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FIRST FRIDAY Haynie’s Corner Arts District
Rennie Heading Back To Affiliated Baseball With Mets
The New York Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Luc Rennie.
“Luc is a true Frontier League success story,†Evansville manager Andy McCauley said. “After his release by Baltimore, he needed a venue to get back into form.
“I have to give credit to Max Peterson for working endlessly with him and credit Luc for his tireless work ethic.â€
Rennie, a San Diego, Calif. native, joined the Otters before the 2016 season and he made 13 appearances on the mound for Evansville last year with 12 starts. In 77 1/3 innings in 2017, he stuck out 66 batters while finishing with a 7-5 record and 2.91 ERA.
In 10 starts for Evansville this season, Rennie was 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. At the time of his signing with the Mets, Rennie led the Frontier League in strikeouts with 70.
“He deserves this opportunity,†McCauley said. “We wish him the best of luck with the Mets organization.â€
On June 25, Rennie was named the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week after he went a season-high eight innings while striking out a career-high 12 batters in a 6-0 victory over Southern Illinois June 22.
He was drafted in the 16th round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego by the Orioles and split time between Frederick, Delmarva and Aberdeen from 2012-15.
He has pitched 221 1/3 innings in affiliated baseball, winning 11 games and striking out 188 in four seasons.
Rennie is the 71st player in Otters franchise history to sign with a MLB organization out of Evansville and he is the first since December when Ryan Etsell was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Evansville returns to Bosse Field Tuesday, July 17, at 6:35 p.m. for the first of three against Lake Erie.
Three UE Women’s Golfers earn All-America Scholar award
The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars were announced today with a total of 1,011 women’s collegiate golfers recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50.
Three representatives from the University of Evansville were named to the list as Minka Gill, Giulia Mallmann and Lexie Sollman earned the honor.
“I am very proud to have three players on this prestigious team,” Purple Aces head golf coach Jim Hamilton said. Â “It shows the outstanding commitment they have on the course and in the classroom. Â We plan on continuing this excellence in the future!”
As a freshman, Minka Gill had an excellent showing. Majoring in Neuroscience, the Kokomo, Ind. native finished the school year with a 3.971 GPA. She played in 25 rounds while finishing with a stroke average of 82.88.
Senior Giulia Mallmann completed her time at UE with a GPA of 3.715 while majoring in Sport Management. She has also been building up her resume off the course, spending time working as an intern at the 2016 Olympics and with the PGA Tour. During the 2017-18 season, Mallmann played in all 26 rounds with her top finish coming at the Alabama State Spring Kickoff as she came home in 14thplace.
Lexie Sollman finished her sophomore campaign with the Aces and stands with a GPA of 3.632 as a Public Health major with an emphasis in Nutrition. She took part in 18 rounds this season, earning a top 20 finish at Alabama State.
Adopt A Pet
Maverick is a male Beagle mix. He’s about 2 years old. He happens to be heartworm-positive, but VHS will provide his treatment upon adoption. He has done fine with some dogs but not others, so he will need to meet any dogs in his potential home and have dog-savvy adopters. His adoption fee is $110 and includes his neuter, microchip, heartworm treatment, and more. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
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Extreme heat forces Ellis Park cancellation after two races
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It’s nice! Nice Not Nice wins Ellis Park turf feature; hard-knocker gets first-level allowance on 17th attempt
The 4-year-old gelding Nice Not Nice and jockey Gabriel Saez drew off in the stretch for a 1 1/4-length victory over Mr. Recio in Ellis Park’s $43,000 turf allowance race on the special holiday card. The victory was a testament to patience, as the hard-trying, check-collecting gelding finally knocked out his first-level allowance condition on his 17th attempt.
“Better nice than not nice,†quipped Buff Bradley, who trains Nice Not Nice for Ann Bakhaus’ Keene Ridge Racing. “We knew he could run on turf or dirt. It seemed like lately he was doing a little better on the dirt. We were trying to keep him there, but there really wasn’t a dirt race we could go in. So he finally got through this condition. He’s a hard-knocking horse. Every time he runs hard. You can count on him running his race. Gabe fits him pretty well because you’ve got to just stay busy on him, too.â€
With Mr Darcy streaking out to a nine-length lead, Nice Not Nice and Saez settled into third before rallying through the stretch to take command while covering the mile over firm turf in 1:34.05, powering the last eighth-mile in 11.70 seconds. Nice Not Nice paid $5.80 to win as the favorite in the field of six horses 3-year-olds and up, with Mr Darcy hanging on for third by a head over second-choice Killeen.
“When the 3 horse got way out there, I was a little concerned,†the Churchill Downs-based Bradley said of Mr Darcy. “I thought, ‘Man, he’s running out there easy all alone.’ But then when he went wide on the turn and I saw Gabe coming, I said, ‘It’s hard to run this horse down in the lane. Because he’s going to run his butt off.’â€
Convict Pike, the 5-2 program favorite, was scratched, as was Dapper Sam, entered to run only if the race was taken off the turf.
“I really like him more on the dirt, to be honest with you,†Saez said of Nice Not Nice. “But today, with those two horses scratching, I thought we had a really good chance. He broke sharp; the one on the front end went on, and I just saved him for the end. When they went to running, he finished up as well. When he ran on the grass before, he didn’t win but he was running well. Today he got the job done.â€
Nice Not Nice had four victories in 22 starts going into Wednesday: a $16,000 maiden-claiming race two years ago at Ellis Park, two starter-allowance races and a $50,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs two starts back. He was second in an allowance race at Churchill in his last start.
Overall, the bay son of Twirling Candy is 5-6-0 in 23 starts, earning $151,819 with the $25,800 payday.
Bradley said Nice Not Nice might show up in a stakes somewhere, perhaps even the $100,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile on turf Aug. 5. And if rain should force the stakes on to the main track, that works, too.
“Any time it wants to come off the turf, we’ll take it,†Bradley said cheerfully
Jockeys Edgar Morales and Jack Gilligan won two races apiece, with Morales taking the first on Paper Dollie for owner-trainer Jason McCutchen and the third on American Alphabet for trainer John Hancock and owners Gatewood Bell and Ken Donworth.
American Alphabet was a hunch bet on a couple of fronts: Having American in the 3-year-old filly’s name on Independence Day and the fact that the race was named in memory of Bivian B Hancock, Hancock’s mom who for 50 years was a beloved school-bus driver in Henderson County, as well as a horse owner. Of course, the other hunch was that American Alphabet was in a $5,000 maiden-claiming race after finishing a close third for $16,000 in her prior start. Even so, she paid a solid $10.60 as the third choice, with Bivian Hancock’s relatives crowding in the winner’s circle presentation.
Gilligan took the seventh on William Sparks’ Vandelay for trainer Ron Moquett and the ninth on Hidden Brook Farm’s Drift Away for trainer Bret Calhoun.
Though the field field of the fifth race for 2-year-olds scratched down to five horses, KRA Stud Farm’s first-time starter Knicks Go was most impressive. The son of the WinStar Farm stallion Paynter broke on the rail and led virtually all the way under James Graham for a 3 1/2-length score over 13-1 Artaban. Favored World was another neck back in third. Lexington-based Ben Colebrook trains Knicks Go.
Racing continues at Ellis Park on Thursday, with a 12:50 first post.
Otters strike late to steal win from Crushers
Trailing by two runs entering the eighth inning, the Evansville Otters scored five runs in the final two frames to win 7-4 over the Lake Erie Crushers on Wednesday evening at Sprenger Stadium.
In the first, Travis Harrison brought home the first two runs of the game with a single to left field with the bases loaded.
Lake Erie got one back when Bryan DeLaRosa scored from third base on the back end of a double steal.
The Crushers then took the lead in the fifth on Dane Hutcheon’s two-run homer to right.
Kewby Meyer drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs in the eighth, Hunter Cullen hit an RBI single to right which scored Zach Welz, and a subsequent error from the right fielder allowed Mike Rizzitello to score from first and tie the game at 4-4.
The Otters took the lead by pushing home three runs in the top of the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Zach Welz hit a groundball to short that produced an errant throw from Aaron Hill which allowed the go-ahead run to score and kept the bases loaded. Rizzitello then stepped in and laced a two-run single to right to push the lead to 7-4.
Mitch Aker came on in the ninth and shut the door with a scoreless frame to earn his fifteenth save of the season.
Garrett Harris picks up the win for the Otters after throwing 1.1 innings and not allowing a baserunner.
Seth Lucio is hung with the loss after allowing three runs, all unearned, in the ninth while recording two outs.
Spencer Medick went six innings, allowing three runs and striking out six and gets a no-decision for his efforts.
Donny Murray also receives a no-decision after the threw 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks.
The series will conclude tomorrow evening at 7:05 p.m. ET at Sprenger Stadium.
IS IT TRUE JULY 5, 2018
We hope that today’s “Readers Forumâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
IS IT TRUEÂ with the revelation that Evansville City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr., CPA hasn’t paid $369,000 in Victory Theater bills for 2017 has really got the attention of many people? Â …It will be interesting to learn just how many other actions of financial trickery are being pulled by the City of Evansville to conceal other losses and shift financial burdens?
IS IT TRUE we are amazed that Mr. Lloyd felt that he didn’t have to give City Council a detailed report on what happened to the $369,000 that was put in the 2017 city budget to pay for the operational costs for the Victory Theater for that year?  …without City Council knowledge or permission City Controller Lloyd took upon his own to draw down the $369,000 from the 2018 city budget earmarked to pay for the Victory Theater operational expenses for this year?  …since Mr. Lloyd drained $369,000 from the 2018 Victory Theater account that leaves a zero balance to pay the bills for the Victory Theater for this year?  …we wonder where City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr. CPA is going to find the funds to pay the bills at the Victory Theater for this year?  …if anyone did this type of thing in the private sector they would have been fired?
IS IT TRUE in addition to not paying the Victory Theater expenses in 2017, there is now much interest in the financial viability of the Ford Center as a going concern?…we must remind our readers that former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel paid his handpicked consulting firm to provide what have been proven to be completely inaccurate numbers to pull the wool over the eyes of all of Evansville’s movers and shakers at the expense of the taxpayers?
IS IT TRUE that former Mayor Weinzapfel actually presented a financial projection that had a profitable hockey team, high attendance at basketball games and a positive cash flow for the Ford Center after paying for the bonds?…that piece of propaganda turned out to be off by about $9 million per year which means that in 2018 the taxpayers of Evansville have absorbed $63 million in losses due to having been deceived by bogus projections and robbed of a referendum?
IS IT TRUE that the one thing of interest that is still operating out of the Ford Center is the second generation, semi-pro hockey team known as the Evansville Thunderbolts? …it is already public knowledge that the City of Evansville is the only private investor in this losing enterprise and the taxpayers are absorbing the losses in owning a hockey team?
IS IT TRUEÂ we are told that the taxpayers want to know how much the Thunderbolts are being propped up by the taxpayers?… Mole #3 tells us that on a net performance basis the Thunderbolts may be losing as much as a million bucks per year and aren’t paying the market rates for ice time?…it seems as though the people of Evansville are not only beholding to new wheel tax, escalating water, sewer, and electric bills but supporting a hockey team they never agreed to support and seldom go watch?.
IS IT TRUE that the other item that is conveniently ignored by the Winnecke Administration is the $127 Million dollar debt taken on by the City of Evansville to build the Ford Center? …the taxpayers of Evansville want to know who is paying the Ford Center debt and what is the source of funds?  …It is widely suspected that the Riverboat Fund that was supposed to support capital asset purchases is absorbing most of the $9 Million per year payments on the debt?
IS IT TRUE we call upon the Evansville City Council to demand that City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr., CPA  to tell them specifically what the utility bills for the Ford Center are and who pays them? …until someone advises us differently, we will assume that the utility bills of the Ford Center are aggregated into the City of Evansville’s bill and that they may be around a million bucks a year?
IS IT TRUE the taxpayers of Evansville would like to know who is responsible for the costs for administrative, support staff and players salaries of the Evansville Thunderbolts? Â …the taxpayers would like to know who is responsible for away game travel expenses (transportation, meals, and lodging)? Â …the taxpayer would like to know who is paying for the medical costs for injured players? Â …the taxpayers want to know who is responsible for paying for the marketing of the hockey team? Â …the taxpayers wonder who is responsible to pay for all the costs getting the FORD CENTER ready to play hockey?
IS IT TRUE we hope that City Councilman G. John Hayden, CPA will utilize his CPA skills for the people of Evansville and force a decoupled analysis of exactly what each activity at the Ford Center costs? …the time that the practice of hiding losses of the Ford Center, Victory Theater, Ford Center and Thunderbolts losses by aggregating them with other accounts is stopped?  …and if Mr. Hayden is really a CPA worthy of his license he will take this upon himself to do so?
IS IT TRUE we call upon the Evansville City Council to sharpen their skills in VETTING?  …Vetting as you recall is the process that failed the citizens of Evansville when Earthcare Energy LLC shook down a star-struck but ignorant new administration for $200,000 and delivered nothing? … a ten minute Google search of the United States Patent Office Registry at USPTO.gov by a competent novice would have avoided that debacle?  …it wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to shake the necessary information concerning the terms of the financial agreement between the Thunderbolts, VenuWork ’s and the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that members of City Council are the stewards of the public trust and should start acting like it? …it’s time that the City Controller and the Mayor also realize that they are also stewards of the public trust?
Todays “Readers Poll†question Is: Do you feel that the Winnecke Administration should give a detailed explanation to City Council on how much did it costs the taxpayer to subsidized the Thunderbolt Hockey team for 2018?
Please take time and read our articles entitled “STATEHOUSE Files, CHANNEL 44 NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, READERS POLL, BIRTHDAYS, HOT JOBS†and “LOCAL SPORTSâ€.  You now are able to subscribe to get the CCO daily
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