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May 31, 2009

HUTSELL: Oh how I love the IHSAA

By MIKE HUTSELL

I thank the IHSAA for a lot of things in life. I really do.

No institution has ever brought more great things into my life personally than those dandy folks in Indianapolis. I mean if wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have spent that beautiful March morning in 2008 training sled dogs for my Iditarod-type journey to a boys’ basketball sectional.

This week, the IHSAA brought more infinite joy into my lifetime. For the first time in who knows how long and for whatever reason I have no idea. The IHSAA decided it was time to have 7,145 different postseason tournament spread into a span of five glorious May days.

Currently, I don’t know where I am.

I’ve been to every town in this state that ends in the phrase “ville” and even spent the better part of an hour sitting on a shoulder along the state’s longest Interstate looking like some sort of disheveled hobo in search of a sandwich. Amazingly I had all but forgotten that this week began a little more than a week ago with me speaking to Jennifer Love Hewitt on the telephone (long but true story, it wasn’t a recording — it was her!).

I do these things because I love what I do. I may seem like I’m complaining but to be honest — it’s a complete rush.

I’ve spoken to the softball coach at Clarksville High School more times than I’ve talked to my dear old dad in the past five days and I’ve seen the sports editor at The Corydon Democrat more consecutive days this week than my girlfriend.

For fun I’ve been calculating different thing and keeping a running total:

• 1 — number of alternators that my wonderful 2002 Ford Explorer has had in its lifetime. The second one is on its way after its predecessor couldn’t quite pull off the Henryville to Jeffersonville journey one last time on Friday.

• 2 — times I’ve locked myself out of the office at 221 Springs Street in Jeffersonville. That’s a new personal record for one week!

• 3 — Number of Clark and Floyd County teams to win softball sectionals this spring — congrats on the season guys.

• 7 — Number of local baseball teams that still have a shot at winning baseball sectional titles. Also, the number of potential regionals that we could have a Clark/Floyd County squad participating in next Saturday. That was an interesting move there IHSAA, putting softball and baseball regionals on the same day. It would be swell if you just went ahead and put track and tennis state finals on those days for good measure. Oh wait, you did.

• 7.2 — Number of seconds it took Jennifer Love Hewitt to find a way off the phone during our conversation last week.

• 51 — Innings of softball and baseball I’ve watched since last Monday. Zero of those involved the words “Red Sox”.

• 52 — Minutes I spent on Friday watching traffic from the shoulder of I-65. By the way, if you passed me and laughed and said “hey that fat guy needs to walk anyway” then I’m punching you in the kidneys.

• 365 — shopping days I have to purchase a Class of 2010 graduation gift for Clarksville JUNIOR Taylor Carta after I identified her as a senior in their dramatic win over Brownstown on Tuesday.

• 513 — Different ways Clarksville fans found to inform me that Taylor Carta is a junior and not a senior. Really, having Steve Matheny skywrite over Tim Hauber Field was a little bit much guys.

• 713 — Number of different bad names I came up with for WLKY-32 meteorologist Jay Cardosi when he mentioned the phrase “scattered thunderstorms”.

• 1891 — The exact year that my computer at work was made.

• 126,000 — Miles on the old ’02 Explorer that’s visiting with the auto physician this weekend. Let’s hope we still have a few more miles together girl, it’s been a great ride.

Contact Mike Hutsell at mike.hutsell@newsandtribune.com

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