Monday, February 17, 2025

Friend Encounters: Mya Caras & Mike Pankow

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Mike Pankow is the Dean of Chicago wrestling writers. Mike's Windy City Slam is a great place for wrestling recaps, interviews, calendars and more of Chicago area wrestling and the big companies, too. Mike is basically a one man show, although at times, he has used a few helpers, myself included. It's always a pleasure to contribute anything to Mike's work.

Rocket Pro Wrestling based in Joliet is one of Mike's regular coverage spots and justifiably so. First, he lives near there. Perhaps more important, Roclet Pro is one of the best companies around.

At the January RPW show, Mike was there early as usual, getting quotes, pictures, setting up interviews and more for future coverage. "The Muscle Mommy" Mya Caras was one of the many wrestlers Mike saw. Caras is a powerhouse.

I am very impressed with the little I have seen of her. I am curious to see where she fits in with RPW. They don't have a women's division or even women's matches. Will she battle men? Will they bring in more women?

From her looks and moves I have seen, I think she could be believable in battling men. Granted, it might be a stretch to see her face the bigger men like Marshe Rockett, but I could see her feuding with some of the others before hopefully settling into a new women's division. RPW is ready for a women's division.

For more info on Mike's work or RPW, go to WindyCitySlam.com. You can also go directly to RocketProWrestling.com.

Mike and Mya Caras in Joliet, IL-January 2025.


Sunday, February 16, 2025

Happy Birthday, Louie

I call him Luigi, Squeegie, Mr. Aparicio, Luger and more. Today I call him a birthday boy. Most importantly, I call him a great friend.

I've known Louie since I "stole" his desk at work in September 1987. A high school job for him, a part time job for me until I found a real job, that place became our home for the next 17 years (although Louie had already been there a couple years).

Louie is more like a brother to me than anything else. His family adopted me as an honorary Greek and welcomed me from the start. He put me on his softball team when I wasn't very good, but he knew I needed to get out of my home. (I did repay him with a few timely hits over the years lol.)  

We don't work together as much these days. Covid hurt our distribution business and we went different ways workwise. Work didn't define our friendship though.

I couldn't ask for a better workmate, business partner or friend. I also couldn't ask for a better left fielder.

I am sure Louie is celebrating with his family today. (How did his boys get so big so quickly?). I wish him a great birthday from here. Happy birthday, Lou, you deserve it.

Louie and family in Greece-Summer 2024.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Celebrity Jersey Cards #727 Gracie Hunt & Torrie Wilson

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys. Today is one last Super Bowl tribute with the winner getting last billing.

The daughter of Kansas City Chiefs chief executive officer Clark Hunt and granddaughter of Lamar Hunt, one of the founders of the American Football League, Gracie Hunt is the oldest of three children. She is also a beauty queen, earning the titles of Miss Texas Teen International in 2016 and 2018 and Miss Kansas USA in 2021. Concussions derailed her dreams of being a soccer star, but she is quite busy anyway. Travis Kelce is a future Hall of Famer, but #87 never looked better.

Born in Boise, Idaho, Torrie Wilson grew up to be a model and professional wrestler. Although her main in-ring action lasted only 10 years, Wilson is considered one of the favorites of her era, as witnessed at wrestling conventions. Wilson gets extra points for having a helmet on her Celebrity Jersey Card. I wonder if she used it in that match?

Friday, February 14, 2025

Happy Valentine's Day

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I present several appropriate autographs I have.






Thursday, February 13, 2025

Grammar Police: Today Years Old

This could be an Absurdities post, a rant or A Grammar Police post. It fits all.

I realize people want to be cute and funny on social media, but I absolutely hate posts that start with "I was today years old when..." There's no such thing. Stop it. Please just stop it.

I won't go into all the reasons it makes no sense. Let me ask this though. If you learned it yesterday, would you be yesterday years old when you...?

Because I have no lawn, I can't yell at kids for being on it. Now, I will shake my fist and yell at some clouds.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Happy Birthday, JayHawk

When I first met Jason, he was a young college student working part-time as a telemarketer. His interests were mainly Star Wars and the Chicago Blackhawks. Now some 30 years later, so much has changed. He is a married man with two children, whose main interests are Star Wars and the Chicago Blackhawks. Okay, maybe things haven't changed that much.

Today I celebrate the birthday of my dear friend. We've been through a lot together. When he joined the staff at Lerner, I never imagined 30 years later he would be a great friend.

Happy birthday to my pal. I hope the force is with you this year!


Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Jerry Lawler at Squared Circle Expo

The King is coming to Squared Circle Expo. That would be the King of wrestling, Jerry Lawler.
Lawler will join about 60 other wrestling stars and legends in the two day SCX. In addition to the huge lineup of wrestling stars (or royalty), there are panels, Q&As, photo ops, a full wrestling card and so much more.
It is a well-organized and run event by four great friends. Every year it gets better and bigger. This year promises to top all. That is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the organizers. They aren't a nameless corporation. They are four wrestling fans who know how to run a fantastic convention.
Lawler is a well-seasoned convention veteran. Having met him several times at various conventions, the King is always great with the fans. I look forward to seeing him again this year.
SCX runs April 25-26 at the Wyndham in Indianapolis. Tickets are welling fast, but there are still a bunch left. Get yours today.
Check squaredcirclex.com for updates and scheduling on SCX V. See you there!.
Jerry Lawler and me in New York, NY-October 2021.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Friend Encounters: Kevin Rahm and Troy G.

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Troy G. is a media friend, who is a part of the Geary Stein & Stevens Show podcast. Last year, he covered the Big Slick Kansas City Celebrity Softball weekend and met a bunch of stars and athletes.

In 2010, Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis came together with an idea. Fifteen years later, Big Slick is growing bigger and better every year. It has raised more than $21 million for Children's Mercy. This May 30-31, it will add to that total.

Check out BligSlickKC.org for ore info. Also follow Troy on The Geary Stein & Stevens Show.

Troy and Kevin Rahm in Kansas City, MO-May 2024.

Friend Encounters: Marley Shelton and Tony

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

This one hurts. I cannot deny it. My pal Tony met Marley Shelton (aka Wendy Peffercorn).

Although she has had a lengthy and successful career, Shelton will always be remembered by me (and millions of other men my age) for her role in The Sandlot. One of my favorite movies of all-time (not because of Shelton), The Sandlot was about a bunch of teenagers playing baseball. One of the boys was Squints Palledorous, who had a major crush on the older Wendy. Squints wisely took an opportunity at the local pool to kiss lifeguard Wendy when she tried reviving him after a pool "accident." It was such a cute scene.

So there is my pal Tony meeting Shelton while at a horror convention in Kentucky. Shelton is certainly in my top 5 of actresses I want to meet and Tony knows it. I am sure he took special glee in meeting her and posting this pic. Okay, I admit, a sliver of me is happy for him, too.

Someday, I hope to meet Shelton. It's okay if I meet her with Tony, but if he's not there, I will admit I will have a special bit of glee, too, as I post the picture.

Tony and Marley Shelton in Lexington, KY-October 2024.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Celebrity Jersey Cards #726 Josh Shapiro & Jenna Bush

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards fr Celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today is as political as I ever get.

Ironically, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He took office as the 48th Governor of the Keystone State in 2023. Shapiro met his future wife in the ninth grade and reconnected after college. Given his birth place and his current job, I wonder who Shapiro really wants to win. Either way, his Eagles jersey lands him on a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Daughter of President George W. Bush, Jenna Bush was born in Dallas, Texas. While this certainly isn't the reason for her wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey, it is interesting that the Chiefs started as the Dallas Texans in 1952, before moving to Kansas City the next season. Her husband, Henry Hager, appears to be from Virginia and the couple seem to live in New York. None of that explains her Chiefs jersey though. No matter, it earned her a Celebrity Jersey Card.