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Transcript of Kendall weekly times march 8th
Kendall Weekly Timesserving Kendall County since 2009
Montgomery Mayor Speaks to
Village Leaders
Village President Matt Brolley Pre-
sents State of the Village
On Thursday, February 13th, Village
President Matt Brolley presented his
inaugural State of the Village address
to about 80 business leaders, elected
officials and citizens. Special guests in
attendance included Jim Bryant from
Congressman Bill Foster’s office, Cristi-
na Mancini from Illinois Comptroller
Judy Baar Topinka’s office, Christine
Hannon from Senator Linda Holmes’
office, State Rep. Kay Hatcher from the
50th District, State Rep. Stephanie Ki-
fowit from the 84th District, Aurora
Mayor Tom Weisner, and Oswego Vil-
lage President Brian LeClercq, as well
as other county and local officials.
President Brolley presented an infor-
mative overview of the Village’s accom-
plishments in 2013, its financial condi-
tion, economic development activities
and plans and goals for 2014 and be-
yond. Projects completed this year in-
clude:
- Orchard Road Tax Increment Financ-
ing District
- New Comprehensive Plan
- Major upgrade to Boulder Hill water-
main system
- Transfer of dispatch services to Ken-
Com
- 3rd Avenue water main and stormwa-
ter improvements
President Brolley highlighted several
initiatives and projects on the horizon
for 2014, including:
- Sam’s Club opening
- Completion of Route 30 and 30/31 im-
provements
- Marketing of Montgomery and espe-
cially new TIF district
- Additional weather warning siren
- New Strategic Plan
- Launching of the expanded Stuart
Sports Complex
President Brolley emphasized that the
Village will continue to advocate for
the widening of Route 30 west to Route
47, opening of the canoe chute in
Montgomery in order to increase recre-
ational opportunities on the river, and
expansion of Metra service into Mont-
gomery and beyond.
In conclusion, President Brolley out-
lined some of the many reasons that
make Montgomery a great place to live,
including recreational opportunities
and wildlife along the Fox River, beauti-
ful parks and well-tended homes. Brol-
ley expressed appreciation for new
businesses and residents who have
come to Montgomery, and stated, “We
anticipate that as Montgomery contin-
ues to grow, that we will do so in a
thoughtful and controlled way so that
we can retain our small town feel and
all the things we love about Mont-
gomery.”
The full presentation of the State of the
Village is available on the Village’s
YouTube channel and via a link on the
Village’s website.
2 Kendall Weekly Times
Oswego Police Chief to Receive
and AwardChief Baird Named 2014 Police Chief of the Year
The Village of Oswego is pleased to an-
nounce that Chief Dwight A. Baird, CPC
has been named 2014 Police Chief of
the Year by the Illinois State Crime
Commission. Chief Baird receives this
honor for his impressive achievements
and service to many professional and
civic organizations.
The Illinois State Crime Commission is
the largest organization committed to
combating public corruption and
strengthening the Illinois criminal jus-
tice system in this state. The member-
ship and board of directors comprise
many of the state’s most influential
leaders in government, law enforce-
ment, education, labor, business and
in public policy.
“On behalf of the Village Board, I would
like to congratulate Chief Baird for this
most prestigious award. This is a true
testament of the commitment and lev-
els of service that Chief Baird and the
entire Oswego Police Department
demonstrates daily. The Village of Os-
wego is privileged to have Chief Baird
as a member of our team for his leader-
ship, professionalism and accomplish-
ments,” said Village President Brian
LeClercq.
Chief Baird will be honored at a special
event, “Salute to Those Who Make A
Difference,” held by the Illinois State
Crime Commission in June.
3Kendall Weekly Times
4 Kendall Weekly Times
Oswego Junior Woman’s Club 2nd Annual Oswego land’s Best Pizza Contest
Oswego land’s Best Pizza Contest will
be an a"ernoon of food and fun to
raise money to support the charitable
endeavors of OJWC. For an entry fee of
$5 per person, guests can sample pizza
from numerous area restaurants.
Awards will be given for the Best
Sausage, Best Pepperoni and Best Spe-
cialty pizza as judged by local celebri-
ties. A People’s Choice Award will be
presented based on votes from the at-
tending public.
The Oswego Junior Woman’s Club
(OJWC) is a subsidiary of the General
Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC).
It is one of the world’s largest and old-
est women’s volunteer service organi-
zations. The GFWC works locally
through over 250 Junior clubs and has
approximately 8,000 members in the
United States. The GFWC members
support the arts, preserve natural re-
sources, promote education in various
sectors, encourage healthy lifestyles,
stress civic involvement and work to-
ward world peace and understanding.
The Oswego Junior Woman’s Club was
formed in 2012 as a local charter under
GFWC. In the 2012-2013 club year
alone, OJWC has completed donation
and service projects for the Kendall
County Food Pantry in Yorkville, Hesed
House and Mutual Ground in Aurora,
and Guardian Angel Home in Joliet.
With your help, OJWC can assist even
more of our local community service
organizations and make the 2013-2014
club year even more impactful than the
last.
This fundraising event will take place
on Saturday, February 8 from 11:30
a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Columbus Club
of Oswego (197 E. Washington St., Os-
wego, IL 60543).
Free Income Tax Preparation at the Oswego Senior Center
For its fourth year, the Oswego Senior
Center will be preparing FREE income
tax returns. Volunteers will be available
every Monday starting February 17th
from 1 to 5 pm until April 7th. Appoint-
ments will also be available on two
Saturdays in March, 8th and 22nd from
9 am til Noon. Please call 630-554-5602
to make your appointment (required)
and /or for more information.
Individuals who earn $25,000 or less
and families who earn up to 52,000 are
eligible for free preparation and filing
of federal and state forms.
Volunteers are trained and certified
through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax
Preparation Assistance) in collabora-
tion with the IRS.
Information you need to bring includes
proof of identification for you and your
spouse ( if filing jointly); social security
cards for spouse and dependents;
birthdates, all W-2's and/or 1099's ;
property tax bill, if home owner; infor-
mation on other types of income ( in-
terest, self-employment, etc.) a copy of
last year's return, if possible and bank
routing and account numbers for direct
deposit in case of a refund.
All appointments take place at 156 E.
Washington St in Oswego. Go to our
website, http://www.oswegosenior-
center.org/ or click here for the event
flyer for more information on this and
other programs at the center.
Yorkville Changing Zoning Laws
Yorkville officials are hoping to have
the updated zoning ordinance finished
by the summer.
A zoning commission review of the up-
dates, which has gone chapter by
chapter for almost four years, will wrap
up Wednesday.
Commissioners will look at the last
chapter they have to look at, which in-
volves alternative energy systems, at
their regular meeting at 7 p.m.
Wednesday in the City Council confer-
ence room, City Hall, 800 Game Farm
Road.
A"er that, city officials “will take a hia-
tus” from the review until sometime in
April, said Krysti Barksdale-Noble,
community development officer. The
zoning ordinance update has been her
project since she was hired by the city
in 2010.
In the meantime, city residents will
have plenty of chances to comment on
the ordinance.
Using Chicago-based Civic Artworks,
the city has a website set up where
people can look at the zoning updates,
and comment on them. The site, called
Visualizing Yorkville Zoning, is at civi-
cartworks.com/visualizingyorkvillezon-
ing.
The documents also will be available at
City Hall for inspection during that
time. In April, the zoning commission
will incorporate its comments, along
with those from residents received at
the city or at the website.
“We will incorporate all those things,”
Barksdale-Noble said.
By late April or May, the City Council
will hold a public hearing on the updat-
ed ordinance, followed by a vote of the
council.
“We’re looking to have this done by
early summer,” she said.
The zoning ordinance has 21 chapters,
and the last for review this week is
Chapter 19. It updates how the city
handles building or remodeling of
commercial and residential properties
that want to incorporate alternative
energy components, such as solar pan-
els or a windmill.
“We did something with this in
2008-09,” said Barksdale-Noble. “This
is more comprehensive.
5Kendall Weekly Times
Kendall County Civic Group seeking Help
PLANO – It’s hard to explain in full what
a person in need can get at the annual
Kendall Cares Clinic here.
“It can be almost anything,” says Patti
Smykal, a Cross Lutheran parishioner
who is one of the event’s directors.
“There are a lot of organizations, a lot
of tables set up. You can find almost
anything you can think of.”
That includes such basic things as
food, from the Kendall County Food
Pantry, clothes and books, up to other
needs such as seeing a doctor, and get-
ting health, dental and vision screen-
ings.
You can even get a haircut, a picture
taken, nails done, legal advice and see
a massage therapist.
“We also serve a nice lunch,” Smykal
says.
It all happens this year from 9:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. April 5 at Plano High School,
704 W. Abe St.
The large undertaking is bigger this
year, and organizers estimate they will
need between 100 to 125 new volun-
teers. Smykal said they “anticipate”
that there will be more people visiting
the clinic this year, based on the in-
creases seen at the food pantry and the
Kendall Public Action to Deliver
Shelter, or PADS.
“This has led us to believe the need is
greater this year,” she says. “We always
need more volunteers, and we need to
spread the word to those who can ben-
efit from it.”
According to the Kendall Cares
website, the first clinic in 2010 had
more than 200 volunteers serving
about 300 clients.
It is run by a consortium of Kendall
churches and organizations and fol-
lows a Christian faith-based outreach
concept inspired by the Biblical pas-
sage Isaiah 58, about reaching the poor
and needy in the community.
The clinic relies solely on the generosi-
ty of volunteers, local churches and
businesses to provide services.
More than 1,000 guests have received
services since that first clinic in 2010.
There’s information about donating
and volunteering at the Kendall Cares
Clinic website, kendallcares.org.
In addition to regular volunteers, the
clinic uses advocate volunteers who
actually show guests around the clinic
and help them find what they need.
Training for advocate volunteers will be
from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 1 and 3 at
the high school.
6 Kendall Weekly Times
Recruiting Team Lead - Bi-Lingual
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Full Time Outside Marketing Represen-
tative
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Hotel Coordinator Assistant
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Team Member - new
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Prom Coordinator/Retail - new
The Prom Shoppe - Oswego, IL
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Teacher Assistant - new
Oswego Community Unit School Dis-
trict 308 - Oswego, ILMarch 3, 2014
Long Beach Elementary is seeking a
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Program Support Assistant (OA) - new
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Warehouse Worker - new
International Paper 332 reviews - Auro-
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Production Team Member - new
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Patient Representative - new
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7Kendall Weekly Times
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Construction Crew - new
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Support Specialist Job - new
jcpenney 2,831 reviews - Montgomery,
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Administrator -
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8 Kendall Weekly Times
Bulls Continue Win Streak
The offense of Chicago won the re-
bounding battle, as two elite units col-
lided. They finished the contest with an
OR% of 33.3%, and rank second in the
NBA in that category on the season
(28.5%). The defense of Golden State
collects rebounds at a rate of 75.8%,
good for fourth in the league in DR%.
The Warriors posted an eFG% of just
38.7%, including 23.8% from 3-point
range. This year, they are winless (0-3)
when they record marks below 45%
a n d 3 0 % i n t h o s e r e s p e c t i v e
categories. On the other hand, the
Bulls are 13-3 when holding their oppo-
nents to such low percentages.
This defeat means an end to a four-
game winning streak for Golden State,
pushing their record to 35-23 for the
year.
Coming up, the Bulls square off against
the Dallas Mavericks, who are 36-23 on
the season. The Warriors match up
against the New York Knicks, currently
sitting at 21-36 this year. The Bulls are
0-1 versus Dallas this season.
9Kendall Weekly Times
BlackHawks lose First Game a"er Olympic Break
NEW YORK (AP) -- Cam Talbot came
within 12 seconds of shutting out the
defending Stanley Cup champions. Be-
fore he could blink, he was nearly
headed for overtime.
Blackhawks cut their deficit in half and turned aside one final chance to seal New York's 2-1, post-Olympic victory on Thursday night.
Derick Brassard scored in the first peri-
od, and Rick Nashadded an insurance
goal in the third that became crucial
when Chicago's Peter Regin ended the
shutout bid with 11.6 seconds remain-
ing.
''It felt like the longest 11 seconds in
the world,'' Talbot said. ''I didn't think
they were going to get down the ice
that quick.''
They did.
''It is just kind of a hope play there with
11 seconds le",'' Blackhawks defense-
man Duncan Keith said. ''We got a
good prime scoring chance.''
Thu, Feb 27, 2014
Chicago1FinalNY Rangers2
Talbot denied Patrick Kane in tight to
seal the win in relief of resting No. 1
goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
Talbot got the starting nod a"er
Lundqvist received extended work in
Sweden's run to the Olympics gold
medal game. Talbot made the most of
his opportunity, earning his 11th career
win in 18 NHL games - all this season.
The starting lineups featured seven
Olympians and four members of Cana-
da's gold-medal winning team. The
Rangers and Blackhawks had been off
since Feb. 7.
''To come out and beat the defending
champs coming off a break like that is
a good measuring stick for us,'' Talbot
said. ''We know when we play our best
hockey we can beat anyone.''
The Blackhawks came in with an NHL-
best 202 goals and 3.37 goals-per-game
average this season. They were nearly
blanked for a second straight game af-
ter not being shut out in their first 59
games.
Three Stars
1. 1)Cam Talbot#33, NY RangersW:
1GAA:1.00SV:31SV%:.969
2 . 2 ) D e r i c k B ra s s a rd # 1 6 , N Y
RangersG:1Pts:1+/-:1
3. 3)Marc Staal#18, NY Rangers
+/-:-1
Chicago lost 2-0 at Phoenix in its last
game before the Olympic break.
''We didn't give up hardly anything in
the two games and we don't have
much to show for it offensively, which
is kind of disappointing,'' Blackhawks
coach Joel Quenneville said.
New York has won six of seven.
Lundqvist is expected to play Saturday
in Philadelphia when the Rangers start
a back-to-back set. Talbot improved to
11-5 this season, giving the Rangers
comfort in knowing they have a reli-
able backup.
''The difference was our goaltending,''
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
''Cam came up extremely big at key
moments, especially at the end.
Corey Crawford made 22 saves for
Chicago.
View galleryNew York Rangers goalie
Cam Talbot (33) defends the crease as
Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan
Toe …
The Rangers got off to a quick start and
grabbed the lead 10:14 in on Brassard's
12th goal and fourth in five games.
Benoit Pouliot intercepted a clearing
attempt in the middle of the Chicago
zone and passed the puck le" to Bras-
sard for a shot from the slot. The puck
bounced back to Brassard, who fired it
in.
New York took the only two penalties
in the opening frame, but killed them
in front of Talbot, who made his fourth
start in 11 games. He denied Kane in
close during Chicago's second power
play with 2:06 le" in the first period.
Chicago failed on its third advantage of
the night late in the second a"er
Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, the
subject of trade rumors, was sent off
for hooking.
''I didn't think we played that bad,'' Re-
gin said. ''We were down 1-0 against a
good team. If we would've gotten the
tying goal early on, it would've been a
totally different game.'
Talbot kept the Blackhawks at bay dur-
ing the scoreless second period - turn-
ing aside all eight shots in the frame
and 19 through 40 minutes. His best
stop came with 5:30 le" in the second
when he moved quickly to his right to
deny a hard drive by Brandon Saad
that appeared headed for the inside of
the le" post.
Chicago nearly got even 5:29 into the
third, but multiple whacks at a loose
puck amid six players in the crease
weren't enough to push it across the
line. A video review confirmed the puck
never entered the net.
In the second, Crawford briefly let a
long shot trickle behind him before he
quickly reached back to cover it. He
then blocked a deflected shot by Nash
early in the third to keep the Black-
hawks' deficit at one goal, but Nash
snapped his team-leading 19th goal
past him late to seal New York's win.
NOTES: Rangers D Marc Staal shook off
back spasms and played. ... Miller, re-
called from the AHL this week, earned
an assist on Brassard's goal. He took
the place of Mats Zuccarello, who
broke a hand during the Olympics. ...
Chicago C Marcus Kruger was struck by
a puck in the second period and re-
turned.
10 Kendall Weekly Times
11Kendall Weekly Times
Cubs Kickoff 2014
MESA, Ariz. -- Jeff Samardzija's goal
this season is to be more efficient, so
walking the leadoff batter wasn't a
good start.
"It must have been the fireworks or
something," Samardzija said, laughing.
"I think it was the first time the Cubbies
ever had fireworks."
Samardzija started in the Cactus
League opener in the first game at new
Cubs Park on Thursday, and survived
that first-inning glitch and the fire-
works to turn in two scoreless innings
with a pair of strikeouts.
The right-hander has been a hot topic
in trade rumors, and there were plenty
of scouts at the game, and not just for
the commemorative pin celebrating
the stadium's debut.
"You're not really worried about too
much," Samardzija said of the scouts.
"You assume they're there every game.
I want to put on a good show for them."
The Blue Jays and D-backs were
among the teams believed to be inter-
ested in adding the right-hander to
their rotation. Did he even think about
pitching for Arizona?
"No, I've only played for the Cubbies,
so I only know one team to play for and
that's here," he said. "I don't worry
about that too much."
Samardzija is spending this spring
thinking more about throwing more
strikes, and he has talked to teammate
Travis Wood about that.
"That's one of our goals, to cut down
on walks for me and him and for the
staff and give it everything," Wood said.
"We want to try to take a young team
and try to win with it."
Cubs manager Rick Renteria has
watched Samardzija from the other
side of the field and been impressed.
"He's a guy who's going to take the ball
every fi"h day, very competitive, con-
tinues to want to hone his cra" beyond
just pitching 200 innings a year," Rente-
ria said. "He wants to be a good
pitcher. He wants to be a polished guy
who can attack hitters in any given sit-
uation. He's got most of that battle al-
ready taken care of.
"I think every year he goes out there is
basically showing he's getting closer
and closer to what he wants to be in
the end as a polished Major League
pitcher."
That's what the scouts are looking for.
"If anything [the rumors] just put a chip
on your shoulder and make you want
to go out and prove even more,"
Samardzija said. "That's the thing
about this game is that you're con-
stantly going out to prove yourself. It
doesn't matter what your contract situ-
ation is or anything like that. The only
thing that matters is proving yourself
that day against the team you're play-
ing against.
"It's a tough game, so when you do do
well, it feels good personally and you
build on that for your next time out
and the time a"er that," he said. "If
you're not your own hardest critic and
not checking yourself harder than any-
one else, then you have a problem. I'm
my hardest critic and I'll always be that
way."
The rumors are not going to go away,
and Samardzija knows that. The Cubs
have talked to him about a long-term
deal, but the two sides obviously
haven't agreed on terms. The right-
hander said he'd be surprised if he was
dealt before the season began.
"From what it sounds like right now,
we're going head over heels for the
season with this team," Samardzija
said of the Cubs. "Rick's made it very
clear we're here to win, which I love. I
love to hear him talk about his excite-
ment for winning. Not development --
development is part of it, but Rick's No.
1 goal is winning, and me and him are
100 percent on the same page when it
comes to that. We want to win, we
want to win here and we want to win
now."
To do that, Samardzija has to focus on
his goal, which is being more efficient.
"His mentality is way different," Chica-
go catcher Welington Castillo said.
"What I see the difference is that he's
down in the zone. He told me, 'I want
to get quick outs, early outs, so I can go
longer in the game. I want to get my
best pitch down in the zone and let
them hit it.' He's pretty good. I hope he
can continue to get better and better.
He's one of those key guys for us, too."
Said Samardzija: "It's more a mentality
change. It's preparation for each pitch.
I get in trouble when I get caught up in
my pitches and not taking my time and
preparing for the next pitch. Today I
was going through my sequences in be-
tween pitches and was confident with
my pitch selection going in with the
pitch."
Don't think the scouts didn't notice
that.
12 Kendall Weekly Times
Some Sox Ready to Make New Start
YUCAIPA, Calif. -- The new year is com-
ing quickly, although probably not fast
enough for new Chicago White Sox
third baseman Matt Davidson, who just
wants to be able to catch his breath
sometime soon.
Major life changes have been whizzing
by at line-drive speed for the former
35th overall selection in the 2009 dra",
who was traded to the White Sox on
Dec. 16 in exchange for closer Addison
Reed.
[ + ] E n l a r g e D o u g P a d i l l a /
ESPNChicago.comNew White Sox third
baseman Matt Davidson, who won the
Futures Game MVP and the Triple-A
home run contest this past summer,
gives instruction at his youth baseball
camp in Yucaipa, Calif.The fact that he
was traded for a proven major league
commodity makes Davidson's head
spin, but when looking back at the last
six months of 2013, it was just another
chapter in a book that has been filling
up quickly.
"I just want to be on the field now,"
Davidson said recently while standing
on the same Yucaipa High School in-
field where he earned a supplemental-
round dra" selection by the Arizona Di-
amondbacks 4 1/2 years ago. "I just
want to wake up, go work out, go play,
go home and relax. I'm really looking
forward to that."
Davidson's latest adventure was a
youth baseball camp at his former high
school that provided its own undue
stress. And it wasn't just a camp where
Davidson was a guest instructor, the
two days worth of pitching, hitting and
fielding tips was dreamed up entirely
by the 22-year-old.
From now until New Year's Eve, David-
son expects the year to close out on a
more casual note, but you never can
tell. His whirlwind half of a year actual-
ly started this past summer when he
was named to the Futures Game, the
annual all-star contest for promising
prospects split among teams from the
United States and the rest of the world.
During the July 14 game, Davidson hit
a two-run home run to center field in
the fourth inning at New York's Citi
Field and went on to win the MVP
award in the United States' 4-2 victory.
He then flew across the country and
won the Triple-A All-Star home run der-
by a day later in Reno, Nev.
His emotional high could have sus-
tained him perhaps for the remainder
of the season until sad news struck.
"A couple of days later, my grandfather
passed away and basically he's the rea-
son I started to play baseball," David-
son said. "That really sucked. I was up
and down the rest of the season like
that, just mentally. And then I get en-
gaged and then I get called up [for his
major league debut]. Now the [youth]
camp and getting married and traded.
So the last six, seven months have
been unreal."
Heading to a new team should only
multiply the stress. The Opening Day
spot at third base figures to be David-
son's to lose, with a poor spring show-
ing potentially sending him back in
Triple-A to start the season.
But a"er what he's been through, get-
ting to learn new faces, with a new hit-
ting coach, while heading to a new
league and proving he has as much, if
not more, value than Reed, won't be
the burden that some might believe it
to be.
"It's going to be relaxing," he said of
camp in Glendale, Ariz. Davidson plans
to arrive well in advance of the Feb. 17
reporting date for position players.
"A"er Jan. 25 when we go to spring, it's
going to be relaxed," he said. "It's going
to be the least stressful thing so I am
really looking forward to getting out
there."
By no means is Davidson a slam-dunk
decision at third base. The trip to
Triple-A Charlotte could be waiting for
him.
While the White Sox have moved pitch-
ers like Chris Sale and Reed to the ma-
jor leagues quickly, they have shown in
the recent past that they have no
qualms about having their position
player prospects stay in the minor
leagues for more seasoning.
Conor Gillaspie and Jeff Keppinger re-
main options at third base to start the
2014 season, as the White Sox still need
to do more analysis of their revamped
roster.
[ + ] E n l a r g e D o u g P a d i l l a /
ESPNChicago.comMatt Davidson saw
his whirlwind half year come to a close
this past weekend by holding his own
youth baseball camp in his hometown
of Yucaipa, Calif."I look at it like I want
to be the best payer I can," Davidson
said. "If I have to go to Triple-A and
work on it, I will. I don't want to com-
pare myself to any other third baseman
or this and that, I want to become Matt
Davidson. I want to do what I can for
myself and work on my game. I just
don't want to start the year and be
happy with that. I want to be a third
baseman for a long time so whatever
that takes that's fine. Wherever I can
learn the best and improve the most,
that's the road I want to go on."
He obviously isn't afraid of the road
less traveled. A former pitcher, who
had too much potential as a hitter to
let his offense go to waste, Davidson is
still learning all the nuances of third
base. While le" field or first base re-
mains an option for him down the road
if he fails to turn into a serviceable de-
fender, Davidson says he is committed
to making third base work.
That commitment to third wasn't al-
ways there as he already has done
some growing up since being dra"ed.
"The first couple of years I didn't take
pride in my defense at third," Davidson
admitted. "I wasn't excited to go over
and take ground balls, it was more of a
job. Now it's more like a hobby where I
do enjoy it and that's what is making
me improve even more."
His youth baseball camp is another
sign of his maturity. Both of Davidson's
parents are self-employed and he con-
siders the camp a sign of his en-
trepreneurial genes.
Players from the area of his hometown
who were involved included Colorado
Rockiespitcher Tyler Chatwood, Miami
Marlins outfield prospect Jake Maris-
nick, Houston Astroscatching prospect
Jacob Nottingham, San Diego Padres
pitching prospect Matt Andriese, Mar-
lins catching prospect Kyle Skipworth
and Astros shortstop prospect Jiovanni
Mier.
"I think my parents have always in-
spired an entrepreneur thing in me,"
Davidson said. "I see my dad and really
look up to him in that way. I put on the
camp and it ended up being a lot more
work than I thought it would be. I'm
pulling everything together. Let's just
say it's a lot easier to show up."
Among the fires Davidson was putting
out a"er instruction began was finding
out that the main lunch volunteer had
backed out at the last minute. He was
able to scramble together some people
to buy sandwiches just as the lunch
break began.
Youth camps like Davidson's don't exist
in his town of Yucapia, which sits an
hour east of Los Angeles and an hour
west of Palm Springs at the base of the
San Bernardino Mountains.
Davidson is actually part of a long line
of pro players to come out of Yucaipa,
which makes the lack of youth camps
an odd reality. The list includes former
White Sox players Corky Miller and
Mark Teahen, as well as White Sox
pitching prospect Scott Snodgress.
Others to hail from the high school in-
clude the Mariners' Taijuan Walker and
the Indians' Matt Carson.
"Everybody takes pride in their base-
ball; that's the sport out here," David-
son said about his one Little League
hometown. "I really don't know why
it's a hotbed because it's a 50,000-per-
son city and we have almost 10 guys
that have been in pro ball just from one
high school. You really don't find that,
especially kind of in the middle of
nowhere. It's not like it's at the beach
or a big city. I really can't explain any of
that, but it's really cool to be a part of
Yucaipa."
That pride is so important to Davidson
that he is trying to pass it on to the
next generation of players. Thus, the
baseball camp was born.
Just as his camp was about to start,
13Kendall Weekly Times
Winning the Class 4A Joliet Central
Sectional championship was special
for all of Neuqua Valley’s players, but it
had a little extra meaning for senior
Niki Lazar.
Lazar, a 5-6 guard, scored a team-high
13 points to go with four steals and
three assists as the top-seeded Wild-
cats held off a late rally by No. 3 seed
Oswego and won 54-52 on Thursday.
Lazar had never played on the Joliet
Central court before Monday’s section-
al semifinal win over Benet, but the
building has a special place in her fami-
ly’s history.
Lazar’s grandfather, Peter Lazar, was a
star 6-6 center for Joliet Central who
graduated in 1942. He didn’t get to play
college ball because of World War II
and received a Purple Heart for
wounds suffered at the Battle of Anzio.
Peter Lazar died 12 years ago, but he
passed his basketball genes on to his
sons Peter, Jimmy and Jerry [Niki’s fa-
ther], who all played on the court while
at Joliet Catholic.
“He passed away when I was younger
so I didn’t really get to know him that
much but I knew he was a basketball
star,” Lazar said. “The fact that he
played on this court was really exciting.
Every time I made a mistake I thought
of him and how he played on this court
and I had to win it for him.”
Lazar scored eight points in the first
two minutes as the Wildcats (28-5)
built a 10-2 lead but the game turned
into a slugfest a"er that.
Neuqua Valley, which extended its win-
ning streak to 16, never trailed but had
the lead cut to one in the second quar-
ter before building it to 12 points,
50-38, on a jumper by Najee Smith with
6:00 le" in the fourth quarter.
But Oswego sank four three-pointers in
the final three minutes to pull within
54-52. Lazar missed two free throws
with 8.5 seconds le" and knew she had
to atone.
“Oh, my God, free throws will be the
death of me,” Lazar said. “I kind of
stopped because I thought they’d call
timeout because I missed that free
throw.”
Instead, the Panthers’ Amri Wilder drib-
bled hard up the right side of the court
until she was trapped by Lazar and 6-2
center Bryce Menendez about 25 feet
from the basket. Menendez tipped the
ball away to seal the win.
“I just knew that she was going to take
the final shot so I just kind of got up in
front of her,” Lazar said. “Then Bryce
kind of tipped it and I just started
screaming because I knew we won. I
was so happy.”
So was Menendez, who contributed
nine points, five rebounds, four assists
and three blocks.
“That was awesome,” Menendez said.
“We knew we had to stop them. That
was the only way to win and we did it.”
For Lazar, it was important not to have
h e r p r e p c a r e e r e n d i n h e r
grandfather’s gym, which was built in
1901 and expanded in 1946, the year
a"er her grandmother Mary graduated.
Mary, 86, was not in attendance but
was at Monday’s game.
“ I t d i d g i v e m e a l i t t l e m o r e
motivation,” Lazar said. “It was so ex-
citing to get to play on the court where
my grandpa and my dad and uncles all
played and I wanted to make them
proud.
“I was kind of looking around. Every-
thing is so old here but it’s so nice.”
Smith had 12 points and Kai Moon
eight points and six boards for Neuqua
Valley. Wilder led the Panthers (24-8)
with 13 points, while Siarra O’Neill
scored 12 and Kelsey Nelson added
nine.
“I thought Oswego played their best
game of the season tonight, without
question,” Neuqua Valley coach Mike
Williams said. “It was like a heavy-
weight fight. It came down to the last
possession and we were fortunate they
didn’t have enough time to get a shot
off.
“It was a great game. You couldn’t have
asked for a better sectional final.”
The Wildcats move on to the Hinsdale
Central Supersectional to meet Whit-
ney Young Monday at 8 p.m.
Davidson gathered all of the pro play-
ers involved for some last-minute in-
struction. He then gathered the
campers, who ranged in age from 8 to
18, for a little inspiration. Then it was
off to the batting cage for instruction
before solving that lunch snafu.
Sure the White Sox might be getting a
power hitter who strikes out a lot, but
it's clear Davidson possesses an atten-
tion to detail that will be key in over-
coming whatever shortcomings he
might have.
"I just want to do the best I can and be
the best person I can," he said. "In the
end, I know I work as hard as I can and
that's good enough for me."
14 Kendall Weekly Times
Press Release From The Republican Central Committee
The temperatures may be dropping
but campaigns are heating up!
We’ve added
several new items to our event
list below. The Kendall County
Republican
Central Committee does not en-
dorse any candidate in a con-
tested Republican
primary and we are providing
candidate events as information
only. If you are a
candidate with an upcoming
event, please let us know!
TONIGHT! SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE
JOHN ANTHONY with
SPECIAL GUESTS CONGRESSMEN RANDY
HULTGREN AND ADAM KINZINGER
February 24 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm
at Rebounds Bar & Grill
1901 S. Bridge Street, Yorkville
$25 per person, $40 per couple
TONIGHT! SUPPORT MARK BATINICK
FOR 97TH DISTRICT on his 44TH
BIRTHDAY
February 24 from 6 – 8 pm
American Legion, 24741 W. Ren-
wick Road, Plainfield
$24 per person, $44 couples
WSPY FARM BUREAU CANDIDATE FORUM
State Representatives from the
50th, 75th and 97th districts
and 11th
Congressional district
February 26 at 7 pm, Historic
Courthouse, Yorkville & broad-
cast on WSPY
FRIENDRAISER IN HONOR OF DR.
JULIE COSIMO FOR THE 50TH DIS-
TRICT
February 27 from 5-9 pm at Or-
chard Valley Golf Course, 2411
W. Illinois, Aurora
No charge
MONSTER ENDORSEMENT FOR KEITH
WHEELER FOR THE 50TH DISTRICT
February 27, 7-9 pm at Schmidt’s
Towne Tap, Elburn;
Join Chicago Bears greats Dan
Hampton & Steve McMichael for
their Monster
Endorsement of Keith’s Campaign
$40 per person, $30 for each ad-
ditional member of your party
ELECTRIC AGGREGATION INFORMA-
TIONAL MEETING
March 3 from 6-7 pm at the His-
toric Courthouse, Yorkville
FUNKHOUSER FOR COUNTY BOARD
FUNDRAISER
March 5 from 7 – 9 pm
Lakeview Grill, 604 W Veterans
Pkwy, Yorkville, IL 60560
15Kendall Weekly Times
ELECTRIC AGGREGATION INFORMA-
TIONAL MEETING
March 5 from 6-7 pm at Oswego
Village Hall, Oswego
WSPY FARM BUREAU CANDIDATE FORUM
KENDALL COUNTY BOARD, SHERIFF,
CLERK & RECORDER
March 6 at 7 pm at the Historic
Courthouse, Yorkville & broad-
cast on WSPY
CONVERSATION WITH CONGRESSMAN
RANDY HULTGREN & KEITH WHEELER
March 7 from 7-9 pm
Holiday Inn, 2424 W. Sullivan
Road, Aurora
No charge
MEET AND GREET WITH CONGRESSMAN
RANDY HULTGREN & REP JOHN ANTHO-
NY
Saturday, March 8 from 9-11 am
at Plano Middle School, Hale
Street, Plano
Light breakfast served, no
charge
KEITH WHEELER FOR 5Oth STATE
REPRESENTATIVE
SUPPORT OUR 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
RALLY
Monday, March 10 at 6:00 pm
RKA Gun Gallery, 3029 Eldamain
Road, Plano, IL 60545
$25 per person, $45 per couple,
refreshments included
Test-fire 20+ guns, range time
and rental fees donated by RKA
for event
attendees
ELECTION NIGHT PARTY
Hosted by the Kendall County Re-
publican Central Committee
Tuesday, March 18 at 7 pm at
Kennedy Pointe (Blackberry Oaks
Golf Course),
Bristol
This information is provided to
you by the Kendall County Repub-
lican Central
Committee to keep you informed
about events held by or for Re-
publican Candidates
and is NOT an endorsement by the
Kendall County Republican Cen-
tral Committee
16 Kendall Weekly Times