The Evansville Otters game last night was simply amazing!  Truly one of the best Otter Baseball games I've seen in a long time.  It's a shame they don't play like this every game, they could not be stopped.  Of course, 3 errors by the Crushers didn't hurt either.

Thanks go out to my parents for watching my daughter so my wife and friends could go out for the evening.  Also, being penny pinchers we were pleased to be given 2 free tickets.  Thanks to the anonymous stranger.

Had the opportunity to play a little golf last night with my brother over at Tee Time on the Eastside of Evansville.  Seemed like it would be an ideal evening, considering the weather was beautiful and for $5 for 9 holes you almost can't go wrong...right?

Unfortunately, Tee Time has let their little course go south, fast.  Earlier on in the year their greens were beautiful, course neatly mowed, and everything just looked real professional.  However, last night all the greens had terrible divots, big patches of the course weren't mowed, and sections were just a muddy mess with no walk way.  Making matters worse was the Geese shit that was absolutely everywhere.

In all honesty, until they get things cleaned up out there, the course out at Howell Park is much nicer.  Believe it or not I'd pass on this executive course that's just not cutting it anymore.

Went golfing last night at around 5 at Howell Park.  To be honest I'm very pleased with how well they take care of that little Par3 course.  The greens were in decent shape, areas were freshly mowed, and even the chipping green looked finely manicured.  Unfortunately, there just aren't enough hours in the day to enjoy the inexpensive course as often as I would like.

Howell Park closes at 6:300 through the week and even if you are in the middle of your game they will change flags out on you.  While this isn't that big of a deal, consider that Wesselmans leaves their flags out and will stay open till it gets dark.  Why is this city course not on the same hours as the rest of the city golf courses in Evansville?

Hopefully Howell will amend their hours as it gets longer into the summer.  Right now it's staying daylight until just after 8:00 and come July all the way up until 9:00.  I'd like to be able to head over to Howell Park around 6:00 and have plenty of time to get 18 holes in.  As it stands now, getting off work at 5 and heading over to the course, they won't even let you pay for more than 9 holes after 5:30.

Well it's been another Par 3 weekend!  Saturday evening I was lucky enough to go play the back 9 at Wesselman's Golf Course in Evansville.  Now, I suck and I know I suck, but that's what makes Par 3 so much fun.  Generally speaking, others don't mind if I'm not the greatest, so it makes a great place to actually go and unwind.  And on Sunday morning I was able to play 9 at Howell Park.

Saturday was actually my first game of golf this year and I actually surprised myself.  My goal was to shoot under 45 strokes, but I was able to pull off a 38.  Again, this was on the back 9 only.  On Sunday I pulled off 40 strokes on 9 holes at Howell.

There were a handful of golfers out on Saturday at Wesselmans, but this morning the course was full at Howell.  It was great to see so many people out enjoying the city courses.  But something kind of caught me off guard this season and that was the price to play a round of golf.  Notably, Wesselmans jumped up to $5 to play a full 9, compared to $4 from last year.  I would think that the city would be trying to do it's part to keep prices down on affordable entertainment.  Likewise Howell was up to $4, but only marginally higher compared to $3.50 last golf season.

It's still a deal, as long as they take care of the greens.  See you on the course.

Let it be known that I just started golfing the end of last year. Before I had been intimidated by the game, for fear of knocking someone out from one of my stray balls. However, thanks to a friend, I've rarely missed a week of golf this season and my game is actually starting to improve. I figured I'd take this opportunity to share with Evansville residents where the best courses are, to learn to golf, because everyone has to start somewhere.

The first place I golfed in Evansville was Wesselman's Par 3 course. It's wide open, except for a few light poles, and it's laid back enough so you won't feel the pressure of the pros around you. Families bring their kids, Foursomes kick back, it's really a great experience and somewhat of a challenging course for beginners. Two people can generally play through 18 holes in under 2 hours, if they keep their strokes to under 10.

Wesselman's Par 3 18-Holes: $6.00

The next place I golfed was out at Howell Park, I bet you didn't even know they had a Par 3 course over there. Howell Park features a 9-hole Par 3 course, with plenty of trees to help block the stray ball from colliding with other golfers heads. Also, it's another laid back area, where beginner golfers can feel at home, where the average hole is only 80 yards.

USI utilizes this course for it's golf classes, so occasionally you will see some big groups. Also, keep in mind that unlike Wesselman's, Howell Par-3 closes at 6:30. Hell, there is plenty of daylight left this time of year, it's kind of a shame.

Howell Park Par-3 9-Holes: $3.00

Both golf courses offer equipment rental, like pull carts and even golf clubs. So, even if you don't own a set you don't have an excuse not to go out and hit a round. remember, everyone has to start somewhere and every golfer I met was fully understanding, after they almost took my golf ball to their face.

CALLAWAY FT i DRIVER 10 Degree Neutral FREE SHIPPING    US $99.99

Finally, after a horrendous losing streak it looks like the Evansville Otters are back on their way to playing like the team I saw in the first few weeks of the season.  Getting some stolen bases, home runs, and just playing all around like a better team.  So much better than the embarrassment I saw at the last Thirsty Thursday.

I love the Otters, the field, the game, everything, but the last Thirsty Thursday the team was playing like a bunch of little leaguers.  A return to form is refreshing and has me looking forward to the next game I get to catch.  Any professional team would be proud of coming back into a 5 game winning streak.  So if it's either sweep or be swept, I'll take the sweep anyday.

Writing about the Evansville Otters gives me an opportunity to post a picture of my daughter meeting Evan.  Consider it a freebie, next cute picture I post though is gonna cost ya.

You may have noticed by now that I am an Evansville Otters fan, even after the lack luster season last year. Today they announced their schedule for the 2008 season, with the opening game being on May 21st. I can practically taste the Thirsty Thursday events. mmmmm

Game times for the 2008 season will be similar to years past, with a few exceptions. The Otters will host two 12:05 PM games--on Tuesday, June 24, and Monday, July 28. There will also be three 1:05 PM games--on Friday, July 4, Sunday, August 24, and Monday, September 1. Standard game times Monday-Saturday will remain at 7:05 PM, and Sunday games will remain at 6:05 PM. One major change, however, will be the entry times into Bosse Field. Beginning in 2008, gate times will be one hour prior to game time, as opposed to an hour and a half as it has been in years past.

In addition to announcing their 2008 schedule, they are also offering discounts on all their Evansville Otter merchandise. According to their website most of their products have been marked down 50%, making them perfect for a Christmas gift. Head over to the Evansville Otters Merchandise store.

We knew at the end of last season (which was terrible) that the Evansville Otters would be receiving a new manager. Personally, I've not been looking forward to who the candidates were or who the City would finally decide on, but I think I'm happy. Just taking a look at this guys experience gives me goosebumps at the opportunities next years team will have.

Jason Verdugo is the new Otters manager and with him he brings experience from:

Verdugo was named head baseball coach at Division III Hamline before the 2002 season. He overcame an 8-28 record in his first year to post a 21-19 mark in 2003. His record over the last five seasons with the Pipers is 100-96, including marks of 26-14 in 2006 and 22-18 in 2007. Verdugo was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach of the year in 2006.

Since 2005, Verdugo has also served as pitching coach and first base coach of the Saints. His 2007 staff posted a 4.11 ERA en route to a 57-39 record. St. Paul reached the American Association finals in 2006 and 2007.

Information lifted from the Evansville Otters Homepage.

So, who else is excited to start some more Thirsty Thursdays next year? I'll be the one holding 4 brewskies in a carrier and partying with my friends in the stands, feel free to come over and say hi.

The Evansville Otters are looking for bright college students to help out in various aspects of operating the league. Currently there are positions available in Promotions and Operations/Concessions.

Complete information on the internships, along with an online application form is available. Click Here 

The Evansville Otters had their worst season since the 1940's and the blame lies on the shoulders of general manager Jeff Pohl. Pohl had been with the Evansville Otters since 2002, hired on as a pitching coach. This is where he needed to stay, where he successfully built a number of hot pitching teams. It's kind of like Kevin Costner directing, he's a great actor, he just needs to stay on the right side of the camera....or dugout.

 "Jeff served the organization well in his five years as pitching coach and later as director of baseball operations," said Otters president Bill Bussing. "As pitching coach, he assembled some of the finest staffs in independent baseball. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy the same success as a manager."

Evansville Otters are already on the lookout for a new manager as the fall ticks away. Now if I could just get my Cardinals to make something happen I'd be a happy person. Hmmm, perhaps 16 straight wins and no losses will put them back in the running, if the Cubs allow it. pfft.