September, 2007 | The Baseball Zealot

Beer not a minor point with investors

There’s been an interesting but probably not surprising development in the case to bring a minor league team to Champaign-Urbana. Among other points, investors are saying that the sale of beer would be critical to the financial success of the team. From the AP artcle via WBBM: “It is a critical piece,” (National Sports Services’ … Continue reading “Beer not a minor point with investors”

There’s been an interesting but probably not surprising development in the case to bring a minor league team to Champaign-Urbana.

beer

Among other points, investors are saying that the sale of beer would be critical to the financial success of the team.

From the AP artcle via WBBM:

“It is a critical piece,” (National Sports Services’ Matt) Perry said. “It could be a deal breaker if we can’t.”

Sponsorships to sell beer in stadiums are a key revenue source for sports teams, Perry said, but also a big part of what fans expect to find in pro baseball stadiums.

Since Illinois Field is on University of Illinois property and we all know absolutely no drinking goes on anywhere at a Big Ten university, the team would have go through all kinds of red tape including getting the Board of Trustees approval.

Another pro team, the Champaign County Colts played at Illinois Field from 1990-96. It was a dry stadium then and rumor has it that it hurt them financially.

I’m not a beer drinker but i have friends who are baseball fans who do. Time to evaluate the reasons why you have the policy (realistically). If it’s because of youth and alcohol problems, there are plenty of other areas you can start.

This isn’t an issue I’ll fight to the death on but if it means bringing a minor league team to C-U and improving Illinois Field in the process, then bend the rules or change them.

Clinch!

Looks like at least one of my predictions will be right for the NL this year. Thank goodness it was the NL Central. Zambrano brought his A game to the mound for his last start of the season. He was in complete control for the whole game allowing six hits and no runs (and one … Continue reading “Clinch!”

Win Flag

Looks like at least one of my predictions will be right for the NL this year. Thank goodness it was the NL Central.

Zambrano brought his A game to the mound for his last start of the season. He was in complete control for the whole game allowing six hits and no runs (and one walk) over seven innings.

My kids stayed up with me to watch the game. My seven year old daughter even attempted to stay up to watch the end of the Pads-Brewers game to see if we would clinch. Bless her heart she dozed off by the ninth. When I roused her to tell her that the Cubs were going to the playoffs, she mumbled, “Good” then fell back asleep.

She was much more excited about the matter this morning.

One lasting image that will stick with me?? Seeing the multitude of fans rooting for the Cubs at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. When the scoreboard showed that the Padres had jumped ahead of the Brewers 4-3. it seemed the whole stadium erupted. Even through the TV, I could hear the chant, “Let’s Go Cubs! shouted in unison.

I took a day off from the Cubs today instead taking my aforementioned daughter to “A Game Plan” (actually, not a bad movie… if you have a young daughter, she will love it). I see that Rich Hill got the job done putting to rest any idea that the Cubs are backing into the playoffs.

Next up, Ted Lily on Sunday.

Finally, I leave you with this video that Tyler from Baseball Zealot Radio subjected me to. Can’t say much about the music. A college student who works for me says it’s based on song that’s popular with the kids these days. But it does has some cool Cubs imagery.

Illini’s Orange and Blue Series

Ben Reeser coming off a lights-out summer, started for the Orange team.

I stopped by the first game of University of Illinois’ Orange and Blue series. Stop by The Baseball Zealot photo gallery and see the photos I took.

orangeandblue 037

2B Ryan Hastings takes third on a fly ball.

If you want to see the Illini in action and couldn’t make it today, don’t worry. There are four more intra-squad games planned. Here is the full schedule:

Sept 28 – 4pm

Sept 29 – 10am

Sept 30 – 10am

Oct 5 – 4pm

Oct 6 – TBA

By the way, they’ve come out with another Fall Diamond Notes, once again with team manager Michael Schroeder.

BZR has another Cubs Chat

Tyler and Alex join me again this week. Here are the show notes:

031- Cubs Chat II: Keepin’ it Positive

Show Notes for Episode 31:

Hosts: Tom, Alex, Tyler

Summary: Alex Breen and Tyler Davis are back for more Cubs analysis We cover the last week’s series and look forward to the last series of the year with the Reds.

Also, we discuss which players Lou might take to the postseason.

Thanks for listening!!

Time: 31:46

Date Recorded: 9/28/07

Link to Episode 31

Listen via iTunes

Listen to other Baseball Zealot Radio episodes

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK

Jon Garland

Went to the Cell last night to see my White Sox for the last time this year. When I was a kid I used to try to make it to the last game of the season. Alot of fan like all the hoopla of the season opener, but I prefer the reality of the finale, maybe that’s the difference between being a White Sox fan as opposed to being a Cub fan. I watched my first last game in 1969, the Sox dropped that game to KC 10-3 Moe Drabowsky over Fred Roth, but Chicago did finish their home schedule above .500 at 41-40. The team was woeful on the road, 27-54, finishing four games above the Seattle Pilots. After my team was thumped I went to the parking lot, where the player’s parked their cars, with my father and got a ball autographed by almost every member (Louie Aparicio, Walt Williams, Tommy John, among them) of the Sox. It was quite a night for a 13 year old boy.

But last night my White Sox avenged the last home game of 1969 against Kansas City by beating the Royals 3-0. I know last night wasn’t technically the last home game of the season by the Pale Hose, but it would be the last game I’d attend this year and it’s close enough. Any way we got them back and that’s the important thing.

Jon Garland took the bump for the good guys against Zack Greinke. It has been rumored this might have been Garland’s last start in a White Sox uniform. IMHO, this would be a mistake, good pitching is important and hard to come by. Chicago already has three very solid starters with Javier Vazquez, Mark Buehrle, & Jon Garland. Garland has averaged over 200 innings, 32 starts, & 13 wins over the past six years, not bad for a 28 year old sinker baller.

Katie, CLuke’s daughter, a huge Jon Garland fan, met me at the Fullerton stop along the Red Line, and we were Cell bound. Katie must’ve assisted Ozzie Guillen with his lineup as Josh Fields was back at the hot corner with another Katie fave, Scotty Podsednik, in left. Katie went down to the bullpen and got some warmup photos of Garland, and then got Josh & Scotty shots of them coming off the field into the dugout.

Jim Thome hit the 33rd longball of the season and the 505th of his career in the very first inning. It would be enough, but Jermaine Dye added a two run 4th inning bomb as insurance. Jon Garland had his sinkerball going on. It was a fun night at the ballyard, hanging out behind homeplate, 35 rows up, with friends Tade, Roland, Al, Anthony, & Dan, and Caramel-corn Mike & Scott.

We were all standing around talking about what changes we’d like to see, looking over the 2008 home schedule, and talking about going to Spring Training. GO SOX GO!!!

Dr Adrian Burgos talk

I’m catching up a little here. Here are some photos from a talk that Dr Adrian Burgos did on campus last week. Dr Burgos is the author of Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos and the Color Line.

Dr Burgos took the time to talk to a journalism student before the talk.

Dr Burgos addressing the crowd.

Dr Burgos gets around. He made a trip to the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City where he presented his book. After his talk at the U of I, Dr Burgos told me he was headed to Washington DC to speak at the National Archives.

If you missed the interview that we did with Dr Burgos on Baseball Zealot Radio, take a listen. It’s definitely worth it especially for baseball history buffs.

Minor League Baseball coming to Champaign-Urbana??

Big news in the local sports section today… a group is in negotiations with the University of Illinois to get the use of Illinois Field for a minor league team. Very exciting news, indeed. From the News-Gazette: “We’re always interested in looking for new markets for a professional baseball franchise,” Matt Perry, chief executive officer … Continue reading “Minor League Baseball coming to Champaign-Urbana??”

Big news in the local sports section today… a group is in negotiations with the University of Illinois to get the use of Illinois Field for a minor league team. Very exciting news, indeed.

From the News-Gazette:

“We’re always interested in looking for new markets for a professional baseball franchise,” Matt Perry, chief executive officer of Denver-based National Sports Services, said Monday. “We did some preliminary analysis of Champaign County and thought the demographics and business base could support a team.”

The league in question is the Frontier League which is an independent league. If that name sounds familiar, it should. At least three Illini players played in the FL in 2007.

A side benefit of this exciting news is that Illinois Field would get a facelift. Perry’s group is working with architects on preliminary designs.

Perry said the vision for the renovation would include a new seating bowl with seating capacity of 3,000 to 4,000; group suites; administrative office space; a new clubhouse or expansion of the current one; hospitality areas; additional restrooms; new ticket windows and additional food and concessions facilities; and a kids play area.

In related news, a week ago, a read a similar article about a group investigating the possibility of a minor league team in Normal, Illinois. Near as I can tell, the group was an internal one so I wonder how that impacts their plans.

Delusions of Grandeur: I’m an All-Star manager!

I finally got off my duff an updated the web site of the Illowa APBA League. It’s been a couple months since I touched it. I’m no web designer but I have fun doing it.

Our All-Star Game is coming up in October. Aside from the draft weekend, that one of highlights of the IAL season for me. We vote in the best players and the best of East battle the the best of the West.

I remember when my buddy Brando was in his first year in the league and was attending his first All-Star weekend. In the beginning, he didn’t see the big deal of a APBA All-Star Game. What was the big deal watching two guys playing APBA?, he thought.

As it came nearer to “Play Ball!”, and the rest of the managers were grabbing their dice, he understood. We weren’t simply going to watch two guys play APBA baseball; we were all part of the game. Each one of us got to roll for our own players. With the managers from one division on one side of the table and the managers of the other division on the other, the friendly trash talk began. It was constant fun chaos for the entire game.

A scene from the 2005 IAL All-Star Weekend

Speaking of managing, we determine the manager by the standings of the previous year. Guess who was in first place last year? Yes, yours truly. That makes me the manager of the West Division which pretty much includes the non-Chicago teams in our league.

Aside from on-the-field decisions, the IAL All-Star manager is responsible for choosing the pitchers and substitutes as well as making a lineup.

You can see the online version of the ballot to determine the starters to get a sense how players are doing in our league (My Albert Pujols will probably not start for the first time in his career. Mark Teixeira has THAT wrapped up).

The results of the balloting will be out soon. Stay tuned.

Illini Orange and Blue Series

The schedule for Illini’s Orange and Blue series has mostly been set. Sept 28 – 4pm Sept 29 – 10am Sept 30 – 10am Oct 5 – 4pm Oct 6 – TBA This split squad series is a good chance to see the Illinois team in action! In other Illini news, I had already reported … Continue reading “Illini Orange and Blue Series”

The schedule for Illini’s Orange and Blue series has mostly been set.

Sept 28 – 4pm

Sept 29 – 10am

Sept 30 – 10am

Oct 5 – 4pm

Oct 6 – TBA

This split squad series is a good chance to see the Illinois team in action!

In other Illini news, I had already reported on Joey Bonadonna’s Rawlings Silver Glove award in the Northwoods League. Also in the NWL, Brandon Wikoff was named the Number 24 professional prospect as he played for the Madison Mallards.

Congrats to both!

Cub fans, set your alarm clocks for NLDS tix Sunday am

Cub fans who are interested in getting NLDS tickets should prepare to get up early Sunday morning. The online waiting room opens at 8:30am and ticket sales begin at 9am. Here is the entry point if you’re interested. You can also phone in and try your luck with that route. Good luck and Go Cubs! … Continue reading “Cub fans, set your alarm clocks for NLDS tix Sunday am”

You can also phone in and try your luck with that route.

Good luck and Go Cubs!