Baseball is in the air.
The Chicago Cubs started with a competitive 6-3 won-loss record in the Central Division of the National League and two games in back of first-place Pittsburgh, 9-2. The Chicago White Sox have been hard-pressed to be competitive with a starting record of 1-9, three games behind the team just ahead off them in the American League Central Division, the Minnesota Twins, with a record of 4-7. The 162-game schedule will run through September and test teams’ endurance and injury problems.
There are four minor league baseball teams which will begin May 9 or May 10. Minor League attendance in our four-county area generally has been good, in spite of doubts in the early part of the 2000s. Teams to draw interest include the Kane County Cougars in Geneva’s Kane County, Schaumburg Boomers in Cook County, east of Kane County, Joliet Slammers and Crestwod Thunderbolts in Will County.
The rain is just letting up a bit to allow high school and community college baseball teams to play baseball. The high school State tournaments will be in early June.
•Marmion Academy in Aurora earlier this week announced it will be host to a dedication and blessing of its new varsity baseball field. Marmion’s event will begin at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, and the renovated field officially will be called Regole Park, 1000 Butterfield in Aurora.
The funding for the project was made possible by a huge Marmion booster, the late Ed Regole, a 1950 Marmion graduate, whose generous bequest allowed the new field, with an artificial turf infield. According to the Marmion Academy press release, “Regole was a treasured and committed friend of Marmion from the day he graduated until the day he died. He and his wife, Vivienne’s’ generous support through the years allowed Marmion to make multiple and very impactful enhancements to its facilities, including the Regole Natatoriun, The Regole Science Center, The Regole Field House, and most recently, Regole Stadium. His generous bequest has allowed Marmion to make multiple state-of-the-art renovations its athletic facilities, benefitting six sports and the band program, renovations that will have lasting impact on the Marmion community and on generations of students for years to come
‘“Marmion was a special place to Ed, he considered his gifts through the years to be his legacy’ said director of Planned Giving and longtime friend, Fr. Charles Reichenbacher, OSB, Marmion Class of 1959.”
•Last gasp for the Division I college basketball season: The University of South Carolina women’s team proved to be too big, too deep, and showed a team must have more than a one-person scoring machine. South Caroline defeated the University of Iowa, 87-75. Iowa used Caitlin Clark’s scoring to reach the championship game. South Carolina won the game, 87-75. Clark scored 30 points to finish her four-year scoring record with 3,951 points, a record for women’s and men’s Division I college basketball. Next for Clark will be the Women’s National Basketball Association. Clark holds scoring records and can shoot well, what was most impressive was her accurate and uncanny passing ability. She could find the open payer when the opponents’ defense collapsed on her.
•Team basketball prevailed for the University of Connecticut in the men’s game Monday evening. Balamce amd defense led the Huskies to a successful defense of its championship won last season. The wonderful team offense for the Huskies was too much for the talented and tall (7-4 Zach Edey) Purdue Boilermakers, the Big Ten Conference hope.
•What are the hopes in Illinois for college basketball? Northwestern has qualified for the tournament three times, including each of the last two years, so it is in the beginning stages, although Northwestern had two excellent years, 1931 and 1933, prior to the start of the 1939 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Illinois long respected for good men’s basketball teams, still has ground to make up with the elite teams, North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, Duke. Illinois has qualified for five Final Fours in NCAA tournament play. North Carolina qualified 21 times for the Final Four, Kentucky 17, UCLA, 18, Duke, 17. Illinois has not won the NCAA championship and made it to the Final Four five years. Connecticut won its sixth national championship and has been to the Final Four seven times.