When I got to Wisconsin Rapids and saw the stadium where the Rafters play their home games, I was excited!  It was another stadium complex that had that “hokey” hometown feel to it. T he town seemed to embrace what they had and didn’t try to make it into something it was not. There’s nothing especially elaborate or flashy about Witter Field, which was built in 1928, its just a gentle reminder of how pro baseball used to be played. How ballparks felt in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

As I wandered around the park I noticed a local TV reporter interviewing one of the Rafters players. I had just come from Alexandria, MN and wasn’t feeling as important as I did there.  Funny how life can humble you at times. I was the center of attention with people wanting to meet me and then a couple of days later nobody knows my name.  I was in the mood to find a good story to write. I have changed up how I was writing my posts, but I wanted to find a person with an interesting perspective.  I walked by a table and it appeared to be a book signing going on. My exact thought was, “This must not be a big deal since the TV reporter wasn’t covering it”.

As I was standing watching the reporter getting some action shots of the game, the Public Address announcer said that Terry Stake would be signing his book through out the game. He then went on to say something about 40 years in broadcasting. I didn’t catch it all but I perked up and thought this had to be an interesting story.  I walked over to the table and started rambling to the guy sitting behind the table. I think I said something like, “I am impressed with people who have written a book, something I have always wanted to do”, as I was shaking the mans hand.

After I said all of this the man (Randy Pahl) pointed to Terry who was sitting at the end of the table. I laughed at myself and introduced myself again and explained what I was doing.  I was intrigued by Terry’s story but he wasn’t telling his story, but that of the local communities.  His book is called “Looking at the Beams – My Life in Broadcasting”.  He signed a copy for me. I went to watch the son of a friend who plays for the Rafters and was to bat. I started reading Terry’s book after my friend’s son singled with the bases loaded. I was impressed with him!  Terry impressed me, also. He told me, “It was about the kids playing and not him.”  It was their “day in the sun”.

The “something about 40 years” I mentioned previously, was about Terry’s longevity, becoming a fixture in Wisconsin Rapids sports over four decades. He broadcasts for all of the wrestling, baseball, basketball, softball, football, hockey, soccer, track games.  He details all of this in his book, what it was like in the early days, where they would have to sit to do the broadcasts, along with injecting a lot of humor.  I couldn’t put the book down as the game was being played. I walked over to the table a few times to talk about an incident or two Terry encountered in his career.  What struck me time and time again with Terry was how he constantly gave credit to everyone else. How he made sure to mention all the people that he encountered during his career.

I took the following off Terry’s website.

“Very excited to read this book Terry! Being an athlete at Lincoln High School 1976-1979, I remember you well. You covered many sports including some of the girls games. We all knew your voice on the radio. We knew your face. When I was younger, I knew the spot where you sat to broadcast games at the Old Lincoln. The small hike up those back steps to the balcony. My Uncle George Hafermann always sat near your “booth”. I was usually sitting next to him. Congrats on the book. It’ll be fun to travel back down the road with your writings.  Laurie A Craft 1979 Lincoln High School.’

If you live in the Greater Wisconsin Rapids area and played sports, Terry probably knows you and you probably know him. He retired in 2009, celebrate his broadcast career like he celebrated you when you were competing. Go to his website and purchase his book.  One last thing, the local TV reporter walked by the table, Terry spoke to her. She said she was from New York and was new to Wisconsin Rapids.  She missed a great opportunity to interview a local sports broadcasting legend, a story sitting in front of her. I am sure that Wisconsin Rapids is a stepping stone to bigger markets and her instincts will improve over time, like Terry’s did in his 42 years.  Terry,  it is now your “Day in the Sun”.

If you enjoy this story and you would like to help me complete the “Baseball in America Tour 2014″, which is roughly 265 days, please click on the following link to see how you can help at www.baseballbuddha.com. Follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page! Please share this on your Facebook page and Twitter. I appreciate all the help I can get!

I am sitting in a restaurant near Grand Rapids, Michigan and I am going to the Midwest League All Star game tonight. But, for the moment, I am watching the Ole Miss vs Texas Tech game that is on the TV.  Some Ole Miss fans are at a table next me. They are in town to go to the game, also, and just happens to be Kyle Farmer’s family.  Kyle is a catcher for the Great Lake Loons, which is the Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is currently batting .304.  His grandmother, dad, and mom are all Ole Miss alumni.  His sister is going into her junior year but she chose Georgia, where she grew up. Bryan Farmer, Kyle’s dad, pitched in the Atlanta Braves system in the 1980’s. He made it to the Triple A level and played with all the guys that defined the Braves of the 1990’s, Ron Gant, Mark Lemke, Dave Justice and Mark Wohlers.

I extend a very special thanks to the Farmer family for picking up my tab for my food and drink!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  That was a very nice surprise.  I have to say that I am one of the luckiest people around. I don’t know where I would be without the kindness of others.  Since I’m starting to recover from last week and being sleep deprived, my plan for today to write quick post and work on my schedule for the next month. My initial plan was going to go out west, but I have decided to change direction and go out east instead. I can see the Cape Cod League in the middle of summer. From what I hear, it is suppose to be gorgeous this time of year.  Kyle’s mom confirmed that it is beautiful. He played for the Bourne Braves a couple of years ago which is in that area.

I have written in previous blogs about my love of Mississippi College Baseball, especially Mississippi State and the Left Field Lounge. I have stated it is the best baseball fan experience in America, Southern Miss and “The Roost”. Now, I can say that Ole Miss has my favorite fans I have encountered away from Mississippi!  When this journey is all over I might just end up moving down there. Besides, Kyle’s grandmother was kinda flirting with me and said she would tour America with me.  All kidding aside, I will definitely be making a Mississippi college baseball tour next year!

I picked UC-Irvine to win the College World Series; but, now I am rooting for Ole Miss. Texas is my other team that I want since I had a great experience there. Tonight I will be watching the All Star game and rooting on Kyle. I will be paying attention to his career as it progresses and since he is in the Dodgers organization, all the better!  Time to wrap this up, I will get back on track with my writing, I want to get to the Terry Stake profile one of these days, he has such a good story, so please look for that in the next few days!

Ole Miss just scored on Texas Tech and is up 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh as I post this!  If you enjoy this story and you would like to help me complete the “Baseball in America Tour 2014″, which is roughly 265 days, please click on the following link to see how you can help at www.baseballbuddha.com. Follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page! Please share this on your Facebook page and Twitter. I appreciate all the help I can get!

As I was being interviewed by Blaze Fugina of the Echo Press at the Alexandria Blue Anchors game, G.G. Freitag brought Dick Radatz, President and Glen Showalter, VP of Operations for the Northwoods League over to meet me. They were in town to observe the Alexandria operation.  All I could think about was that G.G. knew Public Relations. She invited me to feel important, I was loving it. Other teams have given me “Rock Star” treatment but this lady understood people, she got people excited, she connected people.  For whatever reason, she intuitively knew what I “brought to the table”.  I do have a wealth of knowledge about the fan experience just by being at so many venues and talking to all the people I have.  I appreciated her excitement she had for me. Funny thing is she doesn’t know much about baseball but she knew that baseball is important to the community and wants to ensure that it continues to be.

I was impressed with the community before I even got to the game that night.  Downtown Alexandria wasn’t boarded up but seemed to be thriving. The merchants adjusted and figured out what to do when Walmart and Target came into town. The town has great antique and collectible shops. I wandered around these as I was passing the time before the game. I spoke to an owner of one these shops, her name was Brooke. I feel bad but I don’t remember her shop name.  She was very friendly, outgoing and took an interest in what I was doing. She even looked up my website while I was there. When I was leaving her shop Blaze called from the paper and asked if he could interview me.  Brooke’s smile and Blaze’s demeanor invigorated me.

When I arrived at the game, I was standing in line talking to a gentleman when a lady with a big smile on her face approached. I looked behind me to see if she was smiling at someone. She wasn’t, it was directed at me.  Then assumed it was this man’s wife.  “Brooke told me you be coming”, G.G. said. I was floored!  “Really” is all I could say, wow two women that want their community to flourish, no wonder the downtown is doing well.   “What can I do for you?”  she said and I was again struggling to respond.  I was so impressed that people were interested and wanted to help me, they wanted my experience in Alexandra to be a good one. The whole place gave me a great vibe.

I talked with Dick and Glen for a little bit. I gave them my card, told them that if they want to “pick my brain” when I am done with this trip I would love to talk to them. I don’t know if they will; but, I was feeling confident. After finishing up my interview with Blaze, G.G. was back. She wanted me to meet a couple of the owners of the Blue Anchors, along with some of the people that work at the radio station.  All I could think was that I wasn’t really that important, but this lady felt that I was, I went with it. I am “more of a novelty” is what I told her. She told me not to say that. I laughed to myself.  She didn’t understand that I am living a dream life at the moment, having a great time on the road watching baseball everyday and blogging about this experience.  I understand fully that I have gained knowledge that very few people have, very useful knowledge.

I talked with two of the owners of the team and we discussed some ideas, simple things that will work only if you are committed to them for a few years.  I was impressed with these guys. They want to keep Northwoods baseball in Alexandria and they also understand it will never be a money maker, but is great for the community. They seem committed; however, they are finding out that it is a lot of work.  I believe Alexandria has a gem of a stadium and can keep the charm of the ball park while doing some small things to improve the overall fan experience.  I stressed to G.G., the owners and whoever would listen that getting a state of the art facility isn’t always the answer. It might work for a few years but eventually it comes down to creativity and the community.

G.G. introduced me to all the people from the local radio station that were at the game. I was invited to come by the station in the morning to do a show called “Open Line” from 9-10.  I was feeling very good when I left the game. I got to the Walmart parking lot, set up my car and checked my email. Roger got me a one day Media Credential for the College World Series.  I was floored and four of the eight teams left I have covered this year. I am excited to see them play.  I sent Adam Winkler in Austin a text, and Larry, my high school classmate who covers a lot of these events. I wanted to find out what is appropriate. They responded quickly and gave me a few tips.  I was so excited that it was hard for me to sleep.  I called my brother, Chad, and we were laughing hard at all that was happening and how important I was feeling. But – there I was in a Walmart parking lot!

I got to the radio station in the morning was greeted by Joe, who I met the night before. He asked if I stayed in my car, I told him I did and he was intrigued. It really is not as bad as it sounds.  Michael Right came out and invited me into the booth for a quick 5 minute summary of what I was doing. This was the first time I was on live radio.  After that, Dennis Anhalt came out and asked me to record a segment on a show for Saturday or Sunday.  I was on the “Open Line” show from 9:30 until 10. Also, The Governor of Minnesota was on with me. That was fun and interesting.  Patty Wicken, one of the show’s hosts, gave me an extensive tour of Alexandria. I was impressed at what I saw. She wanted to make sure that I saw the real “Ole”.  Brooke, G.G., and Patty impressed me. The three of them truly understand their town and what is needed.

As I was heading out of town after receiving such a warm welcome from the type of town that I was hoping to see all across America, my heart was filled with so much gratitude. These people have this great community that appears to be very strong and vibrant. They seem to understand that everyone needs to take an interest for it to continue to flourish.  It is a community that understands what “community” means, it is Americana.  I will be back!

Dennis Anhalt, the radio host, wanted to make sure that I went to see Paul Johnson in Brooten, Minnesota at Max Bats after I was done in Alexandria. He told me I would be impressed.  I heard this last night also from the owners of the Blue Anchors after I was telling them that they should teach these players how to hold the bat correctly.  I did go to see Paul and had a great discussion about this topic.  He treated me like a V.I.P.  He continued my education on wooden baseball bats and all the politics that go into producing them at the Major League level.   I was impressed at his operation and his humility. I will definitely be promoting his products to everyone I see.  After I left and arrived in Zimmerman, Minnesota, I checked my email. Paul made a donation to me for this journey. I continue to be humbled by everyone’s generosity, I will spend it wisely!

If you enjoy this story and you would like to help me complete the “Baseball in America Tour 2014”, which is roughly 265 days, please click on the following link to see how you can help at www.baseballbuddha.com. Follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page! Please share this on your Facebook page and Twitter. I appreciate all the help I can get!

Sunday I attended three American Legion games in Mandan, North Dakota, near Bismarck.  As I was sitting watching the games, two attractive young women showed up and started filming the baseball games. I was talking with McKenzie Kiefer, a recent high school graduate, who was giving me the low down on the Bismarck Governors baseball team. Her boyfriend was playing shortstop (he impressed me when he came in and threw one pitch to get an out to kill a rally to end the game).  Kenzie explained that both reporters were new. I asked why would they be filming American Legion baseball? She told me, “Not much else going on and Legion ball is big around here”.

“I used to joke with my family about my first job being in North Dakota”, Marisa DeCandido told me. She is from Philadelphia and attended Syracuse University.  Currently, she is the weekend Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate KFYR channel 5. She has only been working the sports feature for a couple weeks. Initially she started her career as the Dickenson reporter which is an hour away; but, jumped at the chance to take over the weekend sports gig when Alec Ausmus took a job in Duluth.

Ashley St. Louis, the CBS affiliate, was also at the game. She has only been in town for a couple of weeks moving here from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to chase her dream of being a sportscaster.  Ashley originally went to college for journalism. But, chose a different route in teaching. She was a First grade teacher in Michigan for a year, then returned to college to finish up the journalism degree and doing what she is passionate about. (Fun fact about Ashley, she is a die hard Green Bay Packer fan and has the tattoo to prove it!)

Both women were at the American Legion games shooting their own video for segments that they had to produce before they anchor the sports desk at 5 and 10.  I have to admit that when I put Mandan, North Dakota on my baseball schedule I was worried that I would be driving three hours from Fargo to a town that was going to be “behind the times”.  I asked what they thought of Bismarck and the surrounding area? Both quickly said that they were pleasantly surprised at how nice everything was. Both said that they were nervous initially but have quickly adjusted. I, also, was surprised how nice the area was and very thankful that I had the opportunity to see it for myself.

Ashley stated that, “Everyone’s dream is to probably to work for Fox Sports”.  However, they both acknowledged you have to start somewhere.  Just like in baseball the different metropolitan markets represent the “reporter league” you are in.  That is by no means to discredit Bismarck, this is the type of town where you get to learn your craft. It is a town where everything gets covered and high school athletes can attain near celebratory status.

Marisa had to leave after the Bismarck game to get to the studio to produce her sports segment for the 5 p.m. news. Alec Ausmus came to video the Mandan game for her and his last assignment before he left for the bigger Duluth, Minnesota market.  Alec talked to Ashley like the season veteran he was after spending the last year honing his skill. He is all of 24 years old, at the most, but he had a great presence and projected a confidence that comes with experience.  Ashley anchored for the first time the night before, she said she was very nervous but calmed down when everything started flowing. Alec told me that he still gets nervous everyday and doesn’t think that will ever change.

Marisa and Ashley explained that it is very hard to get a sports job in TV. So you need to jump at what is out there.  Both are very grateful that they have the opportunity and realize how lucky they are. They know it is going to take a lot of time and energy. Even though, they feel up to the challenge especially since they are both passionate about the profession.  I found it odd that they compete but are very cordial and give each other tips on how things work. They told me that there is a friendliness since they are at the same events and understand the pressures each is under.  Alec confirmed all of this and I have to say I have seen this in the bigger markets.

After they left, I went back to Kenzie. She told me that she would be going to Jamestown University in the fall to play basketball and volleyball. Her boyfriend, Jake Brucker, was going to play on the university’s baseball team. I was very impressed with her presence and wondered if it had to do with being on the news on occasion. She had a confidence that I don’t see in a lot of high school athletes, as did her boyfriend.   Living and working in a small market has its advantages for all involved, especially when you move on to the bigger and brighter lights.

If you enjoy this story and you would like to help me complete the “Baseball in America Tour 2014”, which is roughly 265 days, please click on the following link to see how you can help at www.baseballbuddha.com. Follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page! Please share this on your Facebook page and Twitter. I appreciate all the help I can get!