Roadtrippin' to Peoria

A couple weeks ago, the Peoria Chiefs got the opportunity to feel like big-leaguers. And last night, the Cubs front office got the minor-league treatment with a three-hour bus ride to Peoria, Ill.

That's not to say that there was no glamour. What O'Brien Field lacks in scale it more than makes up for in modern-day amenities. Our entire group was impressed by the ballpark's individually decorated suites, spacious grandstand seating, views of downtown Peoria and mix of party porches. O'Brien Field opened May 24, 2002, and the city of Peoria did a fantastic job making the low Class-A ballpark into a facility suitable for any club.

Rocky Vonachen, the Chiefs' president and general manager, hosted the Cubs front office last night in the stadium club down the first base line. Pete Vonachen, Rocky's father and the owner of the Chiefs, also spent several innings with us while dressed in full Chiefs gear. Of course we took a front-office photo with Ryno on the field, too.

As for the game, it was a treat to be able to watch the game with Oneri Fleita, the Cubs' vice president of player personnel. Oneri travels all over North America to follow the organization's eight minor-league clubs, and he had spent the previous two days shuttling back and forth between Chicago and the Chiefs' games, including Tuesday night's in Beloit, Wis.

Though the Chiefs looked good at the plate, things went a little less smoothly in the field. With two outs and runners at the corners in the top of the fifth, the Chiefs caught Daniel Carroll straying too far off third base but failed to get him out when second baseman Jake Opitz covered second instead of getting involved in the pickle. With both runners safe, Alex Liddi sent the next offering onto the leftfield lawn to give Wisconsin a 5-2 lead.

"That's why they're here," said Oneri after explaining what went wrong. "The guys who don't make mistakes move up, and the guys who make them stay here."

Don't think we forgot about the big-league club, either: We were following the Cubs' slugfest win over Atlanta by phone and by peeking into the adjacent suite. And Dino Stiris was the brave soul we put up to lead the crowd in "Go Cubs Go" over the PA.

Aside from losing 7-5, it was another great experience in the minors. They work hard to put on a show for fans -- from the interns dancing on the dugouts to the players on the field.

So tell us, do you live by a minor-league ballpark? What are some memorable things you've seen with the Cubs' affiliates?

-- Sean Ahmed