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| STRIKE A POSE, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMETHING TO IT... |
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| ...CRAZY JOE IN THE 'VILLE,' TAILGATING WITH CARDINAL FANATICS BEFORE A BLUEGRASS PIGSKIN GAME |
"Joe Connor is the kind of a guy who any sports fan would just like to sit down and have a beer with. For
the past few years, Connor has been racking up the kind of experiences that most of us just dream of...he is doing it in a
unique way, driving a car powered by used vegetable oil. Yep, you got that right - pony up to your neighborhood
tavern and see if they have any to spare." - Buffalo Weekly
“Seriously awesome.
I just discovered you through Jim Caple’s piece on ESPN.com about college tailgates. I'm reading your blog from your current
Green Power Sports Tour and am soon going to search out anything from your baseball tour last year...what you do is awesome.
Do you need a sidekick? Drive Safely!” – Dave, Tampa, Florida
"What you're doing to promote the use of cleaner more efficient fuel is commendable, and I applaud your effort."
- Mike, Schaumberg, IIinois
"You are obviously an inspired man. Wonderful job on spreading
the word." - David, Gainesville, Florida
"Joe is showing us that doing the right thing can be difficult,
but has become what is needed to fix the world's problems. In his writing he
tells us of challenges, which most sports participants/ supporters understand,
while showing a real commitment, another thing fans deal with continually." -
Daniel, a letter-to-the-editor to www.sdnews.com from a fan in San Diego
"A SPECIAL
THANK YOU to The Sponsors of the 2007 Green Power Sports Tour and to all the folks that helped make the trip so memorable, from biodiesel
owners and vegetable oil suppliers to tailgaters and sports fans!" - Joe Connor
Half freelance sports writer, half vegalucionary (and perhaps completely insane), Joe Connor dances to the
beat of his own drummer. He's the driver of the Green Power Sports Tour. Joe loves sports, to travel - and raising awareness
of alternative and renewable fuels by showcasing his lime green renewable energy machine, a 1984 300D Mercedes Benz, before sporting
events across North America (U.S. and Canada).
One August evening in 2005, after returning from a long assignment to Europe and Africa, Joe was watching
the television when he first learned about a car running on vegetable oil. As a diehard baseball fan, he had long dreamed
of insanity: seeing a different ballgame in a different ballpark for the length of an entire baseball season, from Spring
Training through the college baseball season to the minors and Major Leagues. The lightbulb went off in his head.
Why not raise awareness of alternative and renewable fuels while at the same time realize his season-long ballpark traveling
(insanity) dream?
After convincing sponsors to join his delirious quest, Joe purchased a 1984 Mercedes 300D from a private party in
San Clemente, California in late 2005. Shortly thereafter, he had the car converted to run on used vegetable oil, aka fryer
fat grease! In 2006, Joe was on the road for 215 days, visiting 272 baseball parks across North America (can
you say lots of doubleheaders?), from independent league baseball in the Great White North of Winnipeg, Manitoba
to high school ball at the end of U.S. 1 in Key West, Florida, just 90 miles from Cuba! The 2006 Tour, dubbed the Bionic Gloves Veggie Power Ballpark Tour: Fuel of Dreams (a play on the movie, Field of Dreams)
saw Joe drive the The Lime Green Renewable Energy Machine more than 50,000 miles over seven months through parts of 48 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
In 2007, crazy Joe was at it again, only this time around showcasing the car, which runs on biodiesel and vegetable
oil, before premiere college and pro football, hockey and basketball games across North America (U.S. and Canada). The 2007 Tour was named "Road Trip of the Year" by ESPN.com, as Joe showed off The Lime Green Renewable Energy Machine as well as The Green Fuels before more than 100 sporting venues over four months across North America!
| JOE COLORFULLY TAKES CANTON, OHIO BY STORM... |
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| ...IN THE GREEN MACHINE, IN FRONT OF THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME |
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JOE CONNOR, 100% IRISHMAN, FAST FACTS:
Age:
36
Marital Status: Very, Very Single
(never married and no kids)
Residence:
San Diego, California
Birthplace: Hartford,
Connecticut
High School: Kingswood-Oxford,
West Hartford, Connecticut, graduated with honors and was a three sport varsity letterman (Cross Country/Ice Hockey/Track
& Field); played legion baseball in summer. Remember J. Peterman from Seinfeld? "Elaine, who among us hasn't snuck into the break room
to nibble on a love newton?" Actor John O'Hurley is a K-O grad.
College: Texas
Christian University (Go Frogs!), journalism major. Joe wrote for the student newspaper and covered the Frogs football
team (they stunk back then in the old Southwest Conference). Joe also had an interview style radio show on the campus station,
even interviewing Horned Frog great and former Dallas Cowboy, Bob "Pictures of" Lilly (how about that, Chris Berman!).
Occupation: Freelance Sports Writer/Marketing Consultant/Professional
Goofball since 1997. Wrote a weekly column on the 2007 Green Power Sports Tour for the San Diego Newspaper Group
(http://www.sdnews.com), his local weekly scribe.
First Journalism Gig: During high school for
the West Hartford (Conn.) news
First Journalism Gig Out of School: Winter Haven
News-Chief
Freelance Sports Writing Credits:
ESPN.com, FOXSports.com, MLB.com, Padres Magazine, the official game program of the Padres, among other outlets over the years.
Joe writes mostly in-depth feature stories on an irregular basis as opposed to game day/beat writer material
on a regular basis. A few links that remain online:
ESPN.com World Baseball Classic team previews: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2006/news/story?id=2291227
Joe's MLB.com, 5-part series on Cuban baseball also noted by
ESPN: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040126&content_id=630811&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
Joe's Baseball web site is chok full of photos
and information on his international baseball writing exploits, plus info on planning a dream ballpark trip vacation.
Since 2001, he's helped fans plan their ballpark trips to Spring Training and all 30 MLB parks through his annually-updated, easy-to-use
online "ultimate fan guides" that have been referenced in multiple sports magazines and newspapers: www.modernerabaseball.com
Favorite Sports Teams: Notre
Dame (College Football), with some love for the Florida Gators as well; Patriots (NFL); Rangers (NHL), with Joe defecting
to the Rangers when the Hartford Failures (now Carolina Hurricanes) traded his favorite, former 'Fail Whale' player, Blaine
"The Sniper" Stoughton!l; Celtics (NBA); Red Sox (MLB).
Favorite Pro Athletes: Football: Bo Jackson (no one
was more exciting and had more potential for larger greatness had he not gotten injured); Hockey (Stoughton, but later, "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky, although Joe was a bit of a chippy puckhead late in his
amateur career playing more a pesky Ken "The Rat" Linseman style of play to the utter annoyance of the opposition and
referees); Basketball (Larry Bird); Baseball (Fred Lynn and Tony Gwynn) because both played the game the right way and heck,
even there last name's rhythm together! Plus, Lynn and Gwynn both reside in the San Diego area, as does Joe, and both were
outfielders (Joe was a centerfielder like Lynn and Joe also is a lifelong Red Sox fan).
Hobbies/Interests (besides writing and being a sports traveling
freakhead): Jimmy Buffett concerts, running, rollerblading, hiking, photography
Idol: Late father, Joseph Connor III (Joe's baseball
Web site, http://www.modernerabaseball.com, is dedicated in memory of his father who coached him in hockey, baseball and life)
Favorite Color: Take a wild guess there, junior
| JOE CUTTING IT UP WITH MR. HOCKEY IN MOTOWN... |
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| ...A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH GORDIE HOWE WAS ONE OF MANY ON THE '07 GREEN POWER SPORTS TOUR |
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| JOE AMONG THE CHEESEHEADS IN GREEN BAY... |
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| ...DURING BRETT FAVRE'S FINAL SEASON, JOE SAW THE PACK CRUSH THE RIVAL VIKINGS |
Official Web site of the Green Power Sports Tour
4
Months, 4 Sports (ok, so mostly 3), 4 Cleaner, Greener Energy
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