A fond farewell

There was sadness on the field of Jordan's Mini Met this past Friday night. The Sleepy Eye St. Mary's baseball team, rated No. 1 for much of the season in Class 1A, fell to St. Agnes 16-6 in the state title game.

My thoughts went out to the Knight players, coaches, parents and fans, but I felt a twinge of sadness for an entirely different reason. That game was my final official assignment at The Journal.

It's been almost seven years since a reporter with hardly any experience was given an opportunity to do what he loves to do. Getting paid to watch a ballgame -- any ballgame -- is right up my alley.

It was late 1994, and I fell in to a situation where I could watch the likes of Cathedral High's girls basketball team, led by Steph Klaviter, and the New Ulm High boys team, with players such as Luke Schmidt, Jared Visker, Gabe Kaven, etc. Both those teams rolled through the season undefeated only to fall short of the state tournament. I'll never forget the night when Springfield's Kim Meyer dropped 41 points on the Greyhounds in subsection play, or the night when the Eagles lost a double-digit lead in the final minutes in a loss to Waseca. Games like that get etched in your mind.

During the spring, however, I got the opportunity to watch Klaviter pitch for the first time. What a sight that was, knowing that you're watching the best you've ever seen. It was also the first time I watched Jim Senske prowl the third-base coach's box at Johnson Park, listening to what he had to offer to his players. I suddenly began to understand what baseball meant to this city.

Getting to see Klaviter throw a no-hitter in a state championship softball game, striking out 16 batters. Seeing the Wabasso softball team hold on to win a few years later, or Sleepy Eye High's domination in the 2000 State Class 1A Baseball Tournament followed by a state football title in the fall. So many etchings, too numerous to list.

Thursday marks my final day here at The Journal, and it's been an experience to say the least. So many good teams over the years, so many good athletes. Not only those listed above, but -- just off the top of my head -- Shauna Sturm, Rebecca Kaukola, Loren "Bear" Havemeier, Austin Scarset, Naci Melzer, Kaleb Walter, Maria Boettger, Peter Zangl, Micah Neidecker, Brady Ranweiler, Brooks Deibele, Joey Schugel, Bob Southworth, Ryan Rosin, Aaron Bauer, Lisa Gronholz, Casey Lux, Amanda Paa, Johnny Frank, Nicole Steffl ... you see what I mean. There is so much ability around here.

This job is not an easy one, and I hope the people that read this paper understand that. It takes hard work from people like Bob Varmette, Jim Bastian, Dave Clark and Ryan Galvin to make this work. Not to mention area athletic directors -- especially Cathedral's John Vetter, New Ulm High's Mark Woodbury, and Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Craig Morgan.

I have worked with my fair share of excellent coaches as well. Names like Senske, Jim Bauer, Dan Wolfe, Bob Weier, Bob Mertz, Jim Buboltz, Dean Deibele, Bruce Woitas, Bruce Belseth, Paul Arnoldi, Denny Lux, Dar Arndt, Rick Van Roekel, Lyle Muth, Tom Macho, Mel Cain, Keith Klawitter -- and the list goes on and on. Their help is essential, and was appreciated.

Most of all, however, I'm going to miss the games themselves. Sitting at Johnson Park on a sunny day chewing sunflower seeds, or listening to the band before a Friday night football game at Johnson Field while the teams warm up on a cold night. Trying to find a seat in a packed gymnasium before a Cathedral-MVL basketball game, or a New Ulm High wrestling dual against Blue Earth Area or St. James. Watching from the catwalk as the Eagles take on Mankato West at Vogel Arena on a January night.

The job may be over, but those things will stay with me for a long, long time.