On Once In a Lifetime
 |
| Northwestern Medicine Field, 2025 |
Friday, May 16, 2025
Milwaukee Milkmen vs. Kane County Cougars
Northwestern Medicine Field
American Association
Geneva, IL
6:30 PM
Outside the Game:
For once, my wake-up time was even too early for the hotel breakfast, so I had to busy myself (which I did by upgrading my seat for tomorrow's flight home) until the buffet opened, and I was allowed to eat. The similar and long hallways of the hotel got me quite lost going back to my room, as I didn't have little signs pointing the way to the lobby to help me out.
I eventually returned successfully, and I kept napping once I went back to bed, unopposed by an early ballgame. I determined that this was because for the first time in perhaps over a year, my back was in working order from all the soaking the jacuzzi the night before.
Even my laziness has an end, and after a time, I got dressed and went out into the world, heading to a historic working farm nearby, Kline Creek. As with all the ballgames for most of the week, the farm was overrun by school groups. The farm itself was quite nice, with a farmhouse, outbuildings, animals, and several small exhibits. I got to talking with the tour guide outside the farmhouse, who apologized to me that I would be getting the kid-oriented tour, which I assured him was okay. He said I should come back another day, when I explained that it would be a bit of a commute. He suggested the Volo car museum as a place to see, and I decided to see that the next day on my way to the airport, as I had time to kill.
 |
| Chops on the hoof |
All the schoolboys were entranced by the cows and pigs, and it was always the funniest thing in the world when one of them pooed. The attention and pets from the children was clearly overloading one of the sheep, who was pressing himself under the fence to get more affection. I would hear later that one of the sheep had gotten loose, and I strongly suspect I know the culprit.
 |
| Sunken Garden |
I hit the store and left, driving up to a small, free zoo in nearby Aurora ("Excellent!") The Phillips Park Zoo was a fine little endeavor, with a sunken garden and a small museum to mastodons as part of the complex. I eventually went back to the hotel and went to the restaurant on the corner again for lunch, this time sitting in the sports bar area and watching the cross-town Sox-Cub match-up on the TV. The meatloaf special wasn't available, but I had a steak sandwich that was quite adequate.
I went back to the hotel for a nap and almost slept too long. I grabbed my game bag and jumped in my car for the short drive to the park, and after getting fleeced on parking, I walked over to the park, took some outside photos, grabbed a ticket, and went in.
The game ended early, and I was one of the first to my (now incredibly dust-covered) car, making it back to the hotel in time before the fireworks display started, able to watch it from the parking lot of hotel. I settled in and went straight to the jacuzzi for another abbreviated night of soaking, eventually dragging myself to bed.
The Stadium & Fans:
 |
| Home plate to center field, Northwestern Medicine Field |
Another "rolls-off-the-tongue" name of Northwest Medicine Field is located in the heart of suburbia and seemed a little more upscale than the other parks, especially their parking prices. The park was more manicured into its surrounding and crowded by buildings, with the three main entrances as the ways in, and not much to be seen on the outside.
Once inside, the layout was quite familiar, with a promenade running above the seating area, but only going from right field to left field. Two special picnic areas anchored each field corner, in front of picnic berms, which eventually turned into the seating bowl that ran from first to third. The seemingly mandatory second level of press and luxury boxes right above the seating bowl, and the scoreboard cluster was out in left-center. There was a little more in the park than the average for the week, with food carts, a play area, and a jacuzzi display for some reason in right field. A small commemorative plaque to the local politician who brought the team in is by an entrance and the championship banners are on the right-field wall.
There was very little going on between innings, perhaps because of the odd weather, or maybe they just don't do that here, but they did have a nice enough crowd, even for this disreputable night.
At the Game with Oogie:
 |
| Loaded and dangerous (to my heart) |
This was an odd night for a variety of reasons. I procured tickets right in front of the dugout since it was a night game and quite overcast anyway.
I did my rounds upon entering the park, taking pictures, buying memorabilia, and then scarfing down a fully loaded brat. I made it to my seat in the sparsely populated area behind the visiting dugout, at least temporarily. Rain began falling in the first that became severe enough to retreat up to the covered overhang bleachers further up the stands for the duration of the rain, which quickly turned into a dust storm. This was the first dust storm of any appreciable size in this area in living memory, and while we apparently just got a glancing blow, the sky was darkened red and all the cars in the parking lot after the game were discovered coated in at least a thin layer of dirt. It was, of course, a first for me, and completed the set of baseball delays or events for the four Greek elements (water [obvious], fire [also obvious], air [dangerous winds], and now earth [dust storm]).
 |
| Some weather blows in |
I eventually returned to my original seat, dried it off, and hunkered down for the rest of the game once I was assured that there were no more biblical plagues coming.
The Game:
 |
| First pitch, Milkmen vs. Cougars |
In an evening that was more about what was going on around the field as opposed to on it, this contest between the Milkmen and the Cougars went from close game to mid-inning blow-out rather quickly.
The Milkmen started off in the first with a homer to dead center, staking them to a 1-0 lead. Kane County used the rain to their advantage, as a walk and three singles (the last of which was just lost in the increasing rain) turned into two runs, flipping the lead, 2-1. Milwaukee kept to the script and had another solo homer in the top of the second to tie it, 2-2, while the Cougars kept to their singles attack, with three more turning into another run to take back the lead, 3-2. As the dust storm settled in, the Milkmen went in order in the third, while Kane County just had a walk to show for their half.
Milwaukee stranded a hit batsman and a single in the fourth, while the Cougars went in order. Things picked back up in the fifth, as the Milkmen turned two doubles and two walks into three runs, surging back out in front, 5-3. Kane County went in order again. Milwaukee stranded a triple in the top of the sixth, while the Cougars could only manage stranding a single in the bottom of the frame.
Things got out of hand for the Milkmen in the top of the seventh. Two singles and two walks converted into three more runs, pulling away at 8-3. Kane County only had a single to answer them in the last half of the inning. In the eighth, the Milwaukee had a single and stolen base and a two-base wild pitches turn into another run (while also stranding a two-out triple), to pull the lead to 9-3. The Cougars finally got on the board again with two walks and an error plating a run, making it 9-4. The Milkmen weren't done in the ninth, with a nice array of q triple, double, and single bringing in two more runs to make it 11-4. Kane County struck out in order after a walk to start the bottom of the ninth, sending to home fans home dusty and sad with an 11-4 loss.
The Scorecard:
 |
| Milwaukee Milkmen vs. Kane County Cougars, 05/16/25. Milkmen win, 11-4 |
In a small miracle, the Cougars had a had scorecard hat I used with the erasable pens. They actually sold the scorecard separate for $1, and I promptly lost one in the wind before sheepishly going back to the team store to buy another.
It was nice scorecard and on cardstock, stacked on one page. There were nine player lines and four pitcher lines, each with the average cumulative statistics. There were ten innings, with run/hits totals at the bottom of each column. There was no pre-written diamond, and each scoring square was big enough for the task. The only fill-ins were for opponent, date, and time, and there were delineated areas for notes.
I, of course, made a note about the rain and dust storm. In the bottom of the first, the rain let a ball get lost which was scored an--at the time--critical hit. A double in the top of the fifth was dropped at the wall, and a two-base scoring error on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth was completely lost by the catcher. In the bottom of the eighth, the second baseman made the first half of a double-play unassisted at second and threw the ball away, leading to a run, and in the top of the ninth, another double was really another dropped ball, this time by the shortstop.
And, although there were plenty of "almosts" during this trip, the Milkmen's DH got a sombrero.
The Accommodations:
I was at the Comfort Inn & Suites Geneva- West Chicago again, and I spent a good deal of time there this day, between the lazy morning and the pre-game naps and whatnot.
The jacuzzi tub was an absolute life saver, and booking this room was among my top two decisions on this trip.
On Leaving Wanting More
 |
| Volo Museum |
Clifton, NJ
Outside the Game:
I was up early and down to breakfast again as it opened, retreating back to bed for a nap or two. I eventually shook myself awake enough to do final packing up and planning before checking out an noon.
I stopped for gas and then, on the suggestion of the person at the farm museum the day before, I head to the Volo Museum, helpfully located in Volo, Illinois. I had no idea what to expect except a "car museum," but this place was much more than that. It was as if a car dealership, a Chuck E. Cheese, and several roadside attractions all melded together and had a weird, awesome baby.
 |
| Hangers full of cars |
Starting as a classic car mall of several airplane hangers worth of cars for sale, they also have exhibits on the evolution of other vehicles, such as campers, boats, and snowmobiles, as well as exhibit of famous TV and movie cars with hilariously bad mannequins, and a token system where you can pay to gain admittance to little side attractions, including the history of torture and Chicago organized crime. And that's not even mentioning the pizza restaurant with their animatronic band, the classic midway and arcade games (also token powered), and a separate admission Titanic exhibit, Jurassic Garden, antiques superstores, and narrated train rides that I didn't even have time to try out.
 |
| Why not? |
This thing was kitsch Disneyland. And speaking of, they have three original vacuum mold wax figurine makers from Disneyland, and for $10, suckers such as myself can get a wax Mickey figurine made as they wait.
 |
| Wax factory |
I only wish I knew to come on a day when I had more time. As it was, I was rushing at the end to see just the first museum as I had to head out to the airport. The drive was easy, and I was able to turn in my rental car and head to the terminal with no great effort.
My ticket upgrade had the proper boarding group this time, and my only hiccup was a secondary bag check because my LED antique light looks very bomb-like in the scanner. I found my gate and got something to eat. In my final middle finger to Chicago, I got a flat slice of pizza.
I boarded right when my group was called and was able to get some overhead space a row or two behind me for settling into my extra leg room seat. We left a little late, for no appreciable reason, but at least there was no kid kicking my seat all flight.
We landed around on time, and I had to take a long walk to the shuttle bus to the airtrain, which took me back to the long-term lot, where my car thankfully still resided. I packed up, paid my blood money, and headed home for a night of laundry, organization, and sitting in a massage chair.
The Accommodations:
Home, sweet, Clifton finally again
