Monday Morning Cram Session, 8/27: The Corn Maze Edition
When the White Sox game went into its second delay in the seventh inning, Comcast SportsNet switched over to an older episode of SportsNet Stories that discusses sporting news around Chicago. It's not limited to things related to professional sports, and had a segment about a high school swimmer going to a National tournament, high school basketball players who participate in AAU tournaments, and players from the Chicago Bears surprising season ticket holders by hand-delivering their season tickets.
But the one story that caught my eye (and hasn't received enough attention, clearly) is is the latest tribute to Ron Santo, who has now been honored by the creation of a cornfield maze in his honor in Hobart, Indiana.
I guess it's not too big of a stretch, baseball is played on grass and corn is grown in the ground, so one might expect the most logical way to honor Ron Santo other than permanently enshrining him in the Hall of Fame is to carve his face into a field of corn, so Cubs fans, corn maze enthusiasts, and smartasses like myself, can flock to the Region for an afternoon of corn maze adventures.
You're probably thinking this is some sort of sophisticated crop circle and that this further proves that aliens are Cubs fans, but you're wrong-- the owner of the cornfield commissioned an artist to do a design/blue print via computer, then riding a lawn mower like a miniature CNC machine, they went to work carving Santo's face into the field of corn, making it the most impressive scultping of a face of any medium since the Venus de Milo or Lionel Richie's face in the "Hello" video.
The owner of the field, Mike Williams (no relation to Kenny Williams, because that'd be strange), decided that he'd create the cornmaze to honor Santo's induction into the Hall of Fame saying, "it just something that, to me, is well-deserved and long overdue, and hopefully he can look down and see it." The quote seems unclear to me whether the Hall of Fame induction or the memorial via corn was long overdue, but Williams has the best intentions, and to be honest, the corn maze is impressive.
Williams is a lifelong Cubs fan, and on the TV interview said that growing up he played third base and wore #10. The best news about the corn maze is that it'll be open to the public on September 1st, so if you're the type who spends the fall traveling the countryside looking for perscribed corn fields to get lost in, consider making a trip to Hobart, Indiana. Tell Mike Williams that The Platoon Advantage sent ya. He won't know what you're talking about, but tell him anyway.
Now, onto the games.
Decided to take a different approach to the Cram Session today, since my bosses The Common Man and Bill aren't around to babysit, so I decided to talk to Twitter and ask what happened during today's games. Here are some updates on some of Sunday's games.
Pitcher of the Day: Sticking with the Chicago Cubs theme, it's a rare day when we can award Pitcher of the Day to a Cubs player, so I've decided to take the opportunity today, giving Chris Volstad the honor of the pitcher of the day. The Cubs won 5-0 today at Wrigley field, as Volstad pitched 6.2 innings, striking out 3, walking 3, and allowed 0 runs. For a pitcher with a 6.58 ERA, it's cause for celebration.
Hitter of the Day: Curtis Granderson hit his 200th career homerun today.
Other Games
Rays vs. A's
I'm going to avoid making a political statement here and point out this game didn't happen today because the Republican National Convention was using the Trop to host their convention today, therefore there was no game scheduled today. Being short a match-up on Sunday is just downright strange.
White Sox vs. Mariners
The White Sox hosted the Mariners, and they won, going 6-0 on their latest homestand. There was a rain delay, Gavin Floyd left the game in the second inning with elbow tightness, and the game was called during a second raindelay in the seventh, following a Tyler Flowers homerun to take the lead. The Mariners continue their streak of playing well after the All-Star game, just not against teams in playoff contention.
Dodgers vs. Marlins
This wasn't an exaggeration, Juan Uribe got his first hit of August, after going 0-for-15 in the month of August. After taking on hefty contracts (and talent, some might argue) from the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers lost to the Marlins 6-2. The Dodgers had 11 hits, but were unable to to capitalize on opportunities, especially with runners in scoring position.
Nationals vs. Phillies
Werth did make an impressive catch, while looking into the sun in Philadelphia (watch the video here). At the end of the day, the Nationals offense fell short against Cliff Lee yet again, who pitched seven innings, giving up just one run.
Royals vs. Red Sox
The Red Sox are lighter in contracts, having traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for prospects, and they finally showed some spark in the fifth inning today against the Royals. David Ortiz was out of the lineup again and may find himself back on the disabled list. Pedro Ciriaco had a home run in the fifth, followed by a Bobbly Valentine ejection later in the inning for arguing a close play at first base. While @jturco pointed out Loney GIDP in his first Red Sox AB, he also tied the game with an RBI in the fifth. The Red Sox won 8-6.
Blue Jays vs. Orioles
Terribly sad when the highlight of your day is having your favorite team's game canceled, but I guess in the case of the Toronto Blue Jays, a day off for rest and relief from mental anguish is the best you can hope for--especially when the alternative is facing the Baltimore Orioles.
More games happened around the league yesterday. Check here for more box scores.
