Celebrity Jersey Cards #831: Chelsea Green & Gail Kim

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series on which I create virtual trading cards of celebrities wearing sports jerseys. With baseball season done, I turn my attention to other sports. Today, I salute wrestlers repping Pennsylvania teams.

A native of Canada, Chelsea Green gained fame in the ring for several companies, before her present stint in the WWE. Green is a big sports fan, having appeared on previous Celebrity Jersey Card segments. Today's card comes from her visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers complex. She is wearing #91, fittingly worn by former Steelers great Kevin Greene, although Joey Porter Jr. is presenting her a personalized jersey. I am sure she is happy to add another jersey to her collection, Porter Jr. and Cam Heyward joined Green on her Celebrity Jersey Card. 

Also born in Canada, Gail Kim is a retired wrestler who was once ranked No. 1 on the PWI Female 50. She was a one time WWE Women's champ, but gained most success in Impact wrestling. She won the Impact Knockouts title seven times and was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2016. Kim is joined by her chef husband Robert Irvine for her Celebrity Jersey Card. I don't know of either of them havig a connection to Philadelphia, but I am not arguing with them.

Cards That Never Were: Jarrett Payton Topps 2006

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.

Son of Walter and nephew of Eddie, Jarrett Payton starred at the University of Miami, before signing with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. He did not play for them in 2004, but played for Amsterdam in NFL Europe in 2005, before rejoining Tennessee. He played in 13 games for the Titans in 2005, rushing 33 times for 105 yards with 6 touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 30 yards and two kick returns for 24 yards. That would be it for his NFL career. He also played a couple seasons in the Canadian Football League and one season in the Indoor Football League.

For his efforts, Topps did not give Payton a card. Still, because I believe everyone should get a card, I created one for his season in the NFL.

Second Generation Player Ailana Agbayani

I have always been interested in multi-generation athletes. Today, I present what I believe is a first.

Ailana Agbayani is the daughter of former Major League Baseball player Benny Agbayani. Ailana was a star at the University of Oklahoma before joining the Chicago Bandits of Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Many MLB players have had sons follow them into the pros. I believe Ailana is the first pro softball player to have a father who played in the MLB.

A native of Hawaii, Benny was selected by the New York Mets in the 30th round of the 1993 amateur draft. After making his MLB debut in 1998, Benny played in the Mets organization until being traded midway through the 2002 season, when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies. Near the end of the '02 season, he joined the Boston Red Sox. That would be it for his MLB career, although he went on to play several seasons in Japan. In the MLB over parts of five seasons, he batted .274 with 299 hits.

Infielder Ailana hit .397 in two seasons for the Sooners. With AU, between the Bandits and the All-Star Cup, Ailana hit .293 over 36 games. She also played solid defense.

Of course, when I first met Ailana, I had to mention I was a big fan of her father. He was even on my fantasy team. I am sure she hears that often, but she seemed genuinely appreciative either way.

The Bandits had an exciting season and Ailana was a big part of it. Hopefully, she will return for the 2027 season.

Go to theausl.com for more info on Ailana, the Bandits and the whole AU league. Check back here for my updates.

Ailana Agbayani and me in Rosemont, IL-June 2026.

Catching Up with Zach Thompson

Becoming friends with Zach Thompson was one of the bright spots of my time with Resistance Pro Wrestling. Recently at Ego Pro Wrestling, I caught up with Zach for the first time in many years.

Zach's late brother Sam was my first contact at RPro. Sam had major health issues and died way too young, but he will always be remembered for his spirit.

Zach was one of RPro's broadcasters. He also performed those duties at other companies. When "The Ego" Robert Anthony started Ego Pro Wrestling, he hired Zach as a broadcaster.

Not limited to just broadcasting wrestling, Zach has performed on comedy stages around Chicago. He was also part of the Mystery Science Theater revival. Translation: Zach is multi-talented and very entertaining. Better than all of that, Zach is a great human.

At RPro, Zach incorporated Johngy's Beat into his broadcast, calling the "Johngy's Beatdown" of the night at some point when a big move happened. One of the highlights of my brief time broadcasting RPro was calling a match with Zach. I was green and just happy to be doing broadcasting, but doing it with the master was an awesome experience.

Seeing Zach at Ego Pro was so wonderful. I will be going back there often and I always look forward to seeing Zach and the others, like Ego and his family.

If you are in the Chicago area, Ego Pro is THE wrestling company to see. Look to social media for more info on Ego Pro.

Zach Thompson and me in Shorewood, IL-October 2026.

Loyola's MD Ntambue and Elias Rapieque

I'm back "On the Beat" with Loyola University basketball. While I mainly cover the women's team, I occasionaly check out the men's team. At a pre-season session I got to check out both teams.

A native of Berlin, Germany, senior Elias Rapieque transferred from Kansas State. He played in 20 games, starting 12, last season and averaged 3.7 points per game. He is expected to play much the same role, as a part-time starter and bench depth. The men's team started 2-0 this season. 

Second year guard MD Ntambue is a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A transfer from Villanove, she started both games this season, averaging 9.5 points per game. The women Ramblers are 1-1 this season under first year coach Morgan Paige.

For more information on both Loyola basketball teams, go to loyolaramblers.com. Also, look here for my recurring coverage.

MD Ntambue, Elias Rapieque and me in Chicago, IL-October 2026.

Statues: Loyola's Sister Jean

Born in San Francisco, California, Jean Dolores Schmidt is better known as Sister Jean. After a lifetime of serving in the education field, Sister Jean came to Loyola University in 1991. She gained a large following after being highlighted during a Loyola men's basketball NCAA tourney game in 2018. Sister Jean passed away in October 2025 at the age of 106.

On what would have been her 107th birthday, Loyola unveiled a slightly larger than life-size, cast bronze statue of Sister Jean is seated on a bench on the West Quad of Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. Naturally, she is holding a basketball.

Sister Jean and me in Chicago, IL-October 2026.

Friend Encounters: Kofi Kingston, Austin Creed and Niko

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today I feature a special young man. Niko is one of the most positive folks I know. As you can see from the photo, Niko has health challenges, but you would never know it from his ever-present smile.

I am not especially close with Niko, but we always take a selfie and chat a bit when I see him at various wrestling events or comic cons. Niko is a huge wrestling fan and has even befriended several wrestlers.

I don't know the extent of his health issues. I just pray for his health and peace. I am always inspired and impressed by his attitude. Instead of complaining about his condition or the procedures he has to have, he praises God for his life. That is real strength. That is real belief.

Niko deserves every bit of fun he can get. I am always happy seeing wrestlers give him a little extra special memories.

Such was the case when he met Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed, formerly part of the New Day in the WWE. After a lengthy run in the WWE, they are now in All Elite Wrestling as the New Level. Niko met them at the recent AEW show at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates.

Kofi Kingston, Niko and Austin Creed in Hoffman Estates, IL-September 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #830: Rachael Ellering x 5

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create digital trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today I salute the WNBA champion Golden State Valkyries.

Rachael Ellering is a second-generation wrestler. Her father is Precious Paul Ellering, former wrestler and manager of the legendary Road Warriors. Ater being trained by :ance Storm, Rachael made her in-ring debut in 2015.She has wrestled in the WWE and Impact Wrestling. In Impact, she was a tag team champ with Jordynne Grace and won the Knockouts Tag Team of the Year Award in 2021. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked her as number 87 of the Top 100 female wrestlers in its PWI Female 100 in 2019. Rachael is a legit sports fan, particularly of her native Minnesota teams and the WNBA.

While I couldn't find any pictures of Rachael sporting jerseys from either WNBA title finalist, I did make Celebrity Jersey Cards of her with five other teams and I will keep looking for the others.

Regan Lydale's Sign of Success

I have known Regan Lydale possibly from her pre-teen years. I first met her as a fan at Resistance Pro Wrestling. She expressed a desire to be a wrestler from the very first time I saw her.

RPro wrestler and my pal Tommy started working with her back then. Obviously, she was too young to actually wrestle for real then, but Tommy wokrd with her on training and other aspects of wrestling. Regan worked very hard for many years.

Fast forward many years, she debuted for Freelance Wrestling and hasn't slowed down since. She has wrestled in many states and won several titles.

When Tony and I ventured to Ego Pro Wrestling, run by my old pal "The Ego" Robert Anthony, I saw a few life sized banners, one of which featured Regan. That's pretty impressive. Ego has enough faith in her to put her on one of his banners.

Regan is still in her early 20s and has a long way to go, like most young wrestlers, but she is certainly on the path to success. There have been signs of it along her journey and now there is a real, physical sign of her success.

Regan Lydale and me in Shorewood, IL-October 2026.

Jamie Koala Art

It had been a while since I last saw artist Jamie Koala. When she appeared at DuPage Mighty Con, I had to go out and see her.

I first saw Jamie several years ago at Flashback Weekend. Her art was amazing. Starting as a teenager with alternative metal music album artwork, merchandise and photo shoots, Jamie expanded her platform into fashion. Sadly, Jamie has a chronic illness, which hinders her ability to appear at conventions. She still tries to do smaller ones though, which is why she appeared in Wheaton.

Described as a dark artist, a lot of Jamie's work focuses on skulls, but she isn't limited to just that. She has created pieces for musicians, as well as pieces featuring animals and other objects. She works in black and white and multi-colors.

As such a creator, it is important to have your work seen. Being unable to do many conventions limits her visibility. Se relies on word of mouth and the internet to spread the word.

To see more of Jamie's beautiful work, go to koalaartanddesign.com. Check back here for my coverage of the creative community.

Jamie Koala and me in Wheaton, IL-September 2926.