Tour Around “Consol Energy Park”
(WASHINGTON, Penn.) – Before the series finale on Thursday night, I had a chance to take a tour around Consol Energy Park with Kate Billings, the Community Outreach & Merchandise Manager for the Washington Wild Things. Here are some of the things I saw:
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Photo of the Day – 99 hits!
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.
“Pull over…it’s unsafe to drive during this game.”
The Evansville Otters go for a five-game winning streak tonight following an 8-6 comeback win against Normal on Thursday night in 10 innings.
(NORMAL, Illinois) – On the air last night, I used that phrase above for the first time in my broadcasting career. In the ninth inning, I said, “If you’re in the car, pull over…it’s unsafe to drive during this game.” It came to me naturally and summed up the type of atmosphere at the ballpark in just a few words. Evansville had trailed the entire game until the top of the ninth inning when the Otters scored a pair of runs to tie the game against the Normal CornBelters at six. Reliever Josh Cephas forced extra innings with a scoreless frame and the Otters surged into their first lead of the game with another two runs in the 10th. It was an emotion-tugging baseball game that pulled back and forth like two children fighting ov
er a doll. Evansville has now won a season-high four games in a row, all coming at the start of this roadtrip. They will look for five straight tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CDT and our Evansville Otters pregame show will start at 6:45 p.m. Here is the link to tune in!
Whoa Baby! Evansville sweeps Florence in extras
- Evansville Otters
(FLORENCE, Kentucky) – It was so much fun to announce that game yesterday between Evansville and Florence. It was pins and needles, edge of your seat excitement! At multiple points during the game, I just kicked my chair away and hung on for every pitch like a person waiting for a life or death phone call. I was hooked and brought that level of intensity into the call of each and every word. Phrases like “Whoa Baby!”, “So,so,good” and “Signing Off” become taglines in this incredibly unusual game. There was a 19-minute power outage, a defensive substition mid-at bat, a closer getting a chance to bat, multiple late-inning rallies from Florence, and an extra inning leadoff home run from a player who was just 2 for 24. Whew! And it all came in a night where the temperature was in the mid-90s all evening, which just adds to the lore of the memory. Events like this will stay with me for a long time. After securing their first sweep of the season, the Otters traveled overnight to Bloomington, Illinois to begin a three game series at the CornBelters. More posts coming soon!
THE WILD WILDWOOD INN
(FLORENCE, Kentucky) - It is always fun to see new things which is one of the best parts of my traveling schedule. The team is staying at the Wildwood Inn, which is a themed suite hotel with a tropical dome, palm trees and tiki huts. Here are some of the highlights:
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INSIDE ROAD RANGER STADIUM
(ROCKFORD, Illinois) – One of the best parts of my job is the traveling. I get to see new ballparks, meet new people and explore the great country that America is…especially this Fourth of July weekend! Here are some pictures from my visit around Road Ranger Stadium and the game last night.
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Inside the broadcast booth – Wuerfel Park
(TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan) – Last night was an exciting evening at Wuerfel Park. I took some pictures inside the exquisite broadcast booth, ate a pulled pchicken sandwhich (yes, it is spelt that way) and witnessed a full flyover before, during, and at the conclusion of the national anthem. Here is the night in pictures:
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Exploring Traverse City
(TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan) – I stayed up late finishing a lot of work for getaway day today, where we need to be out of the hotel at a certain time and have a few hours to pass. I toured around the town and here are some of the more memorable things I noticed on my walk:
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Day 2 of the roadtrip – more exciting things at a new ballpark
(TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan) – Yesterday was a very exciting day on the road. I took out the camera and snapped some more pictures at Wuerfel Park, met some amazing people and even tried a $6.50 cheeseburger.
Here are all the pictures:
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BASEBALL & STILL PHOTOGRAPHY – PART 1
(TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan) – Baseball is a slower paced game and that is part of it’s natural majesticness.
Here is a slideshow of some pictures I took on Wednesday night at the ballfield. It is the first of many segments this summer on still photography!
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ARE WE THERE YET? YES!
(TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan) – So concludes the longest bus trip of the season. The Evansville Otters coaches, players, and I left on Tuesday night from Bosse Field bound for Traverse City.
We left the ballpark at 9:15 p.m. and did not arrive into the team hotel in Michigan until 8:15 a.m. the following morning.
The players and coaches file back on to the bus for the journey to Traverse City, Michigan.
It may sound like a wild amount of time to spend on a bus but it was actually very productive. I was able to accomplish a lot of reading in a new book that I am working through (Bullpen Gospels by Dick Hayhurst) and also study some of my broadcasting game notes for the next contest.
With a lot of reading, and studying, I was also able to succeed in sleeping a bit on the bus. Overall, the bus trip was well spent in a number of different ways for me. I was able to see the sun rise, change time zones for the first time this summer, and see some old, classic movies as well.
Time to rest up a bit in the hotel before tonight’s game.
Evansville and Traverse City will be playing a three game series beginning on Wednesday, continuing on Thursday and coming to a conclusion on Friday.
Expect a lot more blogging in the future including a post coming up soon about Wuerfel Park…one of the nicest baseball facilities in the country!
Here’s to a wonderful journey ahead of us in the next week!
Best wishes from Traverse City, Michigan
Reporters of all ages
(SADDLE BROOK, N.J.) – Today, I stumbled upon this incredible video of a five year old sports reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. I am a big fan of kids finding their passion early and it was wonderful to see it happen at such a young age. Here is Joey:
This clip also made me remember the spectacular experience I had interviewing a 12-year old sports reporter this summer. Here is the audio of Sam Barloga and me on the official radio broadcast network of the Evansville Otters:
Sam visits the broadcast booth back in July
Welcome to the club and here’s to a wonderful career guys! Keep rocking the planet!
-Mike
Teeing it up with Jeremy Schilling
(SADDLE BROOK, New Jersey) – Just finished up a great interview on Teeing it Up with Jeremy Schilling.
Jeremy Schilling, host of Teeing It Up
Jeremy is a good friend from college who has continued his award-winning show on the Internet, without missing a beat.
The weekly show is a hit with great and unusual portions of the program like the Relationship Advice segment, while also having superb insight into the worlds of sports.
I just joined him for an interview where we talked about my appearance in the Wall Street Journal, my experiences with the Evansville Otters and a few other topics.
The link can be heard by clicking here (starting at 34:00) !
Updated baseball clips
(SADDLE BROOK, New Jersey) – I’m excited to announce the updating of some audio clips.
Yesterday, the Print section of the website was renovated, and today it was the enhancing of my baseball play by play material.
Here are the clips that were revamped:
What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment!
Taking care of those who take care of you
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Networking is one of the most important elements of succeeding in life.
Well friendships and generosity may be even more important.
On Monday afternoon, I took out the entire production staff at WUEV as a way to say thanks for all of the hard work over the summer.
John Luttrell, Paul Mattingly and Josh Woody did a superb job the entire summer working on the Otters games, that taking them out for lunch was the least I can do.
They made commercials, cut highlights and made the broadcasts possible every day for the entire summer.
I highly recommend each and every one of these guys and it was an honor to work with them during the season.
Thanks again guys!
Athletes then and now
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – On Sunday night, I had an interesting discussion at the dinner table with Bill McKeon, the Evansville Otters color commentator.
We had a true Polish meal of kielbasa and pierogies (which were both delicious) but the highlight of the night was the conversation.
The guests started talking about playing sports back when they were younger and how intense they were (Elbows being thrown and slamming people to the ground was merely a foul in basketball). Then the talks shifted to today’s generation and how athletes tend to be different now and are not allowed to play as rough.
What do you think? Are athletes softer now? Do today’s athletes have it better or worse? Let me know
Evansville Elite Club
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Today was a very special day for me as I was inducted into the Evansville Elite Club.
President Sandy Broyles invited me to this morning’s meeting where I had an opportunity to meet all the members of the club.
They also asked me to give a speech after being welcomes to the exclusive group.
I thanked everyone who made my transition to Evansville so smooth and easy. When coming to this city in May, I had a single friend and a dream that I was chasing.
Because of everyone here, I leave with amazing memories and friendships to last a lifetime.
Thanks again to everyone in the Evansville Elite Club!
Friday night lights!
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Words can’t really tell you how excited I am for tonight’s experience.
Today marks my first professional television broadcast as sports reporter Joe Danneman and I announce the Castle and Central High School Football game.
The show starts at 7:00 PM CDT on NBC affiliate WFIE Channel 14.
If you are in the Evansville area, please try to tune in. If you can’t, I’m working on getting the audio and video clips from the game to post soon.
Thanks to everyone for all of the incredible support. I’ll post again tonight to let you know how it went.
Best wishes,
Mike
Radio interview on ESPN Radio
(NEWBURGH, Ind.) – On September 8th, I appeared on ESPN Radio to talk about my time with the Evansville Otters this summer.
The interview aired lived on All About Sports with Dan Egierski and I had an amazing time.
Here is the audio from the interview (courtesy of Josh Woody) :
Thanks everyone
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – I just wanted to thank everyone who tuned in today to hear my interview with ESPN Radio today.
The support was incredible today and I couldn’t thank you enough.
I was interviewed by Jeff Crowley and Dan Egierski as we talked about the last Evansville Otters season, the return of manager Andy McCauley and my experiences this year with the team.
Also, I had a chance to meet Mike Skvara while I waited to go on the air.
It was an amazing experience and was so glad that I had the opportunity.
I’m working on obtaining the clip, so check the site soon and hopefully I can post it.
Otters skipper Andy McCauley back for one more year
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Andy McCauley is back for another season with the Evansville Otters.
He took over for Wayne Krenchicki in the middle of the 2010 Frontier League season and made major strides towards turning the team around the remainder of the year.
Here is the official press release that I drafted:
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Manager Andy McCauley to return in 2011
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – The Evansville Otters organization is proud to announce that manager Andy McCauley will be returning to the team in 2011.
Owner Bill Bussing met with McCauley this morning at Historic Bosse Field where the two had a handshake agreement for the next Frontier League season.
No details of a contract were released.
For more information on McCauley and the Evansville Otters, fans can visit the team’s official website at http://www.evansvilleotters.com or by calling the front office at (812) 435 8686.
River City edges Evansville in season’s last game
(O’FALLON, Missouri) – The 2010 Frontier League regular season drew to a close tonight.
The Evansville Otters held a 2-0 lead but the River City Rascals stormed back to take the lead on their way to a franchise high in wins.
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Rascals win season finale 5-4
Determination & Dinner
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – During the course of the baseball season, I had a number of guests in the broadcast booth.
I was blessed to have the commissioner of the league, general managers, directors of operations, vice presidents, journalists, and writers.
But none of them may be more determined than Bryce Weiler who joined me on the air just a few weeks ago. Bryce is a blind sports journalist from the University of Evansville. He was dealt cards that are working agaisnt him, but he is committed to following his dreams. He hopes to be a play by play broadcaster and his resiliency is remarkable.
This evening, Bill McKeon and I took Bryce Weiler out to dinner to talk baseball and his plans.
We enjoyed a great meal at Texas Roadhouse will talking about who we have worked with in the past and goals for the future.
Bryce is on the right path and hopefully someone gives him the chance to reach for the stars.
September 13, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: analyze, Bill McKeon, blind, Bryce Weiler, Color Commentator, committed, describe the action, determined, Evansville, Evansville Indiana, Evansville Otters, follow your dreams, Indiana, journalist, McKeon, Mike Radomski, Play by play announcer, Radomski, reach for the stars, reporter, resilient, sports journalist, sports reporter, Weiler | 1 Comment »