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!