Celeb Jersey Cards #59 Jon Busch & Lee Archambault

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebs.  It's hot and my baseball teams are cold.  Therefore, I am looking forward to the hockey season and my Blackhawks!

Jon Busch has had a lengthy career as a goalkeeper for various teams in Major League Soccer.  He had a three year stint with the Chicago Fire, including the 2008 season in which he was the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.  I wonder if he would do just as well putting them in the net for the Hawks.

Lee Archambault is a native of the Chicago area (Oak Park to be specific) and is a lifelong Hawks fan.  A while back, he traded in his spacesuit for a Hawks jersey for a mid-game promotion .  No, I won't make any jokes about putting the puck into space, but I will [point out his jersey number.  Is it #11 or #19?  Actually, I believe it is neither.  I think it was #119, in honor of STS-119, Archambault's first mission as commander of a Space Shuttle.  While we will probably never see a triple-digit jersey number in pro sports (the XFL should have done it), at least we see one on a Celeb Jersey Card!

Celeb Jersey Cards #58 Artie Lange & Dennis Haskins

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebs.

It's time to check into the minor leagues and leading off is Artie Lange.  Lange is a comedian, actor and had been on the Howard Stern Show for years.  He is also a huge Yankees fan.  Unfortunately, Lange has battled his demons for years.  Much like several former major leaguers attempting comebacks, Lange is pictured with the Independent League Newark Bears.  I am quite sure Lange would be a better hitter than pitcher, but I also am sure that he did better on the mound than former radio mate Gary Dell'Abate.

Dennis Haskins has had a long and solid career.  He is perhaps best known for his role in the Saved By The Bell shows.  I am not sure about his connection to the Reading Phillies.  Maybe it stems from his time on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  I am sure he was well-received in Reading, especially if he didn't bring Screech with him!

Celeb Jersey Cards #57 Hank Azaria & Matt Dillon

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebs.

There isn't a whole lot of success for Chicago baseball teams this year.  Therefore, to share in the misery, I am featuring celebs representing another underachieving team.
Who is better to showcase underachieving than Homer J. Simpson or at least the man who voices him, Hank Azaria.  Actually, Azaria is an accomplished actor.  He is also a native New Yorker and a Mets fan.  I think he might even be able to land a spot coming out of the bullpen in long relief.

Matt Dillon is another native New Yorker.  Dillon enjoyed success as a teenager and has been a solid actor since.  Dillon donned the #7 when he threw out a first pitch.  Was the #7 for current Mets shortstop Jose Reyes?  I prefer to go old school and say it was for longtime Mets player Ed Kranepool.  I think Dillon would be that kind of player.

Celeb Jersey Cards #56 Vince Vaughn & Billy Crystal

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebrities.  Today I pay homage to my beloved Blackhawks who won the Stanley Cup on this date in 2010.

Vince Vaughn grew up in Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago, and has stayed loyal to his roots.  He can often be seen at Chicago sporting events.  Vaughn isn't just there to be seen; he's a real fan, too!  There are a bunch of pictures of Vaughn sporting various Chicago jerseys, but I think this worked best with the chosen card.

On the other end of the spectrum is Billy Crystal, a native New Yorker and a noted New York fan.  In City Slickers, Crystal sports a Mets cap.  In reality, he is more of a Yankees fan and has even batted once in a Spring Training game, which earned him his first Celebrity Jersey Card a while back.  Today's card comes from his role in Running Scared, a Chicago-based movie and one of my all-time favorites.

Celeb Jersey Cards #55 Don Rickles & Dean Martin

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebs.  Today I go old school with two entertainment legends.

Long before Spike Lee wore a jersey at Knicks games, Don Rickles could be spotted wearing a Dodgers jersey.  When the Dodgers moved west, they became he darlings of the Hollywood set.  Many Dodgers appeared on various tv shows and stars started to attend Dodgers games.  I enjoyed giving Rickles a Celeb Jersey Card because it is the oldest one to date.  Rickles looks good on a 1949 Leaf!

Joining Rickles on the Dodgers bandwagon is one of his running mates, Dean Martin.  Dino looks a bit off in the photo below, but he very well might have been a bit "off" at the time.  Although his Celeb Jersey Card is older than Don's, I am not a big fan of the Play Ball cards.  Of course, at the time, they were probably pretty cool.  Not cooler than Dean, but few things were!

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Celeb Jersey Cards #54 Alyssa Milano

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebs.

I am featuring just one card today, but its is an important card.  It is a Celebrity Jersey Card of Alyssa Milano and I am taking this opportunity to call out the lovely actress.  Yeah that's right...Johngy is calling out Alyssa Milano!
Milano "writes" a baseball blog Touch 'Em All.  Or should I say, she previously wrote a baseball blog.  Her last post was May 4, 2010.  At the top is a block which proudly lists it as one of MLB's top 100 blogs.  That's a sham in itself.
Milano started her blog in 2007.  Maybe she just got tired of it by now.  I would argue that even during her early days, there were months when she only blogged a handful of times.  MLB's top 100?  Ha!
Despite being the spokesperson for a whole line of MLB wear, I couldn't find any recent photos of Milano in a Dodgers jersey.  I know she can be seen wearing all sorts of jerseys, but those are simple photoshopped pictures.
I acknowledge that Milano is a long time avid Dodgers fan and attends many games.  I give her credit for that, but not for being a blogger.  Yet, she receives praise and MLB awards.
Believe it or not, I don't dislike Milano.  I have followed her career from her time on Who's the Boss? and I generally like her.  She has avoided most of the craziness that usually befalls young stars as they mature into adulthood.
I liked the idea of someone like Milano writing a baseball blog.  I would have liked to see it updated on a regular basis.  It seemed like a half-hearted effort which got a lot of praise before it deserved any, then sputtered onward for a few years before it was completely abandoned.  What a letdown after such ballyhoo!
Before I end, I would like to extend an offer to Milano.  If she would like to address this situation, I will gladly print her response verbatim!  Defend yourself, Alyssa.  Prove to me I am wrong.  Until then, I stand by my opinion.

Celeb Jersey Cards #53 Jennie Finch & Shawn Johnson

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly feature which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebrities.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the south side of Chicago this weekend in a rematch of the 1959 World Series.  The Dodgers beat the White Sox 4 games to 2 games back then.  Hopefully, featuring these two athletes will jinx the Dodgers this time!
Jennie Finch was born and raised on the west coast, but she played pro softball in Chicago.  Finch is pure class on and off the field.  She is married to pitcher Casey Daigle of the San Francisco Giants, but she remains a loyal fan of the Dodgers.  Daigle has modeled a few uniforms (Diamondbacks, Twins, Rangers, Astros and Giants), but Finch has only modeled one...so far.  The #27 on her jersey isn't for Matt Kemp (who wears it now), nor for her husband (who has worn #41, #54 and #55).  Instead, it is her usual jersey number from her softball career.

 

Shawn Johnson was born and raised in the midwest, but moved to Los Angeles in 2009.  She is a gold and silver medal winner in the Olympics and she won the 2009 Dancing With The Stars competition.  She showed great form in tossing the ceremonial first pitch and earning herself a spot on the Celebrity Jersey Card team.  I think her #10 is for Dodgers legend Ron Cey, but I suppose it could be for other reasons.

Celeb Jersey Cards #52 A.J. Pierzynski & David Arquette

This is a regular series which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebrities.

In wrestling terms, today I am throwing a swerve.  This edition of Celebrity Jersey Cards features non-wrestlers getting a wrestling card.  Yes, I know there is no jersey present, but there are title belts.  Title belts rock!
Technically, A.J. Pierzynski is a baseball player, but he has a lot of wrestling in him.  His tag team partner is Dale Torborg, former baseball player and former wrestler.  Torborg is a coach and the son of former player Jeff Torborg (a member of the Backup Catcher Hall of Fame).  A little while back, they made an "impact" on Total Nonstop Action wrestling.  Some TNA wrestlers presented the pair with a real belt and that landed them on a Celebrity Jersey Card (wrestling belt edition

In one of the most controversial moves in the history of wrestling, actor David Arquette won the WCW Heavyweight title several years ago.  Arquette's title reign was short, but his legacy will live forever.  Now, he has been immortalized on a card of his own.

Celeb Jersey Cards #51 Nadia Bjorlin & Jenna Elfman

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a regular feature which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebrities.  The Los Angeles Dodgers just finished a three game series with the Chicago Cubs, in which the Cubs took 2 of 3.

Nadia Bjorlin was born in the U.S., but lived in Sweden until she was seven.  Her father Ulf was a Swedish composer and conductor.  Her first role was on tv's Days of Our Lives.  She has gone on to several other roles in episodic tv.  She is also an accomplished singer and has performed the National Anthem at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.  I always love it when the anthem singer wears a jersey.

Actress Jenna Elfman was born and raised in Los Angeles and also as a Dodgers fan.  When she played in a Dodgers charity softball game, she donned a #13 Dodgers jersey.  I wonder if the #13 has any significance.  Is it her personal favorite?  Perhaps it's for Alex Cora.  Maybe Orlando Hudson?  I prefer to think she was paying homage to former catcher-outfielder Joe Ferguson (one of my childhood favorites)!

Celeb Jersey Cards #50 Ken Burns x 8

This is a regular feature which combines my passion for trading cards with my interest in celebrities.

Today marks the 50th edition of Celebrity Jersey Cards.  I decided to bestow the honor of representing CJC #50 to Ken Burns, famous director and producer and the genius behind the Baseball, the Emmy Award-winning documentary about America's national pastime.
Burns apparently really wanted to be a part of the CJC series.  He did his best impression of Mike Morgan and modeled eight major league uniforms.  Rumor has it there have been more, but no photographic documentation could be found.  Still, just like the tv series of the 70's, eight is enough!

Celeb Jersey Cards #49 Jimmy Smits & Bill Guerin

This is a regular series which combines my love of bubblegum cards with my interest in celebrities.

I first saw Jimmy Smits in Running Scared, one of my favorite movies.  It was one of his earlier roles and he has gone on to have a solid career on tv and the big screen.  One of his more recent roles was on West Wing.  I am assuming the Washington D.C. connection is what lead him to throwing out the first pitch for the Nationals.  This is one of the rare cards which is taken from the 1986 set, which was when the Nationals were still the Expos.  Sometimes this happens in the world of Celebrity Jersey Cards.

Representing another not-so-good baseball team is very good NHL'er Bill Guerin.  Guerin played for eight teams during his eighteen year career.  He is the first player of Hispanic descent to play in the NHL.  He also ranks 7th all-time in goal scoring for Americans in the NHL.  His last team was the Pittsburgh Penguins, which probably explains the Pirates connection.

Celeb Jersey Cards #48 Terrence Howard & Derrick Rose

This is a regular feature which combines my interest in celebrities and my passion for trading cards.

Baseball season has started and some Chicago baseball love is overdue.  Showing my impartiality, I present both sides of town.
For the North siders, I present my old friend Terrence Howard.  Howard showed nice form while tossing the first pitch.  Last time we met, I was a bit underdressed, wearing jeans with my suit.  Howard returned the favor by wearing jeans while earning his spot on a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Chicago Bulls star on the rise Derrick Rose donned the Sox cap with his jersey while tossing the first pitch on the South side.  Rose's effort was less heralded than another former Bulls journey into baseball, but it was certainly more successful.  I celebrated that success by creating a card for Rose to go with his dozens (so to be hundreds) or basketball cards.

Celeb Jersey Cards #47 Carlton Fisk and Ryne Sandberg

This is a weekly series which combines my love for bubblegum cards with my interest in celebs.

The Hawks head into today's game 2 points ahead of the Dallas Stars.  Both teams have 1 game to play.  I brought out a pair of Chicago Hall of Famers to guide the Hawks into and through the playoffs.
Although he went into the Hall of Fame with a Red Sox cap, Carlton Fisk actually played more games for the White Sox, where he was the backbone of their teams in the 80's through the mid-90's.  Pudge is the all time leader in games caught.  Unfortunately,right after breaking that record, the Sox cut Fisk.  Only recently, did the Sox and Fisk get back together in harmony. Fisk looked in game shape when he dropped the puck at a Hawks game (I wonder if it was against Boston?).

Ryne Sandberg joined the Cubs from the Phillies in 1982, the year after Fisk arrived on the south side.  Unlike Fisk, Ryno would go into the Hall with a Chicago cap.  Ryno left the Cubs organization under questionable circumstances during their recent managerial search.  Hopefully, like Fisk, he will someday find peace with the Cubs.

Celeb Jersey Cards #46 Hulk Hogan & Sheamus

This is a regular series which combines my love of bubblegum cards and my interest in celebrities.

Tonight is WrestleMania XXVII, WWE's biggest wrestling event of the year.  The WWE held the first WrestleMania in Madison Square Garden in 1985 and it has become the world's longest running pro wrestling event.  To honor the WWE and WrestleMania, I am featuring two WWE superstars.
Many say that Hulk Hogan is pro wrestling or that he made pro wrestling.  While those might be overstatements, Hogan's success and significance cannot be denied.  The Florida resident has been spotted at Tampa Rays games (a 6'6" man wearing a bandanna and cutoff sleeves revealing huge arms is hard to miss).  For those who love background noise in trading cards, Brooke Hogan is visible (although slightly blurred) over his right shoulder.

While the Hulkster is a wrestling legend, Sheamus is on his way to being a future legend.  He is already a two time champ, as well as the reigning King of the Ring.  Today, King Sheamus will be battling Daniel Bryan for the United States championship.

Sheamus was born in Dublin and was a pretty good amateur athlete.  I don't know of any connection to the team, but he did throw out a first pitch for the Kansas City Royals (hmm King Sheamus..Royals...maybe), which earned him his first Celebrity Jersey Card.

Celeb Jersey Cards #45 Christian Slater & David Duchovny

This is a regular series which combines my love of bubblegum cards and my interest in celebrities.

Today I am having a Dodgers doubleheader.  Christian Slater is a fine actor.  I have enjoyed his work since Heathers from 1988.  Slater went all out to earn his first Celebrity Jersey Card, donning a cap and wearing #32, that of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.

David Duchovny hunted Aliens on the X-Files.  Would he chase outside curveballs?  We don't really know, but I do know that he looks quite at home in a Dodgers uni with the shades.  He also looks right on a 1988 Celebrity Jersey Card.

Celeb Jersey Cards #44 Joe Sakic and Curt Schilling

This is a regular series which combines my love of bubblegum cards and my interest in celebrities.

Today, as hockey gears up for the playoffs and baseball gears up for the season to start, I am presenting a bit of reverse hockey-baseball symmetry.
Joe Sakic played 20 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, retiring after the 2008-09 season.  His number has been retired by the Avalanche and he is a good bet to eventually make the hockey Hall of Fame.  When he threw out the first pitch for the Colorado Rockies, he assured himself a spot on a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Like Sakic, Curt Schilling also had a 20 year career.  Unlike Sakic, Schilling played for five teams.  Schilling's future enshrinement in basball's HOF is debatable, but I would guess probable.  Schilling flip-flopped sports with Sakic when he dropped the first puck at a Phoenix Coyotes game.  He also earned a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Celeb Jersey Cards #43 Tom Verducci & Al Roker

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

Today, I am going back to my journalism roots to connect the two stars of Celebrity Jersey Cards.  Okay, I don't really have journalism roots (unless you count my time as Music Editor on my grade school newspaper), but I have dabbled in journalism all of my life.  Anyway, onto the real subject matter.
Tom Verducci is a writer for Sports Illustrated.  While he has co-authored a couple books, none are of the George Plimpton variety.  He did write a couple articles about his short time with the Toronto Blue Jays in Spring Training. His time on the field did not produce a hit, but it did allow me to produce a Celebrity Jersey Card for him.

Going from writing to reporting brings me to Al Roker.  Roker's career at NBC started in Cleveland, which probably explains him throwing out the first pitch for the Indians.  What it doesn't explain is that seemingly bad form.  I used "seemingly" to give Roker the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe it was a bad angle.  Maybe there is another reason why he appears so awkward.  He is smiling though, but that might just be because he knew he would land on a Celebrity Jersey Card.

Celeb Jersey Cards #42 Chris Rock & Will Farrell

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

I am surprised I haven't found more pictures of celebs wearing the Yankees pinstripes.  In fact, Chris Rock is only the third Celebrity Jersey Card to feature the Yankees.  Rock broke one of the unofficial "jersey rules" by wearing a dress shirt under the jersey.  At least he eschewed a tie!

I think another unofficial rule is you can't have the Yankees without the Red Sox (or maybe that is just what ESPN thinks).  In either case, Rock's fellow funny man and SNL alum Will Farrell provides the Red Sox counterpart to Rock's Yankees love.  Farrell even shows a pretty good pitching form.  Lastly, I always love any card which shows a scoreboard like that in the background.

Celeb Jersey Cards Reader Contributions

Today is a special edition of Celebrity Jersey Cards.  I am featuring Celebrity Jersey Card creations of two fellow bloggers.

First up is a creation of Bob Lemke, a bubblegum card enthusiast and the former editor and publisher of many magazines and books at Krause Publications.  Currently he is the editor of the vintage card sections of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.  He also has a great blog, simply entitled Bob Lemke's Blog.
I have been a fan of Carl Weathers since Rocky.  I had been trying to find any photo of Weathers from his time playing pro football.  Lemke found those pictures and has created three cards.  The one below features Weathers from his time with the Oakland Raiders.  Lemke also produced a card of Weathers with the British Columbia Lions and a 1955 All American style card featuring Weathers playing for San Diego State.
Lemke is a master at custom card creations, but that's not the only thing you'll find on his blog.  It's loaded with lots of great sports stuff.

Next up is a card sent to me by Greg Frisenda, a vintage Star Wars toy collector and a Howard Stern fan.  Greg produced the Gary Dell'Abate card below as an offshoot of his usual card creations.  As a vintage Star Wars toy collector, he re-cards figures on cardbacks that he creates, a concept familiar to me thanks to JayHawk Evans.
Previously, I showcased a Dell'Abate jersey card that I created, but that was from a different day.  Greg's card perfectly captures the moment when Dell'Abate's ceremonial first pitch went awry (way, way awry).

Celeb Jersey Cards #41 Rob Lowe & Mario Lopez

Celebrity Rookie Cards is now Celebrity Jersey Cards.  The name fits better and pulls together my interest in celebrities and my love of trading cards.

The Dodgers are a popular choice for a lot of celebrities, because of their success and their location.  In addition to ceremonial first pitches, there have been celebrity softball games at Dodger Stadium.  That is the source of the first Celebrity Jersey Card today, which features actor Rob Lowe.  Lowe's career certainly has been filled with hits and misses, but my guess is a hit during this at bat.  Lowe would have been a nice platoon catcher as Steve Yeager's career ended and Mike Scoscia's career started.

Mario Lopez is young enough to still be playing, however his Celebrity Rookie Card is from 1985.  These things only happen in the land of Celebrity Jersey Cards (and other virtual card creations by my fellow bloggers).  Lopez is clearly athletic and could have easily handled the rigors of playing shortstop.  Don't tell me that back in the day, he couldn't have beaten out Dave Anderson (or at least stole some playing time from him).