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talent, local flare all over city of champions cup by mark gregory editorial director
@Hear_The_Beard mark@buglenewspapers.com
PHOTO BY MARK GREGORY
dgs grad Zac taylor is one of seveal local players in the city of champions cup.
Major League Baseball will return this week for the first time in 2020, however, they will do so in COVID-19 world that does not allow fans in the seats. For local fans that want to sit in the seats and watch a game instead of on TV, look no further than Joliet. Last weekend was the kick-off of the City of Champions Cup — a 4-team, 27-game season that will play all games at DuPage Medical Group Field and end Sept. 2. Teams are be made up of players from Frontier League, which cancelled all play this season, players that are unable to play for other independent teams and those from minor league baseball affiliated teams — which also saw its season cancelled. The Cup teams — The Slammers. NERDS Herd, Deep Dish and Tully Monsters — are littered with talent that even include players that have experience in the professional ranks. The NERDS Herd features two of those players in Ian Kroll and Char-
lie Tilson — both Chicago area players that saw time in the big leagues. Tilson spent part of last season with the Chicago White Sox where he had 157 plate appearances in 43 games. He posted 33 hits, five doubles and 12 RBI, including his first big league home run — a grand slam off a Josh James’ 98-mph fastball to help the Sox defeat the Astros. Tilson was a free agent this season and was looking for a place to work his way back to the majors. With all those opportunities canceled, the 27-year-old Wilmette native found a home in centerfield of DuPage Medical Group Field. “You have to play where your feet are and this is a great opportunity and I would like to help this team win,” Tilson said. “I have a different role as one of the veterans and there are a lot of exciting young players. “I was really excited when I heard about it, but to have the opportunity to keep playing and especially close to home, it is great to be here.” Kroll spent parts of six seasons in the majors with Washington, Detroit, Atlanta and most recently the Los Angeles Angles in 2018. The experience level varies
from guys like Kroll and Tilson to Brandon Weathers, a catcher from Bolingbrook that last played in 2017 and made the league off an open tryout. He plans to learn all he can from the veterans and keep his career going. “I am still young and I want to see what happens next year,” he said. “This is an opportunity for me. I met Charlie my first day here and I was trying to learn. I am a student of the game and any advice I get, I am all ears.” The league also features a pair of former teammates on the 2014 Downers Grove South team in Pete Hamot and Zac Taylor. Hamot finished his career at Lewis University in 2019 and was job hunting when the opportunity came to keep playing. “This really couldn’t have worked out any better,” he said. “I was looking for a job, now I get to keep playing close to home.” Hamot was the opening day starter for the NERDS Herd and plans to learn from the vets on his team.
see ‘basebaLL’ page 4