Pulse: Potential Slammers owner won’t rule out big-league affiliation
October 7, 2012 7:26PM
Josh Schaub, from Joliet Community Baseball and Entertainment LLC talks to members of the city council baseball committee at city hall in Joliet, IL on Monday October 1, 2012. The group he is with is trying the buy the Slammers baseball team | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 9, 2012 6:05AM
Josh Schaub, who leads the group that hopes to buy the Slammers, suggested that affiliated baseball in Joliet is not out of the question.
“We’re committed to the Frontier League,” Schaub told the Joliet City Council last week.
The Slammers and all Frontier League teams are not affiliated with Major League Baseball. And territorial restrictions that keep an affiliated team from Joliet generally have been considered insurmountable.
Schaub, however, noted that there are many changes on the horizon in baseball.
He did not mention the Chicago Cubs’ recent announcement that its A-level minor league team would be moved to Kane County, but major league teams have been bringing their farm teams closer to home.
“If the consumer demand is there for affiliated baseball in Joliet, we have to hear that demand,” Schaub said.
Walsh brochures OK
The Will County state’s attorney’s office responded last week to a complaint from Will County Board member Cory Singer, R-Frankfort, about his opponent in the race for Will County executive, incumbent Larry Walsh. The Elwood Democrat was handing out official Will County government brochures, including one with a glowing description of his years in office, at campaign events. Singer said he didn’t think it was right to use taxpayer-funded documents at campaign events.
An opinion from Assistant State’s Attorney Phil Mock said candidates can use such literature if it doesn’t say “vote for” or “vote against” a person or a referendum. So Walsh didn’t violate state law or the county’s ethics act, Mock wrote.
Airport parking plan
When City Manager Tom Thanas explained Joliet’s plans for a multimodal transportation center downtown to a county board’s finance committee last week, board member Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, asked if long-term parking was part of the plan.
Thanas said it was and that it would cost only $1 a day. He said he’s talking to several commercial bus lines trying to arrange a deal where they transport people to the airports from Joliet.
“Our goal is to have Joliet and Will County residents travel anywhere in the world without having to drive their car outside of Will County,” he said.
Call me, maybe
Traynere was among 17 Walmart warehouse sit-in participants who were arrested a week ago in Elwood. The group was encouraged by event organizers to leave all personal belongings behind, other than an ID, and to memorize a telephone number if they needed one to get bailed out of jail.
“We have permanent ink if you want to write on your arm,” offered Mark Meinster, a Warehouse Workers for Justice organizer.
Alex Han, a volunteer, had some extra pre-arrest advice.
“As you get handcuffed, clench your hands to make your fists as big as possible,” he said. “That will make sure you have a bit of wiggle room.”
Bob Okon and Cindy Wojdyla Cain contributed to Pulse.
