SATURDAY AFTERNOON STROLL – Sept. 17, 2011
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.
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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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!
Last day at Historic Bosse Field
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – The clock ticked down and the last day working at Historic Bosse Field was over.
It seems as if I’m the victim of a time machine that zipped me from May and zapped me to September, but it is entirely true.
Usually, workers tend to relax on the last day and not go the extra mile to finish strong.
That simply was not going to be my final few moments.
Josh Hebert, Jon Cruzen and I cleaned out the Corona Light Party Deck at Historic Bosse Field in the morning and concluded the day by doing one of the toughest jobs of the summer.
Jon and I brought all of the flags down from the concourse level, which may sound routine but is far from it. Check out these pictures:
This is how high I had to go on a 20-foot high ladder to take down the banners.
From the ladder, I had to reach up to the top of this restroom banner in order to bring all the signs down.
Also, when we were told the day was over, I ran around the field to take a few more pictures to remember my time at Historic Bosse Field:
A look out to the diamond!
Wrap-around look at the roof at this jewel of a ballpark.
Ever climb a foulpole? I'm not afraid to! This is the look up the right field pole into the blue skies.
"Bosse Field: Where Every Fan is a Friend!" It couldn't be said any better!
Thank you sign! I'm glad I visited Bosse Field this summer!
That’s the final images of my summer at Bosse Field! Let me know what you think.
More thoughts on the entire season coming tomorrow.
The End of the season Road trip – 2010
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – The end of the season road trip plans are coming along.
Now that I’ve made the decision to return to New Jersey, I need to map out how to get there.
The GPS machine is all set for the journey, and the car is mostly packed.
It is still tough to comprehend how quickly the season went, but I am looking forward to my next opportunity.
Any ideas on where to stop along the way from Evansville, Indiana to Saddle Brook, New Jersey?
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
Productive Production
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – The broadcast of the soccer game went along smoothly.
The University of Evansville played East Tennessee State in the Championship Game of the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic and it was an incredible game.
The Purple Aces came out strong and finished well in a 2-0 win.
It felt like old times working with the board just like when I did the same thing at WQUN for Bobcat basketball/hockey games.
I took notes while producing the game, including phrases to switch up my language.
Here are the notes:
Page One
Page Two
Can you believe that all of these phrases can be used in a soccer game?
Also, Otters producer Paul Mattingly snapped a couple pictures of me working the game.
Here are Paul’s snapshots:
Playing commercials during the pre-game show
Recording the game to edit highlights
Me in the WUEV Main Studio
Next stop: University of Evansville soccer
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – I’ve always been a big believer in going the extra mile.
This means working at nights, on weekends, and on holidays when everyone tends to take the day off.
Not for me! I love working at all times.
I’m at the University of Evansville today and am extremely excited to be working the Purple Aces soccer game. It is the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic as Evansville challenges East Tennessee State in the championship game.
The broadcast starts at 3:15 PM EST (2:15 PM CDT) with Tom Benson announcing all of the action. The game is set to begin at 2:30 from Evansville, Indiana.
I’ll be in the studio producing the game in anticipation of broadcasting the game on Wednesday night against Belmont.
Please tune in if you can.
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!
From one journalist to another
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Today was a great night to catch up with some old friends and some great sports reporters.
I graduated from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut where I had the honor and pleasure of working with Mike Silverman and Justin Cohen.
We all talked about life and where our paths have taken us.
WYMT Sports Reporter Mike Silverman
Lincoln Saltdogs radio announcer Justin Cohen
Mike originally is from Michigan but journeyed out to Kentucky where he is now a sports reporter for WYMT. Silverman is going to do a tremendous job for the community and I have no doubt about it.
A week ago, Justin, who is from Florida, finished up the season announcing baseball games for the Lincoln Saltdogs in Nebraska.
Meanwhile, I’m in Evansville, Indiana talking to some of my best friends from Connecticut, who are in completely different states.
Something seemed a little bit off here, but it really isn’t!
Journalists need to be open to traveling to new and exciting places to do what they love. Mike’s passion for covering local sports brought him to Kentucky, and Justin’s interests in baseball moved him to the Cornhusker state.
We’re all doing very well for ourselves and knew that moves like these were a big part of the business. Mike and I talked about keys to what it took to make the transition from college to the pros in this field, while Justin and I talked more about what people need to succeed in this business from one place to the next.
I’m lucky to have great friends who can bounce ideas off of each other and have the vision to help others on their own ways to reaching one dream after another.
Here’s to our present and future boys! Friends mean a lot in life and in journalism too.
Favorite Patriotic Picture
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – Earlier this year, there was a rain delay at Historic Bosse Field.
It poured for a couple of hours as the fans waited around hoping to see baseball on that particular night.
At the same time, broadcasters are also put on pause, forced to wait out the delay in hopes of the game being played.
Well during this particular day, I had the unique opportunity to meet one of the Evansville Otters Booster Club members who routinely dresses up in fantastic outfits.
That night, it was one of the most patriotic costumes I have ever seen and truly is MY FAVORITE PATRIOTIC PICTURE:
True patriotism on display.
First Television Pro Broadcast
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) - Yesterday was one of the most exciting nights of my journalism career.
Now, I have worked a number of incredible games like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter, and a D1 basketball conference championship game, but this somehow reached new levels.
The game featured the Castle Knights and the Central Bears and the atmosphere was simply electric.
I was excited for a week, preparing my big board and asking friends for tips.
For my first football broadcast, it could not have gone any smoother. I felt very welcomed right away from the WFIE Channel 14 crew who quickly introduced themselves. The staff even offered food and drinks while setting up to make sure that everything was ready for the broadcast.
Reporter Joe Danneman then stopped by as we went to the top of the football stadium and entered the press box. The view quickly set the tone for the evening. It was lifted high atop the stands and had a great view of the field.
Joe and I then shared notes, compared our game boards and worked on the pre-game.
We both appeared on air for a minute as we dissected the upcoming matchup, took a commercial break, and it was right to covering the kickoff.
We had chemistry right from the very first play, and didn’t trip over each other the entire night.
Central won the game 35-3 over Castle, but we both had a winning broadcast and one that I am very proud of.
I’m working on getting the highlights and should have them sometime soon.
Keep checking the website for the updates.
Thanks for all of the support!
Best wishes,
Mike
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.
Tune into my live radio interview
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) - Today, I will be appearing on the Dan Egierski radio show to talk about my experiences this summer with the Evansville Otters. We will also talk about the offseason plans for the team and look back on the year that was.
The interview will air live from Archie & Clyde’s in Newburgh, Indiana and will start at 5:40 PM CDT ( 4:40 in the east).
Please tune in or feel free to stop by.
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:
——————————–
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.
My next broadcasting adventure
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – A lot of fans have been asking lately where I will be broadcasting next.
Well today, I’m excited to announce that my next opportunity will be on television.
This Friday, reporter Joe Danneman and I will be announcing the high school football game between Castle and Central on WFIE Channel 14.
This is an amazing chance to work with one of the best sports reporters in Evansville while also returning to television, the medium where I started my journalism career.
You can tune in by going to WFIE Channel 14 in the Evansville, Indiana area on Friday night at seven o’clock.
I will also have clips and footage of the game up on the website hopefully in the upcoming days.
Thanks to everyone for all of the support and I look forward to bringing my hard work, intensity, preparation, and passion to the broadcast booth on Friday night.
Best wishes,
Mike
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 »