Kane County Employee Will Throw Out First Pitch During ‘Pro Wrestling Night’ at Thursday’s Cougars Game
Pro wrestling legends the Million Dollar Man and Sgt. Slaughter might be on the card at Thursday night at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, but the real main event will feature Kane County Court Services employee Alicia Klimpke.
Klimpke is set to throw out the first pitch as our own Kane County Cougars get set for their Class A Minor League smackdown against the accursed Quad Cities River Bandits. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. game, broadcast on WBIG 1280 AM starting at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, July 23, 2015.
The first pitch is part of a pre-game ceremony honoring 33 Kane County employees with 20 or more years of service. Among the employees are Klimpke, Candy Allen of the Circuit Clerk’s Office, Diane Homan of the Kane County Clerk’s Office, Sean Madison of the Office of Emergency Management and Aldo Alba of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
After Kane County employees take a pre-game parade around the field, County Board Vice Chairman Drew Frasz will stop at home plate and award the five employees with certificates of appreciation and service pins.
For the record and for any tax watchdogs out there, all Kane County employees and their family members are paying their own way to the game.
Right now, the Cougars are one of baseball’s hottest teams, winning 26 of last 29 games under first-year manager Mark Grudzielanek. The Class-A Minor League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks has put together a hot streak that has rivaled any 30-day stretch in the organization’s 25-year history.
Last season, Kane County was named Minor League Baseball’s “Team of the Year” after winning a franchise record 91 games and 98 overall games that included a perfect seven-win postseason. The historic season culminated in the Midwest League title, the first championship for the Cougars since the 2001 team which featured present-day big league stars such as Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez.
In addition to Professional Wrestling Night, Thursday’s game also will feature
- A free 25th anniversary T-shirt for the first 1,500 fans 21 and older, courtesy of Miller Lite.
- A pre-game performance by the Geneva Park District.
- A post-game wrestling-themed fireworks show. (We are not making this up.)
- And, of course, fans can run the bases after the game.
SOURCES: Kane County, Kane County Cougars website and press releases
