The one memory that stands out above all others will probably surprise you
By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com
I will admit there are times when I miss putting stories together for a newspaper. I have been thinking about that some over the last few days as the high school baseball and softball tournaments got underway this week.
Those two weeks might have been the craziest and most hectic of the year for me, especially if the teams I covered were very good. That was often the case when I was the beat writer for The Anderson News. Unless you have ever tried to juggle those two weeks with multiple teams, you probably won’t fully understand.
You deal with extra-inning games that can keep you at a baseball or softball field past midnight. I can’t forget that night I was working the 2008 regional softball semifinal game when Anderson scored the winning run in the 14th inning, well past midnight or that 2012 district baseball game that didn’t begin until well after 10 p.m. because the first game that night was a high-scoring affair that went 11 innings.
You deal with crazy schedules unlike any other sport. You work around unpredictable spring weather and around graduations. You learn to pop into a fast-food joint, pull out a laptop and type a story between games. Or you take your wife with you so she can drive between games while you type on the passenger side. You just learn to wipe your calendar clean for those two weeks. But I loved it
And while I don’t miss working in corporate America or many of the mundane things that can truly test your patience and sanity, I sometimes miss those crazy, non-stop spring tournament weeks.
After 34 years on the sidelines, I retired from The Anderson News at the end of 2018. Looking back there are things I would have done differently, but I have no regrets about what I did and how I ran the sports department. I am very thankful for that chapter in my life, but I know I made the right decision.
It was just time.
Since Dec. 31, 2018, I have been asked several questions repeatedly. I’ve never publicly answered them, but given that I still hear those same questions 7.5 years later, I will do so here.
Hey, this is my website/blog!
Would you ever return to the newspaper business?
I have learned to never say never, but it’s doubtful. At least I would not return to work in a capacity I worked from January 1985-December 2018.
When I started writing for pay, Anderson County had seven sports, four of which – cross country, track, tennis and basketball – had boys’ and girls’ teams. Western Anderson High was still around but only offered boys’ and girls’ basketball. Before that school closed, it added baseball. I was part-time, but could handle things without much trouble. I went to games with a notebook and several pens or one of those four-color jobs that were great for writing game notes. Someone else usually took pictures.
When I retired, Anderson County had 17 sports, if I remember correctly, with most having boys’ and girls’ teams. The school offers over 20 sports now. There was also Christian Academy of Lawrenceburg, which I tried to include in our coverage, as well as many kids playing sports in college – a huge increase over time – and many local sports not connected to the schools. After I went full-time, my job description said I was expected to work 45 hours a week. During the school year, at least, my work week was usually 60-70 hours.
Over the last 15 years of my career I went to the game with some pens, a notebook, smartphone for updating Twitter, a small tape recorder, a portable battery charger, and for baseball and softball, either a scorebook or a tablet with a scorebook app.
And I had a Nikon camera with several lenses.
Since I retired, the news business has changed enough that I don’t believe I could cover local sports in the manner I did. For one thing, schools keep adding sports. But more than that, due to budget cuts, many writers are now forced to write for multiple papers. That practice was taking hold at the time I retired and is sadly common in small-town publications today. I just couldn’t continue to give the level of coverage that I gave and keep my sanity.
I’m retired. My health insurance is Medicare. My hair has a lot of gray. Beside that, the way news is delivered in 2026 is vastly different from even 10 years ago. Let’s just say I am very thankful for doing what I did for 34 years and I cherish many of the friendships I made in that time. However, I am very happy today freelancing for some regional publications, writing for 110forChrist.com and KentuckySings.com while serving as pastor of Mackville Christian Church. I’m busy, but happy!
So no, I don’t foresee ever going back, at least not full-time.
What do you miss the most?
That one is easy: the people. I miss those close relationships with coaches, kids and some parents. I learned that you simply can’t be around a team as much as I was without getting close to them and wanting them to succeed. And it’s gratifying to run into someone I wrote about 25 years ago, or more, and hear that person say, “Thank you for what you wrote,” or “You have been an inspiration in my life.”
The people that have said things like that to me or to my wife are far too numerous to try to list.
All I can say is, “Thank YOU for giving me the opportunity.”
What is your best memory from your writing career?
This one is easy, but not what most expect.
You see, I covered some awfully good teams. I covered regional champions in baseball, football, softball and basketball. There were several individual regional or state champions in sports like wrestling, track and tennis. I interviewed players in the NFL and Major League Baseball. I had a ton of fun at an ABA reunion.
Every one of those was a great thrill and a memory in its own special way.
I received over 100 writing or photography awards from the Kentucky Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and Landmark Community Newspapers. That was a mark of excellence.
But my greatest memory? It came on a tennis court. I was talking with Kristen Hamrick (now Barker) who is a minister’s daughter. When I shared that I had been in the ministry, she replied that she didn’t know that but said something along the line of “I knew you were a Christian man by the way you write.”
And that meant more to me than any championship game or any award that might be hanging on my wall.
To God be the Glory, great things He has done.
I have more notes, reflecting on my news career, but we’ll stop here today. We’ll look at those next week!
110ForChrist.com 