One has not been able to attend a Normal CornBelters game or read a write-up on our local Frontier League team these days without regularly running across the name Ryan Sheldon. In the latter weeks of the season, the 6 foot-6 pitcher has made his name known to both fans and his coaches.
First, Sheldon pitches a complete game shutout on the road against the Lake Erie Crushers on Aug. 19. Then, Aug. 25, he manages to extend the number of shutout innings to 32 in Normal’s 12-2 win over Western Division leading Southern Illinois.
It’s that kind of production that had Normal Manager Hal Lanier praising the Kearney, Neb. native. Lanier called Sheldon’s complete game against the Crushers “another quality outstanding start. He was very dominating against Lake Erie. He pitched nine innings. He didn’t give up any runs. He walked one guy, but that didn’t come ‘til the ninth inning.”
For five starts through the Lake Erie game, Lanier said Sheldon “has been on the top of his game.” Lanier said he has been fielding calls from teams with interest in the right hander, including scouts for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.
“Major league teams keep tabs on Independent League ballplayers to see who’s doing well and who isn’t doing well,” Lanier said. “Sheldon has had a lot of quality starts, and he’s on top of his game right now.” Lanier said an area scout representing the Phillies has gotten to see Sheldon (7 victories as of Sunday, tying him with teammate Brett Lester) in his last four outings.
“That scout has seen some good pitching along the way” as a result, Lanier said. With developments like that, I wish Sheldon luck trying to advance to the next level.
For those of you who might be curious about a breakdown of how the season has gone team-by-team for the CornBelters, I have gotten the breakdown for you, through Aug. 29. Against teams in their own Western Division, Normal is 25-26. Normal is 5-7 against Southern Illinois and 3-6 against division runner-up River City. Within the division, they have one three-game sweep (against Gateway), and been swept once (by River City).
Against Eastern Division foes, Normal is 17-19, as of Aug. 29. The Kalamazoo Kings were good for Normal in the CornBelters’ first year, as Lanier’s team owned a 5-1 edge over the Kings who had off-field issues before the season started. Those issues included having to find a new general manager and new field manager.
In six games each against Washington and Traverse City, Normal could only squeeze out a 3-3 draw with both clubs. Oakland County, despite being a traveling team most of the season while a new stadium is built; and Windy City took advantage of Normal being new, each of them winning five of six meetings over Normal.
Normal’s inaugural season concludes by winding up a three-game road trip on Thursday at River City. Friday through Sunday, Normal hosts the Florence Freedom Friday through Sunday. Sunday is “Fan Appreciation Day.”
While on the field, Normal was in the middle of the pack in the standings, from the business side of things, CornBelters President Steve Malliet appears pleased with his team’s attendance numbers. He said Normal has sold “the equivalent of 800 full season tickets.” He said that includes counting folks buying either full season tickets or “mini-plans,”– ticket plans purchased for just portions of the season schedule. Malliet estimates the team will end up having sold 50,000 group tickets. Groups have ranged between 20 and 3,000 fans.
Malliet said the Southern Illinois Miners’ quick start had an appeal to fans, because that club had former Class Triple-A players on their roster – something fans enjoyed seeing.
Malliet said if there were two negatives he heard about all season that will be addressed before the 2011 season opens, they were the parking and the landscaping around The Corn Crib.
Malliet said the CornBelters plan to schedule a couple roundtable discussions with panels of fans to “find out what they liked, what they thought we could improve on, and, maybe, they will come up with a great new idea that we will want to incorporate, as well, for next year.” That is not a bad idea. It is creative, and I have to admit, teams care about what concerns fans, but this would be different and welcome, I am sure. Watch for details about those roundtables.
One item Malliet thought was great was how understanding the fans were about “the challenges we had to get into the ball park by opening day.”
Malliet was referring to something we would all like to forget: Another tough snowy winter followed by yet another rainy spring. The combination caused some lost construction days for those building The Corn Crib.
“But you know what? People really understood that,” Malliet said. “They were great because they all lived through the bad weather. People who were building understood it was difficult to build last year. So, people were very understanding.
“I can’t wait to give the fans a ball park that is 100 percent next year,” Malliet said. “The reviews that people are giving me as they are leaving the park every night have been just nothing but positive.
“People are just excited about this,” he said. “They were surprised about how big The Corn Crib was, and how nice it was, and all the amenities.”
Malliet said fans should plan on attending some concerts next season. He said movie nights, both to be viewed on the big screen and in a drive-in format, are also being planned for next season. Something to look forward to as we all wait out the winter, right?
This is the last CornBelters column of 2010. The team, under Lanier, was eliminated mathematically from the Frontier League playoffs after losing to Southern Illinois Aug. 25. But Lanier announced his will return for the team’s second season in 2011 and I join the fans in being glad to hear that. From what I have seen, Hal has been a very good fit for Normal. Now that we all know what the Frontier League is like, and although fall is coming, can any of us hardly wait for May 2011, and the start of the CornBelters’ second season?
Well, let’s do this one step at a time. After all, the 2011 schedule will be out sometime in October.
My thanks to CornBelters President Steve Malliet, General Manager Kyle Kreger, Manager Hal Lanier, Community Relations Manager Jon Young, and the entire CornBelters staff for every assistance they provided me, and The Normalite in helping make this column a reality, as well as Editor Ed Pyne for giving me my first (and hopefully, continuing) opportunity to be a columnist. It has been an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, Corn Kernels will return next season to bring you readers the doings of our area’s newest sports team, the Normal CornBelters.