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.

 

Friend Encounters: Jeff Burroughs and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

My convention buddy Dennis has me on this one. How did he meet former MLB player Jeff Burroughs? He never even played for the Milwaukee Brewers,

Dennis meets a lot of celebrities and athletes. Usually, the athletes have a Wisconsin connection. As much as I envy him for many of those, I also understand he meets most in Wisconsin, too far for me to go for one athlete. Burroughs though has no such connection to the Badger state.

This one is especially painful, because it happened in Rosemont, just west of me. Easing the pain a bit is the fact I was out of town. At least I did not miss it. I just couldn't be there.

Burroughs was one of my favorites growing up. He won the MVP as a glasses-wearing outfielder. He was an excellent player for a lot of years. His son eventually played in the majors, too, but without much success. Sean died tragically at 43.

I'll let go of this one with Dennis. I just hope he doesn;t have many more that I could not get. There's only so much disappointment I can take.

Jeff Burroughs and Dennis in Rosemont, IL-March 2025.

Friend Encounters: Cecil Cooper and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today I feature my Wisconsin friend Dennis. Fortunately for me, he is pictured with a Milwaukee Brewers legend whom I already met. That's a bit of a rarity, because Dennis meets a lot of folks I would love to meet. Of course it helps that he lives in Wisconsin where a lot of Brewers and Green Bay Packers do conventions.

Cecil Cooper was a very underrated first baseman who started with the Boston Red Sox, but really became a star with the Brewers. He eventually became a coach and managed the Houston Astros for a few seasons. I met him in Houston, although I was on official press duty and unable to get a picture with him.

Some day, Dennis and I must join forces for a celebrity picture. Perhaps someone like Bill Sharp, who split his career between the Brewers and White Sox, would be a great choice. If anything like that happens, I'll report it here. Until then, I'll feature other pictures from Dennis.

Dennis and Cecil Cooper in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Jim Gantner and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Today I feature my Wisconsin convention buddy Dennis. I only see Dennis at conventions, but it is always great seeing him. I am envious of the athletes he meets and today's is one of those occasions.

Jim Gantner played 19 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Gantner, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount comprise one of the trios who played the most games together. Yount and Molitor made the Hall of Fame, while Gantner played steady ball mostly at second base for all those years. He is also one of the longest tenured players with one team who is not a Hall of Famer.

That's what makes his career even more impressive. The Brewers must have thought highly enough of Gantner to keep him all those years, even though he never even made an All Star team.

Gantner is just one of so many athletes Dennis has met. Dennis usually focuses on Milwaukee players, but he gets plenty of others, too. I am envious of this one, because I was a big fan of Gantner. He was my kind of player. I did get to briefly interview him years ago, but I couldn't ask for a picture.

Dennis and Jim Gantner in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Ken Sanders and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Former Major League pitcher Ken Sanders was one of the first baseball cards I remember. As the years passed, it always seemed he was on a different team, mostly because he was. From1972-77 on Topps cards, he was with the Brewers, Phillies, Indians, Angels, Mets and Royals. He never actually pitched for the Phillies and he never got a card with the Twins for whom he did pitch during those years. After debuting in 1964, he spent parts of three seasons each with the Kansas City/Oakland A's and the Brewers, with a quick stop with the Red Sox.

My buddy Dennis is not that well-traveled, but he gets around to a lot of meet-and-greets, usually featuring Wisconsin players. That's where the Sanders picture originated. I have seen Dennis meet a lot of former players with better resumes, but I really appreciate this one. I love seeing older less-known players get some spotlight.

Dennis and Ken Sanders in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Butterbean and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

Dennis is one of my convention pals. While we don't see each other often, we usually can count on conventions to meet again. Today though, I feature Dennis at a convention I didn't attend and with a celebrity I never met.

Eric Esch, better known as Butterbean, is a retired boxer, kickboxer, MMA fighter and more. He also had an ill-received match in the WWE. He's also done acting, including starring in the reality television documentary entitled Big Law: Deputy Butterbean, based on his being a reserve deputy sheriff in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama.

Upon retirement due to health issues, Butterbean connected with Diamond Dallas Page who helped him back to health through his DDP Yoga. Page has helped several celebrities and thousands of other folks with his brand of yoga. Butterbean has since announced he unretired.

As for Dennis, I don't see him ever retiring from the celebrity meet and greet game, much like I won't. Until then, our paths will continue to cross and I will always look forward to seeing him.

Butterbean and Dennis in Rosemont, IL-March 2025.

Friend Encounters: Ted Simmons and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

My Wisconsin friend Dennis is back. That probably means he is with a Wisconsin athlete.

This time, it is Ted Simmons, one of my all-time favorites. A recent Hall of Fame inductee, Simba started with the St. Louis Cardinals, but had several solid years with the Brewers in the middle of his career. He finished with the Atlanta Braves.

One of my first book reports in grade school was on Ted Simmons. It wasn't really a book. My friend Tommy and I skirted the system and reviewed Baseball Digest. It was really just so we could draw the covers. Yes, we actually made covers for our book reports for our own amusement.

Any back to Dennis. He is another of my convention pals. I really only see him a couple times a year. It's always good though.

Unfortunately, I did not see him at this convention. I am envious of him meeting Simmons. I met him once years ago, but it was an over the table deal. I did get a full photo with his statue in St. Louis, but that's not the same.

Ted Simmons and Dennis in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Dennis and Jack Morris

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

My buddy Dennis is one of my convention pals. I never see Dennis away from conventions, but we always catch up a bit at those events. 

Dennis ventures out to some conventions I don't attend. One such is the Sports Convention in Rosemont. While it is  a great convention, which bringsin a lot of famous athletes, I find it too crowded. That's a great thing for them. It's just not for me.

Dennis, however, braves the crowd and scores a lot of athletes. One such athlete recently was Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris. Pitching for four teams over his 18 years career, Morris went 254-186. He was a three-time World Series champ, a World Series MVP, a five-time All-Star and he also pitched a no-hitter.

I haven't met Morris yet. Dennis has that one on me. I did meet him in the pressbox at Target Field, but I did not ask for a picture, because it was my first time there and I wasn't going to risk rocking the boat.

Dennis and Jack Morris in Rosemont, IL-March 2025.

Friend Encounters: Willie McGee and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

At the time of this recent photo, baseball was on the mind of my pal Dennis as he met former MLB star outfielder Willie McGee at the Chicago Sports Spectacular. McGee was the MVP in 1985 and a 4x All-Star during his excellent 18 year career. He collected 2,254 hits while batting .295. He had most of his success with the St. Louis Cardinals, his first and last team. In between, he had stints with the Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. 

It's easy to overlook how good McGee was. Just 10-15 more hits every season and he would be in tthe Hall of Fame discussion. He was a fantastic leadoff hitter. 

As for Dennis, he is one of my convention buddies. We usually cross paths at wrestling, sports or comic conventions. Seeing folks like Dennis at these conventions is always fun. While we might not be close pals, we always exchange friendly banter. Dennis is just one of many such friends I have made through conventions or as some say, he's part of my convention family. We don't need to see each other often, but it's always nice reconnecting.

Willie McGee and Dennis in Rosemont, IL-March 2025.