Celebrity Jersey Cards #788: Piper Gilles & Mark Sutcliffe

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create digital cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I feature the last two Canadian teams in my first series of Celebrity Jersey Cards for the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Representing the Toronto Sceptres is Rockford, Illinois native Piper Gilles. Learning to skate as a toddler, Gilles competed in ice dancing for Team Canada in three Winter Olympics, including this year. Gilles and her partner Paul Poirier took the bronze in the recent Olympics. Prior to that, she repped the Toronto Sceptres to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card, which is almost as cool as a bronze medal.

Ottawa Mayor was happy to wear an Ottawa Charge sweater as he took part in a street naming ceremony for the team. Elected Mayor in 2022, Sutcliffe previously worked in radio, including being the first play-by-play announcer for the Ottawa Lynx baseball team. The street became Charge Avenue and Sutcliffe became a member of the Celebrity Jersey Card Club.

Friend Encounters: Jeff Burroughs and Dennis

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

My convention buddy Dennis has me on this one. How did he meet former MLB player Jeff Burroughs? He never even played for the Milwaukee Brewers,

Dennis meets a lot of celebrities and athletes. Usually, the athletes have a Wisconsin connection. As much as I envy him for many of those, I also understand he meets most in Wisconsin, too far for me to go for one athlete. Burroughs though has no such connection to the Badger state.

This one is especially painful, because it happened in Rosemont, just west of me. Easing the pain a bit is the fact I was out of town. At least I did not miss it. I just couldn't be there.

Burroughs was one of my favorites growing up. He won the MVP as a glasses-wearing outfielder. He was an excellent player for a lot of years. His son eventually played in the majors, too, but without much success. Sean died tragically at 43.

I'll let go of this one with Dennis. I just hope he doesn;t have many more that I could not get. There's only so much disappointment I can take.

Jeff Burroughs and Dennis in Rosemont, IL-March 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #787: Kevin Lankinen & Lane Hutson

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create digital cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Previously, I featured the American teams of the Professional Women's Hockey League. Today, I show two of the Canadian teams.

Repping the Vancouver Goldeneyes is goalie Kevin Lankinen. Borbn in Finland, Lankinen played for the Finland national team, other pro international teams, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators, before joining the Vancouver Canucks. Lankinen showed his support for the women's hockey team in Vancouver to get his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Wearing the sweater of the Montreal Victoire is Montreal Canadiens Lane Hutson. Born in Michigan, Hutson represented the United States national team, before being drafted by the Canadiens. Hutson won the Calder Memorial Trophy (the NHL's Rookie of the Year) in 2025. Hutson supported his Montreal hockey counterparts to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card.

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.