Trip to the Corn Crib

I was in dire need to watch some live baseball last night so I called up my friend Jim and we picked up my sister and made the 40 minute trek to Normal, IL.  The Normal Cornbelters are part of the independent Frontier League and they are about fifteen games into their season. Jane, Jim, and I love going to games, talking baseball, and acting like adolescents in the stands.  Good times.

It was a fun game to attend.  The field is artificial, but that didn't stop the pitchers from trying to smooth out "dirt" on the pitching mound or the batters from trying to dig in at home plate.  Both teams scored more runs than they had hits, but that's mostly due to the high number of walks we witnessed.

What shocked me the most was the bullpen for the River City Rascals.  Their second reliever was a right-handed submarine style pitcher and he was followed by a left-handed submariner.  There aren't many who throw from that angle in MLB, so to see two from the same bullpen was pretty shocking!

For those of you who are curious, the Corn Crib and the Cornbelters are funded in part by the Corn Farmers of Illinois.  Facts about corn farming and the byproducts of corn are all around the ballpark.  Even the mascot fits in with the corn theme: his name is Corny!

And yes, you could purchase a roasted corn cob for a dollar.  I did partake and most certainly did not regret that decision.  Mine was sprinkled with a Jalapeno-Parmesan salt.  Delicious!

Oh, and my streak is finally over.  In the previous eight games that I have attended this spring the team that I was cheering for had lost.  The Cornbelters broke the streak with an 8 to 7 victory over the Rascals!  Thank goodness.  I'm 0 for 3 at Wrigley this year, but maybe they'll let me back in now that my streak is over?