A Literal Johngy Rant

When did "literal" become so overused and usually wrongly used?

A recent example I saw was some influencer comparing Taylor Swift's logo with the new logo of the Toronto Sceptres, a women's professional hockey team. The influencer states the logos are "literally identical." At one point, she even dares her audience to find a difference. The differences, although minor, are very evident. While the logos are very similar, they are not exact duplicates. Therefore they are not literally identical.

There is a chance the influencer did this as click-bait, another annoying trend. Influencers make controversial (or wrong) posts just to get people to respond, thus giving them engagement

I don't think this is the case with this particular one. I think she did it as a hot take, another annoying trend. I won't go off on that trend yet.

Wow. Maybe I just need to stay off social media. In ranting about literally, I also revealed I hate click-bait and hot takes. 

Celebrity Jersey Cards #734: April Fools Edition: WWE

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series featuring Celebrities wearing sports jerseys. In today's Special April Fools Edition, I feature WWE wrestlers dressed as other wrestlers.

Chelsea Green went way opposite of her character when she dressed as Mick Foley's Cactus Jack. No disrespect to Green and she does look great in the flannel, she is more a raving beauty than a hardcore legend. 

Chris Jericho went to the wayback machine when he turned up as Doink. To get an upper hand on William Regal, Jericho donned the Doink makeup for a sneak attack.

Mark Callaway as the Undertaker once wrestled Brian Lee who was playing the Undertaker (but really the Underfaker). Here though, Callaway dressed as Kane, his storyline brother for a feud with him.

Last and never least, A.J. Lee dressed as Nikki Bella in a bit of irony. Lee often railed against divas like Bella who didn't put in the work or have the skills to be a top woman wrestler, instead concentrating on being a diva. I'll take Lee dressed as anyone anyday. I miss seeing her in the ring.

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.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #733 J.J. Watt & Al Hrabosky

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I make virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing sports jerseys. Today we have two cross-sport stars. Today I continue my season-long march through all MLB teams.

After an outstanding career at the University of Wisconsin, J.J. Watt was drafted by the Houston Texans and enjoyed 10 great seasons with the team. He followed that with two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Watt's brothers Derek and T..J. also made the NFL, with T.J. still active with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt is a likely early ballot Hall of Famer, but for now, he gets a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Al Hrabosky enjoyed a lengthy MLB career, first with the St. Louis Cardinals, then the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals. The Mad Hungarian was one of the best relievers of the 1970's. How did he find himself on a Houston Astros Celebrity Jersey Card? Hrabosky appeared in a few movies, including "The Slugger's Wife," where he appeared with Bucky Dent and Mark Fidrych. I didn't know about those last two, but they will be on Celebrity Jersey Cards in the future.

Women's History Month and Talking Travel

March is Women's History Month. Today, I celebrate Women's History Month while promoting my Talking Travel interviews for Global Traveler.

Over the last 16 months, I have conducted about 50 Talking Travel interviews and half have been with women.

My first Talking Travel interview was with musician Suzi Quatro, a music pioneer and one of my favorites. While a bit self-serving as Quatro has been in my music rotation for 50 years, she is a true legend in the music industry.

Since then, I have interviewed women reporters, athletes, actresses, writers and more. Each brought a unique story and fun interview. Looking back at all of the women I interviewed, I am proud and happy to have such a famous, diverse and informative group.

Of course, I have to end with a plea for subscriptions to the GT YouTube channel. It's free, easy and you won't be bothered by emails. Plus, it helps keep food on my table and I like to eat.

Good-bye, Good Luck and Thanks to Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr

Born in Keflavik, Iceland, Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr played three seasons at Iona, before joining the Loyola Ramblers for the 2023-24 season. 

At Loyola, Thoranna played in 57 games, starting 46. She averaged 5.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds. Although those are solid stats in themselves, her contributions went well beyond pure stats.

Her spirit, passion and teamwork made her a fan favorite. Her journey from Iceland contributed to her legend.

It's players like Thoranna with such great stories who make covering these events so much fun. Of course, I am not friends with Thoranna, but during her time, I had the pleasure of talking with her several times and watching her play and interact with her teammates and fans so many times. How else could an old guy like me cross paths with a great young person from Iceland? I love the longshot it represents.

Next year, Thoranna will be gone off to other adventures, as will a couple other departing Ramblers. There will be new Ramblers ready to share their stories. Hopefully, I will have some interactions with the newbies to make new connections.

Go to loyolaramblers.com for more info on all of their sports teams. Thoranna and basketball are done for this year, but I have softball to keep me busy.

 Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr and me in Chicago, IL-March 2024.

Mick Foley at Nightmare Weekend

Mick Foley is coming to Nightmare Weekend Chicago May 2-4. I don't know if he'll bring Mankind and Dude Love with him, but I will be "On the Beat" all weekend checking out the fun.

Wrestling legend Foley grew up a fan of wrestling and dreamt of becoming one. Not only did he become one of the most popular, one of his characters from his youth (Dude Love) returned. Foley also wrestled as Cactus Jack and sometimes just Mick Foley. If it's confusing, welcome to the Three Faces (which is really four) of Foley.

Another side of Foley is as an author. He has written several nonfiction books about himself and his career. While those books are excellent and certainly appeal to wrestling fans, his fiction books are very underrated. Tietam Brown and Scooter are incredible. You might say I am biased, but i know professional writers and editors who aren't fans of his who loved those books. A couple actually became fans of his wrestling, too!

Foley is a great convention guest, but there are many other great guests in the Nightmare Weekend lineup. Go to galaxycon.com for more info and scheduling.

Mick Foley and me in New York, NY-October 2022.

Shiny Hardware: The World Series Trophy

This trophy is extremely special and very rare. It was the first World Series trophy for the Chicago Cubs in my lifetime and first one for the team since 1908.

During my lifetime, the Cubs had only made a few playoff appearances. There was a lot of mediocirty and worse. Then the new regime of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer took over the team and things started to change. In 2016, it all came toegther as the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series.

Unfortunately, much like the 1985 Bears, these Cubs only won one title. We thought there would be more, but at least they got one.

In 2018, while seeing Billy Joel at Wrigley Field, I finally got to see the trophy that eluded the Cubs for all these years. I soaked in the moment, because I know it might never happen again in my lifetime.

The World Series trophy in Chicago, IL-September 2018.

Stu Cliburn and the Chicago Dogs

While MLB started its season a couple days ago in Japan, the Chicago Dogs start their season in Rosemont in a couple months. Coach Stu Cliburn will be back for his fifth season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the fourth round of the 1977 MLB Draft. After a few years in their organization without reaching the majors, Cliburn signed with the California Angels in 1982. He made his MLB debut by appearing in one game in 1984, but broke out with an excellent season in 1985, appearing in 44 games, posting a 2.09 ERA and finishing 5th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, he was back in the minors with Edmonton in 1986-87, before making an MLB return in 1988. He spent 1989 and 1990 in the minors before retiring as a player. One interesting sidenote is Stu got to be teammates with his brother Stan in Edmonton.

Stu is a classy guy. Several years back, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stu when he was a coach with the Minnesota Twins for Spring Training. That interview is at On the Beat With Stu Cliburn.

Last season, the Dogs finished 55-45 good for a tie of second place. The team looks to build on that to move into first this season.

The Dogs open their season Friday, May 9 against the Lake County Dockhounds. For more info, go to chicagodogs.com. 

Stu Cliburn and me in Rosemont, IL-June 2024.

Gangrel at Nightmare Weekend

Nightmare Weekend comes to Rosemont, Illinois May 2-4. This will be my first time "On the Beat" at Nightmare Weekend.

All of the guests have not yet been announced, but Clint Howard is at the top of my list from those already announced. The brother of Ron, Clint has been on my want list for a long time.

Another person announced is wrestler Gangrel. After debuting in 1988, Gangrel built a solid career, most notably with the WWF. A few years ago, I saw him wrestle at 2econd Wrestling and was a bit surprised how much he could still go. In his early 50s, Gangrel wasn't quite the same as in his prime, but he put on a solid performance. He was also great with the fans.

On the wrestling front, Gangrel will be joined by WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. Foley is always a great guest. Other mainstream celebs include William Shatner, Danny Trejo and Butch Patrick. I excitedly await even more guest announcements.

Go to GalaxyCon.com for more info and scheduling on Nightmare Weekend. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Gangrel and me in Highwood, IL-July 2022.