The New Team in Town

As a lifelong lover of America's pastime, I'm pretty fortunate that I live where I do.  Not only do I have two Major League Baseball clubs stationed in the metro area, but there's a bevy of minor league options scattered throughout the near suburban area.  The Kane County Cougars, Schaumburg Boomers, Joliet Slammers, Gary Railcats etc. are all stationed in communities within easy driving distance of my home base in Alsip.  Heck, the Windy City Thunderbolts home stadium is directly next door to my place of employment.  Plus, if that wasn't enough, there are a handful of semi-pro and collegiate summer league teams that play their home games in nearby parks - i.e., the Windy City Stars, Crestwood Panthers, Northwest Indiana Oilmen, et al.  As you can see, there's no shortage of options for this Chicagoland baseball fan to take in a game.

If that's not lucky enough, this summer, the roster of local teams has expanded by one:  the Chicago Dogs have begun play in 2018 as a new entry in the independent American Association.  With a moniker that bears tribute to the Windy City's culinary heritage (not a sandwich), the Dogs will christen the newly constructed Impact Field, near O'Hare Airport and next door to the Rosemont outlet malls, in just three days.

Being an unofficial airport shuttle for my friends and family, I've driven past this state-of-the-art new complex many times during it's construction, which has built my anticipation for this new team.  I may already have a ridiculous amount of options for sports entertainment, but I'm greedy and will always want more!  When the new club officially announced their inaugural roster a couple of weeks ago, my interest was only further stoked:

First of all, the roster on their website is depicted exactly as you see above, complete with a full, digital baseball card (taking direct inspiration from 1987 Donruss) for each and every Chicago Dog player.  I don't know about you, but I think every professional baseball team should have to list their roster in this manner!

Furthermore, these two names immediately stuck out to me:  Shawon Dunston, Jr. and Kyle Gaedele.  Of course, Shawon Dunston, Sr. spent roughly a decade as the live-armed, starting shortstop for my beloved Chicago Cubs and his son was eventually drafted by the franchise.  The younger Dunston plied his trade in the North Siders' system from 2012-16, only climbing as high as A+ ball, before being traded to the Giants.  Now, the fan-favorite returns to the Chicagoland area, patrolling the outfield for the Dogs.

Meanwhile, Kyle Gaedele has no outright connection to my favorite baseball team.  The local product was a Windy City prep star, eventually being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2011.  Peaking in AA, Kyle stepped away from the game after the 2016 season before being coaxed out of retirement to return to his hometown.  Besides his local connection, you might be asking yourself, why did this former Padre farmhand immediately jump out to me?  Like Dunston, it has to due with familial lineage.

You see, Kyle Gaedele is related to someone who's picture hangs in Cooperstown... perhaps one of the most famous images in baseball history.  Though his family has an added an extra "e' to the spelling of their surname, Kyle's great uncle is someone any fan of America's pastime should be familiar with:

That's right, Eddie Gaedel, the shortest player to ever appear on a pro diamond, isn't the only one in the family with a baseball legacy.  Although, somewhat ironically, Eddie's grandnephew is slightly taller, measuring in at a lengthy 6'3".

With all of that in mind, it should probably come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that these two multi-generational ballplayers immediately became my favorite Chicago Dogs.  Also, knowing that I'd be going to at least a couple of games at Impact Field this summer and having access to fairly adept printing equipment, shortly after making this discovery, I did a thing:

Yea, in a rush of excitement, I took those digital cards on the team's official website and turned them into physical ones.  Along with the Bowman single of Dunston, Jr. seen a few paragraphs above, I'll be attempting to get both of these cards signed this season.  Fingers crossed!

Sidenote - how cool is the Chicago Dogs' hat?  I'll also be getting one of those while I'm at the ballpark this year.

Anyway, I made sure to print these "custom" cards on card stock and with a legitimate photo printer.  They may not be Topps quality, but they're better than the average bear.   That said, if the team were to decide that they'd like to professionally print out these cards and hawk them as souvenirs, I wouldn't be upset.  Furthermore, each card has a full and complete backside:

These backs also come from the official team website, something that I neglected to share with you earlier.  Oopsy Daisy.  Speaking of "oopsy daisies," c'mon Dunston... you should know better than to put ketchup on your hot dog!


At any rate, here's hoping that the Dunston, Gaedele, and the rest of the Chicago Dogs are able to carve their way into the Chicagoland baseball market.  They should benefit from being located so near to a major transportation hub and across the street from an always extremely crowded shopping center; but, as we've already established, the baseball market in the area is already a little bit crowded.  Out of curiosity, what is the baseball landscape like in your locale?  Do you have a healthy selection of options like we Chicagoans or are you lucky to even have a single club operating within driving distance?  Maybe we should share some of our Second City baseball saturation?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

In the meantime, I've got a few more diamond excursions to plan this summer!