More fun with the Dans

We headed back to Danville on Saturday for our second double-header of the season. The Dans are still atop the CICL, with two weeks left in the season. The tension was mounting, and the Quincy Gems were in town! Our previous game was a Wednesday night, and the stadium was maybe a third full. But apparently there's nothing else to do in Danville on a Saturday night than take in 14 innings of baseball, cause the place was nearly packed. We had to improvise a parking space, which we did a ways away from the field. (Our previous trip taught us that foul balls break windshields. Not ours, but others.)


Oh Captain, My Captain. Sir Crunch was the big draw. He even threw out the first pitch. I'm amazed that he could see well enough to come within five feet of home plate. Did I mention that I used to have a Captain Crunch doll when I was a kid?


I enjoyed a pretzel with mustard and two "sliders" -- dogs with onions, yellow mustard, and nacho cheese. Mmmmm. I was the Designated Driver, so no Goose Island for me. Here, Chris ponders the delight that is brain freeze, mid sno-cone.


The games were a bit of a bore this time around. In Game 1, the Dans lost 4-0. They had the bases juiced twice, but couldn't come up with any clutch hits. (I don't recall seeing a single extra base hit the entire night.) Sadly, there would be no polka music piped through Danville Stadium until Game 2, when the Dans finally scored in the bottom of the second. There was nearly a brawl in Game 2, as the Quincy pitcher had a bit of Ricky Vaughn in him. He plunked three batters in just four innings. We left after the fourth inning, missing the Dans offensive explosion which led to their 8-1 win.

Interesting note that I think I forgot to mention last time: The Dans put their players to work. Here they're hosing down the field between games.


The highlight of the night for me: my third foul ball of the baseball season! A vicious foul line drive flew over our heads, bouncing off the backdrop of the stadium and bouncing back down the seats and coming to rest a couple rows below me. I grabbed it and once again turned it over to a kid. I gotta say, they don't mind using scuffed balls in Danville. Must be a cost-conscious move so they can keep their tickets so cheap.