Holiday Music Part 4:LeAnn Rimes

It is reported that LeAnn Rimes has been active in the music business since she was 9, but it was her 1996 release Blue which put her in the spotlight.  She was often compared to Patsy Cline.

I've always been a sucker for a good ballad and few people can belt out a ballad like Rimes.  Many people have done "All I want for Christmas is You" and this version is one of my favorites.

Everybody's Got a Record (C)HCoSG

Matt F. is the creative force behind an interesting site called Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius.  The site contains all sorts of great sports stuff, including a few series like Heartbreakingly Great Names.

Another of his series is Everybody's Got a Record, in which he "strives to prove the universal truth that every baseball player holds some kind of record".  I really enjoy this series and wrote Matt that I wanted to borrow his feature for a few of my favorite players. This proved to be challenging, as my favorite players of the past often times didn't have a great body of work.

My first attempt was former Chicago White Sox first baseman Mike Squires.  Squires had a decent ten year career, mostly as a part-time player, although he did win a Gold Glove in 1981.

I scrolled down to the Leaderboard section on his BB Reference page and struck gold.  There it was...a record for Squires!  He is #1 all-time for Range Factor/9 Innings for 1B.  His 10.496 is technically tied with Ron Jackson and the data only goes back to 1974, but it is his record right now and I am touting it!

 

Thanks goes to Matt for allowing me to borrow his feature.  Thanks also goes to Matt for consistently posting interesting stuff.

The Top Ten Female Wrestlers of 2010

With 2010 winding down quickly and 2011 right around the corner, who were the most popular women on this blog this year?
The answers might surprise you...

10. Natalya
Coming in at number ten, we have the current WWE Divas Champion.
I don't think anyone out there doesn't think she deserves it either.
She and Beth just defeated Lay-Cool in the first ever Diva's Tag Team Tables match in WWE history.

9. Madison Rayne
This three time TNA Women's Knockout Champion comes in at number nine.
Is it just me, or does she kinda resemble Molly Holly at some angles?

8. Jillian Hall
Yet another former WWE Diva and one with enough wrestling cred to rival Beth Phoenix.
One of my favorite wrestling rumors at the moment is that maybe she will go to TNA and do something besides sing.

7. Mickie James
Another former WWE Diva, now on the TNA Roster, Mickie is going strong over there at the "other" wrestling promotion.

6. Beth Phoenix
The return of the woman I consider to be one of the best actual wrestlers out there today made a lot of fans happy.
But why do I keep thinking we'll see her turn on Natayla soon?

5. Christy Hemme
A huge surge in popularity for the former WWE Diva and current TNA Knockout.
Possibly because she wants to get back into the ring?

4. Michelle McCool
The two time WWE Divas Champion and WWE Women's Champion, the Pro Wrestling Illustrated number one ranked female wrestler in the world for 2010 and the two time 2010 Slammy winner Mrs. Undertaker only managed to make it to number four.

3. Torrie Wilson
WCW and WWF beauty Torrie Wilson came in at number three, making the second woman in the top ten that's not even wrestling anymore.

2. Chyna
A big surprise to me is that "The Ninth Wonder of the World" came in at number two.
Joan Laurer may be having a bad time, but the fans still love their Chyna Doll.

1. Maryse
Without a doubt, the Canadian born blond was number one here.
I'm really glad that they have finally let her get back into the ring and actually wrestle some.



The Top Ten Female Wrestlers of 2010, posted to http://beautiful-wrestling.blogspot.com/ on December 23rd, 2010

Johngy Meets the Hitman

When I was in Los Angeles to interview Rick Monday for Global Traveler magazine, I also had a chance to talk to coach Mike Easler. I asked him about his favorite city and he named Pittsburgh, citing the downtown area and the eateries. Fellow coach Larry Bowa questioned (mocked?) Easler's choice of Pittsburgh. Naturally, I had to include Bowa in the interview. It can be found here on YouTube.
A few years before that, Easler was nice enough to sign a few cards for me through the mail. I offered him more to keep and ended up sending him a good supply for his own use.
When I saw him at the Ultimate Collectibles Show in Oaks (PA) last year, he didn't remember the interview, but he did remember the extra cards I sent. He thanked me again and I said I had been a long-time fan despite his usual prowess against my beloved Cubs. We had a good laugh about that.
I really liked Easler (some might say he was too good to be on my favorites list, but I digress). Easler tallied 1078 hits over his 14 year career. Unfortunately for him, his first full season was when he was already 29. Still, for about a seven year period (beginning with that first full season), Easler was pretty darn good and pretty feared.
As a side bit of trivia, Easler is married to Brenda, who is Cliff Johnson's sister. Easler has stated that she spent a lot of time pitching to him ("although she didn't have a good breaking ball", according to Easler). He's truly one of the good guys.

Mike Easler and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

Happy Birthday Jim

Today, I am highlighting Jim Gekas on his birthday.  Jim is the third Gekas in 22 days to celebrate a birthday.
I met Jim through his brother Chuck.  Jim started to work at Lerner Newspapers after Chuck left, but while I was still there.  Jim has also became a regular on my softball team.
Jim is a definite Hall of Famer when it comes to musical trivia (but I do think I might have a shot at "Name That Tune" against him).  Jim is also a gifted musician as evident by his song Mr. Robinson.
On a baseball trip to Pittsburgh with a few friends, Jim ran into his childhood favorite, Manny Sanguillen.  Jim was a big fan of the Pirates from that era.  It was really cool to see Jim get excited and pose with his hero.  I have done this hundreds of times, but I always get a kick when I see my friends meet one of their favorites.
Jim is certainly one of my closest friends and I appreciate and value his friendship greatly.  I hope today is a great day.  Happy birthday, Seamus!

Jim Gekas and Manny Sanguillen in PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA-June 2005

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly feature highlighting my friends who have met celebrities.

I have previously written about Jason and his site, The Writer's Journey.  Jason's site is heavy on the Cincinnati Reds, but also features other great baseball stuff and some other random interesting topics.  It's really done well and always worth a look.  He even answered my request and made a 2010 Topps card for longtime backup catcher (and personal favorite) Bill Plummer.
Jason and his son are regular attendees at RedsFest and this year was no different.  They met a lot of great former Reds, like Tom Browning, Eric Davis and Chuck Harmon (the first African-American to play for the Reds).
They also met one current member of the Reds, pitcher Bronson Arroyo.  Arroyo happens to be my favorite Red.  Arroyo signed his cd and a card for Joshua.
Jason ended his report by writing that they had a blast and look forward to next year's event.  I always look forward to the reports and posts about RedsFest.  It's great to see so many former Reds.  Maybe someday, they'll post a picture after meeting Bill Plummer!

Joshua and Bronson Arroyo in Cincinnati, OH-December 2010.

Bear Down Sunday #14

The Bears got thumped last week and now stand at 10-3.  Tomorrow, they are playing their divisional rival, the Minnesota Vikings, who are 5-8, playing in an outdoor stadium and dealing with the continuing Brett Favre saga.
Everything is harder in the frigid air, especially punting.  Chicago has been lucky with punters for most of my life.  The Bears had Bob Parsons for most of my youth and have had Brad Maynard for the last several years.  Starting in the mid-80's, the Bears had Maury Buford.
Buford was a small guy.  He's listed at 6'-1" and 191 pounds.  That is certainly a far cry from a certain large armed punter the Bears had in the 90's.
Buford was a very funny guy, too.  I had a great time when I met him at a charity bowling event.  He joked about a lot of his ex-teammates in Chicago and he talked about the challenge of punting here.  Actually, he averaged only two yards less in Chicago, then he had in San Diego.
I will be watching Brad Maynard as he battles the weather in Minnesota.  Hopefully, he will have a great game and help the Bears defense.
The picture isn't the best, but I do like how it looked in a negative form.  I think it's better that way.

Maury Buford and me in Arlington Heights, IL-Mid 1990's.