination in wearing them. Ed is a mostly-retired wrestler. More importantly, as I wrote, he is one of the promoters of SCX.

As a longtime wrestling fan, wrestler and convention attendee, Ed has the knowledge and connections to make SCX great. The Fantastic Four make a great combo, each with a different strength. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing Ed is one of the main (if not the main) booker for the wrestling matches ending Saturday. Those matches are always some of the best matches I have seen. Last year, in particular, had awesome matches. That card was capable of standing with any wrestling card anywhere.

During the event, Ed usually doesn't have much free time as SCX business keeps him hopping. He does however always make time for a quick chat and selfie. In short, Ed is a good dude and I appreciate his friendship and all he does.

For more info on SCX, go to squaredcirclex.com. Check back here for my recurring coverage.

Ed and me in Indianapolis, IN-March 2026.

Friend Encounters: Abby Ramirez and Chris

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is back. More important to Chicago, the Chicago Bandits are back.

After a few years of AU Softball being played under fantasy-league type rules, AUSL debuted last year, bringing back traditional softball. Four teams played the season in Rosemont, including the Bandits, but none had a designated city affiliation. In the offseason, it was finally announced the Bandits would belong to Chicago, while the other three teams, plus two new teams, found their homes elsewhere.

Abby Ramirez played for the previous version of the Chicago Bandits. She also played in the first two seasons of AU. The Chicago-area native starred at the University of Michigan, before returning to Chicago to play pro ball. She currently is an assistant coach for DePaul.

That is where long time Bandits fan Chris saw her. The Blue Demons hosted the Dome Tournament in February. Of course, Chris had to get a picture with Abby. Despite retiring from active play about four years ago, Abby is still extremely popular with Chicago fans. Everyone loves Abby and rightly so.

Chris is very popular, too. He is well-known for taking hundreds of pictures at every game and also for his cowbell.  A constant presence at all Bandits or AU games in Rosemont, Chris is part of the old guard. He goes back farther than me, but I am still part of the "Old Crusties" group with him, Tony, Kevin and a few others.

Go to auprosports.com for more info on the league and depaulbluedemons.com for more info on Abby and the Blue Demons. Check back here for my recurring coverage of both.

Chris and Abby in Rosemont, IL-February 2026

Celebrity Jersey Cards #804: Martina Navratilova & Noah Ohlsen

This is a regular series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys. Once again, we are working our way alphabetically through all of the Major League Baseball teams.

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Martina Navratilova grew up to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She has a career record of 1442–219 in singles matches and has 167 titles. Navratilova has battled cancer for several years, but she announced herself free of cancer in 2023. Navratilova tossed a ceremonial pitch for the Marlins to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Miami native Noah Ohlsen reached the biggest cross functional training stage in 2014. He spent more than a decade competing and never finishing below 16th place. Ohlsen has continued competing in various fitness competitions. Ohlsen earned his Celebrity Jersey Card on the field with Billy the Marlin.

Cards That Never Were: Rusty Torres Topps 1975, '78, '79 & '81

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.

Outfielder Rusty Torres was selected by the New York Yankees in the 54th round of the 1966 amateur draft. After making his MLB debut with the Yankees, Torres also played for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), California Angles, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, before retiring after the 1981 season, which he spent in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. For his career, he spent parts of nine seasons in the MLB, playing 655 games, collecting 279 hits, with 35 HRs, 126 RBIs and 159 runs scored.

For his effort, Topps gave Torres cards in sets from 1972-'74, '77 and '80. That left four cards to be made. Once again, Lynn of the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group beat me to all of them. Lynn is probably the most prolific of all creators in the group, with hundreds (thousands?) of cards created. The group is not just for baseball creations, either, despite the name.

Catching Up with Delanie Wisz

It took some effort, but I got a picture with pro softball player Delanie Wisz. She was my only goal on her team and I succeeded.

Delanie starred at UCLA, before joining Athletes Unlimited. At UCLA, she helped lead the Bruins to a pair of NCAA College World Series appearances. She debuted with AU in 2023 and became a Bandit in 2025, when real teams were announced.

Two new teams joined AU in the offseason and the Bandits (now the Chicago Bandits) could only protect five players. No disrespect to those chosen, but Delanie should have been protected. She has versatility of playing several positions, including RF, 3B, 1B and catcher. That type of ability, coupled with her skill set, should have made her an easy keeper. Instead, she became a great pickup for the Oklahoma Spark.

On her first series back in Rosemont, she hit 3 HRs in three games. Despite her being on the opposing team, I cheered every time.

I have been a fan of Delanie's for many years. I actually started as a fan and admirer of her sister Stevie. A player at UCLA prior to Delanie, Stevie has battled heart issues for many years. She is tough and inspirational.

I have followed Stevie, Delanie and their mom on social media and I have seen all of their triumphs and hurdles. They have such a strong faith and positive attitude, despite the hardships they have experienced.

AU instituted a new tougher policy with player pictures and autographs. I camped out near the player locker room door and hoped to catch her when she wasn't in game mode. Prior to the last game, she was already on the field, but she went back to the clubhouse. When she reappeared to head to the field, she was accompanied by a policeman, a common practice now to discourage fans from bothering her. Undaunted, I approached her just as she neared the field and the policeman started walking away. To her credit, Delanie was as sweet as could be.

I immediately sent the picture to Delanie's mom, like I did with every previous picture I took with Delanie. Mom Wisz has always been kind to me. On one Chicago roadtrip to see Delanie, she came over to me to thank me for my support over the years. Like I wrote, it is a beautiful family.

For more info on Delanie and the league, go to auprosports.com. Also, check here for my recurring coverage.

Delanie Wisz and me in Rosemont, IL-June 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards Special Edition #803: WWE FIFA Bobby Lashley & Liv Morgan

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. With the World Cup starting today, I produced some Special Edition WWE FIFA Celebrity Jersey Cards.

Bobby Lashley made his pro wrestling debut in 2005 for Ohio Valley Wrestling. I know Bobby from his time with Resistance Pro Wrestling many years ago. One of the biggest, but nicest, folks you'd ever want to meet, Lashley was a force in the ring and a fun guy outside of it. He was a big proponent of coconut water back then. He has won wrestling titles wherever he has gone, but also some mixed martial arts titles.

Gionna Jene Daddio signed with the WWE in 2014 and eventually gained fame as Liv Morgan. A longtime fan of wrestling, Morgan is living her dream, having won several titles in the WWE in singles and tagteam competition. She also has done some episodic television.

Talking Travel with Haley Reinhart

I have written many times about musician Haley Reinhart. About four years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing her. That interview helped launch my Talking Travel series on Global Traveler.

I have wanted to interview her again for a while, but the timing was never quite right. That changed with my recent interview with musician Dave Koz. While setting up the interview, I learned Haley would be appearing on his upcoming Somma cruise. I pitched the idea of doing both interviews to Koz's PR person and all agreed. Another factor in my favor was Haley releasing her newest song "Promise." 

I was a bit more relaxed in this interview with Haley. I am still just as big of a fan of her, but having talked to her many times in person, I was much more at ease. For her part, Haley was as charming and engaging as always.

We talked a bit about "Promise" and her voiceover work on "F is For Family." Then we moved into talk of the cruise. We finished with a little Chicago talk, as she is a Chicago area gal.

The interview can be found on the Global Traveler YouTube channel. I hope you'll enjoy it and that you'll subscribe to the channel. The more subscribers the channel gets, the more fun interviews I can do.

My Media Colleague Bruce Miles

The title of this isn't just my small brag. It is something veteran media person Bruce Miles once said at a book discussion he held.

Bruce has carved out a great career. He has done things I truly admire. In a parallel universe, I would have followed his career path.

A few years ago, I had the honor of sharing the media area of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League with Bruce. That's something I never saw coming way back when I started writing more at a relatively advanced age. To me, that signified I had achieved a level of success I never expected.

Bruce has stayed with the Bandits since then, while I chose not to officially cover the team. It wasn't a good fit for me, but I left on my own terms, which is another victory for me. In my early days, I took every assignment I could get. Now I am at the point I can walk away if it doesn't work for me. No offense to Athletes Unlimited or the Chicago Bandits, but being credentialed di not allow me to do the type of coverage I liked doing. I still follow and cover he league on my own.

That's why I was at the Ball Park in Rosemont for Opening Weekend. Bruce was one of the first folks I saw Saturday and I had to get a quick picture. Once the games and season starts, I know Bruce is very busy. This was a lucky pass.

As for the "media colleague" title, that was from a quote by Bruce. When I attended one of his book discussion, he introduced me at the end of the session. I was a bit surprised and certainly grateful. Even if it was just out of politeness, having Bruce do it really made me feel good.

Bruce is a class act and an excellent writer, author and reporter. Meeting him was cool enough, but working with him was a thrill.

Bruce Miles and me in Rosemont, IL-June 2026.

Friend Encounters: Paloma Starr and Tommy Else

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today, I feature two of my friends I met through our time with Resistance Pro Wrestling. While Tommy would say he is a star, even he must admit Paloma is the celebrity in this picture.

A noted fan of the San Francisco 49ers, Paloma has added the Chicago Cubs to her fandom since moving here. Once when she had an extra ticket, she invited pal Tommy to a Cubs game. He only "condition" was he had to wear his Cubs Hawaiian shirt. He readily agreed, but he probably would have worn it either way. He added a luchador mask, which 35,000 fans happy not to actually see him.

A bit to my surprise, Tommy has actually become a big fan of the Cubs. Not just a surface-level social media fan, Tommy knows his stuff.

Meanwhile Paloma recently started appearing on Ring the Belle, the daily wrestling talk show on Sirius radio. I'd like to glom a bit of credit for her media success, because of her time as the "Chica On the Beat" at Resistance Pro. The truth is she is a natural and I was lucky to have her on my interview series. Her success is all her own and she deserves all of it. Give it a listen and if you call in, mention Johngy sent you.

Paloma and Tommy in Chicago, IL-June 2015.