Hangin' at the Hive

Burlington Bees vs. Beloit Snappers
Class A Midwest League Minor League Baseball
Western Illinois Night
(7/30/10)

In conjuction with Western Illinois Night with the Burlington Bees, our radio stations in Monmouth (Sunny 97.7 WMOI and AM 1330 WRAM), host some games and make an appearance with giveaways at Community Field.

This is the third year that I have been involved with the evening. The first year, I threw out the first pitch....and bounced it in the dirt! Last year, we went out onto the field and did between-inning games like they do at most minor league ballparks.

It was much of the same this year, with three planned games that were a success last season. Last year, we did four games between innings, as we dropped the bubble gum blowing contest this year.

Our games were a water balloon toss, dance-off, and home run derby. It never fails, I always get the typical nerves before going out in front of a crowd. However, once I get in front of a couple thousand people and take the microphone, it's my element and it is really fun.

For the water balloon toss, three groups of two kids toss a water balloon back and forth before it explodes and gets one of the contestants wet. The last one dry, wins. Our prizes were passes to Adventureland.

In the dance competition, we have three kids bust a move. The song of choice on this night was the "Peanut Butter/Jelly" song, or whatever the title is. We had some hesitant dancers, a group of three 10-13 year old boys. The winner is determined by a show of cheers from the crowd.

Our final game came after the 4th inning. Before we went out to do the home run derby, Beloit Snappers hitting coach Tommy Watkins requested a leftover water balloon, using it to soak one of his players. Watkins had a "cup of coffee" in Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins in 2007. He hit .357 and scored 2 runs in 9 games. Watkins, before the game, helped one of the Bees staffers sell programs near the front gate. He had asked the young lady how to reach the ticket office, because he left tickets for someone. While the girl left her post, he grabbed the stack of programs and started announcing, "Programs....get your programs! Only $1, programs! Opposing team coach selling PROGRAMS!"

As we went out onto the field, we had three home run derby contestants. I handled the mic duties, doing the play-by-play, and mixing unfunny jokes in between. Jared, from the Burlington Bees, handled the pitching duties, Greg Ford was our catcher, and Kyle Lester was the outfielder/distance marker. Each hitter had three pitches, and the longest ball was declared the winner. One of the derby contestants nearly took out the umpire a couple times. We used a thick whiffle ball bat, with some cushy Burlington Bees balls.

Speaking of home run derby, before the game, Greg Ford kept telling me he had a "wicked" curve ball. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He said he would prove it, so we went out to the large grassy area near the front entrance, and he threw me some "wicked" curves. The only thing wicked about his curve, was how far I blasted his pitches!

All in all, a good night at the ballpark.

Thursday Update

Previews
IHSSN continues to write fall previews for football and volleyball. Additionally, coaches interviews are being added, along with 7-on-7 videos for teams that are available. Many more coaches interviews will be available in the next couple weeks. Hard to believe the first official practices are less than two weeks away!!!

Weekend Coverage
IHSSN will finally take a weekend off, to focus on the fall preparation. I believe I reported on Twitter earlier this week that I can be "fully prepared", and I will still be lost. There is not enough preparation in the world for me to feel comfortable with everything that comes to a head at the start of the school year.

New Features
We hope to add some additional radio stations to our network this year. Basically, it is free publicity for radio stations, and the Illinois High School Sports Network creates an easier portal for high school sports fans to find broadcasts. It's a win-win-win for all involved!!!

Also, IHSSN.net is adding a weekly stats feature, and a template is being created as we speak. This will be the top stat leaders for teams throughout the season (on a weekly basis), statewide, as available. As always, we encourage coaches and administrators to submit information. ihssn@hotmail.com is the easiest way to contact us.

Upcoming
The ASA 14-under National Championships will be in Illinois next week. The games begin on August 2nd, and IHSSN.net will be there a few days taking some video. This will be the final event for the summer of 2010, before practice coverage kicks in on August 11th. Wow! Where did the time go.

Prairie Radio Communications Enhances Coverage
I "daylight" as the Sports Director at WAIK (Galesburg) and WMOI/WRAM (Monmouth). We have added coverage of the Mid-County Cougars for the 2010 season. For those unaware, this is the new football co-op between Galva, Williamsfield, and ROWVA. The games will be aired on AM 1590 WAIK (www.1590waik.com) on Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. It is a work-in-progress, that these games may be available live on Friday nights (online only). In addition, WAIK will air Galesburg Silver Streaks football live (I will handle play-by-play), and the WMOI Game of the Week will bounce back and forth between the Monmouth-Roseville Titans and United Red Storm. Likewise, the AM 1330 WRAM Game of the Week will carry whatever team is not on WMOI.

Celebrity Announcers on Galesburg Football Broadcasts
Due to a rousing success in its inaugural season last year, AM 1590 WAIK will once again feature a celebrity color commentator during its Galesburg Silver Streaks broadcasts. Invitations are currently being sent out, and already the station has confirmations from Galesburg District 205 Superintendent Dr. Gene Denisar and Silver Streaks baseball coach Arnie Gonzalez (Class 3A Supersectional appearance this past spring). More confirmations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Death of Galesburg Wrestling Coach
Speaking of Galesburg High School, I would like to extend my sympathies to the John Chapman family and the Galesburg High School community on the loss of varsity wrestling coach John Chapman. He passed away of a heart attack while running the Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa last Saturday, at the age of 41. I didn't know John all that well, only talking with him on a few occasions talking about his wrestling program, but have heard so many great stories about a man who was taken away all too young. It was a shock when I received a text message last Saturday, informing me of the shocking and untimely death of the former Division-3 All-American wrestler. He had coached the Silver Streaks wrestlers for 11 years. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

A Discussion on Phone Contacts

After covering the ASA Showcase last Friday, an interesting discussion was spurred in the parking lot. It was a "meeting of the minds", LOL. The group included myself, Midland Magic manager Dale Shelton, Magic coach Rick Bertelsen, Cody Ashton, and Magic players Katie Bertelsen and Kelsea Ashton.

Somebody asked Shelton how many contacts he had in his phone. Without pause, he answered 568 (or something like that). The question was then asked of me. I replied, "oh a couple hundred." Somebody mentioned they were surprised I didn't have several hundred more.

That's why I found this conversation interesting. It made me think, because I have actually pondered that same question. How come I don't have more contacts in my phone? Well, there are a couple answers to that.

Reason number one...I have no idea. I guess it dates back to my early days in radio, when cell phones were just becoming mainstream. It was my personal phone, and I felt I didn't need business contacts and personal contacts intertwined. That's also when I worked 8-10 hour days.

The second reason is the fear of losing numbers. Okay, okay, this makes no sense. My fear is that I rely too much on the contact list in my cell phone, that if I ever lose all of my numbers, I will be lost. The reason this makes little sense is because currently I have numbers scribbled on scratch pieces of paper, three-year old emails, among other areas around my desk.

There have been two instances where I have felt the need to put all of the contact info I have received into my cell phone.

Case #1. A referee friend calls me one spring afternoon requesting the number of an area baseball coach. The reason: this official left his umpire pants in his car before heading off to officiate the game. I didn't have this particular coach's number, but did have a way to get it.

Case #2. A similiar situation, but not as funny. A football coach called requesting a number to a coach who had just joined their conference. I did have this coach's number in my phone.

Due to this Seinfeld-esque (the every day, talk about nothing conversation), I have begun siphoning through old emails and paperwork around the office gathering numbers to insert into my phone. It also comes in handy when trying to reach old friends in Chicago. I may not talk to them on a routine basis, but if I am in town, I can reach them.

It's funny how these casual talks can lead to changes in our everyday routine.

Under the Springfield Sun: Midland Magic ASA Showcase

Midland Magic ASA Showcase
(@ University of Illinois-Springfield)
7/23/10

Preparation was the key for this trip. A heat advisory with heat indexes reaching as high as 110 degrees in Springfield, the sight of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Showcase, hosted by the Midland Magic.

With the Galesburg American Legion baseball team making a quick exit at the division tournament in Moline, it freed my schedule up much more than I had anticipated. My Thursday afternoon and early evening was clear, and there would be no plans for a Saturday trip back to the Quad Cities.

I gathered three empty one liter water bottles from the Legion games earlier in the week, and filled them up and stuck them in the fridge, ready for the cooler on Saturday. I had planned on leaving extra early, just to get things set up and ready for the day. After some late nights and early mornings, I needed an extra hour of sleep, but woke up with plenty of time to be nestled at the University of Illinois-Springfield softball complex before the first games began.

Before making the trek down to Springfield, I stopped at Ayerco for my morning coffee and light breakfast, along with picking up a bag of ice to keep my liters of water cold. After pulling out of the gas station, I remembered that I was almost out of paper in my legal pads, and this would be a long day with a lot of notes.

The Perfect Notebook
I made one more stop before leaving Macomb, picking up some notebooks at Wal-Mart. Normally I just use legal pads, but they can be messy when the winds picks up. I wanted a ring binder (or whatever they are called), so I scoured the office supplies section, and found just what I needed. I bought two of the top ring binders, as it is much easier to flip back to previous pages than in the side ring binders, at least for me. It was also hard to find a non-girly notebook. Most of the notebooks I was rummaging through were purple, but I finally came across a couple black notebooks. Speaking of this, later in my blog I will discover the same problem when searching for a business card wallet.

Social Networking: What Preceded Myspace?
At 7:15 a.m. I was finally on my way. When making long road trips (over an hour), I enjoy listening to different radio stations. That is what I do during the typical work day, so it's an obvious way to learn new things in the industry. Nothing you hear in radio is new, it's been "borrowed" from somewhere else (95% of the time). As I got closer to Springfield, I was listening to a morning show on 99.7. There were like four personalities to the show, which you would think (or at least those in radio would), would be a train wreck. It's sort of like the law of diminishing returns. A one-person radio show can sound very lame, especially when they laugh at themselves telling jokes (a morning staple), two is the perfect number for conversation, and then it diminishes with three at times. With four, you could have a lot of talking over each other, and it just wouldn't sound that good. For the most part, this crew on 99.7 didn't have that, but in listening for just 45 minutes, it's hard to get a scope on that. One topic they brushed on was social networking. One of the DJ's mentioned Myspace before Facebook, and one of the others asked what was before Myspace.

I thought about that, because I really can't remember. When I was in college, MSN Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger were the waves of the future. There was something called ICQ in the 1990's, but between them and Myspace, I really don't know what the big social networking site would have been.

Dear Garmin: Please Remap Springfield
Each and every time I go to Springfield for various sports events, I get lost. First, it was my own fault in not reading the map correctly, but in recent years, it's been my Garmin not knowing the layout of Springfield, Illinois. Add Springfield with the cities of East Peoria and Decatur, where it has no idea where things are (Eastside Centre, the Decatur softball complex, etc.).

Garmin got me close, but my wayward navigating finally got me to my destination, about 20 minutes later than expected. The Garmin had been shut off by this time. I almost gave Garmin a call to complain about their Springfield layout, and predicted how the conversation would go....

Me: "This is the fourth time that my Garmin has misdirected me in Springfield, Illinois. I am running late....again due to this fact."

Garmin Rep: "According to our records, you have not updated your map."

Me: "Sure, that is correct, but I am pretty sure this cornfield that I am supposed to be driving through was NOT a road two years ago."

I still may make a phone call to Garmin, and maybe they will give me a free map update. I am also logging each instance that it has misguided me. Fortunately, I am a stickler at leaving early, so I have never been late to an appointment or game because of this.

Where Am I?
As I drove around the University of Illinois-Springfield campus, I was looking for light standards, or a person to ask directions. I saw neither. I drove around a couple times, and then just started taking different roads. Finally, heading back west down a different road, I saw a dozen or so light standards. I'm here!

It was 9:20 when I pulled into the parking lot at the UIS softball complex. The first games were not scheduled until 10:00. I unpacked my notebook, video camera, pen, and a folder. I walked in at 9:00 a.m. with a folder only containing a two-page schedule of games. I walked out of the complex 12 hours later with a folder jam packed with team profile books.

Diamond Arrival
Each of the eight diamonds had the various teams warming up and stretching out for the day. The complex has eight diamonds, while a few games will be played at Lincoln Land College. United Red Storm pitcher Katie Bertelsen, who plays for the Midland Magic, came up and talked about the showcase. She told me that Beep Jones (Abingdon) had joined them on a trip to Colorado, and hit five home runs out there. Dale Shelton, who runs the Midland Magic, stopped over to say hello. I had some handouts that he said I could lay out on the tables where the college coaches and teams checked in.

There are 72 teams playing in this showcase, from all over the midwest. In the first day, there was a reported 40 college coaches in attendance. I saw coaches from Augustana, Illinois State, Millikin, Illinois-Springfield, Quincy University, Lincoln Land, and Kankakee. Those were just the ones I noticed.

The first field I decided to open the day with, was at Field 6, where the East Peoria Express were battling the MidState Magic. Before the game started, I noticed I had lost my pen. I would be making another trip out to the parking lot to retrieve one. I looked for a backup pen, but didn't find one....probably a half dozen under my seat.

The MidState Magic featured players from the Springfield area (Pleasant Plains, Williamsville, Springfield, Chatham, Petersburg, and Sherman). I was able to get video of a Josie Bensko single, and a 2-run double off the bat of Kaitlyn Constant. Bensko, by the way, is the younger sister of former University of Illinois baseball player and former Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Dusty Bensko.

Next up, I took in the Midland Magic 91 against Extreme Elite. I was able to grab video of an RBI single by the Magic's Kara Arceneaux. I went over to the Elite dugout, and talked with a couple of softball dads. They filled me in on some of their players. One of the dad's was Che Hanebrink, the centerfielder. She plays at Troy Triad, and will be playing softball at the University of Indianapolis. The other, was the father of pitcher Brittni Chapman. During my two innings watching this game, Lauren Smith hit a home run and a two-run double. She is from O'Fallon, and will be playing at Tennessee-Martin.

Over to watch the BNGSA Fusion against the Illinois Outlaws Elite. BNGSA stands for the Bloomington-Normal Girls Softball Association. The Fusion players are mainly from Bloomington and Normal, with a couple girls from Mahomet, Heyworth, Colfax, and Hudson.

Illinois Outlaws are Stretched Out
After the game, I talked with Outlaws coach Pat Coy. He is from Kankakee, and unlike his opponent this morning, his players are from a wide region. In fact, there is a four hour difference in his farthest north player, to farthest south player. The team is based out of South Holland, and Coy said they practice there every Tuesday night. He has players from Lockport, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Farmer City Blue Ridge, Kankakee, Dwight, Pontiac, Munster (IN), and Bradley-Bourbonnais.

The first session of games were over, and I headed back to the car for a water break. When the temperature was in the mid-80s at 7:30 a.m., you know it's going to be a hot one! I went back and found some shade behind the concession area to write out the 11:30 schedule. My schedule just had A1 vs. A2, etc. for the games, so with a few minutes to write out the team names made it a little easier.

The Quad City Firebirds were facing the St. Louis Lasers. I was pretty familiar with the Firebirds, so I watched the first couple innings. Before the game, I talked with their coach to get a roster or lineup. His lineup just had first names, but I correctly named the first four hitters, since the girls were in my coverage are for the radio station. The Firebirds are made up of girls from Moline, United Township, and Alleman, among others. One girl, Alexis Ensminger, is from West Central in Biggsville. She will be a sophomore this fall, and was filling in for the team at 3rd base and leading off.

In the 2nd inning, I went over to catch the Midland Magic 92 against the Southern Express. The Magic jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the game, and it was 8-1 when I went to another game, in the 3rd inning. I wasn't able to get much from the videos I took of this game.

The Wisconsin Bandits were taking on the Glen Ellen Phillies, and the Bandits were up 4-0 in the 6th inning, and that would be the final score. The Phillies had players from West Chicago, Glenbard West, Fenwick, Wheaton North, Geneva, Schaumburg, Lyons, and Glenbard East.

A Major League Flair for the Wisconsin Bandits
Wisconsin had three Division-One committed players. Lindsey Umberger is signed to play at Wisconsin, while McKinzie Freimith has verballed to Wisconsin. Andie Varsho has signed to play at Purdue University. Andie is the daughter of former Major League Baseball player Gary Varsho, who played for the Chicago Cubs, is currently the bench coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In Search of a Lunch
At 1:00, hunger set in. The Little Debbie apple pie breakfast had wore off. My plan was to take off for a few hours in the middle of the day, and return in the late afternoon to watch the last four hours, or so. My search was for a Buffalo Wild Wings, or barbecue joint. Couldn't find a BWW in my Garmin, so I set off for Frankie's Bar and Grill. When I got there, it no longer existed. Next in my search was, Bourbon Street Rythym and Barbecue. It, too, had closed its doors, or at least wasn't open for lunch. Just a few doors down from Bourbon Street, was Clay's Popeye's Barbecue. Open!

Clay's Popeye's Barbecue
I turned around, to park on the street in front of the joint on Grand Avenue. When I walked in, it took me back. A very vintage place, that probably hadn't changed at all in the last 30+ years. There was a bar, with original stools (low lying stools), and also tables. There were maybe a dozen or so people eating lunch. I sat at the bar and enjoyed the sights of the classic greasy spoon joint. On the wall, were two IDOT signs proclaiming Springfield was the home to Major Clay, the 2006 and 2007 IHSA Class AA High Jump state champion. I put two and two together, Clay's Popeye's Barbecue...Major Clay...family business. There were also signed photos on a table and wall with the likes of Jesse White, President Bill Clinton, and many others. I am assuming they had eaten at Popeye's. The barbecue joint was also named Best Barbecue in 2002 and 2003.

I thought about a half rack of ribs, but then I looked down at my clothes. A white IHSSN shirt, with light khaki shorts. Probably not a good idea, unless I wanted to look like a slob when I returned to the diamonds later in the day.

The lunch special was my choice. It was beef and pork barbecue on a couple slices of bread, with cole slaw. I went with the medium barbecue sauce, and it had a little kick to it. If I had gone with the hot sauce, my stomach would be screaming at me until next Monday. My total bill came to a very reasonable $8.52.

In Search of a Business Card Wallet
After giving out several business cards in the morning to different coaches and parents, my cheap plastic business card holder gave out. During the last session, I had stuffed them into my wallet, so I decided a professional looking business card holder was a must today. In search of a Wal-Mart, my Garmin directs me to Sam's Club. Angry at the GPS unit, I tossed it back into the console and decided to just find a Staple's or Office Depot nearby. An Office Depot was less than a mile down the road, so I went in search of a business card wallet. I found a couple, but they were leather, and only had brown. A little to flashy, and was looking for black anyway. Call me cheap, but I didn't want to fork out $12 for a business card wallet. After pacing each aisle, I could not find any more, so I asked an employee. He showed me to some, but they all had designs, and looked more like something a female would carry around, not a guy. It looked like I would be heading back up the road to Staple's, but then I found a plain black wallet hidden from the rest. Priced at $5, it was just what I was looking for.

Part Two of the Day Begins
Back on my way, I was running low on water, so I stopped off at a gas station to pick up two liters of bottled water, then back over to the softball complex. It was 3:15. Before heading back in, I made a quick update on Facebook, and checked my email. I also needed to charge my camera, but it didn't do much charging, because it kept overheating.

Speaking of the heat, at 3:30, it now was pretty unbearable. It certainly felt like 110 degrees, whereas earlier in the afternoon it didn't feel quite so bad...maybe 100-105, LOL.

The first game I watched, was the end of the Carol Stream Storm and Indiana Rockets. The Rockets won, 7-3, as it was in the 6th inning when I arrived.

I was able to catch the last inning of the Quincy Diamonds/Wicked Styx game. The Diamonds trailed, 4-2, but scored a 6th inning run before time expired. It was scored by Tori Kuhn, a standout basketball player for Quincy Notre Dame. The Diamonds coach gave me their lineup card, and I recognized a few names from covering the Quincy-area. One of which, had a familiar last name for basketball fans, Gengenbacher. This was Bailey Gengenbacher.

Over to watch the first couple innings of the Chi-Town Express vs. Quad City Firebirds. I was able to get video of an RBI double by Chi-Town's Kristen Ashby (Portage, IN), that scored Sarah Field (Elgin St. Edward). Also got video of Alexis Ensminger's single in the 1st inning for the QC Firebirds. I missed Haylee Krack's (United Township) 3-run home run.

Next, over to catch the BNGSA Fusion against the Lemont Rockers. Nicole Walshon (Lincoln-Way Central) was pitching for the Rockers. The Lemont Rockers won the 2008 "A" National Championship.

Headed back over to catch a little bit of the Firebirds/Express game, and took a couple more videos from that game, then over to watch the East Peoria Express against the Lemont Rockers' other team. The Rockers won the game, 5-3.

Midland Magic Chatter
During this matchup, Katie Bertelsen stopped by and talked about her game from the morning. The Midland Magic Gold played their 11:00 game at Lincoln Land College. They would play again at 7:00 at UIS. She teams with a couple Cobden players, including Taylor Orsburn, who hit a grand slam off of Bertelsen in the state seminfinals this past spring. I met Taylor's dad, Rusty, and talked a little bit about the United/Cobden battles. As I walked over to another diamond, I ran into Rick Bertelsen, and discussed United Red Storm sports. I mentioned to him some things we would be doing on the radio this fall, and some things in the works. He mentioned he enjoys listening to the games in the fall, when he is out in the fields.

The heat bore down, and I headed back to the car for another water. Before I knew it, I had drank the entire liter of water. In all, I drank 6 liters of water throughout the day. Still, this was probably less than what I should have consumed in the heat, and under the sun with no shade.

Back to the games, I watched the Jacksonville Red Storm against Bandits Fastpitch. I took video of an Austi Emerick RBI single for the Red Storm. Jacksonville led, 3-1, after two innings.

Another inning of softball watching the Crystal Lake Tidal Waves and St. Louis Lasers, getting video on a couple of strikeouts by the Lasers.

I watched the final few innings of the Extreme Havoc and Indiana Shockwave. The Havoc are based around the Quad Cities, and have players from Geneseo, Orion, Moline, Riverdale, and Rockridge. The Shockwave won, 5-2.

The Midland Magic Gold took the field against the Chi-Town Express. I was able to get some videos of the Magic at-bats. Julie Jouglard was the starting pitcher for the Magic. Bertelsen did not pitch today, as Beep Jones threw the morning game.

Dead Phone
After the first inning, my phone had died, so I headed up to the hospitality room to charge it up. I watched a few innings of the games from up there, and organized my notes a little bit. The UIS complex around the main area is in the shape of a pentagon. This confused me the whole day, as I walked around the different diamonds.

I watched a majority of the later innings of the Palos Rippit and Indiana Stingers, taking several videos. During the game, I talked with the home plate umpire, who also posts on the Illinois High School Sports message boards (blue25). We talked a couple different times between innings.

An Extra Hour in the Parking Lot
After the Palos/Indiana game was called due to time limit, I called it a night. It was shortly after 9:00 p.m. There was still one session left, but the drive back would be a long one, and I needed to stop for gas. The Midland Magic coaches were hanging out at one of their trucks near mine, so I ended up staying and shooting the bull with them for about an hour. Since it was after-hours coverage, I can't talk about the topics we discussed (LOL!).

Heavy Eyes
It was a good thing my house hadn't sold, because I don't think I could have made the drive an extra 45 minutes north. As I reached the final 10 mile stretch home, my eyes were getting really, really heavy. I turned the radio up loud, rolled down the window, and cranked the air conditioner. I made it safely!

Half Inning of Baseball

3rd Division American Legion Baseball Tournament
Galesburg vs. Rock Island (Consolation Semifinals)
7/22/10

With the way the division bracket played out on the consolation side, my coverage of Galesburg American Legion baseball on 1590 WAIK was in jeopardy. After their loss to Eldred on Wednesday, they dropped to play a 10:00 a.m. game against Rock Island, and would face Pekin at 1:30 with a win.

I had to pick and choose what my plan of attack would be, and rolled the dice with an afternoon game (if necessary). By having Friday off to cover the ASA Midland Magic Showcase in Springfield, my Thursday became jam-packed.

My plan was to cram the next two days' worth of work into a four hour period in the morning. Then, I would head up to Moline and watch the final inning and do my noon sportscasts from the diamond at Black Hawk College. With a Galesburg win, I would have time to get things set up for the radio broadcast.

On my way up route 67, I made a couple phone calls to get things tied down for football season. We have some very exciting things in store for our fall football schedule, and possibly beyond just football broadcasts. Nothing is final, so I can't say for certain. I am putting some final touches on things, and that is what my phone call with my old broadcasting buddy from Geneseo and Galva, Jason Bates, was for.

I arrived at Black Hawk College a few minutes before noon. No problems getting to the field this time around. I unpacked my notes for the upcoming sportscast, and headed over to the press box. It was the 9th inning, and the score was 7-1. Rock Island held the big lead, and I was able to sit down in time for the final at-bats of the game, with the bottom of the 9th just getting underway. It looked promising to start, as Nick Milligan hit a long fly ball into left field. It looked like the Rock Island outfielder lost his tracking, but recovered nicely to make the catch. Nick Leary followed with a double, and would come around to score on a throwing error by the right fielder, after making the second out on a Dalton Davis fly ball. Derek Schwab lined out to 3rd base to end the game, and the season for Galesburg. It was a 7-2 loss. Rock Island moved on to face Pekin at 1:30 in the consolation championship.

When I pulled up to the guy watching the gate (taking admission), he mentioned to me that he heard Pekin wasn't going to be showing up for their game. I found that really odd, and he wasn't sure. It must have been somebody driving by with a rumor. I didn't stick around to find out, and my day cleared up quite a bit...which I needed badly.

This gave me plenty of time to get my itinerary organized for Friday, a long and hot day in Springfield.

7-on-7 (Tuesday) & American Legion Baseball (Wednesday)

7-on-7 (@ Monmouth College)
Monmouth-Roseville, United, B-PC/A
7/20/10

After moving in a new refridgerator (tougher than expected), I headed back up north to Monmouth College for a 7-on-7. In talking with B-PC/A Spartans head coach John McCormick earlier in the day, I learned of the small gathering of three teams.

As I drove into Monmouth, Sunnylane Field was completely empty. Either the morning rains washed it out, or it was at another field. Since United is just outside of Monmouth, I thought maybe they were the host. The other thought was Monmouth College. I texted coach McCormick as I drove into town, and he replied that it was at the college.

There were quite a few fans in attendance, and I parked behind the press box at April Zorn Memorial Stadium, and walked down to the field. With my notepad in hand, Monmouth-Roseville assistant coach Bob Reedy approached me. When I wear a hat, many people don't recognize me, so I made sure he knew who I was. He did recognize me. He mentioned that they had a lot more people at a different event last week, and there were many people that made there way in and out tonight.

A lot of coaches are not too fond of 7-on-7's, and use them sparingly, if at all. They are really not that benficial for many reasons, especially if you don't pass the ball. The three teams tonight are not typical passing teams, though that could change.

Monmouth-Roseville may be opening up the passing game more often in 2010, and second-year starting quarterback Drew Cole has an arm. He can lay loose a deep ball every now and then. Even more rare, is to hear a United Red Storm team coached by Tim Engebretson to throw the ball. They did just that last year with QB Zach Steele. He graduated, but United has some targets that can catch. At 6'6" (approx.), Josh Winston towers over his defenders.

Titans head coach Curt Crum was running the event, and was giving the teams situations after every play (2 & 10, or 3rd & 5, or 4th & 1, etc.). His Titans were facing United when I arrived. The next game featured B-PC/A against United. While the Spartans were on defense, I talked with coach McCormick, and he showed me his playbook. When he pulled it out of his bag he says, "Check out my girly-looking playbook." It was a blue (with different designs) photo album. He had his plays on notecards inside, and said he has it in case of rain.

I took some video (available on the home page at www.ihssn.net), and stayed for most of the night. I left midway through the final game (Monmouth-Roseville vs. B-PC/A).

American Legion Baseball 3rd Division Tournament (@ Black Hawk College)
Galesburg vs. Eldred
(7/21/10)

One of my weaknesses in life is the inability to navigate places. The more I travel to different fields, gyms, and cities, I learn where I am going. Armed with a Garmin, my traveling is made much easier. Then, there are the times in my trips where Garmin fails me, or I fail Garmin.

Case in point: My stubborness led me to believe I could find the baseball diamond at Black Hawk College in Moline. Growing up just a half hour from the Quad Cities, I knew the area really well, and came so close to enrolling at the Black Hawk Quad Cities campus out of high school. Of course I could find the baseball diamond.

I talked with Galesburg American Legion coach Steve Cheesman in the days leading up to the 3rd division tournament, and asked where the field was. He said it was right on the campus, so I thought, no problem.

Fortunately, I left work a little early to give me ample time to get situated, talk with the coaches, and all of the normal pre-broadcast stuff. As I drove onto the Black Hawk College campus, I saw no lights, and nothing that resembled a baseball diamond. I looked, looked, and looked again.

Before GPS, gas stations were my Garmin. Get lost? There's a gas station, and if the cashier doesn't know where to direct you, there always seems to be a customer that will go out of their way to help.

Let me digress. A few years ago I bought a collection of Sporting News magazines from the 1970s and 1980s. There were over 500 back issues in all, and I only paid $20 for all of them. The catch...I had to drive six hours to Mt. Carmel, Illinois to pick them up. It was a fun day trip, and my girlfriend at the time was none too pleased. Not sure if it was driving 12 hours round trip, or bringing home an SUV full of "sports magazines". The Ebay seller that I bought them from lived just south of town, and I had trouble locating the road he directed me to. I stopped at a gas station in the town, and the cashier had no idea. There was a fireman in the gas station that wanted to help out, and at first seemed a little bewildered on the address I gave him. He headed out to his truck and grabbed a phone book. After some detective work, he found where I needed to go. By the way, I did get the magazines, and still have around 300 of them if anyone is interested, LOL.

Anyway, where was I? Ahh yes, Moline. I drove up to the Avenue of the Cities (23rd Avenue for traditionalists, like me), and stopped at the Git 'n Go. There was an East Moline police officer in the parking lot, getting ready to walk inside the gas station. I stopped her and asked if she could tell me where the Black Hawk baseball diamond was. She gave me some directions, but also advised that there was some construction in that area, so there may be some detours. As she was talking, I couldn't help but notice her name badge on her uniform. It was Officer Tackabury, and the whole time she was talking I was thinking about the Police Academy movies (Officer Tacklebury).

Now, I was on my way, and knew exactly where to go...maybe. I drove back to the college campus, and drove down the road that I thought was closed (construction). Hey, there is the diamond....and there is nobody on it! Uh oh!

I took a quick cruise, and had no idea where I was going now. I pulled into one of the parking lots and called coach Cheesman. He gave me some directions, and I must not have been listening very well. I went back to the spot I had driven by three previous times. I took a left, and it didn't take me to a diamond. I then drove down some windy roads through parking lots, and still found nothing. As I pulled near one of the buildings, a security officer was outside on a break. I asked him, and he said, "It might be that diamond right there." The diamond he spoke of was a few hundred feet away, but completely obstructed by a large hill. Finally!

As I walked up, I met up with coach Cheesman, and Eldred coach Jeff Krumwiede walked over and the teams did the coin toss. The toss was done in some tall grass, and the coin landed tails. Galesburg won the toss, and would be the home team for the game. Krumwiede was not too happy about the coin toss being held in the grass.

Eldred was hosting their first Legion team in at least 50 years, but in talking with Krumwiede, he mentioned that they really aren't sure, it might be the first Legion team EVER. Eldred is located eight miles from Carrollton, where Krumwiede is the head boy's basketball coach, and the team draws most of its players from that school. In years past, Carrollton players have suited up for Greenfield or Calhoun Legion teams. The Coonrod's played for the Jerseyville Jr. Legion last year.

Eldred jumped out early, to a 7-0 lead. Galesburg rallied from being down late in two different games in the District tournament last week, including trailing Quincy 6-0 in their semifinal game. I always said with this Galesburg team, it's not if...it's when. Today, if reared it's ugly head, and when never showed up. It was almost a rally for Galesburg, chipping back to make it 8-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. In fact, Galesburg had the bases loaded with one out, but failed to score.

It was a hot and humid day, and you could tell from the players on the field. It really hit both Eldred pitchers, as you could tell at times how fatigued they were, by hunching over at times, and taking as much time as possible in later innings. In the press box, there was no sun, but the heat and lack of breeze made it very uncomfortable. The flies were also bad, and bit.

Dissecting the Preseason Ranking

Preseason rankings have been a blog topic I have considered for some time. As a matter of fact, that time was shortly after the girl's basketball state finals at Redbird Arena. Hinckley-Big Rock had just defended their Class 1A state championship, by downing Jacksonville Routt for another state title.

The Royals had the benefit of Northern Illinois-bound Jenna Thorp for the final time. The team had dressed just eight players at the varsity level, and lost three of their starters to graduation. Thorp will be a big loss, but I believe Tess Godhardt will do a fantastic job at leading H-BR in 2010-11. I was uber-impressed with her play as a sophomore at the state finals in 2008-09.

Not long after the basketball season ended, I started piecing together teams to watch out for in the 2010-11 season, call me maniacal. Hinckley-Big Rock was not my first choice as the top ranked team for the next season. I knew this would bring some debate, and I am hell-bent on my decision for many of my favorite preseason teams, in a season that still doesn't start for another four months.

I unveiled my preseason rankings for the Class 1A girl's basketball season about a week ago. Normally, I would not identify them as the IHSSN preseason poll, but since I am a network of one, and I feel confident in my voting (seeing many of the teams, and having a great knowledge of statewide girl's basketball), it was a no-brainer to put pen to paper.

Not long after I published those rankings, I heard some flack....which was to be expected. This was actually a planned blog a few months ago, but had decided to wait until the preseason rankings were actually released. Since I have earned some criticism over those rankings, I will reveal the madness in my mind behind preseason rankings.

First off, rankings (preseason and not), mean nothing. As much as the media (me, included), think we know, there are people that know more (whether they think they do, or actually do). There could be 100 polls/rankings made, and each one could be criticized. I have been critical at times of the Associated Press rankings, but fans could be just as critical of mine, and anybody else's.

Preseason Theory
In many instances, a defending champion is listed as the preseason #1 team in whatever sport. Sure, it is their title to win or lose. I don't have a problem with a defending champion being number one ranked, and won't be surprised when Hinckley-Big Rock will be the AP #1 in Class 1A girl's basketball in November.

However, I have a different rationale behind my voting. I look into what teams made a deep run in the postseason. First, I check the final four. The teams that advanced to Redbird Arena and played in the state finals. I am looking for how those teams fared over the course of the season, the matchups they faced in the postseason, and the number of returning key players they had on their roster.

Some teams I had the chance to watch (first-person) more than others. In those cases, I have a better personal scouting report. All-in-all, I rank my preseason top ten on how I believe they will finish in 2010-11. This is a preseason poll for the 2010-11 season. This is not a poll on congratulating team's on their play last season. Trophies were given for the teams that won regionals, sectionals, etc.

If a team lost a lot of key players, I may feel their rankability is much lower than others. My preseason number one in Class 1A girl's basketball is Havana. This is a team that took Brimfield to double overtime in the Class 1A Supersectionals two seasons ago. Two seasons ago? Why would that matter? Well, most of the players that will be wearing a Ducks jersey AGAIN this season, were key players in that game. In addition, that team took Jacksonville Routt to overtime in last year's Supersectional. A Routt team that played for a state championship last season. Hinckley-Big Rock is deserving of a number one ranking in the preseason for their resume over the last two seasons, and I have no problem if they attain that top ranking this November.

Essentially, my preseason poll is based on how a team fared during last season, with the addition of how many returning players they have coming back. In addition, if I am aware of an excellent group of players coming into high school that could impact varsity, that is taken into account.

Sound off! Let me hear your comments/criticism/etc. Comment below.

Heat Advisory: Legion Baseball and ASA Softball

Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-under B State Tournament
American Legion Baseball District 15 Tournament Championship
7/17/10

Little did I know, the weather would be extremely hot. Since it was a Saturday, I packed up a cooler full of water. It was a good thing, because a heat advisory was in effect. The heat index reached 105-110 degrees in the afternoon.

The original plans were to head over to Clinton for their 7-on-7, and then on to Casey-Westfield. My body urged me to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep, so my planned 6:00 a.m. wakeup call was delayed. As I woke up, still very tired and run down, I changed my plans. It just didn't seem like a good plan to drive across the state (2-4 hours one way) to watch a few teams in a 7-on-7. They are great, but they are just practices against other teams. There is no line play, and I've heard so many stories of teams looking great in a 7-on-7 tournament, only to go winless during the actual season, or win just a couple games.

Directly in my immediate area was the ASA 18-under B state tournament, and the American Legion District championship. That was the plan, and after working on a few things and drinking my much needed morning coffee, I headed north at about 11:00.

First stop was back in Galesburg at Lake Storey Park for the ASA tournament. Before heading there, I picked up a bag of ice for the cooler at Casey's in Monmouth. I packed a liter bottle of water, along with a pitcher.

I went to the main diamond, which featured the Highland Orange Crush against the Chillicothe Blue Devils. It was the 4th inning, with the Blue Devils leading, 4-0. They would go on to win, 6-2. I talked with a Chillicothe fan, to get some names from the Blue Devils. Videos from the game can be seen at www.ihssn.net. I also talked with the head coach of Highland, to obtain a few names from his team.

It was shortly after 1:00, and there was going to be a short break, before the next game. The District 15 Legion tournament championship began at 1:00, so I headed up the highway to Oneida. Coming into town, it was the Oneida Homecoming. It took every ounce of energy to stay away from the carnival, where I yearned for some deep fried treats. I stayed strong! No elephant ears or funnel cakes for me. No corn dogs or lemon shakeups. In fact, I have not eaten any carnival food this year. That's a first!

The game was in the top of the 2nd inning when I walked up to the diamond. Logan Scott was starting on the mound for Galesburg Post 285. John King was Henry County Post 31's starter. The game was tied, 2-2.

Galesburg broke the tie in the 4th inning, with Caleb Weaver and Dalton Davis scoring to make it 4-2. Henry County crossed the plate in the bottom of the inning. Post 285 added two runs in the 5th inning. Caleb Weaver hit an RBI double and Jake Milligan had an RBI single.

Henry County closed the gap in the bottom of the 6th inning, trailing by a run, 6-5. One of the Henry County batters looked familiar. It appeared to be my cousin, Michael Atwell, not knowing he played for the Henry County Legion team. I walked over and talked with a couple Henry County dads, and sure enough it was my cousin, Michael. With other committments, he was making just his fourth or fifth appearance with the team. He was the quarterback for Geneseo's Class 4A runner-up last fall, and will be playing college football at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

In my conversation with the Henry County fans, I asked what geographic area the team pulled players from. Most of the players are from Geneseo, with the team also having players from Bureau Valley, Princeton, and Wethersfield. Judge Ted Hamer is the Post 31 head coach.

Galesburg Post 285 opened up the scoring in the 8th inning, a frame that was highlighted by a Nick Milligan grand slam. Caleb Weaver later hit a solo home run, giving Galesburg a 15-5 lead. That would be the final score, sending Post 285 to the regional tournament in Moline next week.

After the game, I had a chat with Atwell, and then talked with Galesburg coach Steve Cheesman. 1590 WAIK will broadcast the Post 285 games next week at Moline. He was unaware what time the game will be, but it will be on Tuesday afternoon. The opponent will be the district winner from Jacksonville.

Afterwards, I headed back to Galesburg, to take in the championship game at the ASA tournament. I could feel the sunburn getting back into my car. All of my ice in the cooler had melted, sitting in the back of a scolding car.

It was Highland vs. Chillicothe in the championship game. This was a rematch from the game earlier in the day. It was hard to read the scoreboard, so I had to head back over to the umpires tent and talked with tournament director Ron Carr. He said that Highland was leading, 2-1. The game was in the 2nd inning.

One of the discussions in the tent was about the scoreboard, and how hard it was to read with the sun shining right on it. The other diamond has red lights, which are much easier to read, even with the sun. Apparently, the red lights are an extra $3,000.

I took just a few videos, where there was no shade. I was sweating profusely, and running low on water, and the skin was overcooked. From the 2nd through the 5th inning, I walked back and forth, taking some video and getting shade under the tent. One of the times I was walking back and passing the Highland dugout, one of the coaches was asking how my video content was accessed. I replied that it was free on my website, and they are just uploaded to Youtube. He relayed the information to the players in the dugout, and I heard one player exclaim, "They're FREE!" It is comments like that, that make all of the expense and time covering these events, worth it. Another comment about the videos came from coach Cheesman's wife at the Legion game earlier in the day. She mentioned she had never seen a video on Youtube, until her son, Legion player Carson Cheesman, showed her the video of his run driving single at the Leo Brunner Invitational two weeks ago.

The heat became too much in the 5th inning. That, and the fact I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I wanted to stay longer, but my skin began to hurt from the burn. The sad thing is, I have a bottle of sunscreen in the car, but don't like to wear it. I may have learned my lesson today. Yes, I understand not using it is dangerous, so I will be a little more careful in the future.

ASA 18-under State "B" Tournament

ASA 18-under "B" State Tournament
(@ Lake Storey Park, Galesburg)
7/17/10

An extremely busy sports weekend rains over Galesburg, Illinois, with two state tournaments (ASA & Cal Ripken Baseball), the American Legion district baseball tournament, and the All-City golf tournament. I took off from work around 2:30 Friday afternoon to head over to Lake Storey Park and cover the ASA 18-under "B" State Tournament.

Ten teams were in town, down two from the original bracket. Two teams (Pontiac & Trenton) were unable to bring a team in, due to injuries. That messed up the brackets, with some forfeits sprinkled in the first two days of play.

Play began on Thursday, carrying over to Friday, with Saturday being the final day of play. There were a few regional teams in the radio station's coverage area in the field. Galesburg Storm, who are the hosts of the tournament, Galesburg Streaks (which is actually a 16-under team), and Bi-County Thunder. The Storm consist of mainly Galesburg Silver Streaks players, while the Thunder are mainly United Red Storm and Mercer County Golden Eagles girls.

When I arrived at the park, two games were just getting started. It was the 3:00 games, the next to last games of the day. The Farmington Freeze were facing the Highland Orange Crush, and the Morton Mystics were taking on the Chillicothe Blue Devils. These were the top four seeds in the tournament.

First, I headed over to the organizers tent and talked with tournament director Ron Carr. He gave me the results from earlier action on Friday, and talked a little bit about the action up to this point. Ron also mentioned that the tournament this year has received the most press in five or six years. It was also a great weekend for the games, with perfect weather in the offing. He said that this will be the first time in at least three of four years with no rain.

As the third inning began, I headed behind home plate to take some video of the Highland/Farmington game. This was a game featuring some BRIGHT colored uniforms. Highland sported bright orange, while Farmington had an eclectic mix of yellow and blue. The Freeze had jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the 3rd inning. I walked over to the other diamond to check out the score of the Morton/Chillicothe game, which was 1-1 in the 2nd inning.

I did my first radio drop for 1590 WAIK around 3:30. This quick update was to inform our listeners how the tournament has gone, my talks with the tournament director, and the upcoming schedule.

With Farmington leading, 5-1 at the start of the 5th inning, I headed over to the other diamond. Apparently, I missed a good one by leaving. Highland rallied back and won in extra innings.

In the top of the 5th inning, Chillicothe held a 3-1 lead. Annie Fleming scored in this frame on an E6, giving the Blue Devils a 4-1 advantage. Morton starting pitcher Jamie DuBois hit an RBI single in the 6th inning, to make it a two-run game. Chillicothe added another insurance run in the bottom of the 6th, scoring on a wild pitch. Chillicothe beat Morton, 5-2.

The next game on this diamond was the Bi-County Thunder against the Galesburg Storm. Bi-County is coached by Kevin Tyrell, the son of Jeff Tyrell. Jeff, or Fluff, as he is better known, is an assistant for the United Red Storm and Monmouth College softball teams. Fluff and I had an extensive conversation about the Thunder. I also mentioned I was heading down to Springfield next weekend for the Midland Magic Showcase. He said he may head down for a day also, as he spent 13 seasons coaching softball at Rochester (just outside of Springfield). I introduced myself to the other Tyrell, and we both said, "good to meet you." The always-quick Fluff retorted, "you'll both take that back soon."

Many of the teams have a mix of players from different high schools, but these two teams were predominantly Galesburg, United, and Mercer County. Two United players do suit up for the Storm. These squads are also very familiar with each other, with it being the fourth meeting in five days. Galesburg beat Bi-County on Thursday in the opening round of the tournament, and the teams split on Sunday.

The pitchers for the game are Michelle Ravel (Bi-County) and Jessica Davison (Galesburg). Davison was the ace of the Silver Streaks high school staff, and just graduated in May. Ravel, who will be a sophomore this fall, is stuck behind a logjam of pitchers at the school (Katie Bertelsen and Amy Olson). In fact, Olson is the usual starter for the Thunder, but she just threw against them yesterday, and Tyrell wanted to throw something different at them.

Mercer County softball coach Daryl Bewley was in attendance. We talked over several innings of the game, and was telling me about some of his young players. He had four or five freshman starters on the high school team this past spring. He informed me that Bi-County has one of his future players on the team. She is only going to be in 8th grade this fall, but plays for the 18-under team. Bewley is excited about the future of Mercer County softball.

Galesburg took a 1-0 lead in the early innings. Bi-County tied the game in the 5th inning. Ashlynn Winkler led off the frame reaching on a base hit. She scored a run on a Megan Patterson sacrifice fly. It was a close play at the plate.

Winkler had a hand in the game-winning run, hitting an RBI single that scored Kelsey Crain. She reached on a walk, leading off the 6th inning. That would be the eventual game-winner, as the Thunder beat the Storm, 2-1.

After the game, I ran into Zack Creglow of the Galesburg Register-Mail. We talked a little softball, but the main topic of discussion was football, with the season just over a month away. He asked me about my thoughts on the Galesburg season, which should be pretty promising.

Walking to my car, and foul ball was sprayed from the other diamond, taking a bounce, and a hard roll right to me. I made the play!

Friday Night Short

Quick Update
7/17/10

Today: Coverage from the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) 18-under "B" state tournament at Galesburg (Lake Storey Park).

Teams covered: Farmington Freeze, Highland Orange Crush, Chillicothe Blue Devils, Morton Mystics, Bi-County Thunder, and Galesburg Storm.

Faces in the crowd: Ron Carr (tournament director), Jeff Tyrell (United Red Storm & Monmouth College softball assistant), Daryl Bewley (Mercer County softball coach), Zack Creglow (Galesburg Register-Mail).

Blog to follow...

Weekend Update: Plans for Saturday may change. At this point, making it to the Casey-Westfield 7-on-7 looks highly unlikely, due to the amount of travel involved. The Clinton 7-on-7 is still a possibility. We'll just say it's a game-time decision.

Rallying For Wins: American Legion Baseball District 15 Tournament

American Legion Baseball District 15 Tournament
(@ Oneida)
7/14/10 & 7/15/10

Wednesday (Galesburg vs. Oneida)
Who Wants To Sponsor an IHSSN Cruiser???
It was one of those days, where a late wakeup call, and an unorganized itinerary makes me want to move, oh so much! Many of the sporting events I cover on a daily basis take place an hour away from home, so my day must be planned in advance. Here's an idea: Stealing an idea from John Madden, and welcome the IHSSN Cruiser. A motorhome with the IHSSN logo plastered big across the body. I could sell my house, and live in a motorhome. If anyone wants to sponsor this idea, feel free to contact me, LOL.

When I arrived at work, I noticed that Galesburg Post 285 played Oneida Post 727 in the District 15 tournament at Oneida. The game was scheduled for 11:30. I thought this would be a great time to do some live dropins on 1590 WAIK (Galesburg), and do my sportscasts live from the diamond. My wardrobe for the day was docker's with a black polo. Pants and BLACK top on a day when the heat index would soar to 110 degrees. Smart, Beau, smart!

I actually considered stopping at the mall in Galesburg and buying a pair of shorts and some white socks. Carefully considering this, I figured that wouldn't look good with a pair of black dress shoes. I enjoy the heat and humidity anyway, so I just manned up and took the heat.

Driving over to Oneida at 11:00, I turned the air conditioner in my car on (which I NEVER do), only because I had a few phone calls to make in regard to this football season. By the way for my Galesburg and Monmouth listeners, we have some new and exciting things in store for the 2010 football broadcast season. Once details get finalized, I will be able to unveil our additions.

It was in the top of the first inning when I pulled into the diamond at Oneida. Tyler Farrell was pitching for Galesburg Post 285, who would be the home team in the game. In the bottom of the frame, former Williamsfield standout Alex Ott was throwing. Ott was an all-state basketball player, also. He will play baseball at Black Hawk College in Moline.

Oneida jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning, a home run off the bat of Trevor McCarthy, who stood out for the ROWVA Tigers, on his home diamond. In the 4th inning, he added an RBI single giving Oneida a 3-0 cushion. Later in the 4th inning, Oneida tacked on another run, to lead 4-0, going into the 5th inning.

There were several coaches scouting among the grounds. I saw scouts from the University of Iowa and Iowa State, among a few other schools. One coach, who was standing near me (in the partial shade), turned to me and asked if this would be a big upset. I responded that it would be, but Galesburg has the potential to score at will. It's not all hitting, they can plate runs in numbers in small ball also. I commented that a big inning is on the way, it's not if...just when.

Speaking of that partial shade, the heat index may have been 110, but it was a very comfortable 110. Sure, it was warm, but I didn't mind the heat at all, and this game ended up going 3+ hours. There are enough small (very small) shade trees behind the bleachers, behind home plate. There was also a breeze coming out of the south (blowing out to centerfield), that made it comfortable. Admittedly, when the breeze died down, it became less than comfortable!

The first runs for Galesburg came during the 5th inning. Ott struggled against the first few batters, loading the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. Zach McCrery stepped up and cracked a 3-run double, putting Post 285 within a run, 4-3.

Ott settled down, and worked into the 6th inning, with his team holding a 6-3 lead. Casey Schuermann added a two-run home run in the 7th inning for Oneida, giving them a 5-run advantage. Galesburg answered right back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the frame. In this inning, Nick Leary hit a two-run single, and Dalton Davis had an RBI single. It was, 8-7, heading into the 8th inning, Oneida on top.

Galesburg Silver Streaks baseball player (playing for Oneida), Jake Henderson led off the 8th inning with a solo home run. Henderson isn't the only Silver Streak that plays for Oneida, as B.J. Buzick and Mark Zhorne also suit up for Post 727. Galesburg Post 285 consists of almost all current or former Silver Streaks. Nick Leary (Monmouth-Roseville), is the lone non-Streak on their roster. Oneida features players from ROWVA, Galva, Stark County, Williamsfield, and Galesburg.

During the late innings, I overheard a Legion coach (from another team at the tournament) talking about the Galesburg paper, and looked in my direction. Since I had my notepad out, I think he assumed I was with the paper. He was complaining about the lack of coverage for some of the area-Legion teams, and that Galesburg gets all of the press. He went on to say, "And they wonder why nobody outside of Galesburg buys their paper." I almost said that the sportswriter from that paper is over by the dugout, but thought that may have been rude, so I just smiled and kept taking notes.

The rally caps were in full force in the 8th inning, with Post 285 claiming the lead, and eventual victory. Caleb Weaver hit an RBI single, to make it a 9-8 deficit. With the bases loaded, Jake Milligan cleared them with a 3-run single, setting the final score at 11-9.

Thursday (7/15/10)
Galesburg vs. Quincy

Once again, not on my schedule, as nothing was today. My original plans were to pick up a refridgerator. My fridge has been out of order for over a week, and it's pretty hard to go grocery shopping for food and other items that don't need to be refridgerated. The problem, once again, is getting back home in time, and coordinating a truck and a friend to help with the move. The place of the fridge's purchase was not going to be open at the time I could get there, so it will be a few days before I can get back. Time to get another bag of ice and pack that cooler!

Finding out I was going to be free of any fridge moving, I headed back to Oneida for the semifinals of the District 15 tournament, between Galesburg and Quincy. I had talked at length with Post 285 coach Steve Cheesman earlier in the day, since I didn't think I was going to make the game. Not much was known about Quincy, but coach Cheesman and I did talk about the area that team pulls from. He mentioned around the time he played, the Reuschel brothers (Rick and Paul), who would both play Major League Baseball, played for Quincy. They were raised in Camp Point.

Today's game started at 4:00, and I wasn't able to get to the field until 4:30. It was already in the 4th inning. As a matter of fact, the first five innings were played in one hour. Then, the sixth inning took 26 minutes.

Quincy took a, 1-0 lead in the 5th inning. They opened up the scoring in the 6th inning, roping off a leadoff double, followed by a single, sacrifice bunt, RBI single, and 2-run double. It was a 5-0 lead for Quincy after six innings.

Galesburg chipped away at that five-run deficit, scoring two runs in the 7th inning. Nick Milligan hit a 2-run single. Two more runs were plated in the 8th inning, making it a one-run game, 5-4. Alex Lozano hit a 2-run single, scoring Jake Milligan and Dalton Davis.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Post 285 evened up the score, 5-5, on a RBI single by Caleb Weaver. Nick Milligan led off, getting hit by a pitch. He was sacrificed over on a bunt by Zach McCrery.

Galesburg won the game in the 10th inning, after Chris Fields led off the inning with a walk. Lozano hit a sacrifice bunt moving Fields to second. He was driven in on a RBI single by Nick Milligan, giving Post 285 the 6-5 win. Galesburg advances to Saturday's championship game at 1:00. Should they lose the first game, it would go to a decisive second game. Farmington plays Henry County at 1:00 on Friday, and that winner plays Quincy at 4:00. The team that comes out of the consolation bracket plays for the District 15 title on Saturday.

Favorite Quote overheard: "This cotton-pickin humid weather," from a gentleman at the concession stand.

I talked with ROWVA JV volleyball coach Traci Griffith about the upcoming season. It sounds like an improved Tigers team that will hit the floor this fall, losing just one to graduation off of last year's team.

Next Up for IHSSN
Friday: ASA 18-Under State B Tournament at Galesburg
Saturday: Clinton 7-on-7 and Casey-Westfield 7-on-7
Sunday: TBA (ASA Tournament), maybe a day off for previews

Friday Night Lights: 7-on-7 Edition

Macomb Football 7-on-7
7/13/10

Macomb High School hosted a seven-team 7-on-7, featuring six teams that made the playoffs last season. I spoke with Bombers head coach Kelly Sears at length last week about the night's itinerary. He says it's slightly different than what many of the 7-on-7's are. He puts 15 minutes on the clock and it runs, with teams running plays. There is not a set number of plays run. The field is divided up into two 40-yard fields, and play begins at 6:00, and wraps up around 9:00, with all the teams seeing each other in a round-robin. No score is kept, although some coaches and players may keep track.

With my new IHSSN car magnets from Lasermark in Galesburg, I find myself in marketing mode when I travel. I try to find the parking spot that the IHSSN logo will be seen the most frequent. I parked right at the high school entrance, and even pulled in at a slight angle, for added effect, LOL.

The two Stark County mini buses pulled in right in front of me. I had talked with Rebels head coach Jade Noard about this event also. His team was without potential D-1 recruit, Calvin Lewis, as he was on vacation.

Former Macomb offensive coordinator Steve Horrell was cruising around the grounds in a Gator, filled with water. He was the self-proclaimed Bobby Boucher, from The Waterboy. He made a crack about my shorts asking, "Do you they sell men's clothes where you bought those shorts?" Always the comedian.

The first matchup I watched was Central/Southeastern vs. Stark County. Justin Kohler looks to be the starting Quarterback for the Rebels, a sophomore. C/SE is very talented, and (shameless plug time), you can read both of their previews at www.ihssn.net.

Filming is very difficult, since my camera is just a Flip Video camera. The sun setting in the western sky troubled my vision, and the camera. When I walked to the other side to get out of the sun, the large evergreen trees providing shade on the west side of the field gave my camera fits.

Macomb looked very good, and at one point, someone mentioned they had not lost. That was overheard after five contests. Of course, no one keeps score....sure! Seth Wickert will be at Quarterback, and he has some nice weapons in the passing game. For more on Macomb, read my preview at www.ihssn.net.

One game I wanted to catch (okay, I know it's only 7-on-7, but some matchups are more intriguing), was Illini West vs. Central/Southeastern. Illini West lost quite a bit from last season, but they have some extremely talented skill players back, including Ser Whittaker, and the Schmudlach brothers (Drake and Zane).

Knoxville had a Wide Receiver hit drilled in their first game. I will have video posted on the website, though in real time (and my poor camera operating), its hard to get a good angle on what happened. Blue Bullets Quarterback Brett Walker has a nice arm, and you can read more about Knoxville football at www.ihssn.net.

During one of their breaks, I talked with some of the Macomb coaches, including head coach Kelly Sears, offensive coordinator Max Kreps, and assistants Joe Westen and Reid Kelso. The hot topic was pizza. The Macomb press box gets pizza delivered from Domino's before each home game during the season. Someone mentioned they were not a big fan of the new Domino's crust. I disagree, I think the new crust is very good. Coach Sears put his vote in for Papa John's, while another mentioned Casey's...yes the gas station. Who would have thought, but gas station pizza is preferred by many. Casey's barbecue pizza is my all-time favorite non-Chicago pizza. I'm a deep dish guy, so any of the chain pizza's just don't do it for me. I like Pizza Hut, but moreso the next day warmed up in the microwave. As we were debating pizza, someone heard of a new carry-out pizza place opening in downtown Macomb. This would make the 59th pizza place in a city of 20,000 people. Sure, that's an exaggeration, but not by much. We remembered a former carry-out pizza joint, called Stuffed-Aria, which was located where Chick's on the Square is. It was great pizza, and from what I remember, they were one of the first places that sold food outside of the downtown bars at closing time in the early 2000's.

Maybe, a more apt title for this blog would be Pizza Primer: The Favorites Among Coaches.

I didn't stay for the last session, but left after watching Macomb and Illini West play. Of course, it's so hard to gauge things in 7-on-7's, with different schemes, plays, kids being gone, or out of position.

Running the scoreboard tonight was "Not So Fast" Ed Fulkerson. He earns that nickname after not moving quick enough during one of the sessions, before the end of game sirens blared for about 30 seconds. Other than that instance, he was on the money!

Girl's Basketball Primer (2010-11)

In between immersing myself in football and volleyball previews, I needed a rest. Something to take my mind off of the fall sports. What better way to clear the mind, than think basketball! I immersed myself into girl's basketball this past season, and with a few shootouts this summer, I put together my pre-preseason rankings for Class 1A. This class is where I saw the most hoops this past year, and over the summer so far. I followed Class 2A closely last year, as well, but don't quite have the time to put together a top ten at this juncture. Here is how I rank the teams over the summer, with some notes on each team. Make a comment on my picks, and call me crazy if you will....

IHSSN's EARLY 2010-11 Class 1A Girl's Basketball Rankings

1) Havana (return EVERYONE from last year's squad that went overtime in the supersectionals, and most played significant time two years ago with a team that took Brimfield to 2OT in the supersectional)

2) Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (return 4 starters and 8 of top 9 scorers, including sophomore Micah Jones who notched a triple-double in the state semifinals, finished 4th last season).

3) Hinckley-Big Rock (back-to-back state champions, so have I disrespected the Royals? Going to be tough to replace Jenna Thorp, now at NIU, but Tess Godhardt is a D-1 player for H-BR. Also return Katie Hollis and Kaitlin Phillips, but depth is a concern once again...but they did it before!).

4) Colfax Ridgeview (advanced to supers last year after a 3rd place finish in 08-09. Many girls on that state finals team were Fr. and Soph. Paige Nord returns for senior season).

5) Knoxville (Blue Bullets and Ridgewood had the unfortunate geography card against them. Lost Evansville-bound Hannah Weedman, but bring back a glut of talent, including 6'0" Haley Jones, guards Abby Ball, Tessa Jones, and Katie Houston, and a talented freshman Haley Kelso).

6) Woodlawn (return all five starters from a team that reached the sectional championship game. Will have Mallory Hapeman (Sr.), Whitney Lowery (Sr.), Leah Sutton (Jr.), Kinzie Verhines (So.), and (So.) Alexa Capps).

7) Annawan (took 3rd place finisher Ridgewood to double overtime in sectional title game. Lose all-time leading scorer in Kelly Buresh, but return 4 starters. Freshman class coming in went 56-0 in 7th & 8th grade, and have Celina VanHyfte in that group that I've been told that could give Buresh's accolades a run).

8) Jacksonville Routt (bring back Kelly Lonergan and some talented youngsters such as Katie Tonry and Alyssa Garde - both sophs, but only one starter returns. Also a talented junior class).

9) Winchester West Central (missed the state finals this past season, and Tiffany King returns for senior season. Still 8 players on the roster from team that played in the 08-09 championship game).

10) Hardin Calhoun (bring back 3 of top 5 scorers, including (Jr.) Jocie Klocke, who averaged almost 15 ppg, Brittany Breden (Sr.), and (Jr.) Morgan Stein.)

Teams Should Get Touchy???

In a previous blog, I think I mentioned that if I wasn't obsessed with covering sports, my path to a career would most likely be something in the field of psychology. Of course, five years ago, or even one or two years ago, that would have been laughable in my mind.

Around the radio station, many different magazines are scattered amongst the building. Everything from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, People, GQ, Psychology Today, and many others. Psychology Today? That seems like a rag that could cure insomnia, I thought, at first glance.

On Saturday, I picked it up, and read through the first few pages. It was amazing, and I didn't want to put it down. The articles were short and very informative. Several articles really shot out at me, from sports psychology, to the way we interact with people on a daily basis, to the foods we eat.

One such article that I found fascinating was titled, "Full-Contact Sport" by Matthew Hutson. A basic summary to the four-paragraph article was that teams who touch more, have more chemistry, which translates to success.

A study was conducted at UC-Berkeley, that counted celebratory fist bumps, high-fives, and other touching mechanisms of all 30 NBA teams during the 2008-09 season. The article reads, "Teams that touched more cooperated more, which made them play better throughout the season."

When you think about that, it seems slightly odd, but it makes sense. The more touching and one-on-one interaction, and team interaction creates a more fluid team setting, builds chemistry, which can enhance production. Personally, I get more stimulated by outside interaction, i.e. covering games and events on site, rather than just sit behind a microphone by myself in a studio, or at a computer typing all day or all night. The more interaction stimulates my mind, creating better ideas, etc.

Of course, if you implement a "more touch" policy in certain settings, be clear on the parameters. "Kraus recommends making work and family life full-contact sports, too. But use touch appropriately, he warns: 'Chest bumps are not going to carry over to your office.'"

Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior Shootout

Review-Atlas Senior Shootout
United High School
7/10/10

A busy Saturday at the office. It was a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call, followed by morning news at the radio station, a remote broadcast at Rheinschmidt's in Galesburg, and then broadcasting a doubleheader basketball game at the Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior Shootout.

My co-worker, Greg Ford, saved me some time by coming to Rheinschmidt's at noon to pick up the radio equipment for another remote broadcast, at Lake Storey. With the extra time, I bee-lined to Wendy's for some lunch. It was a solid week without any junk food, sticking to my healthy summer diet...and the weekly visit to Buffalo Wild Wings!

I don't visit Wendy's...ever, so I was unsure of their menu. I couldn't tell you what I had, but it was a chicken sandwich. The fries were really salty. I hate salt, and don't even own a salt shaker. You will find not one grain of salt in my kitchen. There is enough salt in products, it shouldn't even be sold. Check out the label of anything in a grocery store, and remember that we should consume, on average, 1500 mg a day. When my blood pressure soared to 158/116, and consistently stayed that high, I had to eradicate many things from my diet (and at the time, I wasn't eating that bad, and not much fast food). Honestly, I should completely cut fast food entirely out of my eating habits, but it's very tough sometimes.

United High School was the host of the Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior Shootout. Normally, it is held at Monmouth College, but they are doing some renovations to that gym, as well as the gym at Monmouth-Roseville High School.

Tony Z, from our sister station in Canton, came up to do color commentary for me. He had text messaged me at 11:40, saying he was on his way. Plenty of time. As I neared the pregame show, no Tony. I shot him a text, and he called me right back. He said, "Am I at the wrong high school?" I replied, "Apparently, you're not here," with a laugh. He said his GPS took him to Alexis. That hasn't been a high school for about five years. He made it halfway through the first half of the girl's game.

I like the setup at United, as the scoreboard operator, P.A., etc. are up in the balcony, which is the weight room, that runs long ways down the gym (along the sideline). It is tough, though, at times to see the nearest sideline.

Before each game, there was a three-point shootout. Representing the North girl's was Monmouth-Roseville's Beth Dingman, going head-to-head against Orion's Kelly Hutton. Hutton won the event, earning a plaque.

There were limited participants, as a few dropped out, a couple didn't show up, and many recent seniors opted not to play. There were 15 girls and 12 boys in the event. Head coaches on the girl's side were Mike Kelley, who is a junior high basketball coach at Immaculate Conception in Monmouth. He led the north team, that consisted mainly of former Monmouth-Roseville Titans. I dubbed the North team, Kelsey Kovacik and the Titans. That would be a cool band name. Kovacik was the only girl on the team not from Monmouth-Roseville. They faced the South squad, coached by former West Central Heat coach Kelly Hinkle. His team consisted of many West Central graduates, a pair of Orion players, and a United Red Storm alum.

The North jumped out to a 25-18 lead at halftime. Organizers passed out the MVP ballots at the break, and there were a few names that really impressed me in the first half. Of course, MVP's are usually won in the second half, but some names were brewing. My first half MVP nominees were Kovacik and Rebecca Gillen from the North, and Megan Blumenshein and Ashli Burg from the South. Kovacik really impressed me. I don't think I saw ROWVA this past season (pretty surprising, I thought I saw every team within 100 miles, LOL), and she handled the ball really well. The thing is, the North team was so fluid, the chemistry was top-notch. Of course, the girls were extremely familiar with each other. In all honesty, there was no single MVP candidate, as each girl did something really nice in that first half.

For the South in the first half, Ashli Burg impressed. I counted 5 rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game (20-minute halves), and she probably finished with around 12 on the game. Megan Blumenshein stood out, as expected, with her ball handling and ability to slice through the defense. She will be playing three sports next year at Carl Sandburg College (Volleyball, Basketball, Softball).

Gillen stood out, and took things over in the second half, as the North cruised to a 20-point win (54-34). She finished with 14 points, and Kovacik added 11 points. Emma McGuire did a real nice job, scoring 8 points in the second half and finished with 10 points. Claire McGuire also scored 10 points. It was a tough decision between Gillen and Kovacik for the MVP, but the second half play of Gillen swayed my vote.

The South were led by Blumenshein and Murdock's 10 points. Gillen won the MVP, and it was a unanimous decision. Faces in the crowd during the girl's game: Brent Hutton (Orion boy's basketball coach), watching his daughter Kelly, John McBride (Orion girl's basketball coach), former West Central football coach Steve Arnold, and a player from the shootout a year ago, and baseball player at Eureka, Tanner Schreck (watching his sister Amanda Schreck).

In between games, there was plenty of time. Along with Schreck, who was still in his American Legion baseball uniform with his teammates Alex Temple and Drew Cole, I took a break to head down and get their final score from their game today. They fell to Rock Island, 26-5. I invited the remaining girls from the victorious North squad to come up and talk until the boy's game was to begin. Joining me for the interview were; Lynsey Weber, Amanda Schreck, Emma McGuire, Claire McGuire, and Kelsey Kovacik.

Our topics were just the feelings of this being their last high school competition, and their future plans for the fall. I asked Kovacik about playing with a team of Titans, and she got a little microphone shy and got the giggles, so she waved off the rest of the interview. She will be heading to the far south this fall, enrolling at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

After the interviews, I talked with the girls shortly during a break, as the referees were putting new net into one of the baskets. I said I had noticed a hole in the net, and Weber commented that the ball came out funny after a Samantha Arnold three-pointer. All three referees took turns trying to get the net installed, which delayed the boy's tip a little bit. After the game, I talked with Tom Glenn, one of the refs, and he said that it was really tight, and he had to use some foreign objects (I wanted to slip in an old pro wrestling term), to put it in.

During our, "rain delay" broadcast, Tony Z and I read through the Review-Atlas Shootout tab, commenting on some of the answers to the questionaires that the players filled out. Here are my top five favorites.

1) Rebecca Gillen : No one knows -- "I can't wink"
2) Samantha Arnold: Best (and Worst) High School Memory -- "One time when we played United and I fell on my bladder."
3) Kelly Hutton: "I have a third ankle. I am extremely unorganized. I rarely tan, but always burn," in her about me paragraph.
4) Zach Steele: Worst High School Moment: "Losing, I'm the biggest sore loser, I know."
5) Caleb Lepisto: Favorite Teacher and Subject: "Lunch, ladies, lunch."

The game was underway, and despite a delay, still earlier than the scheduled 4:00 tipoff. With the Victor Davis-factor, I really thought the North team had the advantage. The 6'5" big man from Galesburg could dominate games, and the South squad didn't have a post to combat his size and strength....but in the end, the South proved me wrong in a 13-point win, holding Davis to 8 points and 5 rebounds (by my calculations).

It was a slow starting game, and was a low scoring affair with a lot of turnovers. It was just, 19-12, at halftime. The South held the advantage, behind Caleb Lepisto's 7 points and Mitch Heiar's 5 points. Davis, for the North, was held to just 2 points in the first 20 minutes. There was only one substitute on each team, as only 12 players suited up.

In the end, Andrew Kovacik finished with a game-high 15 points and won the game's MVP. After an electric second half (12 of his 15), it was a pretty easy decision. Mitch Heiar also had my consideration, as he finished with 11 points and had a nice game. As my third choice, I put a member on the North squad, and that was Markus Hunter, he played pretty well, and finished with a team-high 9 points.

Faces in the crowd for the boy's game: Chuck Grant (Monmouth-Roseville boy's basketball coach), Jeremy Anderson (Abingdon boy's basketball coach), Jason Lydic (ROWVA boy's basketball coach), and United Red Storm senior-to-be standout Gina Long.

Girl's Basketball Shootout (@ Galesburg)

Galesburg Girl's Basketball Shootout
Wednesday 7/7/10

Today was an extremely undecided, unplanned day of coverage. My covering the girl's basketball shootout at Galesburg High School depended on the workload at the office. I have a full day (plus) on Saturday, so Thursday is an off day, which was planned around the final day of this shootout (all day games). One of my plans was to leave work for a couple hours in the early afternoon to take in a few games, and return to work for an event we had from 5:00 to 7:00.

I had a meeting with a client in Galesburg in the morning, and a little more time than expected was spent there, so I was a bit behind when I headed back to the office, so it looked like no coverage would be given tonight.

Once I returned, I was told I didn't have to work the late afternoon event, so I was headed over to the shootout after all.

Galesburg coach Evan Massey had emailed me earlier in the day, wanting to talk about some ways he could reach out to Silver Streaks fans and his players, using modern technology. We had a long discussion at the gym between games, and I really couldn't offer any solid advice. Truth be told, I am not much of a web guy, I am almost completely self-taught. If I had to start over, I'm not even sure how I would, LOL. Any new additions, or features I add to the website, or ideas gained, I just do a Google search, and learn by doing.

I told coach Massey that registering a domain name could be the easiest way, even by directing that doman to go to a blog, which would be the easiest for someone without much (or any) website knowledge. I also directed him to check out some free web-based hosts. The only one I could think of was Geocities (not sure if they are even around anymore).

Speaking of websites, during one of the shootout games, one of the referees came over during a timeout, asking what I was doing. I told him about my website, and that it's just a hobby. I don't do it for money (in fact I lose A LOT of money in covering the events I do on a regular basis). He directed me toward a web designer friend, since I announce my website as "amateurish", which it is. The important thing to me for my website, is to bring the most content and keep people coming back, and remembering the website and what all it entails. Unfortunately, there is not the financial means to upgrade, as I would rather spend it on gas to cover games to keep the content coming.

Before I made it to the shootout, I printed off some information on the teams that were participating. With some suburban schools playing that I didn't know much about, I wanted to do a little homework, to maybe see any players I had known about, just forgot over the last several months since basketball season.

Hoffman Estates was playing Knoxville, the first game I covered intently. The more I have seen Knoxville play this summer (quite a bit), I really like them in Class 1A. I have already put together notes on my preseason rankings, and they have possibly moved into top 10 territory. Haley Jones (6'0" Jr.) is one of those tweeners, because she can bang down low, but she is also good out on the perimeter. She is very lean and athletic, and an excellent defender. I couldn't count how many steals or tipped passes she had. Very long wingspan. She is complimented nicely by a couple returning starting guards in Abby Ball (terrific 3-point shooter and also great defensively) and Katie Houston. I was impressed with a freshman, Haylie Kelso, and Tessa Jones will be in their starting five. She comes from a very athletic family.

As for Hoffman Estates, they had a familiar name for NFL fans, Ogunleye. Precious Ogunleye, that is. She is a low-post player, and her future belongs in track and field. She took 2nd place in the Class 3A state finals in the shot put. As soon as I saw her name, I recognized reading something about her last season. For some reason, I am thinking she is a niece or some kind of relative to the Bears defensive standout, Adewale Ogunleye. I searched every corner of the Internet for that article, but couldn't find it. Hoffman Estates had another really lanky athletic guard/forward, and not sure who it was. It may have been sophomore-to-be Destinee Young.

Streamwood played pretty well. They didn't impress me too much in warmups, quite honestly, but played a good game against Knoxville later in the night. As soon as they took the floor, a younger girl really caught my attention. She was quick, and just had that "eye of the tiger" look, unlike anyone else on the floor. She looked like a freshman, sophomore at the oldest. After the game, I talked with head coach George Rosner. Her name is DeJa Moore, and will be a sophomore. She didn't play varsity last year, but when asked if she will see significant time this coming season, he exclaimed, "OH YEAH." Rosner also told me that three of his starters were not in town with the team. As I looked at last year's roster, I did see one girl missing that I would have noticed, (6'3") post Michelle Tomczak.

The final game of the night featured Galesburg against Peru St. Bede. I stayed for the first half, and caught some good video as the Streaks took a 22-12 halftime lead. Galesburg will be running the same system as last year, where there is a lot of running....and just as much shooting. Over the summer, a couple girls have stood out to me on the Streaks. Jamie Johnson, I think, has really improved, and played some of the better basketball, all around, by the Streaks. Jessica Howard, is still the go-to player on the team, and will standout once again. She is an extremely hard worker. Emma Junk, a sophomore, has impressed me with her play. She didn't dress varsity until the second half of the season, and then played sparingly down the stretch, but saw quite a bit of floor time this summer. Myra Diggins has also been really impressive. Rainee Sibley, who didn't dress at all last year as a freshman, has played up with the varsity. Jessica Lieber, another sophomore, could light it up this year at the varsity level. She averaged about 25 ppg at the sophomore level last year. She made some freshman mistakes, with passing last year, and that portion of her game has improved in the summer games I watched.

Review-Atlas Senior Shootout Rosters (UPDATED)

A couple of changes for this weekend's Review-Atlas Senior Shootout. I will be broadcasting the games on AM 1330 WRAM (www.1330wram.com). Girl's at 5:00, followed by the boy's.

Boys North
Coach Michael Reynolds (Galesburg)
Markus Hunter (Monmouth-Roseville)
Cody Whiteside (Monmouth-Roseville)
DeAndre McClendon (Monmouth-Roseville)
Zach Steele (United)
Sheldon Welch (United)
Dalton Johnson (West Central)
Victor Davis (Galesburg)

Boys South
Coach Jim Noonan (United)
Andrew Kovacik (ROWVA)
Tauge Rux (Galva)
Cory Link (Abingdon)
Caleb Lepisto (ROWVA)
Austin Hammerlink (Sherrard)
Mitch Heiar (Sherrard)

Girls North
Coach Michael Kelley
Taylor Woods (Monmouth-Roseville)
Lynsey Weber (Monmouth-Roseville)
Rebecca Gillen (Monmouth-Roseville)
Alyssa Hampton (Monmouth-Roseville)
Claire McGuire (Monmouth-Roseville)
Beth Dingman (Monmouth-Roseville)
Amanda Schreck (Monmouth-Roseville)
Kelsie Kovacik (ROWVA)
Emma McGuire (Monmouth-Roseville)

Girls South
Coach: Kelly Hinkle
Mariah Brooks (West Central)
Ashli Burg (West Central)
Justine Dillard (West Central)
Samantha Arnold (West Central)
Brittany Simpson (West Central)
Kelly Hutton (Orion)
Megan Blumenshein (Orion)
Mollie Murdock (United)

Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior Shootout Rosters Announced

This Saturday, the annual Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior Shootout will be held at United High School. The girl's game will tip off at 5:00, followed by the boy's game at 7:00. Both games will be broadcast on AM 1330 WRAM, with Beau Spencer and Jimmie Carr. Here are the team breakdowns for the games.

Boy's North
Head Coach: Mike Reynolds (Galesburg)
Markus Hunter (Monmouth-Roseville)
DeAndre McClendon (Monmouth-Roseville)
Cody Whiteside (Monmouth-Roseville)
Aaron McDonald (United)
Zach Steele (United)
Sheldon Welch (United)
Dalton Johnson (West Central)

Boy's South
Head Coach: Jim Noonan (United)
Andrew Kovacik (ROWVA)
Cedric Huffman (B-PC/A)
Tauge Rux (Galva)
Cory Link (Abingdon)
Caleb Lepisto (ROWVA)
Austin Hammerlinck (Sherrard)

Girl's North
Head Coach: Mike Kelley
Taylor Woods (Monmouth-Roseville)
Lynsey Weber (Monmouth-Roseville)
Rebecca Gillen (Monmouth-Roseville)
Alyssa Hampton (Monmouth-Roseville)
Claire McGuire (Monmouth-Roseville)
Beth Dingman (Monmouth-Roseville)
Amanda Schreck (Monmouth-Roseville)
Emma McGuire (Monmouth-Roseville)
Kelsie Kovacik (ROWVA)

Girl's South
Head Coach: Kelly Hinkle
Mariah Brooks (West Central)
Ashli Burg (West Central)
Justine Dillard (West Central)
Samantha Arnold (West Central)
Brittany Simpson (West Central)
*Luci Lox (West Central)
Kelly Hutton (Orion)
Megan Blumenshein (Orion)
Kaitlyn Winkler (United)
Mollie Murdock (United)
*denotes injury/will not play.

Upcoming IHSSN Schedule

Where will the IHSSN cruiser head next? Here is a tentative upcoming schedule for coverage.

Wednesday (7/7): Galesburg girl's basketball shootout (limited coverage due to time constraints)
Thursday (7/8): Galesburg girl's basketball shootout (in-depth coverage, all day)
Friday (7/9): Tentative: Limestone @ Galesburg Legion Baseball
Saturday (7/10): Monmouth Review-Atlas Senior (Basketball) Shootout
Tuesday (7/13): Macomb 7-on-7
Saturday (7/17): Casey-Westfield 7-on-7