The Dog Days of Naperville

In addition to my fascination with mascots, I also love public art, especially sculptures. A few weeks ago, I visited some dog sculptures in Naperville, Illinois. Always looking out to help me, my sister Jean alerted me to these dogs.

The Dog Days of Summer features 25 painted pet sculptures in the downtown Naperville area. Notice, I wrote pets, and not dogs. That's because one cat is in the mix.

Aside from the lone cat, the other 24 sculptures feature a variety of dog breeds painted with different themes and local business logos. Unlike some other sculpture projects, the different breeds allow each piece to look different. I love these type of sculptures either way, but having them all shaped differently makes them stand out.

I wrote more about the dogs on Naperville's Dog Days of Summer on Global Traveler. Below is a picture of my favorite dog, a very colorful bulldog.

A Naperville Bulldog and me in Naperville, IL-June 2026.

Friend Encounters: John Cena and David Vox Mullen

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

There is so much material in this picture. It is also a bit bittersweet for me.

First, the obvious joke. Why am I featuring my friend David Vox Mullen all by himself? If you know wrestling, you'll get that reference. If you don't know wrestling, look at Cena's hat for a clue.

This meeting between wrestling legend John Cena and my pal Vox happened at Wizard World in 2012. That was before I even knew Vox, but it wasn't before I was covering Wizard World. Henc my angst. Why didn't I get an interview with Cena? Oh well.

I am very happy for Vox though. He landed a big name and he deserved it. Vox is extremely talented, whether singing, hosting, performing comedy or anything else he does. He is also ne of the greatest people I know.

Vox earned everything he has gotten. His most recent projects were a documentary on Wisconsin wrestling promoter David Herro and an unnamed future doc. His very latest accomplishment is his book Go Book Yourself. I am lucky enough to have a special #5 of 20 original copies headed to me. I can't waqit to read it and review it right here.

To learn more info, follow Vox on Instagram. Of course, check back here, too. You'll definitely see more of Vox in the future.

John Cena and Vox in Rosemont, IL-August 2012.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #810: John Harbaugh & Kimmie Meissner

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. I am continuing my season-long alphabetical march through all MLB teams. Today, I present a couple athletic Baltimore Orioles fans.

Born in Ohio, John Harbaugh led the Baltimore Ravens to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII and was named Coach of the Year in 2019. The younger brother of Jim, John just moved to the New York Giants after 18 years with the Ravens. Perhaps he will make an appearance for the Mets or Yankees to get another Celebrity Jersey Card.

Born in Towson, Maryland, Kimmie Meissner grew to be a world champion figure skater. She was the youngest athlete to compete in the 2006 Olympics. After winning the Worlds championships in 2006, Meissner became the ambassador for the "Cool Kids Campaign," which provided toys for pediatric oncology patients, for which I wildly applaud her. She also designed bracelets to raise money for charity. Meissner gets extra points for an old school pose on her Celebrity Jersey Card. That pose would look great on a card from the early 70s.

Cards That Never Were: Bob Gallagher Topps 1973 & '76

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

Bob Gallagher was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 1968 MLB June Amateur Draft. In 1971, he was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 1971 rule 5 draft and appeared in a few games for the BoSox in 1972. Again in 1972, he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft, this time by the Houston Astros. He played two seasons for the Astros, before being traded to the New York Mets. After one season in the Big Apple, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants, but did not play in the MLB after the 1975 season. All told, Gallagher played parts of four seasons, appearing in 213 games, batting .220 with 2 HRs, 13 RBIs and 34 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Gallagher cards in 1974 and '75, skipping his first and last. Once again, I was beaten to the punch. Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls created the 1973 card, while Lynn of the Facebook group Custom Baseball Cards made the 1976 card. I can't improve on these beauties. I just highlight them and encourage all to checkout those sites for their thousands of other masterful creations.

Carrie and Squared Circle Expo

One of the unsung heroes of Squared Circle Expo is Carrie, wife of co-promoter Adolfo. With Ed and Heather, these two run a fantastic wrestling convention.

I first saw Carrie at a horror convention many years ago. Adolfo saw her there, too and they eventually married. That is a true love story.

Carrie is usually manning the SCX merchandise table. She is always smiling, no matter the crowd wanting various items. I am sure she has other roles behind the scenes, like the other promoters. They all work extremely hard to make the convention awesome.

She's just a nice person, a joy to know. As the merch table is one of the first things after the entrance, Carrie is usually one of the first folks I see. It is always comforting and welcoming to see her there.

SCX has held six events and each one is better than the previous. SCX VII should be sometime in late March, but I am eagerly awaiting the date announcement.

Until then, check squaredcirclex.com for mor einfo on this great event. Also, check here for my updates.

Carrie and me in Indianapolis, IN-March 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards Special Edition #809: WWE FIFA Kofi Kingston & Robert Roode

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.

Born Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah in Ghana, Kofi Kingston was originallt billed from Jamaica, requiring some sort of accent. Why not just Ghana? That's the WWE for you. Somewhere along the way, he lost that part of his gimmick and has become one of the cornerstones of the WWE.

Toronto native Robert Roode made his debut in 1998. He gained huge success in the Beer Money tag team in TNA Impact Wrestling. He has been with the WWE since 2016, but often gets lost in the shuffle, despite his skills. He has done agent work for the WWE for a few years, seemingly retired from inring competition now. Roode deserved a better run in the WWE, but again, that's the WWE.

Talking Travel with Brooks Laich

A couple months ago, Global Traveler's sister site Trazee Travel ran a story about former NHL star Brooks Laich starting a travel booking company. Always looking for new angles for Talking Travel interviews and certainly always happy to discuss hockey, I contacted Laich about an interview.

I knew it would be a fun interview when Brooks atrted by saying he always loves talking about travel. As the co-founder and CEO or World Palyground, a fairly new travel booking company, Brooks does more than talk travel. He impacts travel for his clients.

Brooks had a long NHL career, mostly with the Washington Capitals. Of course, I had to ask him a few hockey questions before we moved on to travel. Brooks gave a couple fun stories, including one on his first hockey card.

World Playground promises to get your travel plans made without added costs. Brooks feels the more you save the more you can travel. That makes total sense. In the interview, you can really see Brooks loves what he does. This is more than just a business to him.

That interview is at Talking Travel with Brooks Laich. While you are there, please subscribe to the GT YouTube channel. Also, go to worldplayground.co for more info on this great company.

Steve Horton at Fan Expo 2025

Fan Expo returns to Chicago August 14-16. As usual, I will be "On the Beat" meeting celebrities and creators of all sorts.

Since acquiring Wizard World several years ago, Fan Expo has done a great job. Most attendees wouldn't even know any difference.

One of the great parts of Fan Expo is the guest lineup. Where else could I meet a New York Times bestselling comic book writer this easily? I did just that last year when I met Steve Horton.

A graduate of Purdue University, Horton is a graphic novelist who has done work for Image Comics, IDW, Dark Horse Comics and more. He has written for various comics, including Amala's Blade: Spirits of Naamaron with Michael Dialynas and Satellite Falling with Stephen Thompson, among his other work.

In 2020, Horton authored Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns, and Moonage Daydreams with Michael Allred and Laura Allred. The graphic novel won two Eisner Awards in 2021 and is a must for all Bowie fans.

The guest list for this year  has started to be announced. Among the big names are John Carpenter, Mr. T., PJ Soles, Ron Perlman and many others. For more info and scheduling, go to fanexpohq.com.

Steve Horton and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2025.

Friend Encounters: Jon Patricof and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today, I continue with an Athletes Unlimited theme by featuring the man at the top.

New York born Jon Patricof graduated from Harvard. He joined Tribeca Enterprises in 2005 as Chief Operating Officer. In 2016, he became the third president of New York City FC. Along with Jonathan Soros, Patricof co-founded Athletes Unlimited in 2020.

AU was originally comprised of four women's sports leagues, including softball, Volleyball, Lacrosse and basketball, all played using fantasy league-type rules and scoring. Lacrosse folded after a few years. Softball expanded to a standard league in 2025. This year, the AU Softball League added two new teams, while assigning city alliances. Ths, the Chicago Bandits were reborn.

As I have been doing, today I feature Tony, another of the old guard. Tony actually goes farther back with the team than I do. Although we aren't certain, we might have first met at a Bandits game in 2014. We at least know we started chatting more at those games.

Last year, the league played all games in Rosemont. Tony met Patricof at one of the games in Rosemont last year. In a rarity, I spotted Patricof first. Eagle eyes Tony usually is the spotter.

Either way, we chatted briefly with Patricof. He is always very busy when he is here. Catching him even for a quick picture is a challenge, but Tony and I are dedicated pros at this. lol

For more info on the league, go to auprosports.com. Check back here for my coverage.

Jon Patricof and Tony in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #808: Ralph Northam & James Winnefeld Jr.

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. We continue our season-long romp through every MLB team. This is as political as I get.

Virginia native Ralph Northam was the 73rd Governor of Virginia. Out of politics, he is currently a neurologist, with special interest in epilepsy and neuromuscular disorders. Northam threw a ceremonial pitch to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card. Because his "pro" career started when the Expos were still active, I made old school and current team designations.

James "Sandy" Winnefeld was born in California and went on to serve this country for 35+ years. A retired United States Navy Admiral, Winnefeld lost a son to opiod addiction, prompting his family to launch SafeProject.us with a goal of saving others from that fate. Winnefeld got his Celebrity Jersey Card and what looks like a hit in a charity game. Winnefeld also gets double cards for the old and new.