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• Lodi Improvement Committee wants City Council to decrease its membership

• Lodi High's Apple Academy suffers another loss

• One injured, 15-year-old arrested after rear-ending grape harvester on Sunday

• Disagreements remain on conditions for use of Woodbridge Grange Hall

• Galt High board appoints Audrey Kilpatrick as interim superintendent

• Local firefighters working Yosemite, Southern California blazes

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (45)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (34)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)

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Looking for a good time? Try beepball

One of the perks of being a sports reporter is the chance to go out and cover sports way off the beaten path.

In some cases, I'm even able to get out and try them.

Underwater hockey, for example, is one of the strangest sports I've ever seen or played.

On Saturday, I was able to add another sport to the list when I suited up for my first-ever beep baseball game. Beepball is a variation of baseball played by blind and blindfoldedd players, using a beeping ball and buzzing bases.

After attending the Beep Baseball World Series in Stockton earlier this summer and watching the Stockton Stingrays play, I wanted a shot to play the fascinating game. Turns out I wasn't the only one.

Bobby Wheeler, a Lodi High graduate and current frosh/soph boys basketball coach for the Flames, was also inspired by these talented athletes who prove you don't need to see as long as you keep your ear on the ball.

Wheeler compiled a team from Lodi to challenge the Stringrays — who often take on sighted teams with players in blindfolds because they have no local competition — and I was fortunate enough to be offered a spot on the team.

So on Saturday, dressed in red Lodi uniforms, we took the field — with help from sighted spotters telling us where to stand. I was nervous and ready to get beat pretty handily. I was scared of swinging and missing, but figured everyone would be striking out. There were multiple strikeouts — with cuts that missed so bad, they actually created a nice breeze on the 100-plus degree day. I had one of those, after fouling off a few, but got hits in my other two at bats.

To clarify, I fully give credit to the pitchers and luck for the hits. They tossed them right where I showed them I was going to swing. Even a blind squirrel finds the acorn when someone tells them where it is and when to reach out and grab it.

Lodi News-Sentinel sports reporter Joelle Milholm takes a swing while blindfolded during a beep baseball game on Saturday. Milholm played for a Lodi squad who lost to the Stockton Stingrays 2-1 in Stockton. (Courtesy photograph)

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While I was happy and proud to make contact, the hits brought up an uncomfortable situation I totally didn't expect and was unprepared for — running blind.

There are two bases, which are look like 4-foot-tall tackling dummies with speakers that buzz, down both the baselines. Randomly one buzzes after contact is made and that's the base you have to run to. As if running blindfolded isn't tough enough, you have to listen to which base to run to instead of automatically running to first.

If you make it to the base before a fielder gets possession of the ball, you score a run. If a fielder gets it first, you are out. Let's just say I was an easy out.

Apparently there is a connection between being blind folded and getting your legs to work. I forgot how to run. I couldn't go fast, or very straight for that matter. I probably didn't even reach more than 50 percent of my sprinting capability.

It also seemed like as soon as you put a blind fold on, the distance to the base magically extended. What was supposed to be 20 strides, all the sudden seemed like the length of a football field.

One of Stockton's best players, Husani Hill, can make it to the base in less than 6 seconds. I couldn't get out of the batter's box in that time. Not only did I never find the base, I never came close despite decent hits that gave me what felt like enough time to run at 5K.

My only comfort came from watching my teammates have the same struggles. We all stumbled around like there were 20-pound sandbags tied to our feet. Finally, in the top of the sixth inning, James Watt put us on the scoreboard. He barreled down the line and took out the bag as we all tried to remember to cheer silently. There is no cheering in beepball until the play is over because fielders have to hear the ball and runners have to hear the bases. Add that to the long list of the game's challenges.

We scored one run, but still lost to the Stingrays 2-1. Quite honestly, I was pleased with the outcome after expecting a blindfolded beat down. Apparently, so was Stockton.

"They are the best sighted team we've played I think," said Stingray coach and pitcher Dave Brown after the game. "Hopefully they keep at it because they would be great for us to practice."

Talks of a rematches are already in the works. All of the Lodi players didn't want to stop after six innings and I had a blast. But until the next Lodi-Stockton showdown, we've got some practicing to do. Forget the batting cages though, we have to get on the line, pull down our blindfolds and learn how to run.