STEVE HANLON: Where I’ve Been, Where We’re Going

DA REGION – Over the last eight years, I've heard two things whenever I've ventured out in public.
"Hey, Butterball Van Winkle, get out of my way. Unlike you, I've got somewhere to go."
Or...
"Hey, where have you been?"
Needless to say, I enjoyed hearing the second one much more.
If you're 25 or older and enjoy sports and good stories with athletic backdrops, there's a good chance you've read my articles and opinion pieces over the years. Thank you for doing so.
If you're under 25, I probably need to do some explaining.
For more than 30 years, I was a sports writer in the state of Indiana. My work appeared in something called a newspaper. It used to be a thing. No, really.
A newspaper was basically the VHS tape of communication. It was a collection of news articles printed on paper that folded. It was very much like another obsolete item called a road map — something no one could ever fold back up correctly after opening it.
Americans got their daily news from the newspaper, usually while eating breakfast.
Or while using the toilet.
Yes, really. That was a thing back in the day.
I absolutely loved covering Region sports. It was a thrill, to say the least.
Hobart football. East Chicago basketball. Munster basketball. Lowell football. Andrean everything.
The people, the stories and the games I had the privilege of covering were like a winning lottery ticket for me.
I also spent four years at The Indianapolis Star. There were great games, important issues and fascinating people down in Dixie.
But the pizza was god-awful.
So I came home.
By 2018, I realized the newspaper industry had about as much of a future as a telephone that hung on the wall with a cord that was never long enough. So I stepped away.
I taught seventh-grade English at Eggers Middle School for one year before moving to 21st Century Charter School in Gary.
Then COVID hit, and the world turned upside down.
Personally, things got even worse.
In May 2020, my daughter and I were sitting at a stoplight waiting to turn left when — BANG! — we were struck from behind by a speeding car. I blacked out for nearly 30 minutes.
The "Headbangers Ball" lasted for more than two years.
A severe concussion and whiplash put me on my backside for quite a while, often just staring at a wall and trying to remember what day it was.
Or the month.
Or even the year.
My faith grew stronger through that ordeal. My daughter and I easily could have been killed in that crash, but a Bigger Hand kept us above ground.
That same Hand has helped me continue recovering.
Two years ago, I returned to education as a substitute teacher in the School City of Hammond and Hanover Community Schools. I've met many outstanding people during that time, and I'll likely continue being a free-agent educator whenever I can.
But talking with athletes of all stripes and school colors in the classroom made me realize just how much I missed Region sports.
I really did.
So I said a prayer.
Or two.
Then, almost out of nowhere, I received a message from Ben Kolodzinski. Many of you know Ben as the longtime host of GameNight on Lakeshore Public Media. He told me he was bringing GameNight to the Heartland Sports Network.
Then he asked me one simple question:
"What are you doing the next few months?"
My answer was — and still is — a resounding yes.
On Aug. 21, we'll kick off GameNight on Heartland Sports Network as high school football returns. It's going to be a fun ride.
We'll unveil the Heartland Top 10 area teams. We'll make staff picks for area games, and I guarantee I'll win. We'll have live reports and video from games across the Region.
Most importantly, we'll have fun.
The show will be simulcast on WJOB-AM 1230 and streamed on the Heartland Sports Network app.
"This will be a new look for this classic Region show," Kolodzinski said. "Steve is joining us, and Ryan Mathews will also be providing insight. Heartland gives us the opportunity to do new things with the show, including live video highlights, while creating a one-stop destination for football coverage across the Region."
And if you're reading this, you already know I'll also be writing stories and columns for the Heartland Sports Network website.
I hope you'll take a moment to read my story on how Andrean football is dealing with the challenges created by the June 11 tornado that damaged the school.
And if the Hand that watched over me in 2020 continues to allow it, there will be plenty more stories on the way.
So thank you to Jed, Ben and Sam Michel for giving me another opportunity to do what I love.
Just like I did for more than three decades, I'll give it everything I've got.
I believe it's going to be good stuff.
Questions or comments? You can reach Steve Hanlon at [email protected].