Tom Wheeler: ‘I carried the mail’

By Tom Wheeler

As a long time track coach at Christopher I was always hunting for someone to “carry the mail.” This position was the last runner on a relay and it was not always our fastest runner. It was the one that “carried” his team, not losing ground, giving 100 percent on every step.

For the first time in ages, I was called on to “carry the mail.” Let me explain!

Jim Muir, left, and T.J. Wheeler cover the Friday night semi-final game from Danville – the game before Tom Wheeler is called on to “carry the mail.”

My Coach/Boss Jim Muir gave me a call last Saturday afternoon and said “I’m sick and you and TJ will have to do Rend Lake’s national championship game on WQRL radio.” Now let me throw some facts at you, Jim had broadcast for 21 years and have NEVER missed a game, never a contest of any kind. He says it’s his “Bill Muir” (his Dad) characteristic – you have a job to do so do it. Another fact was that Jim and TJ had did all three first round games including when the Warrior’s came from 23 points down to beat South Suburban on Wednesday night it was decided TJ would do the weekend games as well.  (Not too superstitious I might add). So I was along for the “ride” and to enjoy Coach Randy House’s run to a National Championship.

Down deep I really expected Jim to pull a ‘Willis Reed’ and come limping in the gym two minute before game time with oxygen in one hand and a barf bucket in the other and broadcast the game of his life for everyone back home. But he later told me he couldn’t hold his head off the pillow let alone get to the game.

One year while coaching at RLC with Mitch Haskins we were playing in a tournament in Springfield and Mitch called me into his room and said I would have to coach the two games that day because he was ill. I felt comfortable about ‘carrying the mail” that Saturday. When our church asked me to deliver the message last year, I said OK because I had time to practice and prepare. BUT, you don’t totally prepare to broadcast a basketball game, you just do it!

Now I have been very fortunate to work with some legends of radio during my short “basketball color” career, Clark Lance, Travis Severin, Gary Martin, Mike Murphy, Mike Reis, Scott Hudson and now Muir. They were all generous and let me rattle on and tell my stories and I have to admit these coaching decisions are a lot easier 20 seconds after the action. So the talking wasn’t the problem, but it is different when you are the lead duck.

So my son and I get our equipment hooked up, thanks to Jim’s instructions and help from a couple Danville radio men. Now nerves set in, we had to get in contact with the station back in Benton to get on the air but when we called there was no one there. Now the third place game was over and I caught myself sweating more than usual. So we panic and call Jim at the hotel, he doesn’t sound too good but said “don’t worry” he will check and find out what’s going on. We finally talk to the station, everything was hooked up right and we are ready to get on the air.

Once the game starts we were both so excited for Rend Lake that we let the “moment” take over. As they prepare to do the National Anthem I remember Jim always takes a 90 seconds break. I say “let’s take a 90 cent break and then we will be back to the action” How was I to know that some elderly veterans were marching the flag out, which took longer than 90 seconds. So with everyone at attention and the place as quiet as a church mouse the radio came back to us and still no anthem. I quietly, or so I thought, said “let’s take another 90 second break.”

If I got tongue tied I would just ask TJ a question, he has NO trouble talking basketball. If I was doing a Christopher-Zeigler Royalton game where I knew the players I would have felt a little easier. But Rend Lake has so many inter changeable parts who all play the same; it was hard to keep up with them.

Everyone has a “Bucket list” and mine did not include broadcasting a National Championship basketball game with my son TJ, but I am smart enough to realize that it was one of the greatest nights of my life and one that I will never forget.

It helped that the Warrior’s came out red hot and proved to all 16 teams from all areas of the United States that they truly were the best team in the nation. I might not have carried the mail but the warriors definitely did.