Talking Travel with JetSet Brooke

My latest Talking Travel interview guest is known as JetSet Brooke. Her given name is Brooke Morrison and she is a travel expert and influencer.

Much like her platform, Brooke is a bit all over the place, as you will see in the interview. It's all in the best way though. Brooke delivers a bit of everything through her platform and in our conversation.

The wife of a pilot, Brooke's interest in travel started in her youth and has grown ever since. Several years ago, she made travel her career.

In our interview, Brooke talked about touching the plane before boarding and other interesting things, along with the usual topics. Brooke was as informative as she was entertaining. Interview guests like Brooke make my job a lt easier. 

You can find the interview on the Global Traveler YouTube channel. While there, please subscribe to it. It's free, easy and you won't be bothered with emails.

The Harp Twins and the Volfgang Twins

When my buddy Tony asked me about seeing the Harp Twins, I wasn't overly excited, but I am always up for something new. A music set featuring harp-playing twins was definitely something new. You can see my full recap of the day at The Harp Twins and The Volfgang Twins on Global Traveler.

On the way there, Tony gave me a brief bio on the twins. When we got there, we learned they would be accompanied by the Wolfgang Twins, also known as their husbands. The harps combined with the booming drums created an interesting sound. They played covers of rock songs (like "Dream On" by Aerosmith) and originals.

For clarifications, the Harp Twins are Camille and Kennerly Kitt, while the Volfgang Twins are Dromil and Dromal Volfgang. Don't ask me which is which.

The Harp Twins, Volfgang Twins and me in South Elgin, IL-July 2026.

Cards That Never Were: Jeff Torborg Topps 1974

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create trading cards for players missed in various sets over the years. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I thank them all.

Catcher Jeff Torborg was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers sometime prior to the 1963 season. After making his MLB debut in 1964, he played with the Dodgers through the 1970 season. He was traded to the California Angels and played with that team for three seasons, before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He never played for the Cards though, as he was released in Spring Training, ending his career. All told, in 10 seasons, he played in 574 games, batting .214 with eight homers, 101 RBIs and 78 runs scored. He caught no-hitters from Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan.

For his efforts, Torborg got cards in Topps sets 1965-73. He was omitted from the '74 set, which is understandable since he was traded in December and his future was uncertain. As I prepared to create his missing card, I found Gio from When Topps Had (Base)Balls already made a beauty. Gio's site has hundreds of awesome digital cards. He often beat me to creations, but at least I can give him his props.

Back to Torborg, he also appeared in some television shows during his career. Recently, Jeff Torborg: A Wonderful Baseball Life was released. I interviewed Jeff's son Dale (a former MLB coach) about the documentary at Talking Travel with Dale Torborg.

Meeting Cuppy

Dunkin' (formerly known as Dunkin' Donuts, but that is another story for another day) has had three main mascots over the years. Recently, I met Cuppy, the current mascot.

Dunkie, a mascot made of donuts carrying a tray of donuts. was the first mascot of DD in the 1950s. In the 80s-90s, Fred the Baker became the mascot. Fred was an actual actor (Michael Vale) whose tagline was "Time to make the donuts." 

Cuppy debuted in the 2010s. It's not secret I love mascots. I do have some reservations about objects being mascots. I prefer fuzzy creatures to inanimate objects. A mascot made of donuts promoting eating donuts seems a bit odd, even cannibalistic. The same goesfor Cuppy.

Even with those thoughts, I could not pass up the chance to get a pcture with Cuppy at an appearance by the Savannah Bananas at a local Dunkin'.

Cuppy and me in Chicago, IL-July 2026.

Friend Encounters: Maud-Aimee Leblanc and Jim

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

I haven't featured too many golfers here over the years. My buddy Jim is about to change that after caddying at a tournament in Oregon.

One of the players he met is Maud-Aimee Leblanc. Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, she started playing in golf tournaments at age 9. She was a member of the Canadian National Team for six years. While attending Purdue University, she earned Freshman of the Year honors. Late last year, LeBlanc secured her card for the 2026 LPGA Tour at Q-Series.

My buddy Jim, on the other hand, is a duffer on the course. Clearly, he is better than me, as I have golfed four times in my life (three times too many). Baseball was Jim's first sport though. Caddying is just one of his leisure activities now that he is retired.

Some might say Jim saw an opportunity to appear "On the Beat" by taking pictures with golfers. I cannot rule out that possibility. As you will see in the next several months, Jim met several other golfers, too.

Jim and Maud-Aimee Leblanc in Portland, OR-August 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #819: Bryan Devonshire & Meagan Martin

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. I am continuing my season-long alphabetical march through all MLB teams.

Bryan Devonshire was a river guide in California, who played online poker. He moved to Colorado and kept getting better and winning more in online poker. He eventually moved to real poker in Las Vegas. He finished 12th (two away from the main table) in the 2011 World Series of Poker. Devonshire continues to be a river guide in Colorado, while also trying his luck at the WSOP. He threw a first pitch for the Colorado Rockies to earn his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Professional climber Meagan Martin is a professional climber, who has made history on American Ninja Warrior in 2014, when she became the first rookie to complete a qualifying course and the third woman to climb the warped wall. She has competed on AN every year since and has always made the nationals finals. She was a Division 1 athlete at Vanderbilt. I don't know of her connection to Colorado, except maybe mount climbing, but she was invited to toss a ceremonial pitch and that got her a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Cards That Never Were: Jake Brown 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 Jake Brown was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 1969 amateur draft (June Secondary). After making his MLB debut in 1975, he would split the '76 season in the SF and Atlanta Braves organizations after a midseason trade. For his MLB career, Brown played in 29 games, hitting .209 with no homers, 4 RBIs and 6 runs scored.

Topps did not give Brown a card, but I couldn't let that happen. Once again though, Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls beat me to it. A true master, Gio creates thousands of cards on his site. Knowing I couldn't do any better, I chose to feature his masterpiece instead.

Leai Huddleston at Fan Expo (Where's Terry?)

I met artist Terry Huddleston many years ago at a comic convention. I am not even sure which one, but I know I have seen him many times since then in Detroit, New York, Chicago and more.

Terry always has a big booth displaying a lot of fantastic artwork. Aside from the size, it is draws a crowd for all of the beautiful art. I proudly have a few of his pieces in my home. There's always room for great versions of Aquaman and Terry had a couple beauties.

A couple years ago, I went to his booth as usual an I learned he was at another convention. His wife Leia was there instead. While I have met her a few times, I didn't have a real chat with her until this year.

She is just as engaging as Terry. With an infectious and welcoming smile, Leia drew the usual big crowd to the booth. I didn't want to take up too much of her time, but it was nice to finally chat a bit.

For more info on Terry's creations, go to terryhuddlestonart.com. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage of comic cons and the people I meet.

Leia Huddleston and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2025.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Today is my nephew Matt's birthday. While he celebrates with his family, I toast him here.

We have had so much fun over the years, although we probably drove some relatives crazy with our antics. Although we don't see each other a lot these days, we still make each other laugh with silly texts or reminders of our fun.

Such was the case when I saw chicken crisps. Matt and I thought of this years ago. Why not? Everyone loves battered and friend chicken skin. Surely they would love a bag of skins as a snack. We didn't stop with just chicken though and that might have been our mistake. Cow skins just aren't as appealing.

Anyway, these silly things make great memories. I will always love the times we spent with our press passes (aka necklaces), wandering around various stadiums without a clue. Over the years, we also made several thousand dollar bets. I bet one us us is up at least $3.

Now Matt is a great family man, building new memories. Still, when we get together, we laugh hard at the stuff we have done.

I hope Matt enjoys his day. From here, I wish Big Money a great birthday!

Meeting Kenny McReynolds

One of the added benefits of covering events is unexpectedly meeting people I have followed for years. At the Chicago screening of My Father, Dick Allen, Kenny McReynolds was one of those people. 

McReynolds is a longtime staple on the Chicago media and sports scene. He has been a broadcaster, radio sports director, anchor, coach, scout and more. I have followed his career for more than 40 years. He was an assistant coach to DePaul's Ray Meyer when I went there.

My Father, Dick Allen, ultimately is a five part documentary about MLB Hall of Famer Dick Allen seen through the eyes of Richard Allen, Jr. The Chicago screening featured parts one and four (his early years and his Chicago White Sox years). It was brilliantly done and I look forward to seeing the entire film.

As the event started, McReynolds was announced as the emcee. My ears immediately perked and I set my sight on him for a later picture. McReynolds was humorous and informative as he led the crowd through the segments, including a panel discussion.

Upon the conclusion, I worked my way to him and asked for a picture. He was very gracious, despite being pulled in several directions for pictures, quotes ad interviews. I was not to be denied though.

Kenny McReynolds and me in Chicago, IL-June 2026.