Mapping the path

EASTERN MIDWEST BASEBALL

Kane County Cougars

We spend another day in Chicago — visiting the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and having an indulgent lunch at Eleven City Diner — before driving west to Geneva, Illinois, to see the independent Kane County Cougars as they clash against the Kansas City Monarchs.

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That would be the U-505 submarine, one of only six German submarines captured by the Allies during World War II. Once displayed outside, the submarine now sits inside a gigantic concrete bunker at the end of a series of displays chronicling the hunt for the sub, its capture, and the rescue of its crew.

The museum features a wide variety of exhibits for lovers of science and engineering, including the Henry Crown Space Center with the Apollo 8 command module; a re-creation of a deep-shaft coal mine; technology used in farming; exhibits showcasing various scientific concepts; and the Pioneer Zephyr, the first diesel-powered, streamliner passenger train — a glorious stainless-steel beast built in 1934.

My son Danny paused for a bit at the gigantic model train layout. In his younger years, he would have insisted we stay there for the remainder of the day and probably the next.

But he was much more interested in feeding his current obsession in Notes to Neurons, which uses immersive audio, wall-sized graphics, and gesture controls to help convey the power of music and its effects on the mind and body.

It also oozed cheese. So much cheese. Dad went with the #43: Corned beef piled high on a latke, with a smear of sour cream and fried onion strings on a twisted challah roll. I had Rubin’s Reuben, with corned beef and pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to top this off with fries smothered in cheese. I completed my lunch-hour decadence with the first Bloody Mary I’ve ever had that sported a slice of salami.

It was fortunate the rest of our itinerary was free until game time. After indulging ourselves at Eleven City Diner, we were pretty much incapacitated for the next few hours.

Designed by ballpark-architecture giant Populous, Northwestern Medicine Field opened in 1991 with a seating capacity of 3,600. Several renovations later, it can now accommodate 10,923 fans — the highest capacity of any independent ballpark in the country.

Despite this impressive expansion, the Cougars were one of 42 teams removed from the rosters of Minor League Baseball during an overhaul of the leagues in 2021. The team had been part of the Single-A Midwest League since the Wausau Timbers relocated to Geneva in 1991, and they’d had real success, winning Midwest League titles in 2001 and 2014 and finishing fourth in attendance in the 16-team league. During their Minor League tenure, the Cougars were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles (1991-1992), Florida Marlins (1993-2002), Oakland Athletics (2003-2010), Kansas City Royals (2011-2012), Chicago Cubs (2013-2014), and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-2020).

More than 400 Cougars have made it to the big leagues, including two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera, 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett, and 2003 Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis.

Kane County’s fan base has remained strong after the move to independent baseball. The Cougars have led the American Association in attendance each of their four years in the league, averaging 5,606 fans per game in 2024.

We headed straight to the Cougars Den, the team store. I was particularly interested in seeing the hats on offer, because Kane County’s online store didn’t carry the standard caps the team typically wears on the field.

Lo and behold, the store had the hats I wanted! There were four great options of styles worn by the players — but only in children’s sizes. It would be the one time in 23 ballparks that I did not come away with a hat.

One of the caps on display represented the Atomic Pork Chops, Kane County’s alternate identity. The brand celebrates Fermilab, a high-energy physics laboratory in nearby Batavia, Illinois. Tragically, the Atomic Pig Pen concessions cart — which serves an Atomic Pork Chop Sandwich (boneless butterfly pork chop smothered in sauce); and the Porkasaurus Sandwich (adding pork carnitas, mac and cheese, and bacon) — did not open for our game.

Back on the concourse, I bumped into Cougars mascots Ozzie and Annie. They were putting in a good effort on a very hot afternoon, but it looked like Ozzie needed to hit the gym.

The Cougars were set to face off against the Kansas City Monarchs, a team using the name of a legendary Negro league franchise that featured all-time greats such as Satchell Paige, Jackie Robinson, and Ernie Banks. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, the team partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City to revive the Monarchs name in 2021.

Kane County came into the game leading the East division, while the Monarchs sat in fourth place in the West.

Kansas City jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, picking up an unearned run off Cougars starter Greg Mahle. The lefty had spent six seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization, appearing in 24 games for the big-league club in 2014. Unable to find his place with the Angels, Mahle moved on to the Mexican League for a couple of years, then took two seasons off before joining Kane County in 2024. It would be an impressive comeback: Mahle finished the season with a 10-2 record and a 2.94 ERA.

It was Bark in the Park night at Northwestern Medicine Field, meaning their were plenty of extremely good dogs enjoying the lawn seating down the right-field line.

Beyond the right-field wall, kids played on Cougars-branded inflatables as the summer sun began to set.

Denied the opportunity to try an Atomic Pork Chop Sandwich, Dad and I ordered some steak street tacos from the Sammy’s Mexican Kitchen food truck, and they hit the spot.

The Cougars bats came alive with four runs in the bottom in the second against Monarchs starter Kevin Milam, capped off by a three-run homer from Kane County center fielder Armond Upshaw. The home team added another run in the third and two more in the fourth to chase Milam from the game and take a 7-1 lead.

I took a stroll down the left-field line and found the Pride Craft Beer Cave — a huge, walk-in cooler filled with more than 100 brands of beer. Oh, what a hoppy feeling! Every ballpark should have one of these. Every public venue should have one of these. My garage should have one of these.

There was some good dog-themed fun between innings, with dog-based trivia and fans cheering for their favorite pups in attendance. Kids also ran a burrito-wrapping relay race, stacking multiple “ingredients” on tin foil one at a time before racing with the finished product to the finish line. (Watch the episode!)

Kansas City pulled two runs back in the fifth to make it 7-3, but the Cougars seemed to be cruising to victory. In the top of the seventh, however, a leadoff double, two walks, and a single made the score 7-5. Monarchs catcher Herbert Iser followed with a three-run blast, and, improbably, Kansas City took an 8-7 lead.

Kane County got a runner on second in the eighth inning but could not push the tying run across. In the bottom of the ninth, Upshaw singled and stole second to keep the home team’s hopes alive. Down to the final out, designated hitter Todd Lott delivered, bringing Upshaw home with a single to tie it 8-8. The crowd exploded.

Beginning the 10th inning with a runner on second, the Monarchs got two singles and retook the lead, 9-8. This time, the Cougars could not answer. An intentional walk with the runner on second led to a game-ending double play, and our home teams dropped to 1-3 after four games.