Local Baseball Writer Regrets Calling Spouse ‘Toolsy’

Great work! Always enjoy getting my Friday started off with a belly laugh.

I understand Keri's reaction completely.

Kenny Benkowski passed away last year. He was 85. Kenny was better known by his professional wrestling nom de guerre, Kenny Jay.

Jay signed on with the AWA in the 60s as a “jobber.”  A jobber is the wrestling equivalent of the Washington Generals. They are paid to lose. If you were good at it, you were a “carpenter.” Kenny was a highly skilled carpenter. He managed to look like he was in every match, right up to the moment that time considerations required that he throw it. He often wrestled “heels” or bad guys. Typically, these loses involved some dastardly hijinks by his opponents. But he also lost to the “faces” or good guys. Here, he lost fair and square, if you forget that it was rigged in the first place. 

He was the ultimate non-discriminatory tanker. He lost to, amongst many others: the Bruiser, the Crusher, Andre the Giant, both Vachon brothers, Verne Gagne, Verne’s kid Greg, and another Minnesotan with another made-up ring name, Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

He was invariably announced by the ring announcer before matches as “the very capable Kenny Jay.” Capable is typically a complimentary word. Not to me. It’s been tainted forever.  

Better than a "projectable build".

On 1/13/2024 at 2:43 AM, Jocko87 said:

Intent is everything!

Didn't your Dad ever tell you that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions?

On 1/12/2024 at 8:42 AM, Johnny Ringo said:

I understand Keri's reaction completely.

Kenny Benkowski passed away last year. He was 85. Kenny was better known by his professional wrestling nom de guerre, Kenny Jay.

Jay signed on with the AWA in the 60s as a “jobber.”  A jobber is the wrestling equivalent of the Washington Generals. They are paid to lose. If you were good at it, you were a “carpenter.” Kenny was a highly skilled carpenter. He managed to look like he was in every match, right up to the moment that time considerations required that he throw it. He often wrestled “heels” or bad guys. Typically, these loses involved some dastardly hijinks by his opponents. But he also lost to the “faces” or good guys. Here, he lost fair and square, if you forget that it was rigged in the first place. 

He was the ultimate non-discriminatory tanker. He lost to, amongst many others: the Bruiser, the Crusher, Andre the Giant, both Vachon brothers, Verne Gagne, Verne’s kid Greg, and another Minnesotan with another made-up ring name, Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

He was invariably announced by the ring announcer before matches as “the very capable Kenny Jay.” Capable is typically a complimentary word. Not to me. It’s been tainted forever.  

 

This comment is a thing of beauty.  The only thing missing was that, later in his career, instead of introducing him as "the very capable Kenny Jay", they introduced him using his well earned nickname Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay.

May he rest in peace.