Putting a little polish on the gem that is Elfstrom Stadium

It was a cold and damp day, but my son and his buddies found a new haven of fun - rolling down a steep grassy hill. That hill was pretty large, and there were grassy areas on both sides of this new "playground" that would be called Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars.

The Cougars were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles at this first minor league baseball game in Kane County in the spring of 1991. Fans were enthusiastic about entering a new era of entertainment in the Valley and, unlike the kids on the lawns, many had their favorite seats already claimed.

I remember longtime St. Charles residents Orv Jones and Herb Birk and their wives in front-row, season-ticket seats behind the visiting team's dugout. And then there was the late Gordy Volkman, the county treasurer whom you could count on to be decked out in his Cubs jacket, sitting right behind home plate.

I think of that first game often when seeing the current $10.5 million construction project that will bring the stadium a new "wow" factor, with a second deck and all sorts of upgrades to go along with the already-impressive group party areas in the outfield and along the concourses.

It's come a long way since those lawn seats, which still remain, and a simple set of box seats introduced us to local professional baseball. With a mild winter, construction should stay on schedule and fans will see these impressive improvements next season.

Snooze and lose: OK, here's the question. If my beloved and bungling Chicago Cubs had been in the World Series, would I still have been falling asleep around 10:30 p.m. when most of the games were coming to exciting conclusions? Granted, one of the games was delayed by rain and finished about 1:30 a.m., and another was suspended because of lousy weather after six innings and finished two days later, but overall my inability to stay focused on the World Series was kind of scary.

The World Series is a bad joke for young kids who never get to see the end of a game, but I shouldn't be falling asleep, should I? Alas, I didn't make it to the end of most of this year's games. Come on, Lou, keep me awake next year!

Scarlet not his color: Ron Kerr of Geneva figured he was in for one of those "dream Saturdays" in Chicago - taking in a DePaul soccer game with a friend who had a son on the Blue Demons' team, and then the Blackhawks vs. the Detroit Red Wings that night.

Growing up in Detroit makes Kerr a die-hard Detroit and University of Michigan fan. So he sported his Michigan sweatshirt for his day of fun. Later that day, he figured his wardrobe choice wasn't the best.

In between the soccer and hockey games, Kerr and his friend decided to visit McGee's sports bar on the DePaul campus.

As they were walking in, his friend announced, "I think this is an Ohio State bar hangout." And it was.

In realizing the peril of walking onto Ohio State turf with "Michigan" emblazoned across his chest, Kerr felt his heart rate go up a few beats.

"My face got so red, it probably blended in with the scarlet of Ohio State," Kerr said.

For the next few hours, Kerr kept his sweatshirt hidden and when leaving the bar, kept his arms crossed to cover up his allegiance.

"I know when to cut my losses," Kerr said, referring to the reality that this would not be a season in which to boast of being a Michigan fan in a swarm of Buckeyes.

Keep them warm: It was fun to have another dose of warm weather earlier this week, but the reality is we're entering the season in which we need our warm, warm coats.

We use those so often around here, we usually have plenty of them in our closets. Elburn firefighters are counting on that in hoping area residents will drop off coats and jackets at various collection locations in a drive to help those in need.

The winter coats will be delivered to Lazarus House in St. Charles for distribution. Unfortunately, the timing is great for a coat drive. Volunteers at Lazarus House have been telling local service organizations that the bad economy has increased the number of families and residents in need of things many of us take for granted.

Drop off those coats at either Elburn fire station, the community center, or the library. More information is available at onewarmcoat.org.

dheun@sbcglobal.net