Surprised these still exist!

(EVANSVILLE, Indiana) – Saturday was a gorgeous day for a stroll, so I grabbed my camera, laced up my sneakers and went out to explore around town.

There were a lot of new things to see so I started to walk in a new direction, noticing the light blue sky and a lot of interesting things around me. One of them was a sign saying how fast you could go at a certain time, and another included a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coloring book.

But the highlight was stumbling upon the Merchant Outlet Mall in town. It is a flea market full of nick-knacks and takes about two hours to walk through. The top item may have been a piece of my childhood, a Power Rangers lunchbox for $3.50 .

It was a wonderful trip down memory lane and a good chance to get some extra exercise too.

The Merchant Outlet Mall is a very unique place to visit and recommend this “blast from the past” if you have a chance to stop one by this classic.

Public address announcer Zane Clodfelter and me in the press box at Romain Stadium.

(EVANSVILLE, Indiana) – Friday night football!

On Friday evening, I had a chance to see another Harrison High School football game as the Warriors dedicated their brand new stadium in town. Public address announcer and good friend Zane Clodfelter invited me to contest against Central High School and we were able to witness the unveiling of the newly named Romain Stadium.

Harrison fell behind early but had a large comeback in the second half before the home crowd. The Warriors did end up losing 35-25, but we had a great time watching the game from the press box.

Zane is also the PA announcer for the Evansville Otters in the summer and can be heard during the offseason as the voice of the Harrison Warriors.

I was honored to see the football game and highly recommend seeing the new field if you have a chance to visit Evansville this football season.

Andy Benes and I after his speech.

(EVANSVILLE, Indiana) – Today was an amazing day! I was able to meet a lot of new people in town including former MLB pitcher Andy Benes. He spoke at the Evansville Downtown Quarterback Club, the oldest known group of its kind, and Benes told some wonderful stories to all those in attendance.

Andy openly talked about his faith, his days growing up in Evansville, being a three-sport star, and a number of other topics.

But something that really caught my attention was one of Andy’s finishing thoughts. The pitcher who recorded 2,000 strikeouts and was the number one overall pick in the 1988 MLB Draft said that being a good person above all else was the legacy he wanted to leave.

It struck me particularly because we all strive for greatness when the achievement of being a great person may be the enduring accomplishment for us all. That is something I strive to be each day and it meant a lot to hear it from Andy Benes this afternoon.

I can’t thank my good friend Bix Branson enough for inviting me to the event and taking the picture with Andy (something I will be able to keep along with the messages that  Andy re-emphasized for us all).

It was a spectacular morning, announcing the University of Evansville Purple Aces come from behind three set to two victory over the University of Illinois – Chicago. Then there was a little bit of a break before I put the headset back on to broadcast the final match of the Dunn Hospitality Invitational featuring Evansville and the Arizona Wildcats. The home town Aces rallied back to force a fourth set before eventually losing but I had such a blast being back in that atmosphere. I haven’t experienced something like that since announcing Quinnipiac volleyball matches for WQAQ and the Bobcat Sports Network.

A special thanks to general manager Tom Benson, the staff of Aces TV, and everyone who presented me with such an opportunity to do what I love again. I am truly blessed and will continue to rock the planet every chance I get!

We are just passing Louisville, Kentucky as I type this and the view of the Ohio River is majestic.

Here’s to seeing new places, meeting new people, and swapping some stories.

Rock the planet!

-Mike

99 hits and 0 runs is quite the accomplishment...especially in the third inning!

(NORMAL, ILLINOIS) – No, the Evansville Otters did not get 99 hits in their game against the Normal CornBelters on Saturday night, but they did win their sixth game in a row on a six game road trip. This photo was taken during the top of the third inning of the game where the scoreboard operator added one too many hits to the visitor’s hit total. Because there is only a “Hit+1″ button, the operator continued to bring the total up, hoping that it would reset after reaching 99. Unfortunately, the number stopped there for a few minutes after the hit total continued to tally one after another , much like a deli ticket-taker tally rings up on a Saturday.