Friend Encounters: The Blue Meanie and Al Snow

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today I feature two friends, two celebrities and a scene I witnessed. This and many other such encounters happened at the recent Squared Circle Expo VI.

The Blue Meanie (aka Brian Heffron) and Al Snow were two of the hundred wrestling guests at SCX VI. While they did chat a bit and pose for a picture, they spent most of their time at thei booths. At SCX VI, while the wrestlers did interact like this, they spent the majority of their time at their own booths meeting fans. That is one of the best parts of SCX. The wrestlers actually stay at their booths, unlike other conventions.

Through many conventions and interviews, I have become friends with Brian and Al. Both are great guys who made their mark in wrestling. Both are very popular at conventions, because they are engaging. You get much more than a quick autograph or picture with both. Brian is likely to discuss Philadelphia sports. With Al, you never know what you might get. He might prank you. He might fake punch you for a picture. He might be serious. Whatever it is, Al gives you his attention. With Al, you usually see his awesome wife Jessica. I have met both several times and I will always go to them at conventions because they are a lot of fun.

For more info on this great convention, go to squaredcirclex.com. Also, follow both Brian and Al on social media to be entertained.

Brian Heffron and Al Snow in Indianapolis, IN-March 2026

Celebrity Jersey Cards #796: Gloria Estefan & Mavis Staples

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I continue my season-long alphabetical journey through all Major League with two female music legends repping the Chicago Cubs. Baseball teams.

A native of Miami, Florida, Gloria Estefan went on to win eight Grammy awards and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. One of the best-selling musical artists of all-time, Estefan started as lead singer for the Miami Latin Boys, who became the Miami Sound Machine. Married to Emilio, her first and only boyfriend, Estefan's tour bus crashed in 1990. Despite doctors telling her she would never be able to have more children, Estefan made a miraculous comeback, even conceiving a daughter a few years later. Estefan belted the 7th inning stretch song for the Chicago Cubs to earn her Celebrity Jersey Card.

Chicago native Mavis Staples has spent 75 of her 86 years entertaining folks. She rose to fame with the Staple Singers and is the last living member. She has won three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards. Mavis heard the cheers of an SRO crowd at Wrigley Field when she sang the National Anthem and landed on an old school Celebrit Jersey Card.

Cards That Never Were: Tony Ghelfi Topps 1984

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets over the years. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Tony Ghelfi was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (14th) of the 1980 MLB January Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1983, starting three games and going 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA. Unfortunately, that would be it for his MLB career. He pitched in the minors for Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Doego through the 1989 season.

Understandably, Topps did not give Ghelfi any card. Although perhaps justified, I couldn;t let that stand. As I set out to fix that omission, I saw Jeff in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group already created one for him. Despite the name, that group has thousands of cards of all types, not just baseball. Jeff is one of the best and busiest creators. Seeing his beautiful work, I simply highlight it, instead of trying to duplicate it.

Finally Meeting Frankie Torres

Last year, I interviewed musician Frankie Torres for Global Traveler. That interview is at Talking Travel with Frankie Torres.

Since then, I have followed Frankie, a former contestant on The Voice, on social media, hoping she would get a gig in Chicago. That performance happened a couple weeks ago.

Frankie appeared at Cafe Mustache on the near northwest side of Chicago. It's a small pub, but perfect for such a show. The opener was Adam Bohanon, a fellow Minnesota musician who was also on The Voice with Frankie.

We arrived and found a table close to the stage. I quickly spotted Frankie, but didn't bug her, figuring she might be in show-mode. There would be plenty of time to meet her later.

After about 15 minutes and about 10 minutes before Bohanon was to take the stage, Frankie came over to us. We chatted for several minutes, before she left to get ready for Bohanon's set.

After Bohanon's set, Frankie took the stage. Sh did a few original songs and some covers. Her take on Janis Joplin's "Bobby McGee" was great. Her original tune, "Losing to the Letters," about dealing with her father's battle with ALS, was beautiful.

After Frankie's set, we met both performers at the merch table. Both were really cool.

I was really impressed with Frankie. It is fun to see her at this stage. At 26, she is just starting her journey. She definitely has the chops. She is positive, hopeful and confident. It was a pleasure meeting and seeing her perform in person. I look forward to seeing where her career goes.

Frankie Torres and me in Chicago, IL-April 2026.

Talking Travel with Dr. Tiffany Brown

April was Autism Acceptance Month (formerly Autism Awareness Month). To learn more about how autism impacts travel, I turned to Dr. Brown, an autism mom, veteran traveler and author.

The author part of her description is one she shares with her son Caleb. Together they are raising awarness and spreading acceptance of autism. It's a beautiful, interesting and informative story they share.

Dr. Brown gave so much information, I couldn't do it justice in a recap. Go to Talking Travel with Dr. Tiffany Brown to hear it all. While you are here, please subscribe to the Global Traveler YouTube channel. 

Really Meeting Notre Dame's Leprechaun

Yesterday, I relayed the story of my first picture with Notre Dame's Leprechaun mascot. I left with the big mystery of whether I got a closer picture with the lass. I am sure everyone was up all night wondering.

Anyone who knows me, knows if it is at all possible, I will get a picture with every mascot I see. While she bounced around the entire game, it would have been a logistical problem to meet her. That problem was solved at the end of the game. As we exited our section, she was at the top of the steps. I certainly didn't miss that opportunity. As you can see, she even gave me the 'fists up" pose.

Notre Dame's Leprechaun and me in Notre Dame, IN-April 2026.

The Notre Dame Leprechaun

As I always do, if there is a mascot on the scene, I do my best to get a picture. Heading to Notre Dame, I knew there was a leprechaun mascot, but I didn't know if it would be at the softball game.

As the game started, eagle-eyed Tony spotted the leprechaun, but we couldn't get to her. Yes, it was a female leprechaun. Unfortunately, we were unable to get to her. Knowing my fascination with mascots, Tony snapped the picture of us "together" when she was reasonably close. I thank him for the effort and I must admit, it is a unique mascot picture to add to my collection.

Notre Dame officially debuted the Leprechaun in 1964. From the 1930s until then, Irish Setters named Clashmore Mike served in the mascot role. Seemingly there are multiple Leprechauns (they are a magical bunch). I was a bit pleasantly surprised to see a female leprechaun, but it made perfect sense for women's softball.

I would have been happy with this picture, but did I get a closer pic with the lass? Check back tomorrow.

The Notre Dame Leprechaun and me in Notre Dame, IN-April 2026.

Friend Encounters: Dennis Rodman, Ed and Heather

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

In March, I attended Squared Circle Expo VI. It's not just a great wrestling convention. SCX has quickly become one of the best celebrity conventions of any kind. 

Dennis Rodman was one of the headliner guests this year. What perfect timing, too. The three-time NBA champ with the Chicago Bulls was just voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. This was probably his first autograph signing since that announcement.

For those who don't know, Rodman dabbled in pro wrestling as a tag team partner of Hulk Hogan and a member of the NWO. While Rodman would never be confused with Bruno Sammartino, he did what he needed to do. He was himself, in all his fabulous outrageousness. 

Getting him as a guest at SCX was a big coup and it paid off as his line was ridiculously long. Two folks who didn't have to wait in line though were Ed and Heather, one-half of the Fab Four who run SCX. 

I've known Heather for about 15 years and Ed not much less. I first met her at Resistance Pro Wrestling and Ed at a different convention. Saying they are a fun couple is an understatement. They are great folks who bust butt to make the convention fun for all. They also squeeze in a little fun for themselves and rightly so.

With SCX VI in the books, everyone is already looking forward to SCX VII. No info is known about that yet, but you can learn a bit more about SCX at squaredcirclex.com.

Ed, Dennis Rodman and Heather in Indianapolis, IN_March 2026.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #795: Tess Boyer & Krista Tesreau

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today, I continue my season-long alphabetical journey through all Major League Baseball teams.

From Glen Carbon, Illinois, singer Tess Boyer was on The Voice, season six. She was a cheerleader for the St. Louis Rams and has worked with special needs children. When she took a hiatus from social media, Boyer frightened her fans who stared searching for the "missing" singer. Her father assured all she was fine. Boyer got her Celebrity Jersey Card wearing a St. Louis Cardinals jersey. She might have been at a game, but the background was too bright to tell.

A native of St. Louis, actress Krista Tesreau has carved out a nice career on daytime dramas, among other projects. One of her roles was as Tina Lord (described fantastically as a "whirling dervish" on Wiki) On One Life to Live. That role was also played by two of my favorites in the late Andrea Evans and Kelli Maroney. Tesreau also appeared in Ringmaster, starring Jerry Springer. For her Celebrity Jrsey Card, Tesreau was accompanied by Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith.

Cards That Never Were: Ted Simmons 1969-'70 & '89

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual 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.

Ted Simmons was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (10th) of the 1967 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1968, appearing in two games. He followed that in 1969 with five games. Then he became a regular in 1970. After the 1980 season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to the 1986 season, he was sent to Atlanta, where he finished his career in 1988. All told, Simba hit .285 with 248 HRs, 1,389 RBIs and 1,074 runs scored. In 2020 the Modern Baseball Era Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame.

For his efforts, Topps gave Simmons cards 1971-1988. That left two early cards and one career capper missing. Lynn from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group created these masterpieces to finish his career set. Lynn is a genius, creating thousands  of such cards in the group, which isn't just baseball cards. I couldn't come close to Lynn's wizardry, especially with these specific card designs. It is much better to highlight his work, than try to duplicate it and fail.