Forgotten Superstars:Lelani Kai

We return to the Forgotten Superstars universe with a look at the only woman that I really enjoyed watching when I watched pro wrestling back in the '80s and early '90s.
This was a post that I had saved for a day that I didn't have time to write but wanted to put something up!

Ladies wrestling in that age was different than what it became in the days of the Monday night wars and what it is today.
The outfits weren't revealing (usually a one-piece similar to a bathing suit) and the ladies weren't featured every week on television either.
In the territorial days, women's wrestling was looked at by promoters as a 'Special Attraction' (the 'midget' wrestlers as they were called back then were used in the same manner) and they were used on the cards maybe two or three times a year.
Also, the ladies were usually used in a tag team match since the ladies champion the Fabulous Moolah (who trained and booked the lady grapplers) rarely defended that title in a singles match, which had a positive that four women got paid to wrestle instead of just two.

The matches had their patterns that were unique to the ladies, which were usually chest-first smashes into the turnbuckle and hair pulls that turned into snapmares, but they weren't any less visual than the men's matches for the most part, except for the aging Moolah, who was pushing 60 and it showed pretty visibly during the matches.
Still, if you were a fan for a while, you could watch those matches and "see" what was coming, but there was one of them that stood out to me more than the others.
Lelani Kai was her name and despite not being Hawaiian, she was dubbed as such, she had a rougher, aggressive style than the others and seemed a little more realistic (or her moves weren't as easy to see through as others) to me.
Kai and a few others brought a faster-paced and more athletic style to the ring and when Moolah wasn't involved, the matches took on a quicker pace with more action and less stalling-which meant a more entertaining match.
Now, I'm a person that doesn't really watch pro wrestling anymore, so too much of a good thing can be well, not so good, and there can be a real argument that wrestling now has almost gotten too athletic-based and might be better suited to attempt to slow the pace a bit.

When I was a young fan, it seemed like Moolah would hold her title (which she never seemed to defend, another red flag to a youngster on pro wrestling's legitimacy) forever ( as I didn't know at the time-Moolah actually owned the championship), which even though I wasn't a fan, it was still surprising when Wendi Richter upset Moolah for the championship.
Richter brought a younger, flashier wrestler, which was perfect for the changing times in pro wrestling, to the forefront of their division, but the WWF certainly wasn't going to have too many matches with the plodding Moolah against the younger Richter-that would have meant not being able to change the style to what was needed.
That meant Richter needed a good opponent, one that could help change the style and perception along with providing entertaining matches-enter Leilani Kai.
The political pull of the Fabulous Moolah necessitated her being involved somehow, so she was the manager of Kai in her matches with Richter as her protege'.
Kai would upset Richter to hold the title for a month leading into the first Wrestlemania, where she would drop the belt back to Richter, who the division was being built around before being abruptly ended after a financial disagreement with the McMahon's, who pulled a double-cross on her with off all people-Moolah under a black bodysuit as the Spider.

I didn't follow the WWF nearly closely after that.
The UWF started to have a local network pick up their show and the difference for me was glaring in style, if not talent and once I was able to watch the Crockett territory, I watched even less.
I don't remember much about her team with Judy Martin (the Glamour Girls managed by Jimmy Hart) other than bleaching her hair and one great match on a pay-per-view that we all pitched in bought, against the Japanese Jumping Bomb Angels, as I was watching even less WWF by that point.
Wikipedia can tell you more than I about Kai's career after that as the WWF phased out the women's division and I slowly phased out of pro wrestling interest other than occasional matches as I scanned the television.

It was funny, I hadn't thought of Kai for a while and saw someone on my timeline mention her on Twitter and it made me decide to enter her in the Forgotten Superstars universe as the only ladies wrestler that I liked to watch when pro wrestling was most important to me.
I'm not sure Lelani Kai was the best ladies wrestler ever. I'm not qualified enough to make that claim.
I didn't see all that many of that group and I never watched the all-ladies group, but she was the one that best used the style that I liked to watch most and therefore the most memorable and best to me.

Don Baylor

Time to clean out the inbox and we start with a passing that I wanted to devote a post to,but the Glen Campbell passing pushed this to the side.

Don Baylor passed away at the age of 68 from cancer and by no means was Don Baylor's death second rate.
Baylor won the 1979 American League MVP with the Angels and was one of the game's best designated hitters in the 1980's,but might be remembered by younger fans as the less than successful manager of the Rockies and Cubs.

For the flaws of Baylor as a manager,as a player he was tremendous.
Baylor really had three stages to his player and reinvented himself each time.
As an young player with the Orioles,his one year in Oakland and his first few years with the Angels,Don Baylor was an impressive combination of power and speed that the game in the 1970's rarely saw in a player.

Don Baylor was touted when he came through the Baltimore system as the next star from the powerhouse Orioles farms and the replacement for Frank Robinson.
Baylor's projected future was the reason that Baltimore made the ill-advised trade of Robinson to the Dodgers after the 1971 season (and three consecutive AL Pennants) and would not reach the World Series again with a core group that might have had Robinson been retained.
Baylor was almost rated as a disappointment after three years in Baltimore.
His numbers were decent,but more had been expected for the player that was thought to be the possible equal to Frank Robinson.
That changed in 1975 for the Orioles and Baylor,when Baylor exploded with a .282 25 homers and 78 RBI line that also added 32 steals for a manager (Earl Weaver) that generally eschewed the stolen base.
Baylor had finally come into his own and was then swapped almost on the eve of the 1976 season as Baylor and Mike Torrez were sent to Oakland for Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman in a deal that saw two star player and two above average pitchers traded for each other.
Baylor responded during the final season before free agency with a season more like his pre-1975 seasons than like one expected to be a All-Star level player (.247/15/68),but still his potential made him one of the most coveted new free agents.
Baylor signed with the California Angels and put up three excellent seasons,the final of which won him his only MVP in 1979 with a line of .296/36 and 139 to go with 22 steals.
That season was the first division winner in the history of the Angels (they would lose to Baltimore 3-1 in the ALCS) and that team is always remembered fondly by Angels fans.
That would be the peak of Baylor as a player as he only played 90 games in 1980 and the transition began to the final stage of his career.

For the final years of his career (1980-88),Baylor became a one dimensional power hitter and usually a DH because he was a defensive liability.
Baylor had put on weight and even though he wasn't overweight,it still slowed him in the field and basepaths enough that the stolen bases were gone and he just didn't have a position in the field.
Baylor was reliable enough that you could mark him down for over twenty homers,but with one exception (1984) Baylor's batting average plummeted.
Baylor became a hired gun DH as he spent the final seven years of his career with five teams,delivering the noted over twenty homers as well as the clubhouse presence from a commanding veteran that almost all championship teams have.
Baylor's teams reached the World Series in the final three seasons (three different in Boston,Minnesota and Oakland) and won the 1987 title with the Twins.

The tough and physical Baylor was known for being hit by pitches and being a murderous threat at breaking up double plays,which made him so popular in the clubhouse.
That was what made it so hard to watch that person manage and just seem so awkward at it.
Don Baylor's years with the Cubs coincided with Ryan's watching Cubs games and I remember Ryan being so frustrated with Baylor's managing style and bumbling decisions.
Baylor was an excellent coach,but he just wasn't cut out to be a manager.

I'll choose not to remember Don Baylor as a manager and I think I'll always remember as the player pictured above on his 1974 Topps card with the Orioles.
My grandfather used to talk about the Orioles a lot back then and I remember being young and listening to him talk about those Oriole teams.
Pap always believed in the young Don Baylor,saw him as a coming star that just needed time to put things together, and scoffed at the abilities of a touted catcher acquired from the Braves (where he put up strong numbers) named Earl Williams.
Pap was right on both counts.

Rain,Boots and Hagerstown Weather

The Hagerstown Suns stumbled down the wrong road,but recovered by doing the right thing Saturday night even while the game was canceled due to a pouring thunderstorm.

Two hours later,the sun was shining and all was well,but the rain had done its damage on the ancient field at Municipal Stadium,but this is a different story than what happened on the field.
The Suns could have had a real problem on the hands over yes,a bobblehead.

The team allowed season ticket holders to enter early for the bobblehead,which I've always thought was a good idea.
Season ticket holders get their bobblehead reserved and they get a few perks for their outlay of money,which they deserve.
Here lies the problem-with just a few people maybe 25-30) in line,the team announced that they weren't opening the gates and asked people to return to their car.

Most (including Fred Landucci and Brad Adams ) didn't do that,so the team would have been better suited to take our tickets,let us inside for shelter and give the bobbleheads out as most of the people there attended just for that.
So about 15 of us waited in the rain as one family of travelers from New Jersey wondered if they would get a bobble at all.
As the rain stopped and the line grew,the people in the line started to get unhappy and vocal.
Brad and I thought this might get ugly,but the team in the end did the right thing,opened the gates and gave out the bobblehead.
That was the right decision and smart decision-promotions are used to get fans to the park,they were there-make them happy-and even the game being cancelled still allowed them go home pleased.
The Suns might have not traveled the easy road to get there,but in the end-it all turned out right.

Meanwhile,the bobblehead itself looked great and was an inspired choice in former big leaguer Boots Poffenberger of Williamsport.
Poffenberger was a cult hero and a bit of a comet in 1937 with the Tigers.
Alas as most comets do,Poffenberger burned out fast and never pitched in the bigs after 1939.
I wanted this bobblehead mainly to give to my grandmother as my late grandfather knew Poffenberger and used to tell me stories all about him.

I'd like to see the Suns do more bobbles as they have this year with Poffenberger and Nick Adenhart.
Give them plenty of credit-both excellent decisions...

Back soon with more!

Glen Campbell

I knew the day was coming soon when I would have to write this post, but I still was dreading having to type the words of Glen Campbell passing away at the age of 81 from complications from Alzheimer's Disease.

I'm sure that most of you know the resume' of Glen Campbell from the studio work with about anyone and everyone that you've ever heard of in the 1960s, his brief stint as a Beach Boy, the massive crossover star that was really the first to be equally large on the pop and country charts at the same, the hugely popular television star and more.

Glen Campbell was all of those things and he had his negatives too including issues with drugs and alcohol in the late 1970s and 1980s, but you always had this underlying feeling that the guy that you saw on TV was closer to the real person even though you could tell his problems were there and the mistakes that those problems caused.

However, you can get a career retrospective in other places, what I'd like to write about is what Glen Campbell meant to me along with the stages of my life all the way back to what I can remember.
When Glen Campbell was at his career peak, I was in my formative toddler years and Glen Campbell was everywhere.
A top-rated television show, building a catalog of hits that rank among the most formidable ever (Campbell outsold the last two Beatles albums in that time), a movie with John Wayne that won Academy Awards in True Grit (Campbell didn't win many awards, he admitted his acting chops were limited at best) and appearing on other shows, One could make the argument that for a period from 1968-72 that all things considered, Glen Campbell might have been the biggest star in the country.

I've always ranked Galveston and Gentle on my mind as my favorites of his best-known songs and have listened to them since I was a kid and my copy of Galveston is still around somewhere, despite my lack of phonograph players.


When you consider that kind of media saturation in the limited outlets of the time, it's pretty easy to see the popularity of Glen Campbell.
As so many young kids do, you like what's available, the difference was that I stayed a fan.
Campbell would have hits through the years including the one most people know in Rhinestone Cowboy, which was never one of the favorites of my collection and went through even more phases as did I.

Right after the Rhinestone era, Glen found himself in some controversy, first by marrying the ex-wife of country star Mac Davis and then when that went awry, began a relationship with the far younger Tanya Tucker.
Campbell and Tucker were noted for a tempestuous relationship filled with drugs, alcohol and reported domestic violence on both sides, hurting the reputations of both.
As for me,I still played records, but it was only on occasion that I played Glen's records and I didn't like Tanya Tucker, so it was mainly the older stuff as I hit middle school and began high school...

Glen and Tucker broke up and he found the lady that he would spend the rest of his life in the mid-80s and so did I.
I played Glen's hits in the car on cassette and discovered that Cherie didn't really like his music!
She associated Glen Campbell, not with Gentle on my mind or even Rhinestone Cowboy, but with music from his Tucker period that saw him make some pretty pedestrian music like "I love my truck".
She didn't know the trendsetting guitar work in the studio or much more than likely his lowest quality of music.
Clearly, this would take time...

Glen got himself cleaned up and I was a husband and father.
I started listening to his music a lot because, in so many of his songs, I found meaning.
It helped me deal with the struggles of being a young spouse and dad and I likely drove Cherie, Ryan, and my friends nuts with playing him so much.
They might not have known why I found solace and they may not look at it this way, but at least a few people will always associate Glen Campbell with some pretty good times with me and my house...

Glen found religion and I never really did, but his release of a Christian album was one of the best releases and I still listen to it to this day.
Jesus and Me may be autobiographical, but even with my personal beliefs, it still speaks to me -it's great music.


I began to dig deeper into Glen's lesser-known music when the internet came into being with my discovering his cover of "Universal Soldier", which is so good that Rachel even likes it, which says more than you know!
Glen took a slow folk ballad and added his guitar work with some speed to produce a little-known classic.


I got older and so did Glen, who decided to start covering some damn good music from the current scene along with continuing to tour and I couldn't write about Glen and me without mentioning the one time that I was able to see him perform live-in Hagerstown at the Maryland Theatre in 2001.
Cherie had heard about this months ahead of time and we bought tickets for the front row.
I enjoyed the music, but just as much as the show, I enjoyed the memories that the songs brought to mind.
That concert also saw me buy a CD of a live concert that he had recorded for PBS (the DVD would come out later) that played his hits and more.
I'd bet PBS replays that soon, so be on the lookout for it!


Glen had been well known on the Christian television circuit doing concerts and talk shows on the various networks and had been known for changing his life when he was suddenly picked up for drunk driving with one of the worst and most well-known mug shots ever.
It had to be embarrassing and Campbell stayed out of trouble thereafter, but I wondered far later if that might have been the first hint of the eventual Alzheimer's beginning to make itself known.

When the family announced the diagnosis of Alzheimer's, you knew the clock was ticking on both the career and Glen's life, but his early and public disclosure brought a lot of attention to the disease as well as made new fans that were exposed to his music as well as the music that he played on others albums too.
Glen Campbell may have had problems remembering, but his fans (old and new) didn't have issues recalling his career.

Glen Campbell wasn't perfect by any means, but his music has in many ways been the soundtrack to my life and there's a little hole there today.
He'll be missed, but he left so much behind to be enjoyed by so many.
Glen's most recent hit and release were about his future with Alzheimer's and his acceptance of not remembering what he had.
It's quite poignant and haunting-another great release for the road...

Road Trip-Salem

This part of the trip will be shorter because there isn't as much to recap,but still wanted to talk a little about the home of the Salem Red Sox and our stop there on the drive home..

Haley Toyota Field is a very nice High A ballpark and is located in what would be a perfect spot for the local sports fan,fitting snugly in between the Salem Civic Center and the football stadium that hosts the Division III national championship.

I had been here before in 1998 and the field looked pretty much the same as then except for the recent branding of Haley Toyota all over the place.
The stadium really does remind you of a stadium built in the 90's (1995) and has the type of second deck that could play in AA,if Salem ever decided to try for the level,it's that nice.
I love the wide concourse and nice sightlines from the lower bowl as well.
It's not perfect though,the upper deck seats do appear to go away from the field more than they should and it's not the best park that I've ever seen for autographing.

Fred,Mike and I arrived in the sixth inning,so we were able to watch some of the game and the lighting at Salem Memorial (the old name still gets used on the marquee") is very bright,in fact it might be the brightest that I've seen at a High A park.
We settled into very nice seats behind home plate and tried to find the main reason (for me at least) for this stop-Forrest Whitley.
Whitley is one of the Astros top prospects and wasn't around when the Buies Creek Astros made their only trip to Frederick,so I needed his Top 100.
With the Astros AA team being in Corpus Christi,Texas,if I didn't get Whitley in the Carolina League,the odds of getting him vastly decrease.
Fred went down to the charters to ask if any of those were Whitley,which they weren't and after watching the end of the game,we went to the field to try to get players coming off the field.
No dice other than one player coming from the bullpen as the teams hit their clubhouse through a dugout tunnel.

We asked an employee where the bus was located and we walked around the stadium and through a gate to wait for the Astros and hopefully Forrest Whitley.
Fred's quite the talker and he doesn't mind asking players their name when they walk to the bus in streetclothes.
I'm not as comfortable with that part of graphing,so having Fred around was very helpful to Mike and I on this and other nights.
We were able to get some cards signed,but Fred asked the second player out for his name and it was Whitley,who signed my three cards,including the top 100,so the two most important cards that I wanted to nab on this trip,I was able to get finished.

The three plus hour ride home was filled with conversation and it had to be hard on Fred driving,but I think we did Ok in keeping him entertained.
A fun and productive trip with good company,good food and plenty of places to see.
Looking forward to the next trips to finish the baseball season with Fred and Mike,this time a trip with each of them.

I'm going to try to write the promised Glen Campbell post either today or tomorrow...

Indians add Jay Bruce

The Cleveland Indians needed a bat with the recent injuries to outfielders Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall and that need had to be addressed quickly.
The Indians were able to do so with a trade with the New York Mets for outfielder Jay Bruce.

Bruce is doing about what he traditionally does with an average of .258,29 homers,75 RBI and already more than 100 strikeouts.
Bruce was traded to the Mets during the 2016 season after spending his first seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and his next home run will be his fifth season with 30 home runs or more.
That means the Indians have added a big bat with power in their lineup and even if Brantley and Chisenhall return at full strength,Bruce will add pop to the lineup and might see time at DH.
Bruce has spent his career in the National League,so we'll see how he might handle being a DH and there's always the question of being in a new league.
Bruce looks to be a better fit at DH once injuries allow as several of the defensive metrics used in the game rate him as the worst defensive outfielder in the game.

Because the Indians picked up all of the remaining 2017 salary on Bruce's contract at three million,the Mets didn't get a highly rated prospect as Cleveland sent reliever Ryder Ryan to the Mets.
Ryan posted a 3-4 record with an ERA well over four with six saves at Low A Lake County.
Ryan was a 30th round pick from North Carolina in the 2016 draft and not considered a top prospect.

Give the Indians some credit,no matter what Bruce does-they added salary,picked up the entire contract and did it for the right reasons in not giving up even an average prospect.
Bruce is going to have be managed correctly with his defensive deficiencies,but this could be a nice addition for the playoffs as well as getting the Indians by when their injuries need help most...

Road Trip:Bristol

The road trip season continued as we rolled into Bristol Tennessee/Virginia and later Salem Virginia.
I'm going to write about both stops,but with other things to write about (death of Glen Campbell and tonight's Indians trade for Jay Bruce) might delay the Salem part or maybe shorten it a bit...

Fred Landucci drove Mike Oravec and I straight down I-81 to Bristol VA/TN for the visit to Boyce Cox Field and the Bristol Pirates of the Appalachian League.

I had visited Bristol on three occasions and had been inside to take pictures,but never for a game.
This trip would not only move Bristol to the game list,but would complete my ballpark list for the state of Virginia.
Bristol is a town that really is two towns that is one and I know how that sounds.
Bristol is divided right down the middle of town (remember the Geico commercials?) with half in Tennessee and the other in Virginia.
Boyce Cox Field is on the Virginia side and therefore finished Virginia for me rather than being another park in Tennessee.

We got into town early with the intent of returning to the Mad Greek restaurant,which is located on the Tennessee side of the line.
You might remember our Mad Greek stop last year and this was easily the place we wanted to eat in Bristol.
I ordered a small pizza and it was delicious!
I even passed on any sides in order to keep room for a small piece of cheesecake.
I'm not a huge dessert fan normally,but I do like cheesecake every once in a while and the dessert case looked very good.
I'm a big Mad Greek fan and if you are in the area-stop by,you won't regret it!!

We then decided to check out the Bristol Motor Speedway since it was so close.
Bristol was my favorite track to watch a race when I was a follower of NASCAR and I had wanted to see just what it looked like inside.
I was just amazed at the massive size of the structure built around the half mile track!
Words really cannot describe it and that is with the track virtually empty!
I can only imagine the noise when the track is filled with fans!
It still had the lines painted on the field for the setup for last season's game inside the BMS between Tennessee and Virginia Tech on the infield too!
I do have a live NASCAR race on my sports bucket list,but I'd rather do the smaller two circuits with less fans and fewer people though if I was ever going to go to one.
Bristol does have a truck race next Wednesday and I'm off work,but I'd rather add Charlotte to my collection of parks to finish North Carolina off...

After a stop at the Sullivan County Sheriff Department for a picture for Fred's wife Linda (the Sheriff dept,was the backdrop from a reality show that the Landucci's watched) and a stop at a Food City for some Yee Haw beer for the absent Michael and we were on our way to Boyce Cox Field for the Bristol Pirates and the Danville Braves.

I didn't have many cards for Danville,mainly a top 100 for 17 year old Venezuelan Kevin Maitan,who had just been promoted to Danville a few days after Mike and I's visit to Danville last month.
I had a few cards from other people for Maitan and other than a few cards for former Tiger and Danville batting coach Barbaro Garbey,I had nothing for them.
I did the visiting side while Mike did the home Pirates side,which seemed to have a little better access than for the visitors.
We were allowed to enter the park early by the Bristol general manager,who hit it off with Fred last season,so I was at the only place that had marginal access,a small area far down the left field line.
After several attempts to call to Maitan were ignored,I was feeling pretty down as it was right around this time (I was able to find wifi from somewhere in the area) that I heard about Glen Campbell,combined with my lack of luck with the pen-I was feeling pretty low.

Then a fellow came over and began to talk to me.
He seemed like a nice guy,who happened to be dressed as a Pirate,but turned out to be their mascot "Pete the Pirate"
"Pete" (real name Dwayne) talked with me for a few minutes about baseball,graphing et and made me take my mind off things.
Pete asked me who I needed,I told him the number and to my surprise,Pete walked down to the field and asked Maitan to sign my top 100 (and a baseball for the recently arrived Fred)!
I watched from a distance as Maitan signed it and made the Bristol portion of the day a success!
Thanks for everything,Pete and I will remember your kindness and help!
After I snapped a picture of Pete and Fred for the blog,I went over to the Pirates side,where Mike had gotten a few players and Pirates pitching coach (and former closer) Joel Hanrahan as well..
We watched a bit and before leaving town for Salem,we had a quick dinner across the street from the ballpark at Krystal,where I was able to have a great Grape Icee....

We were off to Salem and part two of the day will be coming soon.
I'm just not sure what I want to write about next,but I'll have a post coming tomorrow on either Salem or Glen Campbell and I'll have a post on the Indians addition of Jay Bruce from the Mets....