It was Hockey night at O’Brien Field with HOF’er Denis Savard and Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison. Savard retired in 1997, after his second stint in Chicago following stops in Montreal and Tampa Bay, with 1,338 points, which is 28th on the all-time NHL scoring list. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. It was also Bradley University’s Presidents Night Out at the ballpark with Joanne Glasser throwing out a ceremonial pre-game first pitch followed by an outstanding rendition of the National Anthem.
-Bob
The Peoria Chiefs left 10 runners on base, and couldn’t complete a four-game sweep as they fell 3-1 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels Tuesday evening at O’Brien Field. Peoria still finished the homestand 6-2 and they are off to a 7-2 start in August with a 51-63 overall record. Peoria starter Brett Wallach worked five strong innings giving up only 3 hits while striking out 5, but was on the losing end while Cedar Rapids starter Seth Fowler picked up his first win of the season, Daniel Tillman shut the door on the Chiefs for his 10th save of the year.
-Bob
Last night was special as I had the pleasure to spend time with and capture some lifetime memories of my friend Payton McSimov. Pete “Mr. Baseball” Vonachen greeted everyone in the main office and quickly presented Payton with an official league baseball & Pro-model bat to get autographed by the team. We were then escorted to the team locker room where all of the players and coaches were extremely courteous as they posed for pictures and autographed his gifts. One of my favorite shot’s is of Payton, his father Chad, his grandfather Ralph Sutton and Pete Vonachen posing for a photo on the bench before the game. He had the opportunity to play catch with Peoria Chiefs catcher Luis Flores on the field and visit in the dugout with the payers again before the start of the game. Before he left the field he stood next to Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke during the National Anthem. He left the field to make his way up to his reserved box seat’s. They were located directly behind the Chiefs dugout. After all the pre-game activities it was time to relax with his family and “big brother” Bradley Basketball star Sam Maniscalco. Then he sat back to watch his favorite team while dining on chicken strips, french fries and ice cold lemonade. You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark and to see the smile it brought to his face was absolutely priceless!
-Bob
