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MUSCATINE, Iowa – The journey has been a long one.

The trip, which has traversed hundreds of thousands of miles, seemingly as many games covered and stories written, comes to an end today with this, my final piece of work as sports editor of the Muscatine Journal.

Except for a five-year detour, following a disagreement with an editor who felt you could sell more newspapers with a “dig up the dirt exposè” than a feel-good story, the nearly 40-year journey has been a blast.

There always are exceptions when one deals with as many people as you do in the newspaper business, but for the most part the coaches, players and co-workers have been wonderful to work with. Plenty of lasting friendships have emerged from this many years in the newspaper game.

Since my pre-teenage years when I followed in my brother Dearrel’s footsteps as a carrier at the Journal, the newspaper business has been in my blood.

During my high school and junior college days, history, mathematics or geography were subjects I did because they were required. But give me a creative writing assignment and the juices started to flow.

While admittedly not an all-state athlete by any stretch of the imagination, my other love was sports. I enjoyed most all sports, but baseball always has been my favorite.

It couldn’t have been more obvious than to pursue a career that entailed two things that I loved – writing and sports.

I worked my way up through the ranks, having jobs in the mailroom and the newsroom typing stories submitted by correspondents from area towns.

I eventually got my chance at sportswriting, being mentored by one of the best, longtime Journal sports editor Harold Blake, while covering the “Game of the Week” at area high schools.

Harold hired me fulltime as assistant sports editor back in 1967 and I had barely begun my tenure when Uncle Sam came calling and I was off to a two-year hitch in the Army.

During my final few months in the service, while serving in Vietnam, Harold wrote me that he had been asked to become managing editor and he wanted me as his sports editor.

Luckily, I kept my head down well enough to return to Muscatine unscathed and began in earnest my career as a journalist in 1969.

The 40 years since has had plenty of great moments – and a few not so great.

Who could forget Muscatine High School’s 44-game football losing streak, or the 33 years without a winning football season?

It was with relief that I finally was able to write a winning football story when the Muskies defeated Ottumwa 14-12 back in the 1978 season opener.

Of the million or so headlines (give or take a few) I’ve written over the course of my career, the one that I wrote to accompany that story was one of my favorites. The headline read: “Thank God – it’s over!”

And, while there were so many football frustrations, one of the things I’ll never forget is when MHS football coach Jerry Teel presented me with the game ball after his 1999 team clinched a winning season – my first while covering the Muskies.

Over the years there have been memorable teams, both locally and in the area.

State tournament appearances, and especially state championships, are always exciting.

Put Muscatine’s girls state basketball title under Randy Ward in 1989, and coach Dennis Schuur’s 1989 and 2000 summer softball crowns near the top of my highlight list.

Tiny Lone Tree brought a lot of football and basketball thrills in the early to mid 1980’s with Lonnie Powers, now an assistant track coach at Muscatine High School, guiding the Lions to a football title in 1982 and a basketball championship in 1985.

There were some good rides en route to state football titles in 1989, 1991 and 1992 for West Branch’s Butch Pedersen, who still is making state playoff runs with the Bears.

Most recently, and perhaps the most amazing season, was Wilton’s perfect (42-0) run to the Class 2A baseball title under Jake Souhrada.

The job also has provided memorable moments on the collegiate and professional level, as well.

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend an All-Star baseball game in Kansas City; an NFL Super Bowl in Minneapolis; baseball playoff games in St. Louis and Chicago; and various University of Iowa bowl games, including a pair of Rose Bowls.

The ironic thing is that some of them have involved some of the wackiest moments in sports history.

I was at Super Bowl XXVI when Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas misplaced his helmet and missed the first two plays of the game against the Washington Redskins.

I was there in St. Louis when Cardinal rookie speedster Vince Coleman couldn’t outrun the automatic tarp prior to the rainy fourth game of the 1985 NLCS.

And I witnessed Ronnie Harmon’s four fumbles in the 1986 Rose Bowl, which led to Iowa’s 45-28 loss to UCLA.

Harmon, who fumbled only once during the regular season, has been accused of taking a bribe, but it never has been proven and Harmon denies he intentionally threw the game.

These are all memories that can’t be taken away, but none would have been possible without the support of a lot of people, most notably my wife and kids.

Elaine, my wife of almost 39 years, has sat at home alone a lot of nights during our marriage. A lesser woman would have long ago said adios.

My two sons, Corey and Derek, turned out to be good young men despite their dad’s absence much of their growing up years.

My oldest granddaughter, Cassie, will graduate from MHS in a couple weeks, but the two younger ones, Corina (Cori) and Carly, still have a lot of growing up to do and I want to be able to watch them do it.

They are both active in a lot of sports (right up my alley), as well as 4-H. In retirement, I’ll have plenty of time to support them.

So, to those who are reading this last column – whether as a first-time reader or a regular – I say thanks and I’ll see you at the ballpark, the gym, the football field or the golf course.

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