Normal CornBelters fans seem to know the difference between when their favorite team is up to performing (as seen by their ability to stay in the chase for a Frontier League playoff spot their first two seasons); Being unable to compete (as witnessed last season); and returning to a more competitive form this season.

But the ‘Belters have been streaky, in both directions, this season, and although that has been the case, left-handed pitcher Jacob Liedka has enjoyed this season’s ride a little more than he did as a member of last year’s squad.

When pitcher Ryan Demmin was picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies for their minor league system earlier this month, Manager Brooks Carey slid the 25-year-old Liedka into the rotation, and he has proven effective in his starts since then. Since entering the rotation at that point, as of Tuesday, Liedka is 1-1 with a 3.60 earned run average.

“Jacob stepped into the starting rotation in place of Demmin and has had three great starts right out of the bullpen,” since then, Carey explained. “He has thrown the ball as well as anyone on the team.”

“Last year was rough,” Liedka said. “Anytime you’re losing games like that, it’s a grind. It just wears you down real quick. But this year has been completely different because we’ve been winning 9 or 10 games straight, and although we’ve also had losses of 9 or 10 games straight, it’s still a lot more fun to come to the ball park when you have a chance to win every day.”

Liedka said those winning streaks “have been a ton of fun. We were just playing with confidence every day and putting up a ton of runs. Our pitching staff was just unreal.”

That streakiness, in one direction or another in terms of wins or losses is just something players live with in independent ball, Liedka said. “It’s a completely different team, almost, every year,” he said, explaining what it feels like to play on teams that experience it. “You really don’t know what to expect.

“But streaks are just part of the game,” the San Antonio, Texas native added. “We’ve just been working through it.”

Liedka’s goal for the remaining week of the regular season: “Finish strong and don’t coast, and just keep on trucking through it. If I do that, everything will take care of itself.”

The improvement in the win-loss column and its relationship to the number of folks coming through The Corn Crib’s turnstiles is something that hasn’t been lost on the players, Liedka said.

“I feel like the fans are just more into the game this year,” Liedka said. He added that even when family vacations might keep local folks away from the ball park, attendance has seemed to him to be up from what it was last season.

John-Luke And Sadie From “Duck Dynasty” Visit Corn Crib Sunday: The Florence Freedom will have visited The Corn Crib for the last time this season, ending a three-game series Thursday at 7p.m. The Windy City Thunderbolts will be in for three games, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 30-Sept. 1. Friday and Saturday games will be at 7p.m., and Sunday’s contest starts at 6p.m.

From John-Luke Robertson and Sadie Robertson, two of the young stars of the A&E Network hit “Duck Dynasty” will be on hand to sign autographs and meet fans on Sunday from 6:15p.m.-8p.m. The pair will throw out first pitches at 6p.m. The team gets Monday, Sept. 2, off for Labor Day before hosting the last three game series of the season against the Rockford Aviators Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 3-5. The CornBelters will celebrate “Fan Appreciation Night” on Sept. 5.

With The Clock Ticking….: As Carey put it to me when we spoke earlier this week, “Here’s where we are with clock ticking…”

“It would have been a lot easier for us if we could have gone to Traverse City and won a game or two,” the first-season CornBelters manager said, drawing back on the three straight losses his team suffered at the hands of the Beach Bums on the road. Those losses followed Normal’s setting a new team record win streak of six straight.

“Ideally, at this point in the season, we’d like to get to 49 wins for the season,” Carey said. Doing that would give Normal a 49-47 record for the year, and the best record the team has ever had since coming into existence in 2010. “To do that,” Carey said, “We’re going to have to go 7 and 2 on this home stand. It’s entirely possible we could do that with the way we play at home.”

Carey characterized the way the ‘Belters have swung the bats on the road for the last month as “horrendous. We haven’t given ourselves a chance to win many games on the road in the last month and that has put us in that position.”

He added closing the last home stand of the year with a 6-3 record would put the team at .500 for the year – someplace the team has never reached in the previous four years. In two years with the club, Hall Of Famer Hal Lanier racked up 90 wins; Chad Parker could only squeeze out 29 victories in his lone season here last year.

“We’re not satisfied with it, but a .500 record would be something to build on for next year,” Carey said. “Seven and two would be fantastic and I think we have a shot at it, but, we have to play well every night.”

BLOOMINGTON – As Illinois Wesleyan University head football coach Norm Eash sees things as training camp opens for his team, the Titans are already 1-0 by virtue of an exhibition win over the Finland National Team last spring.

And even before diving into the season schedule, Eash is optimistic about his team’s chances of improving on the 6-4 overall mark the Titans registered in 2012, which included 3-4 record, placing his team fifth in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Sometimes, things happen to get your attention, and maybe, last year was a season that we had to go through a little bit to learn for this season,” Eash theorized during an interview at IWU Football Media Day on Friday on the Tucci Stadium turf.

A rash of injuries and a trifecta of losses to three of IWU’s top CCIW opponents – Wheaton, North Central, and Elmhurst College, all of whom grabbed a share the conference championship at the end of last season – caused the Titans go from beginning the season with a strong 6-0 showing to winding up with what became their end result. “We played a real tough part of our schedule when we played our last four games on the road against the league’s three top teams,” Eash reminded.

“We do have a lot of experience coming back on both sides of the ball,” added Eash, who will patrol the sidelines for his 27th season. “We expect great things from this squad.”

Senior Stinde Looking To “Play My Role”: For senior wide receiver T. J. Stinde, the challenge will be getting through the 2013 season pain- and injury-free. He said he considered doing that by not playing his senior year. But then he had second thoughts.

What with various injuries dating back to his high school days in Lexington, now “being a senior, I’m going to go out there and provide whatever I can for the team.” His right knee is an on-going injury he is dealing with, he said, adding, “But I think we’ve got it managed at this point, the 5 foot-10, 205 pound former Minutemen running back explained. “It’s something I’ll be able to play with all year, hopefully.” That’s in spite of there being virtually no cartilage in that knee.” What cartilage that’s present has been injected by doctors, he explained. “But that wears away.”

His knee isn’t the only part of his body Stinde said is in need of mending and of concern to him. He injured a wrist in high school and a shoulder suiting up for the Titans. For his own protection this season, he declined to indicate which shoulder was previously injured.

During the Titans’ excursion to Finland this spring, Stinde rested his body as much as possible in preparation for action. During the overseas game, “I was fresh,” he explained. “I hadn’t been that fresh in a long time.”

His expectations for the season are “not necessarily to be a role-player, but to play my role.” That might mean not as many carries as he has seen in the past, but he should receive some handoffs.

“My one thing is I want to do is stay healthy my senior year,” Stinde said. “That’s it. There were peaks and valleys whether I thought I would return. But that being said, I’m here and I’m glad I could be here. I’m definitely going to finish this season out.”

“T. J. is a gamer,” Eash said. “When he goes out on the field he is, even with all the injuries he’s had, a play-maker. It’s very important to him to help us with this season. He’s capable of winning ball games. We look to get him the ball.”

Laible “Excited For The Challenge”: For Donavan Laible, the 2013 season will be a season of learning. The former Minutemen quarterback knows it’s not likely he will see any time under center for a couple of seasons, anyway. ’I’m excited for the challenge,” said the 6 foot-1, 190 pound Laible. “I have to learn a whole new playbook, a whole new system, and get used to competing at a higher level.”

Having a book from which to work with to know routes on the field will be another item Laible will have to get used to, he said. At Lexington, “the coaches just drew up the plays on a board and I just had to memorize them,” he explained. “Having the book now is nice to have something to study off of at all times.”

Donavan was a great leader for Lexington,” Eash said. “And he’s a smart young man. I think he can do a lot of different things. It’s great to have another Lexington product here. When T. J. graduates, Donavan will be here for another three years. He was very mature, and was a leader at Lexington. Those are qualities that you look for in young men to help you build a program.”

Circle Your Calendars: IWU opens the 2013 season with two road games, at Aurora Sept. 7 and at Alma on Sept. 14. After a bye week on Sept. 21, the Titans first home game is against Hope College on Sept. 28 at 1p.m. North Central College is IWU’s Homecoming opponent on Oct. 12 in a 1:30p.m. game, and 2014 will mark IWU’s 125th season of football.

Baseball is said to be a uniquely American game. It has, however, been transplanted to places like Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Japan. But growing up in Hong Kong, 23-year-old T. J. Gavlik explains, the game didn’t catch on like it did elsewhere – and still lags in popularity there.

Gavlik knows this first hand because his parents began their teaching careers in Hong Kong when he was 2, and they are still there (his father teaches high school band; his mother is a fourth grade teacher). T. J. graduated high school there, obviously, but his high school did not form an organized baseball program until his freshman year in 2003-04. There had not been one there before then. And whereas most of us might be accustomed to the 30 or so games high school teams play regularly every season (before playoffs), Gavlik said his high school played three games and called it a season. That’s right, three games.

“I grew up playing the game with my dad and that was the most practice I got,” Gavlik said. “There were barely any leagues over there.” When he went to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville for college and play ball, Gavlik said he knew he was behind the curve as far as the American game was concerned.

“In my freshman year of college, it was harder for me to adapt to the game than it was for people who grew up here,” the CornBelters infielder explained. Pitches coming at him at 90 miles per hour, for example, took some adjusting to, particularly when that was 20 miles per hour faster than what he had been used to in high school. What’s more, until he got to college, Gavlik said, he “never faced a left-hander.”

“I have to give a lot credit to my dad,” Gavlik said of his father, Tim Gavlik. “He’d take me out to hit and throw, help me hit ground balls and stuff like that. I credit him a lot because he really pushed me a lot to stay with the game.”

“My head coach in college, Dusty Rhoades, stuck with me and helped me out along the way,” Gavlik added. Rhoades is now a hitting coach in the minors for the Milwaukee Brewers.

As a result of his experiences, Gavlik is likely to fit in wherever he lands in his baseball career, and beyond. He said his experience as a member of the Normal CornBelters “has been awesome so far.”

“Being a rookie, I didn’t know what to expect,” Gavlik said. “And I mean, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of everything from the competition in this league to our playing surface to the fans. What I found out was I’m really impressed with everything from the front office to the players and the coaches. I’m really enjoying and really loving it.”

Gavlik said he is encouraged about his chances to advance into baseball’s Class system as a result of being in the Frontier League. He said he wasn’t aware that players could get signed and move up to baseball’s minors as a result of being in places like Normal.

Being here has helped Gavlik because “I’m seeing a lot of pitching every day, and having good guys around me.”

“He’s really a very good person and a great teammate,” CornBelters Manager Brooks Carey said, complimenting Gavlik. “He has had some bad stretches this season, but we think he’s up to the game.”

Home Stretch Approaching: The CornBelters hosted the Rockford Aviators this past weekend and had Monday, Aug. 19 off to rest up for the three-game home stand against Lake Erie Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 20-22. They take to the road Friday through Sunday, Aug. 23-25 to play at Traverse City. They will begin their final home stand of the season Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 27-29 with a three-game series hosting the Florence Freedom. All three of those games begin at 7p.m.

NORMAL – City Manager Mark Peterson reiterated information to Normal Town Council members which had been given to the media via press release earlier in the day Monday concerning a successor to Robin Weaver, the Town’s Director of Public Works, who will be retiring in November. Peterson announced his intention to appoint Uptown Development Director Wayne Aldrich to the Public Works post. Aldrich would begin that job once Weaver has left.

Aldrich has been employed by the Town since November 1997 when he was appointed as Town Engineer. In April 2002, Aldrich was appointed by Peterson to coordinate the Uptown Renewal Plan as the Town’s Uptown Development Director. He will continue to serve in that position until he transfers to Public Works later this year.

“Wayne is a very skilled and proven leader as evidenced by his outstanding work on the Uptown project.” Peterson said in a written statement announcing the job change. “As an experienced Professional Engineer, Wayne has outstanding technical engineering and planning skills that will serve him very well in the Public Works Department. However, his excellent technical abilities are matched by his outstanding organizational skills and a very strong work ethic making him a very competent and successful manager.”

In his new role, Aldrich will continue maintaining some involvement in the Uptown Project. “Wayne will be continuing to maintain an active role in certain aspects of the Uptown project for the next two to three years,” Peterson added in his announcement. “He has been so instrumental in the success of Uptown that it would be foolish for us to completely sever his involvement with that project.”

Among the duties he would have that are tied to Uptown would be to continue coordinating some of the major public and private construction projects in the Uptown Area. He will continue to work with the various state and federal agencies, as well as Union Pacific Railroad on the implementation of the High Speed Rail initiative.

Before coming to the Town of Normal in 1997, Aldrich worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation. He holds a Civil Engineering Degree from the University of Illinois.

Connect Transit G. M. Provides Update: Connect Transit, the local bus service for the Twin Cities rearranged some of it routes officially on Aug. 12, prompting the company’s general manager, Andrew Johnson, to update Council members on the status of the operation as the new school year for Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University begins.

He said Connect Transit is anticipating receiving $540,000 from a grant from the Federal Transit Authority, and that phase one of the route retooling is “going well in terms of getting buses to destinations.” He said phase two of the retooling would come by late fall or early winter.

Johnson said the transit company is looking to raise $150,000 to pay for a study on improvements that could be added at bus stops and transfer points. He said a series of “listening sessions” transit officials had with members of the public in the late winter and early spring this year led Connect officials to see where such points should be placed, including studying existing transfer points like those located at popular stops like the Shoppes at College Hills.

If Johnson has a wish list for the bus system, the top items on it are: Buses providing earlier and later service hours; Sunday bus service; and local operating funding.

To that last point, Johnson told Council members, “We are letting the Council know, and we are talking to the City of Bloomington, too, we are looking for sources of local funding,” Johnson told Council members. He added that “if the frequency of routes is to ever increase, local funding of the transit system is critical.”

Johnson said Connect Transit receives 65 percent of its funding from the State of Illinois, 20 percent from Federal funding, and the rest of its income coming “from what gets dropped into the fare box.”

With Illinois State University students returning to class Monday, Johnson said, “ridership goes up 48 percent when students are in town.”

Israeli, Arab Visitors In Council Chambers: Among those in the Council Chambers prior to the meeting were 10 members of Friends Forever – five Israeli and five Arab students, age 16 and older – who had been spending the past couple of weeks in the Twin Cities participating in a number of bonding activities, including speaking to local groups.

Next Council Meeting On Tuesday, Sept. 3: In observance of the Federal holiday observed for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 2, the Council’s first meeting next month will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 3 in Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Normal City Hall, beginning at 7p.m.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of regular meeting held Aug. 5, 2013.

• Approval of Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of Aug.19, 2013.

• A motion to award the bid for a backhoe loader for the Town Water Department to Martin Equipment, Inc. at a total cost of $24,698 with trade.

• A motion to waive the formal bidding process and accept a quote from Minier-based Cross Implement for a replacement snow blower for sidewalk snow removal in the Uptown area.

• A motion to waive the formal bidding process and approve the purchase of a 2014 ambulance from Alexis, Ill.-based Alexis Fire Equipment at a total cost of $182,136.

• A motion to reject the bid for the Main Street Water Main Replacement Project.

• A motion to accept bids and authorize Town Staff to execute a contract to Bloomington-based Rowe Construction Co. in the amount of $174,414.63 for the road reconstruction project at Fairview Park.

• A motion to approve a bid and authorize Town Staff to enter into a contract with Bloomington-based Stark Excavating, Inc. for the demolition of 900 S. Linden St. and 611 S. Linden St. in the amount of $132,200, as well as the associated budget adjustments needed to the Community Development Block Grant Fund (CDBG) and General Fund for a total project budget of $167,420.

• A motion to accept bids for the Fiscal Year 2013-14 miscellaneous sidewalk improvements – 50/50 sidewalk and ADA Ramps Project and award a contract to Bloomington-based J. G. Stewart Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $69,880.

• A motion approving the annual renewal of the employee group Insurance Program.

• A resolution approving an agreement with Chestnut Global Partners for Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Services.

• A resolution authorizing the execution of an interlocal agreement between the Town of Normal, City of Bloomington, and County of McLean for the 2013 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant.

• A resolution authorizing execution of a service agreement with the lowest responsible bidder for the supply of electricity for residential and commercial retail customers who do not opt out of such a program.

• A resolution authorizing execution of an assignment of redevelopment agreement – Normal Flats LLC.

• An ordinance setting the public hearing for the creation of the Town of Normal North Normal Warehouse Tax Increment Redevelopment Plan and the Town of Normal North Normal Warehouse Tax Increment Redevelopment Project Area.

BLOOMINGTON – As Illinois Wesleyan University head football coach Norm Eash sees things as training camp opens for his team, the Titans are already 1-0 by virtue of an exhibition win over the Finland National Team last spring.

And even before even diving into the season schedule, Eash is optimistic about his team’s chances of improving on the 6-4 overall mark the Titans registered in 2012, which included 3-4 record, placing his team fifth in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Sometimes, things happen to get your attention, and maybe, last year was a season that we had to go through a little bit to learn for this season,” Eash theorized during an interview at IWU Football Media Day on Friday on the Tucci Stadium turf.

A rash of injuries and a trifecta of losses to three of losses to three of IWU’s top CCIW opponents – Wheaton, North Central, and Elmhurst College, all of whom grabbed a share the conference championship at the end of last season – caused the Titans go from beginning the season with a strong 6-0 showing to winding up with what became their end result. “We played a real tough part of our schedule when we played our last four games on the road against the league’s three top teams,” Eash reminded.

“We do have a lot of experience coming back on both sides of the ball,” added Eash, who will on the sidelines for his 27th season. “We expect great things from this squad.”

Morton Grad Backs Motivated As Senior Season Starts: Senior wide receiver Joel Backs quietly admits he did not see any playing time during his junior year in 2012, but is hoping that will change as the Titans look to get back into the CCIW championship race this year. That fact “motivates me to compete even harder with my teammates in camp,” explained the 6 foot, 180 pound Morton High School grad.

Backs was with the team when the Titans traveled overseas for their exhibition game and called the trip “amazing. It was the greatest trip of my life. That game was just a lot of fun, a lot of guys competing.”

“Joel is a senior and I expect all of our seniors to play a significant role in our season,” Eash said, adding, “Joel is one of those types of players who will do anything for you, and he will probably help on special teams. Being a receiver, we hope to get him on the field this season to catch some passes for us.”

Washington High Alum Harrell Looking “To Make An Impact”: “Hopefully, making an impact (on the field), and getting good grades” are on the priority list for incoming freshman running back Austin Herrell. “I also want to help other guys get better. That’s what I’m here for.”

“This is a new level of play for me,” Herrell admits to moving up to the college game from the high school ranks. “I believe Coach Eash and ( Washington head) Coach (Darrell) Crouch have some of the same qualities and morals. They both want their team to be the same way in that they’re hard working and humble.”

He may not have a major in mind currently, but once he gets out of college, Herrell said, he wants to make an impact of a different kind – by majoring in pre-med, and carrying on his post-graduate studies to become an orthopedic surgeon. Two injuries during the Panthers’ season last year prompted Herrell’s interest in the field: He severely sprained an ankle in the Panthers’ game against Pekin , and broke a wrist in playoff action against Metamora. For those, he had received treatment which included seeing an orthopedic surgeon.

“I just thought it was a cool practice,” Herrell said of the doctors whose specialty helped him heal.

“He was a top recruit for us,” Eash said of the 6 foot-3, 190 pound Washington Community High product. “We thought Austin would be a young man who could come over and help our program.” Eash touted a uniqueness Harrell has because of long strides he takes carrying the ball. “He’s got some height to him, great speed and is kind of deceptive (for opponents). We look for him to make an impact as a freshman.”

Squib Kicks: IWU opens the 2013 season with two road games, at Aurora (Sept. 7) and at Alma (Sept. 14)….After a bye week on Sept. 21, the Titans first home game is against Hope College on Sept. 28 at 1p.m…..North Central College is IWU’s Homecoming opponent on Oct. 12 in a 1:30p.m. game….2014 will mark IWU’s 125th season of football.