Skye Blue at Squared Circle Expo 2024.

Squared Circle Expo VI is less than four months away. The excitement is building as is the wrestler guest lineup.

Some of the names announced already are The Big Show, Kevin Nash, Lita and Saraya. That's just a few though. I expect about 60 more names to be added to those.

Squared Circle Expo is two days of wrestling fun. There are meet-and-greets, panels, Q&As, photo ops and more. Despite the number of wrestlers, it is so well run, you will be able to meet as many as you want. I have never missed any wrestler I wanted to meet.

One of my favorites is Skye Blue. A Chicago area independent star turned All Elite Wrestling talent, she was one of the popular guests a couple years ago. That is one of the best parts of SCX. There are rising stars like Skye, as well as legends. I always try to get the young stars like her, before they become major stars and are harder to get.

For more info on SCX, go to SquaredCircleX.com. Also, check here for my recurring coverage.

Skye Blue and me in Indianapolis, IN-April 2024.

Statues: Fergie Jenkins

In a recent Statues feature, I stated the Ryne Sandberg trade was one of the greatest ever for the Chicago Cubs. Today's feature of Fergie Jenkins gives Sandberg competition for that title.

After a season and a half with the Philadelphia Phillies, Jenkins was traded to the Cubs in a multi-player deal, but clearly Jenkins turned into the gem of the group. Starting with his first full season with the Cubs, Jenkins won 20 games in six consecutive seasons. He won 284 games and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Unveiled in 2022, the Jenkins statue stands with former teammates Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Ernie Banks. Seeing the four Cubs legends like this is a bit surreal. These were Cubs favorites of my early youth.

Fergie Jenkins and me in Chicago, IL-September 2024.

Talking Travel with Dale Torborg

Dale Torborg started our Talking Travel interview by stating because of his father (former Major League Baseball player and manager Jeff Torborg), he has traveled to many places and seen things most people won't experience. I couldn't ask for a better introduction to our interview.

After playing at Northwestern, Dale played pro ball, then moved on to a short wrestling career, followed by a long career as an MLB coach. That is enough of an interesting background for any interview, but this one was mostly about Jeff Torborg - A Wonderful Baseball Life, the documentary Dale produced about his dad.

Dale's love and respect for his dad is evident as we talked. It is just as evident throughout the documentary, but he isn't alone. The doc features many legends of baseball talking about Jeff. Despite the star power, I think Dale's mom (Jeff's wife) stole the show. All together, this makes a heartwarming and entertaining piece on a great baseball man and a wonderful person.

We did talk a little travel, as Dale mentioned great times in Yankee Stadium and other ballparks. A longtime resident of Chicago, Dale also mentioned some of his favorites in the Windy City. He also had a great story of being in the Wrigley Field scoreboard during filming of A League of Their Own. I told you, Dale's story is interesting enough on its own.

The interview is at Talking Travel with Dale Torborg on Global Traveler. It is also on the GT YouTube channel and I would greatly appreciate anyone subscribing to that channel. It's free and you won't get bothered by emails etc.

Happy Birthday, Chuck!

Todays is the birthday of my longtime pal Chuck. While I will see him later this month, today I raise a toast to him here.

I have known Chuck for more than 30 years. When we worked together, our mutual love of sports, trivia, chess, Scrabble and office garbageball bonded us. Over the years, Chuck has been a mentor, colleague, friend and brother. It is said you should surround yourself with quality people and Chuck definitely is a quality person.

A part-time magician, Chuck has delighted fans for years. More importantly, he has donated countless hours entertaining children in hospitals. For this alone, he would have my undying respect.

As I mentioned seeing him shortly, Chuck and I will be attending a magic show at Cosmic Underground, a magic and entertainment venue co-owned by Kayla Drescher, who I interviewed on Global Traveler a while back. I wanted to see a show there since it opened earlier this year and Chuck was the perfect person to attend with me. Our schedules finally cooperated and we are going next Friday.

For now though, I wish a happy birthday to the man I call Chachi. I hope it is magical!

Chuck and his granddaughter in Illinois-June 2024.

Friend Encounters: Nattie Neidhart and Jonathan C.

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

I met Jonathan Cimaglio many years ago at a Chicago Bandits game. A softball fan and sports fan in general, Cimags is also a grapher (aka autograph collector). At Bandits games, he aimed for signed cards and balls from the Bandits and opposing teams. I don't know for sure, but I bet he has more than a thousand autographs from athletes and celebrities.

One of his recent successes was WWE star Nattie Neidhart. Cimags met her at a signing for her recently-released autobiography Last Hart Beating. Neidhart is a third generation wrestler, following in the footsteps of grandfather Stu Hart and father Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Many of her uncles were also wrestlers, including WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart and the late Owen Hart.

Neidhart has won many titles during her long career in the WWE. She's a great worker and is a big help as a trainer. I have been a fan of her work from the beginning. Despite her success, I still think she has been underutilized by the WWE. Perhaps she doesn't have the Barbie doll looks they want, but she's got a great look and her ring skills are excellent.

As for Cimags, I miss seeing him around the ballpark since he moved to Minnesota. He's an interesting guy. For more on him, check the Cimags YouTube channel. He's got videos about Pokemon, graphing an other pop culture fun.

Nattie Neidhart and Jonathan in Minneapolis, MN-October 2025.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #771 Alex Cooper & Al Roker

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring celebrities wearing sports jerseys.

Born in Newtown, PA, Alex Cooper made a name for herself in the podcast world. Rolling Stone labeled her "the new generation's Barbara Walters." That's high praise, but Cooper has earned it. Cooper showed her fandom for the Philadelphia Eagles while wearing a #1 Jalen Hurts jersey at a game. She also earned her Celebrity Jersey Card.

New York native Al Roker has enjoyed a 40 year career in the media, most notably his long stint on NBCs Today. Roker is also known for his dramatic weight loss in recent years. He is cousins with Roxie Roker and Lenny Kravitz. Roker earned his Celebrity Jersey Card while at a New England Patriots celebration. He gets extra pointss for the Patriots hat and for getting Pat Patriot to join him.

Finally Meeting Chef Jeff Mauro

I have been a fan and admirer of Chef Mauro for many years. I recently was able to meet him and pitch my interview.

After a few failed attempts, Mauro made the cut for Food Network Star and won it in 2011. He went on to host Sandwich King (he is famous for making sandwiches.) Currently, he co-hosts The Kitchen.

When I heard he was appearing at the College of DuPage about an hour from me, I made plans to make it. My main goal was to meet him and request an interview with him for Global Traveler. I got to do both, but I was also highly entertained as he discussed his career for about an hour, before making a 6-foor sub that he cut and shared with some audience members.

Just as he ended the presentation, I quickly went to the hall and lined up for the meet-and-greet. I was second in line, but by the time he came out about 10 minutes later, the line looked to be well over 500 deep.

With so many people, I knew I wouldn't be able to make much of a pitch. I settled on handing him my business card and telling him I'd love to do a zoom interview with him. He nodded and said he'd be in touch. Within two days, he did contact me and I emailed a formal pitch for the interview. As of right now, we are trying to schedule it. If it happens (and I think it will), it will be on Global Traveler and here, too.

For more info on Chef Mauro, go to MauroProvisions.com. Also, look for him on The Food Network.

Jeff Mauro and me in Glen Ellyn, IL-October 2025.

Regan Lydale on the Rise

I have written many times about young wrestler Regan Lydale. Turning professional a couple years back, Regan is far more advanced than her experience and age would indicate. 

At Elk Grove Rotary Fest, I had the privilege of watching Regan face Melanie Cruise in a mixed tag match. Mel was tagging with her brother Stonewall for the first time, while Regan's partner was Hardcore Craig.

There was lots of intrigue in this match, but for me it came down to seeing Mel versus Regan. Years ago, as Resistance Pro started, Melanie was the first champ and Regan was a teenage fan who wanted to be a wrestler. Now, 10+ years later, here they were in the same ring for the first time.

My message here is if you are a wrestling fan, go out and see Regan when you can. Regan is fast on the rise. She is winning titles and gaining exposure. I see her signing with one of the bigger companies within a couple years. She is that good!

Regan Lydale and me in Elk Grove Village, IL-July 2025.

Josh Bodwell at Wizard World (Fan Expo)

Josh Bodwell is a trivia wiz and a well-known tattooist, who has been seen on Epic Ink on A&E. I met him at Wizard World several years back. I did not get a tattoo from his, but I did get a Johngy's Beat promo which is in the far left column. Bodwell is also a talented artist, creating beautiful pieces for events, trading cards and more.

All of that is why he was a hugely popular guest at Wizard World. Celebrities with that big and varied of a resume make fantastic guests because they appeal to several groups. 

Bodwell was extremely engaging when I met him. Although very busy with his tattoo work and meeting fans, he took several minutes to chat with me about comic cons.

This is one of the many reasons I love FanExpo (who took over for Wizard World). I wanted to meet Bodwell because of all he does, but once I met him I had even more respect for him. All an attendee wants is for the celebrity encounter to be pleasant. Bodwell exceeded that expectation by a wide margin.

Go to joshbodwell.com for more info on him. For more info on FanExpo go to fanexpohq.com. Also, check here for my recurring coverage.

Josh Bodwell and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2016.

Ya Boi Mason Percs

I heard about Mason Percs for a while before I finally saw him in action. The reality matched the hype.

Mason is a 26-year-old wrestler at POWW Entertainment. He is also the champ at POWW. a title he's held for about two years.

Wrestling fans kept telling me I needed to see him in action. When I finally saw him, I was impressed. I saw talent and charisma. Recently though, my respect has grown. I know he is a very good wrestler. He's got a nice moveset and his execution is solid. What I have seen of late is his ablity to take an absolute beatdown and still keep fighting.

I'm not talking about light bulbs and other nonsense. I'm saying have seen him take a physical beating from Maurice. I have also seen him deliver a beatdown. If you weren't into those matches, you are not a wrestling fan. They had moves, psychology, timing and emotion. This was like old school wrestling with a little modern style mixed into the match.

Since then, I have talked to Mason a few time and he is a nice, respectful young man. I have seen him interact with fans after the show, even when he is in obvious pain (and on a crutch).

Mason has worn the POWW title with pride and he has given the title respect. He is everything you'd want in a champ to be the face of your company.

For more info on Mason and POWW, go to the POWW social media page. Remember to cheer for "ya boi" if you go to a POWW show..

Mason Percs and me in Fox Lake, IL-October 2025.