Clowning Around Again with Bozo

Last year, Tony and I met Joey D'Auria, better known as Bozo. After chatting with him, I just felt he would be willing to do a short interview, even though I hadn't previously requested one. He very graciously agreed. You can find that video and a lot of other fun interviews on the Global Traveler YouTube channel.

He gave us a few interesting tidbits, including revealing actor David Arquette owns the rights to Bozo. Because of this, D'Auria is now allowed to do such appearances.

A few weeks later, Tony and I went to another convention and we saw D'Auria again. Of course, I had to go back and thank him again. He was just as gracious. What a nice man.

Tony and I still joke that we interviewed Bozo. Succeeding Bob Bell, D'Auria filled the clown shoes quite well. Both men wee big parts of our childhood. There may be bigger names I interviewed over the years, but few made me as excited as this one.

 Tony, Joey D'Auria and me in Milwaukee, WI-August 2025.

Thank You Maren Berger

Whenever I cover college sports, I usually get a few pictures with players. People who notice this generally ask me any of three main questions.

Why do you do it? I get pictures for several reasons. Pictures with players are good for social media. They are also good for drawing attention to anything I write. 

Do the players mind? I have never been turned down by a player. (One coach declined several years ago). Usually, they are very happy to get exposure and appreciation. I ask for pictures within the confines of coverage. While they take pictures with fans, too, I like to let them know I am covering the event and will mention them.

Is it hard getting pictures? The difficulty depends on the situations. Sometimes players go straight to their lockerrooms. When they come to the concourse or at least off the main playing field, I always wait until they aren't busy doing other things (preparing, eating, chatting with family or friends). 

Butler redshirt sophomore pitcher Maren Berger is a great example of a perfect interaction after pitching a gem in the Big East Softball Tournament. After the game, I went to the restroom. Upon leaving, Berger was a few feet away. She wasn't doing anything (maybe waiting for friends or teammates?). I approached her, complimented her on a great game and asked for a picture for my Global Traveler story. Her response was a very eager "heck yea!" We even chuckled at how excited she was. This couldn't have been easier or more pleasant.

A fact often overlooked is these female athletes aren't used to much press exposure. Many of them have thanked me over the years. Some even thank me years later if our paths cross again.

Maran Berger and me in Rosemont, IL-April 2026.

Friend Encounters: Gwen Svekis and Jim

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Continuing my focus on the reborn Chicago Bandits, today I feature two catchers.

Gwen Svekis had a great career at the university of Oregon, helping the Ducks to three Women's College World Series appearances. She turned pro and played for the Chicago Bandits and then the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited. Gwen was one of the most popular players for the Bandits and then the AU teams. The Rosemont crowds loved Gwen.

The other catcher didn't accomplish nearly as much, nor was he as popular as Gwen. Still, my pal Jim has done fine in his life. Jim helped me several times when I was covering the old Chicago Bandits. While he is not part of the old guard, he does qualify as an "old crusty" like the rest of us. He is also embraced by the old guard because he is a real fan of the game.

I took this picture of catcher meeting catcher. I was happy to return the favor after Jim did so much photography for me.

Gwen is still involved with AU in a leadership role. More importantly, Gwen married Taylor Edwards, another former catcher for the Bandits and AU. They are a great couple. Both are so positive and happy.

For more info on the Bandits, go to auprosports.com. Check my recurring coverage here.

Gwen and Jim in Rosemont, IL-June 2018.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #811: Alex Morgan & Abby Dahlkemper

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 elite soccer players.

Alex Morgan was born in Los Angeles, California and rose to fame on the soccer field. She starred at UCLA, but also several; pro teams, as well as Team USA. She earned numerous awards, including a gold and bronze medal with Team USA in 2012 and 2020 respectively. Morgan earned a Celebrity Jersey Card while tossing a ceremonial pitch for the San Diego Padres. Joining her on her card are a couple Padres and her soccer colleague Abby Dahlkemper.

Born in Pennsylvania, but raised in California, Abby Dahlkemper was a soccer star in her teens. In 2010, she was named Gatorade California Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She went on to star at UCLA, helping them to their first NCAA championship. She has played for several teams professionally, but also for Team USA, helping them to a bronze medal in 2020. Dahlkemper earned her Celebrity Jersey Card while tossing a ceremonial pitch for the Padres. 

Cards That Never Were: Joe DeSa Topps 1981

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 have borrowed from far too many to thank, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Joe DeSa was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1977 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1980 by appearing in seven games for the Cards. Becoming a free agent after the 1983 season, DeSa signed with the Chicago White Sox and made it back to the bigs in 1985. It was back to the minors in 1986. He was released after the '86 season and signed by the Kansas City Royals, but he died tragically late in 1986. For his career, DeSa saw action in 35 games over two seasons, hitting .200 with 2 HRs, 7 RBIs and 5 runs scored.

Topps gave DeSa a card in its 1986 set, but failed to give him one for his time with the Cardinals. I set out to do that, when I saw Jeff in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group beat me to it. His was perfect, meaning I didn't need to do one. Still, I wanted to highlight his great work and the work of all in that group. There are thousands of creations and not just baseball cards.

Carole Feuerman and Monuments of Stillness

A few weeks ago, I attended a press session for the unveiling of a sculpture series in downtown Chicago. For the full recap and pictures, go to Monuments of Stillness on Global Traveler.

A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Carole Feuerman has been creating beautiful art for more than 50 years. Her creations involving swimmers were some of the first to garner major praise and attention. She continues using swimmers in her current works, including some of her pieces in the Chicago exhibit.

There will be 11 of Feuerman's pieces located along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. They will remain through October, at which point they will move to California. It's too bad Chicago can't keep even one of the pieces. They really add a nice touch to Michigan Avenue.

At the unveiling, Feuerman spoke of the sculptures and her inspiration. One particularly interesting thing to me involved the reflective base of one of her pieces. I was trying to get a picture with my image in the reflection. Feuerman stated the pieces are made to reflect viewers, to make them part of the piece. That makes each person's take unique. It also make the sculpture ever-changing in that sense. It changes my perspective.

Small in size, but huge in spirit and personality, Feuerman also entertained us on a double decker bus as we toured the rest of the pieces on Michigan Avenue. She was a pure delight.

Carole Feuerman and me in Chicago, IL-May 2026.

Cards That Never Were: Pedro Borbon Topps 1981

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 Pedro Borbon was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 as an amateur free agent. After being drafted by the California Angels from the Cardinals in the 1968 rule 5 draft, he made his MLB debut in 1969. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after that season. He pitched for the Reds until midseason 1979, when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants. Prior to the '80 season, the Giants released him, but he signed with the Cardinals. He was released after the '80 season to end his MLB career. All told, he pitched for 12 seasons, going 69-39 with 80 saves and a 3.52 ERA. For his efforts, Topps gave Borbon cards from 1969-80. That left a missing career capper.

For once, I did not see any of the other master creators with that card. Fortunately, I found a decent picture and I righted the wrong.

Back at POWW with Jimmy Blaze

At the Milk Days in Harvard, Illinois, Tony and I enjoyed a fun night of POWW wrestling. We also finally got new pictures with POWW owner Psychotic Jimmy Blaze.

Don't get me wrong. Jim is very approachable. He is very appreciative of all fans. We have been going to POWW shows for 15+ years, catching several a year. We don't get to as many as we would like, but that's because we cover so many events. POWW remains one of our favorite wrestling companies.

We usually get a chance to briefly chat with Jim before the shows, but we know he is focused on the show and we don't lie to bother him for pictures. After the show, he is busy with paying the wrestlers and other business.

Prior to this show, Tony messaged Jim and asked him for a picture because he would be wearing a Jimmy Blaze short. True to his word, Jimmy did come out and take a picture with us. As you can see from the picture, Jimmy "strongly encouraged" me to come more often.

Jim Blaze and me in Harvard, IL-June 2026.

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.