MWL1 Kane County Cougars

Kane County Cougars Homestand Notes

Published on August 11, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Kane County Cougars News Release


Three-game homestand opens Saturday: The Cougars open a three-game homestand beginning Saturday at 6 p.m. against the Peoria Chiefs, a Chicago Cubs farm team.

And the homestand opens with a prediction: the Cougars will win Saturday's game. For fans attending Saturday's game, a Cougars loss means that their Saturday tickets are good for a free ticket for the following afternoon's 1 p.m. game. And if the Cougars win, fans will still be treated to the following entertainment.

Saturday's 6 p.m. game includes a free giveaway, as the Cougars will be handing out KEYLIGHT KEYCHAINS to the first 2,000 fans, compliments of Farmers Insurance. Fans can meet the team during a pre-game AUTOGRAPH SESSION at 5:30. After the game, the Cougars will welcome QUICK CHANGE, a magical duo of ballroom dancers who will amaze fans with their routine, which has been featured on the television show America's Got Talent. Here is an excerpt from one of their performances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv84yiVLc4M. Fans can enjoy a FIREWORKS SHOW afterwards and stick around to RUN THE BASES.

Sunday's game is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAY, sponsored by Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Fans can take advantage of a special offer as ALL KIDS AGE 10 AND UNDER RECEIVE A FREE BOX, RESERVED, OR LAWN SEAT TICKET. The first 2,000 fans through the gates for the 1 p.m. matinee will receive a PINK WRISTBAND. The Cougars will honor cancer survivors and their families with a VICTORY PARADE on the field. All fans may head down to the field for an AUTOGRAPH SESSION at 12:30 - Cougars players will be wearing commemorative cancer survivor jerseys. All fans are invited onto the field after the final out to RUN THE BASES.

Monday's 6:30 p.m. game closes the brief homestand. It's an ALL FAITH NIGHT, as church groups of 20 or more can receive lawn or reserved seat tickets at ½ price. Be sure to cheer on the Cougars as they push for a second half playoff berth, and after the final out, fans can RUN THE BASES.

Tickets, just like the summer days, are going quickly! Fans can order tickets at (630) 232-8811 or by visiting www.kccougars.com.

Upcoming Attractions

Star Wars Promotional Video on YouTube: Fans can view an entertaining take on the Cougars' upcoming Star Wars Night, to be held on September 3 as part of that evening's 7 p.m. game. Fans have been enjoying the promotional video which meshes the popular film with another notable baseball-related movie. The video is available at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH9amreONZU.

That evening, the Cougars are encouraging fans to dress up as their favorite Star Wars character. Various between-innings contests will reflect the theme, as well as a pre-game costume parade and post-game fireworks show choreographed to the movie's music score.

Fantasy Football Draft Parties: The Cougars will be hosting fantasy football draft parties for several August and September dates in advance of the NFL season. Groups will have their own private suite to conduct their draft and enjoy an all-you-can-eat and drink package. A minimum of eight people is required. The menu includes nacho chips served with Fire Roasted Salsa, Buffalo Wings with Celery Sticks accompanied with Ranch dressing, All-Beef Hot Dogs with all the fixings, plus Draft Beer and Pepsi Products.

Those interested in either the August 29, 31 or September 5 dates can call the Cougars at (630) 232-8811.

Team Notes

Playoff Update: Things haven't slowed down one bit for the Cougars, who are making a full-out push for a second half playoff berth. The team is 26-17 in the second half and after Monday night's win against Burlington in Iowa is now a season-high nine games above .500. Particularly impressive has been the team's summer dominance at home, as the Cougars are 16-6 at Elfstrom Stadium in the second half - the most home wins among Western Division clubs.

With less than 30 games remaining in the regular season, the Cougars lead Clinton by three games for the division's top playoff spot, and lead Beloit by 4.5 games for the second playoff spot. The Cougars and L'Kings are through with head-to-head matchups, but Kane County does face the Snappers for three games in Wisconsin August 25-27.

Walking into the record book: Cougars infielder Conner Crumbliss has walked 95 times this season, the highest total in all of professional baseball. Crumbliss is aiming for the franchise record of 104 walks, set by Tyrone Horne in 1997. Crumbliss' potential record would be the first franchise single-season offensive record broken since former Cougar Jeff Baisley broke the RBI record with 110 in 2006.

Can we walk with you? A pair of Cougars, Anthony Aliotti and Tyreace House have already put their names in or near the top 10 Cougars single-season walk leaders. Aliotti's 77 free passes are one short of Myron Leslie's 78 in 2005 (9th), while House's 74 walks are tied with Kevin Millar's 74 in 1994 (10th).

Notables: Conner Crumbliss owns a 10-game hitting streak and is hitting .366 during it, and Anthony Aliotti owns a seven-game streak and is hitting .290 during it...manager Aaron Nieckula (271-256) is five wins away from passing Lynn Jones (275 from '94-'97) for the most wins all-time by a Cougars skipper...with the exception of a rough outing in Great Lakes last month, Cougars All-Star pitcher Ian Krol has worked at least five innings in 11 of 12 starts since June...Jason Christian has collected 11 RBIs in his last nine games...outfielder Mitch LeVier has recorded multi-hit games in five of his eight games since joining the Cougars from Vancouver...

Calling for Cahill: A's pitcher Trevor Cahill, a Cougar from '07, has been nothing short of masterful this season for Oakland. The young righty was named American League Player of the Week on Monday after two perfect outings and 17 innings of scoreless work. Cahill (12-4, 2.56 this season) has now strung together 19 consecutive starts with at least five innings pitched while allowing six or fewer hits. That's one start away from tying baseball's modern record set by Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan during the 1972-73 seasons.

Around the bigs: Outfielder Wes Long ('05-'06), who had bounced among several Independent League teams in recent years, was signed by the Marlins and assigned to the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Class-A)...pitcher Ryan Webb ('05), who became the 106th former Cougar to make his MLB debut last July, was sent from the Padres to Triple-A Portland. Webb has pitched in 39 games for the Padres this season...Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett ('98) faces the Rangers on Tuesday night in a possible playoff preview. The hard-throwing righty was scratched from his last start due to back stiffness.

Cougars In The Community: Ozzie T. Cougar is scheduled to make upcoming appearances in the community at the following locations:

Saturday, August 14 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. - Celebrate Our Children event (Aurora)

Friday, August 20 from 12-2 p.m. - Pirates Cove Theme Park (Elk Grove)

Saturday, August 21 from 2-3 p.m. - Fabyan Randall Plaza (Batavia)

Check out the Kane County Cougars Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 11, 2010


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