Celebrity Jersey Cards #800: Kevin Hickey & Takaaki Ishibashi

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. We continue marching alphabetically through all MLB teams. Today, we feature two actors from Major League II.

Kevin Hickey was signed by the Chicago White Sox after an open tryout. The relief pitcher spent six seasons in the MLB with the Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He is one f several former MLB players to appear in Major League II. After returning to Chicago, Hickey became a batting practice pitcher for the Sox until he died from a bin injury in 2012. Although he had several baseball cards, his acting earned him his first Celebrity Jersey Card.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Takaaki Ishibashi is a Japanese actor, singer and comedian. He played Isuro Tanaka in Major League II and Taka Tanaka in Major League: Back to the minors. Early last year, he announced he was taking a break from the entertainment world because he had esophageal cancer. Obviously, his Celebrity Jersey Card also comes from one of the Major Leauge films.

Cards That Never Were: Carl Yastrzemski Topps 1984

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.

Carl Yastrzemski signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.in 1958 and made his MLB debut in 1961. After 22 seasons all with the Red Sox, Yaz retired in 1983, before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989. All told, Yaz played 3,308 games, compiling aa .285 batting average with 3,419 hits, 452 HRs, 1,844 RBIs and 1,816 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Yaz cards in every set from 1962-1983, leaving out his career-capper card. As I have previously written, all players, especially HOFers, should have a card after their final season. Once again though, Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls beat me to this creation. Knowing I can't improve on his creation, I featured his, instead of trying one myself. I also encourage everyone to check his site for hundreds (thousands) of other creations.

Welcome Loyola Women's Basketball Coach Morgan Paige

In her four seasons as head coach of the Loyola Ramblers women's basketball team, Allison Guth gained my respect and appreciation. She was such a positive coach, always thanking me for any coverage and support.

Little did I know last month when I saw her coach a win in the nIT in Florida, it would be the last time I saw her on the sidelines. Shortly after that big win, she resigned to spend more time with her family. Surprised and disappointed, i wish her well always, of course. A few weeks later, Loyola held a press conference to introduce new coach Morgan Paige. 

A four-year starter at Wisconsin, Paige surpassed 1,000 career points as a senior, finishing with 1,230 and ranking among the program's top all-time scorers. She also played professionally in Romania with CSM Craiova. After beginning her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa State, Paige eventually spent five seasons at Kansas, finishing as associate head coach. She now becomes Loyola's 12th head coach in the program's history.

I had the pleasure of chatting briefly with her after her press conference. She exudes confidence and positivity. I am excited to see her game strategy and how she handles the players, fans and media. All indications are positive.

Next season will be my seventh of covering the team. I will miss Coach Guth, but I am excited about the new era.

For more info on Coach Paige and the team, go to loyolaramblers.com. Check back here for my coverage.

Morgan Paige and me in Chcago, IL-April 2026.

Minecraft Mascot?

A few weeks ago, i attended Preview Night of Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue. You can read my recap on Global Traveler, but today I focus on one part of it.

I fully admit, I have never played Minecraft. I have heard of Minecraft, but I knew nothing about it before going to EXP Rosemont for that special night. Fortunately, the staff was very helpful and I caught on quickly.

While there, I saw a lifesize block figure. Was this a character? A mascot? Because I was and still am unfamiliar with the whole Minecraft history and world, I had to do some research.

It seems a mustachioed character names Creeper is an unofficial mascot of Minecraft. I also found several other characters seemingly somewhere within game play. I could not find any character to match this particular character. Yet, if they ,ade and included this character in this experience, it must hold some significance. Are there any Minecrafters out there who can shed light on this character?

For now, I am assuming it can be found somewhere. Surely it can't be a generic character created for this. That wouldn't make sense.

So for now, until someone tells me otherwise, I deem it a Minecraft mascot. As for it's name, I liked Miney (taking a cue from a little girl who called the game's orb "Orbie"). I could call it Crafty. Or maybe M.C. Of course, all of this could have been avoided if Minecraft had a legit well-known mascot.

Me and Miney in Rosemont, IL-April 2026.

Killer Bees at Squared Circle Expo

A couple months ago, Tony and I went to Squared Circle Expo VI. Of the about 100 wrestlers in the guest lineup, the Killer Bees were among our favorites.

The Bees came to tag team prominence in the WWF in the 1980s. Jumpin' Jim Brunzell had already made a name for himself as half of the High Flyers tag team (with Greg Gagne) in the AWA. When Brunzell jumped to the WWF, Gagne stayed behind, obviously because his dad owned the AWA. I wonder if his dad wasn't the owner, would Greg have gone to the WWF, too.\In any case, Brunzell was teamed with B Brian Blair and given the Killer Bees team name. While they never won tag titles, they were a big part of the tag scene back then. Wrestling as faces, they eventually started using masks in sort of a heelish way. "Masked Confusion" allowed them to switch places without legit tags, much like heels. They never made a full turn to the dark side though. That's another wonder. Was that a test for the reaction of the fans?

The Bees actually didn't lasy too many years in the WWF, but they bounced around the indie scene. Forty or so years later, here they were together at a convention. They were just the type of old school wrestlers Tony and I really appreciated.

I always enjoy SCX, but wish they would have a few more old school wrestlers like the Bees. With their usual wrestling lineup though, I have no real complaints. There always are plenty of interesting wrestlers I enjoy meeting.

For more info and scheduling, go to squaredcirclex.com. Also, check back here for my coverage. 

B Brian Blair, Tony, Jim Brunzell and me in Indianapolis, IN-March 2026.

Bucky Badger Eluded Me

On my recent trip to see a Wisconsin Badgers softball game, I hoped to see former National Pro Fastpitch player and current Associate Head Coach Danielle Zymkowitz and of course, Bucky Badger. I missed both.

I did see Zym on the field. Pre-game she handled drills. During te game, she coached first base. Had it been a single game, I would have waited afterwards to catch up with her. It was a doubleheader though and it was just too hot to stay for both games.

Bucky, on the other hand, was even more frustrating. He appeared in the stands in the first inning. Figuring he would be around all game, I waited until he moved to a convenient area for me to approach him. Before I saw that opportunity, he left, not to return.

Th lesson here is to take the picture when you first can. You might not have more chances. Fortunately, I have a few pictures with Bucky from previous events. This miss doesn't really bug me.

Later in the day, on our way to the bookstore for a shirt, we strolled by one of the many Bucky statues around town. Of course, I had to get that picture.

Bucky Badger and me in Madison, WI-April 2026.

Friend Encounters: Sol Ruca and Dennis D.

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

My Wisconsin convention buddy Dennis is at it again. He got one of the wrestlers I would love to meet and he did it in my hometown!

Calyx Harmony Hampton is better known as Sol Ruca, one of the rising stars in the WWE. I don't follow current wrestling too closely, but there are a handful of young wrestlers I really like and Sol Ruca is one of them.

She signed with the WWE in 2022, when she was just 22. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named her the Rookie of the Year for 2023. She was ranked No. 23 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Women's 250 in 2025. She won the NXT North American Women's title and the WWE Women's Speed championship. She was just brought up to the main roster and has a bright future.

So how did Dennis scoop me on this one? I could have gone, but I know the line for her was ridiculously long. I applaud Dennis for having the grit to withstand it. Maybe I am too old. I like her, but not enough to put that much effort into it.

So Dennis got me on this one. I suddenly feel the urge to find a Brewers player for a picture to get even.

Sol Ruca and Dennis in Chicago, IL-November 2025.

 

Celebrity Jersey Cards #799: Chris Berman & Therese Vinal

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. We continue our season-long alphabetical march through all MLB teams.

Born in Connecticut, sportscaster Chris Berman has been an on-air fixture since 1979. One of the pillars of ESPN, Berman is known for his nicknaming of players. I don't recall anyone tagging Berman with a nickname though. Ho about Chris "Ethel" Berman? Maybe that is a bit too wayback. How about Chris "Yo Berman, two light beers here?" It's a stretch, but I don't have the experience nor the paycheck he does. If anyone has a better one, feel; free to comment. I don't know the origin of Berman's picture, but he gets extra points for wearing an SF cap for his Celebrity Jersey Card.

Therese Vinal is a grad of the University of Colorado. She is the in-game host of the San Francisco Giants. A former college volleyball player, Vinal conducts interviews and handles other media duties. We don't have a lot in common, but she took a picture with Giants mascot Lu Seal, just as I would, to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Cards That Never Were: Mike Torrez Topps 1985

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create digital 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 Torrez was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in late 1964. After making his MLB debut in 1967, Torrez went on to have a solid 18 year MLB career. Pitching for seven teams, he went 185-160 with a 3.96 ERA.

For his efforts, Topps gave Torrez cards from 1965-1984, leaving only a career capper to be made. Gio of When Topps Had Baseballs created a beauty as he always does. It has become a challenge for me to try to beat Gio to creating a missing card. Much more often than not, I do not win that challenge, but I keep trying.

Athletes Unlimited Volleyball: Lianna Sybeldon

As I have mentioned many times, most recently with Athletes Unlimited's Willow Johnson, I am always intrigued by multi-generational sports families, especially multi-sports and even more specifically multi-genders. Lianna Sybeldon fits all of those categories.

Lianna's father Steve was an offensive tackle at North Dakota State before being selected by the New York Jets in the 10th round of the 1979 NFL draft. Steve ended up playing a bit for the CFL British Columbia Lions, but didn't see any regular season NFL action. Steve's wife, Lianna's mom was a professional dancer.

Lianna starred at the University of Washington. She then played internationally in Puerto Rico and Romania. Like most other players, I did not have a chance to watch Lianna prior to the AU season, but I was very impressed with her on and off the court during this season. Of course, I had to ask her about her dad and she joked about not listening to any advice. She was really fun in those sessions, which can be found at On the Beat With Athletes Unlimited Volleyball 2021.

Lianna finished in 11th place in the AU Volleyball season. While Jordan Larson dominated in winning the league championship, positions 2-11 were separated by only 900 points. It was extremely competitive and Lianna was right in the mix.

Go to AUProSports.com for more info on all of the AU sports leagues. I couldn't find much more on Lianna's current life, but I have a feeling she is still connected to sports in some way..

Lianna Sybeldon and me-March 2021.