Indiana Michigan Power Electric Pole Becomes an Unusual Gift

From left: Bill Downey, Nuclear communications consultant senior;  Mark Robinson, I&M Community Affairs manager; Andrew Berlin, owner of the South Bend Cubs; Joshwa Scheibelhut, Safety and Health coordinator, South Bend/Elkhart District; Trent Teshka, line mechanic A, South Bend. Photo by: Nicole Teshka

(Story by Tracy Warner)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The present – a baseball bat – might not seem to be an unusual gift to give the owner of a baseball team. But the bat Indiana Michigan Power employees presented the owner of the South Bend Cubs baseball team recently was anything but normal.

Here, with apologies to Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story.

Andrew Berlin, owner of South Bend Cubs, did not like the look of an I&M utility pole outside over the left field wall outside Four Winds Field, the South Bend ballpark where the Cubs play. When Berlin broke ground on an upscale apartment complex outside of left field, the plans included removal of the pole.

When the pole came out, Mark Robinson, I&M Community Affairs manager for South Bend/Elkhart, arranged for the pole to be delivered to his house. Mark worked on the pole in his woodshop to make a baseball bat from it.

A baseball bat that is 9½ feet long.

On Saturday, April 17, before the opening pitch of the home game against the Lake County Captains, several Indiana Michigan employees and their families were present to present Berlin with the baseball bat. The presentation was to show appreciation for Berlin’s personal investment of over $32 million dollars in the South Bend community, which has created hundreds of jobs.

“This is one big bat!” Berlin said. “We are thrilled to be in South Bend, we are thrilled to invest in South Bend . . . and I can’t thank Indiana Michigan Power enough for your support. Thank you!”