Cards That Never Were: Paul Jata Topps 1973

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series on 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.

Paul Jata was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1967 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 1972, playing 32 games. He hit .230 with no HRs, 3 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Unfortunately, that would be his entire MLB career. Jata was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Jim Nettles after the 1973 season. He apparently did not play in 1974-75, but returned for a season with the Twins minor league team in 1976. A s a fun side note, of the 32MLB games he played, only one was at catcher, yet that is his picture here. For his entire pro career though, he played catcher for 69 games out of 137.

For his efforts, he received no card from Topps. As I prepared to make one, once again I saw Gio from When Topps Had (Base)Balls already made one. The man is a master, with thousands of awesome cards on his site.

My family at Global Traveler

I have written a lot about my Global Traveler family. Today, I am writing about my family at Global Traveler.

The Chicago event was announced very early this year. Of course, I invited my family and friends to share in the fun. Most of my family was able to make it.

My brother-in-law Scott, sister Jean, sister Nancy, niece Laura and her friend Karen all made the trek downtown Chicago through rush hour on a Monday. It was their first time at any GT event. I love seeing those worlds collide.

I loved more spending that evening with my family and we were all dressed up. LOL. It really meant a lot to me to have them there. I greatly appreciated their support and love (and the applause when GT Publisher Fran announced my name).

I am a lucky guy. I love them all dearly.

Scott, Jean, Laura, Nancy, Karen and me in Chicago, IL-August 2026.

Talking Travel (and Sober October) with Scott Spiezio

In another interview fitting for Sober October, I talked to former Major League Baseball layer Scott Spiezio. A recovering addict, Spiezio has a book and documentary about his battles and recovery.

Spiezio spoke honestly about his addictions and credits God with his recovery. Now he wants to deter others from following his roaqd.

Of course, we also talked about his career, baseball cards, travel and more. It was a fun interview from a positive guy.

Go to globaltravelerusa.com for the full recap and interview. While you are there, please subscribe to the GT YouTube channel.

Ric Flair at Squared Circle Expo 2027

The fine folks at Squared Circle Expo started announcing wrestling guests for SCX VII. The first name was greeted with a collective "Wooooooo" by the online community.

Ric Flair is coming to SCX VII. It doesn't get much bigger than this.

Flair is considered by most to be on the Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling. No matter which title count you use, Flair has held a world title in multiple companies many times. 

The only problem now for SCX is how do you follow that announcement? Actually, the organizers did a fine job with the next several names. Demolition, Cora Jade, Brian Myers, SCX Heavyweight champ Jake Omen, Ron Reis, Samuel Shaw and Kevin Von Erich. That's an amazing group and they are just getting started.

SCX VII runs May 21-22, meaning it is exactly seven months away. Tickets will go on sale Friday, but don't wait long. They will sell quickly.

For more info on SCX, go to squaredcirclex.com. Also, check here for my updates.

Ric Flair and me in Indianapolis, IN-Spring 2015.

Are Big Ben and Benson Really Mascots?

Obviously, I have heard of Benny the Bull, the official mascot of the Chicago Bulls. Despite my fascination with mascots, I had not heard of Benson and Big Ben until a couple months ago at Bulls Fest.

On my way out of the event, I saw a sign for a photo op with "Bulls mascots Big Ben and Benson." Having no idea of their existence, I ventured over to the area and learned they are large inflated creatures. They do have actual folks inside of them though.

Upon further researching the duo, I learned they are part of the extended family of mascots who accompany Benny at games and events. Mini Benny and Benji are two others.

I have no problem with them being part of the entertainment crew. My question is if they really can be called mascots. For the purpose of this site, I count them as mascots. I also took the opportunity to get a picture with them.

Still, I cannot classify them as true mascots. I also question why the Bulls couldn't just get regular costumes for them. It would have to be easier for the performer. It certainly would loo better.

Does the inflation disqualify them as mascots? I just can't accept them as true mascots. If they had really costumes, I would call them mascots. I like them for what they are. I just think they could be much better.

Big Ben, Benson and me in Chicago, IL-August 2026.

Friend Encounters: AJ Croce and John

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

My buddy John scored a big one over me when he met A.J. Croce. I had wanted to go to this show, but was unable to make it.

A.J. is the son of the legendary deceased singer Jim Croce. At just 30 years old and reaching major success, Jim was killed in a small plane crash. He left behind a wife and son.

Adrian James was just two when his father died. His story is amazing. As a toddler, he was temporarily blinded due to abuse from his mom's then-boyfriend. He was hospitalized for months, but regained some vision. He learned how to play piano through inspiration from Ray Charles. He started playing professionally when he was only 12 and has built a solid career since. Tragically, his wife died in 2018, leaving him as a single father of two. Through all of this, A.J. has remained incredibly positive. I enjoy his music, but his story makes me respect him that much more.

My buddy John saw him earlier this year. John meets a lot of celebrities and we often cross paths. He usually beats me with musicians, but this is one of the ones I really envy.

AJ Croce and John in St. Charles, IL-June 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #825: Elena Delle Donne & Kendall Coyne

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys. With the MLB playoffs upon us, I salute the Chicago teams, who both made the playoffs in a true rare feat.

Born in Delaware, Elena Delle Donne starred at the University of Delaware before being selected by the Chicago Sky in the 2013 WNBA draft. She played four seasons with the Sky before being traded to the Washington Mystic. Unfortunately for her, injuries hampered her productivity and time on the court. Even going back to her college time, she missed games due to Lyme's Disease. During her time with the Sky, she tossed a ceremonial pitch for the Chicago Cubs to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Born in a Chicago suburb, Kendall Coyne became a star on the frozen pond. After starring at Northeastern, she played for a few pro teams. Most recently, she was a captain of the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League, leading the team to back-to-back Walter Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. Coyne tossed a couple ceremonial pitches for the Chicago White Sox to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card. Because I mistakenly made two cards, I am showing both.

Cards That Never Were: Darold Knowles Topps 1969, '78 and '81

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 Darold Knowles was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent in 1961. After making his debut with the O's, he went on to have a 16 year career, pitching for seven teams, before ending his career in 1980. All told, he appeared in 765 games, all but eight as a reliever. He went 66-74 with 143 saves and a 3.12 ERA.

For his efforts, Knowles received Topps cards from 1964-'80, except for 1969. That left a '69 and a career capper 1981 to be done. On a side note, his first three Topps cards were multi-player rookie stars cards. I relied on the fine folks on the Facebook group Custom Baseball Cards to create the 1969 card. I made the 1981 version and added a 1978 midcard for his time with the Texas Rangers. As I believe every players should be represented in each set, I also believe players should have all of his teams represented. I still need to make a 1967 card of Knowles with the Phillies to really complete his run. 

Talking Travel with Alex Brown

For some, October is Sober October. For some the entire year is sober time. To learn more about sober travel, I interviewed Alex Brown.

Founder and President of Recover Hospitality, Brown is in recovery himself. A third-generation hotelier, he sold his family's boutique hotel several years ago and founded Recover Hospitality. His goal is to persuade businesses in the hospitality industry to be more sober-inclusive, while helping consumers find and trust those businesses.

I had never interviewed someone with this angle in travel. I was happy to add Brown to the Global Traveler Talking Travel interviews.

Go to globaltravelerusa.com for the full recap and interview. Also, subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to help me continue to do these interviews.

Carter Dennis of American Vanity

Providing the steady beat of American Vanity is drummer Carter Dennis. Steady is an understatement for his drumming though.

My niece and I have been fans of the band (first as Burn the Jukebox) for a few years. We appreciate the band and the individuals. While at the American Vanity show in Chicago a couple months ago, I made a point to watch Carter in action. Being only a few feet from the stage, we had a close up view. 

The young man has chops. He is a drum machine. He was doing things with his sticks that might have been part of drumming or just for flair. There was so much action, it was hard to tell. Either way, you can tell he is immensely talented.

He was also very nice. In the pre-show meet-and-greet, Carter spent a few minutes with Laura and me. Much like the other band members, he was engaging, friendly, funny and quite poised for such a young entertainer.

This band and Carter have a lot of potential. Obviously, music is a tough career, but they have the talent and personality to make it. I'll be watching and updating their progress right here.

For now, go to thisisamericanvanity.com for more info. Also, go to Spotify and give them a listen.

Carter, Laura and me in Chicago, IL-August 2026.