Softball has been a part of Mark "Bubba" Palmer's life ever since his college baseball career at Southern Illinois University ended in 1986. In 14 USSSA seasons, Palmer's played on a who's who list of Illinois 12-inch powerhouses, including the St. Clair A's, Belcher Construction, Kluever Snap On, Extreme Easton, Ken¹s Beverage, and Tron Piping, A versatile player who could pitch as well as play third, first, and catcher, Palmer was best known for his bat. An approximate .670 lifetime hitter, he banged out 700 home runs, but could still adapt effectively to home run limits. His play earned him numerous honors in several association's Nationals and NITs.

Palmer admits that back in his hard ball days, he liked to make fun of his younger brothers playing in their church league. But soon after college, he was asked to fill in on that church league team. From there he went on to play on a local league team. When they traveled to a tournament, George Freeman of the St. Clair A's spotted Palmer and asked him to join his team.

"That was my first real taste of USSSA ball," said Palmer. "The following year, Palmer and the A's traveled to Rock Hill, South Carolina for the "A" World. We just kept winning and winning. We ended up finishing second, and I was named all-World. That pretty much hooked me. That pretty much ranks as my best tournament ever.

He enjoyed competing in many more USSSA World and NIT tournaments after that. Another exciting moment, he says, was beating a number of powerhouse teams at the Springfield, Ohio AA-A NIT.

"It was in front of a boisterous crowd," recalls Palmer, "and (we threw) our equipment to them during our victory lap."

Palmer also fondly recalls playing on the Kluever Snap On team that won every tournament it entered over a two month period in 1999, including the Kiracoffe Classic and the USSSA Great Lakes "B" National in Cincinnati.

"The USSSA is the hardest and most prestigious organization to compete in, and it gets better and better every year."

Such competition, along with the friendships made through softball, is what Palmer treasures most. That, and the travel.

"I¹ve been in so many places in this beautiful U.S. that I¹d never have had a chance to see if not for softball," he said.

Palmer wants to take this opportunity to thank all his coaches, teammates, and his family for everything they've given him over the years. He also wants to express his thanks to Ron Lindenberg and Brenda Paulson for their hard work in making the Illinois USSSA such a quality softball organization.

Though Palmer's played only league ball the past two seasons, he turned 39 the last week of October, and is now eligible for USSSA 40 & Over. He's already getting calls from Don Loid and the Ken's Beverage team, inquiring into his availability.