Vernon Wells, Jr. (
)
Picture perfect
New Yank’s father has art in heart
Vernon Wells’ father is quite the athlete, too, but a shoulder injury paved the way for a new career.
Vernon Wells Jr., whose son now is a Yankees outfielder, starred at TCU as a wide receiver. His 204 receiving yards and 10 receptions against Tennessee in 1976 still rank third on the Horned Frog’s all-time list. He went on to play professional football in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders. That is when a shoulder injury
forced him to turn to another career.
Sports art became his path to success.
“That injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It ended my season but not my career,’’ Wells Jr. told The Rumble’s Kevin Kernan this week. “It opened up a new career for me. I probably should have played baseball from the start, not football. ’’
His son, Vernon Wells III became a baseball star and is the Yankees’ new left fielder, fulfilling his father’s dream
of his son playing for the Bronx Bombers.
“I was a Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays fan,’’ the artist known as V Wells said. He added Mays was the best player he ever saw, but Mantle, if he had not injured his legs, would have been the best.
The multi-talented Wells Jr., 58, plays baseball in adult leagues and owns 24 championship rings in various age categories, and he gets to paint his favorite players. His commissioned artwork is sought after by players and can be found at http://www.vwellsart.com, hailed as “the players’ choice of sports art.”
Wells Jr. has been painting portraits for 35 years and is the most commissioned artist ever by players. He originally started painting football players, but the Texas-based artist branched out to baseball and has an All-Star list of clients.
“I have three of his paintings,’’ CC Sabathia told The Rumble, including one with his son CC III. “I love his work.’’
Robinson Cano became a proud owner of V Wells art earlier this spring as he was featured in Wells’ latest painting: “New York Yankees Gold Glove Infield.’’ And now V Wells has the opportunity to paint his son in pinstripes.
“It’s a dream come true,’’ the artist said.
Reunion’ is Sample of former Yanks’ work
Former Yankee Billy Sample, now a writer, director and actor, will screen his new baseball comedy “Reunion 108” at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls on April 8, with showings at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Sample played for the Rangers, Yankees and Braves during an eight-year career (1978-86). He became a successful broadcaster after his playing days, most recently with MLB radio.
Sample was with the 1985 Yankees, managed by Berra for the first 16 games of the season. The Yankees were 6-10 under Berra. Billy Martin replaced him and compiled a 91-54 mark. Sample is sure to have some Martins stories to tell. He now is immersed in the film industry, and his new satirical movie is inspired by his experiences on and off the field.
Sample will host a Q&A with visitors after each screening. Tickets are $12. To RSVP, call (973) 655-2378.
Ewing recalls head-butt game
Patrick Ewing will be back at it tonight as MSG Network’s postgame analyst vs. the Celtics. Ewing made his MSG debut earlier this month vs. the Magic, when the 11-time NBA All-Star reminisced about his Knicks days, telling a few new tales.
One included John Starks, who sat next to Ewing in their courtside seat.
Ewing recalled getting yelled at by Starks’ mother a few days after the infamous head-butt game vs. the Pacers during the 1993 playoffs.
“I remember when John and Reggie Miller got into it, right before I said ‘John, calm down, we’ll get him back,’ ” Ewing said. “Then he went down and head-butted him. That’s when I hit him in the chest.
“A couple days later, his mother came up to me and said, ‘Don’t you hit my son.’ I said, ‘Mrs. Starks, we were just trying to calm him down.’ ”
Book tells readers what’s in nickname
What is a Yankee? Why are the Mets team colors orange and blue?
The new kids book, “Trolley Dodgers, Pinstriped Yankees, and Wearing Red Sox: How MLB Teams Got Their Names,” by Jon Lindenblatt answers these questions and more.
The new book celebrates America’s national pastime and explains the history of team names, reasons for their name and other fun facts.
For more information, to order the book or contact the author, visit http://www.shirmedia.com.
Post readers can get a 10-percent discount by using the promotion code “nypost” at checkout.