In Memory of the Infamous One

I was out of town spending few days in Fort Worth. It was late Saturday night when I logged on and heard the news I didn't want to hear. Shontez Montgomery known to Texas indy wrestling fans as Shawn Vexx passed Saturday morning. His passing left wrestling colleagues and fans in deep sadness. Next few days fellow wrestlers and fans talked about their memories of him. From the stories he would believe in wrestlers giving out advice to be a good soul all around along with funny stories.

I have so many memories of shooting photos and watching him go out and wrestle in the ring. When I started going to Anarchy Championship Wrestling shows I would buy DVDs of their past shows to catch up the storyline on how they get to point A to point B. Few months before December 2011 show (my first ever ACW show) Vexx, while as a face, would cut promo foreshadowing his heel turn which he completed at Lone Star Classic becoming leader of The Children of Pain 2.0 with Jason Silver, Sky de LaCrimosa, Jeff Gant, and Killah Kash (now known as Remedy). My first match I saw of him was opening card match of Dec 2011 show when he beat Gregory James (now known as Isiah/Izzy James). Later in the show he would take out Donnie Davis with a vicious chair shot. He spent 2012 feuding with A.C.H. and Davey Vega. It's this feud with Vega I got invested in booing at him for making moves and seeking affection of Athena (now known as WWE wrestler Ember Moon). It was "You homewrecker!" type wrestling storyline. He would win TV title from Vega at Beyond Good and Evil. The feud came with end at Guilty by Association 7 with both fighting for affections of Athena. Athena joined the match and beat both to win to show she's not property to anyone and is her own person. I love good wrestling storytelling. After spending a year getting booed he would hear cheer from the fans completing a face turn when he chose to fight Evan Gelistico for ACW Heavyweight title instead being given to him. This would lead to a match at Guilty by Association 8 which he would beat Gelistico for ACW Heavyweight title inside steel cage. He would hold it for six months before losing it to Masada and call it career after the match. He would return back to the ring four more times with his final known match against Jeff Gant in a last man standing match.

Thank you Shontez for the many memories and moments I witness throughout the years. You killed it in the ring every time.

Shontez Montgomery is a fighter battling adversary in and outside the ring. He survived and bounced back from it. He's a kind person willing lend a helping hand to everyone around him. He will be missed by everyone.

In honor of him his wrestling theme

RIP Shontez Montgomery. 2/17/79-5/1/21

Trying Chip Away the Block

 It's been two months since I posted. I stumbled upon a block I been trying chip away. Nothing creative comes bursting in. Stores have no trading cards in stock to too many shows and matches but so little time to discuss it. Today is first I actually found card packs in stock at Target in two months. Last time I was there I got disgusted at people waiting in line waiting for vendor stock that I left. I enjoyed Wrestlemania weekend as both main events on Saturday and Sunday shows delivered. Walter and Tomasso Ciampa from NXT Takeover Night 1 top match within those two nights of Takeover. It reminded me of 1990s All Japan Pro Wrestling match. Indycar season started with Alex Palou getting his first ever career win. I'll be at doubleheader race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. I think today that block of mines have split apart.

Farewell to Fry's

From October 3, 2011 to October 8, 2018 I was Fry's Electronics employee. Employee number 150924 to be exact at store 22. I was either cashiering, doing returns, picking up items from in-store pickups, or stocking items. I wore company mascot Charlie Chip costume one time. On Wednesday my former work place closed their doors forever. Even I have left the company 2 years ago I got super emotional that day. I felt like I did on my last day at Fry's. Having hard time saying goodbye. I also felt a sense of loyalty to them. The reason why is they toss me a lifeline by hiring me at right time when I need a miracle Hail Mary touchdown. I end up spending 7 years at Fry's store 22 making it my second home and playground. I worked with many good co-workers that I still chat with some to this day. I have seen wrestlers from local indy fed shopping in the store once in a while. I have once checked Mario Ramos and Mark Saccomanno out. Both players have brief stints in the majors. The job paid decent at the time before they made changes that affected every position and department around. I knew things were going down in 2017 when they changed my position hourly with commission to just fixed hourly and it was lowball of $9.50 a hour which doesn't make rent in Austin. They would move me to another department with bump in pay including commission. A week later after they moved me they eliminated couple of positions killing off what's left of the morale at the store. Both co-workers left instead taking a big pay cut. Don't blame them especially when one became a parent not long ago. Things happened around Austin in 2018 that I viewed as signs as well my friend and roommate moving to DFW area. I used three months to contemplate my next move and at same time gauge what's going on at store. I realize things weren't getting better as well not enjoying being in Austin area anymore. I left Fry's and moved out of Austin. Through the good, the bad, and the strange I had fun good positive experience working at Fry's.

I found solace on Fry's Electronics Memories page reading and sharing stories with former Fry's employees from other stores. There be posts on Fry's lingo, the cheer, and the funny, weird, and nasty moments around the stores. From their experience it was like mines: we had fun time working there. The biggest thread is share your employee number. I posted a YouTube video of Animusic song asking anyone from my store who remembers walking in to tune of Animusic DVD being played. Turns out every store had played at some time. One of best stories told on the page from store 43 going to a Symantic and Intel training which had other competitors there. Fry's employees lead a company cheer everyone unknowingly partake til they were had. Owning one over the competition is worth the bragging rights.

I'm going to forever miss the place. Wish things turned around for them but it was too late. Farewell Fry's and thank you. It was best 7 working years of my life.

The Joy When They See Their Card For First Time

This post is a combination of indy wrestling show and trading cards.

After a week and half of the state being frozen it thawed out and melted around here on Friday. It went back to our normal warm winter of clear blue skies in no time. After long a week of cold weather destruction and accessing the damage everyone needed a sense of release and get away from reality for a bit. That came Saturday for me with New Texas Pro Wrestling show in Colorado City. I went to a show that day and had a fantastic time with me cheering, booing, waving signs in support of King Rob Love, Jastin Taylor, and Max Heights, and photographing the show.

What does this have do with trading cards? I'm going to back track to another Texas indy fed Sabotage Wrestling. I been to their shows when I was living in Austin at the time. The central Texas based fed (run by Jeffrey Cerda and his crew) would release trading card sets back in 2019. There are 10 cards per series and printed in short supply. Running a fed is no easy task. One of series feature first ever card of AEW wrestler Ricky Starks. Sabotage recently released series 5 card set I pre-order back when it was announced. The set feature current Reality of Wrestling (run by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T) women champion Promise Braxton as well Alex Gracia and Vertvixen who have made appearances in AEW. There are two from that set appeared on New Texas Pro Wrestling show: Kiefer Bartek and Nastico.

Kiefer Bartek is not only a wrestler (trained by Booker T), but runs NTPW taking it various cities around Texas. He have appeared in various Texas feds such as Heavy Metal Wrestling, Inspire, and Metroplex Wrestling as The Sheriff. Nastico is the self-proclaimed best manager of wrestling. The masked man is around DFW indy feds especially DFW All-Pro, the place where he trained and started at, as well traveling around state with his group of guys to numerous feds. He uses social media cutting promos hyping up his appearances and interactively engage with fans and wrestlers.

After the show I thanked all the wrestlers and everyone involved for a good show and wish them a safe drive back just like I always do. I went to Nastico and Kiefer Bartek separately showing them their cards and their eyes lit up. Nastico was ecstatic when he saw the card. It was first time he saw his own card and want me take photos of him autographing and showing it off. Kiefer, IMO the best card of the set, told me its a dream of his to be put on a trading card. Like Nastico, its first time he saw his as well. I witness the joy out of them when they finally saw themselves immortalized on a trading card. I'm sure its the feeling of thousands when they see themselves on a card for first time ever.

Nastico signs his card

Nastico shows off his official Sabotage Wrestling card

King Rob Love and a knocked out Alex Arsenal

Jastin Taylor

Max Heights

Frozen in Texas

Cold and very frosty here in west Texas as winter Texas weather gone wild. It's been freezing here since last Wednesday with temperatures below freezing point and continued throughout the weekend. With freezing rain and ice on the road hardly anyone in this state knows how to drive. There been several chain reaction wrecks especially up in Fort Worth and Austin. Unprecedented thing happen yesterday as entire state of Texas went under a winter weather storm warning. Third snow storm of the year happened here yesterday dumping 3 3/4 inches. Even the southeast Texas region such as Houston, Corpus Christi and Brownsville received snow as well parts of Mexico. Despite some of the roads are clear its still freezing and rather be inside a warm home or out in the front or back playing in the snow. This continuous cold remains for almost remainder of the week til Friday or Saturday.

Good-bye Qualcom/Jack Murphy Stadium

Former home of San Diego Padres and Chargers is being demolished as the new San Diego State Stadium and facilities being built around it. The stadium have seen two World Series appearances (both on losing side), three Super Bowls, two MLB All-Star games, and college football bowl games. I went to a Padres game there in 2002 before a relative's wedding the next day. It was decent stadium at the time as they were building Petco Park in downtown. I remember the game for few things. One is was hat night. Second it was Tony Gwynn night as well. There was pre-game celebration of Tony Gwynn being inducted in Padres Hall of Fame with an appearance of him. Third was Padres starting pitcher Clay Condrey threw 7 innings of shutout ball. Fourth was watching Hall of Fame pitcher Trevor Hoffman close it out.

Padres moved into Petco leaving Chargers as lone major sport tenant til they ruin their fanbase going to Los Angeles. San Diego State, who been using the stadium from its opening, bought it and re-develop the area with a new stadium as well facilities and housing sealed the 53-year old stadium's fate.

It's a good 53 year run with hundreds of highlights from Tony Gwynn, Dan Fouts, Stan Humphries, Marshall Faulk before getting drafted, Phillip Rivers, John Elway finally winning it, the tolls of the bell when Hoffman closes it out to the lowlights of Padres and Chargers down years and Ryan Leaf.

IP Autograph Stories: Chasing the Matz and Lessons on IP Auto Request From D'Arnaud

Last year I posted my IP autograph Hall of Shame and it turned out to be very popular among readers. Let's start the new year off with IP autograph stories. This one feature Steven Matz and Travis D'Arnaud. This took place on May 23, 2017 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Both players were sent down to then Mets Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas 51s for rehab assignment. Both were still on the roster when the 51s arrived in Round Rock for series against Express. Since 51s played in Pacific Divsion of Pacific Coast League they come once every two years. Dell Diamond is one of easiest places to grab in-person autographs and heavily crowded with fans lining up at the rail very quickly when the gates opened. The players come out from locker rooms at right field and have walk down the stairs to get to the field. Since Las Vegas is one of teams that comes once every two year the regular 'graphers at the stadium get their stuff ready by the load. This is no different hoping to get players sign their cards, photos, programs, or whatever merchandise. Even I knew its going be a long shot I took one of each just in case.

Steven Matz started the game so he's not going to sign before it. Same with Travis D'Arnaud as he was starting catcher. (Note: most starting catchers do not sign before the game) Got the following players from 51s before the game: Phillip Evans, Gavin Cecchini, Dominic Smith, Desmond Jennings, Tyler Pill, Sean Gilmartin, Erik Goeddel. From the Express: Jason Martinson (J-Mart as I call him), Drew Stubbs, and Bret Nicholas. As for the game Express jumped on Matz with 5 runs in 4 innings with Cesar Puello homering off him twice and getting runs from Jurickson Profar, Nicholas, and J-Mart. Kevin McGowan got shelled for 6 runs in the 5th lasting 2/3 inning. Express stretched the 51s bullpen that backup catcher Jeff Glenn pitched the 9th. He's the only 51s player who pitched a full inning without giving up a run in the game. That's the first game of the series between the two teams. Easy night for Express winning 14-3 as all the starters got a hit with homeruns from Drew Robinson and Martinson as well runs from Ronald Guzman, Luis Marte, and Josh Wilson. Back to the graphing part.

Often when players get pulled they go to the locker room in between innings. At Dell Diamond it's autograph opportunity as some do sign when they walk up the stairs. Express starter Tyson Ross was pulled after 5 innings and signed one for me and few others before he got to the locker room. Some were already waiting for Matz, but he stayed in the dugout the entire game. After the game the rails were already lined up hoping for Matz or D'Arnaud to sign as well remaining 51s and Express players. Matz signed for three fans and I end up being one of lucky ones. Glad I didn't get mugged for it by surrounding fans. Then there was Travis D'Arnaud. At first he didn't sign ignoring a fan's request. Then the fan said "That's fucking bullshit!" within earshot that he turned around signing for him along with others including me. What I saw and heard was a stern lecture D'Arnaud gave to the fan. He told the fan he didn't like the way he acted and being rude for the tantrum and cussing around kids and gave reasons why players don't sign all the time. The fan was super apologetic about toward him and promise be nice. Everyone around the fan gave him hard time for it. I pretty much understand what Travis D'Arnaud saying on autograph requests. While they do sign, sometimes they have decline time to time from being tired or having bad night or miserable long day. The players are human after the game.

That's my IP autograph story and maybe I will tell more.