The power of Cleo, Hail to Joba and a pillw fight with a happy ending

The Dugout has been a bit lax with the blogs the past few days. Sorry for that, but sometimes life intervenes where baseball really should rule. Currently sitting in a hotel room in Lumberton, N.C., which you I-95 fans probably know is just a few miles north of South of the Boarder.

Figured you at least deserved a couple of housekeeping items.

To begin with, Cleopatra won Jupiter/Palm Beach's "Who's Then" promotion. As far as anyone can tell, it was a pretty huge upset. The former Egyptian Pharaoh defeated Marilyn Monroe in the opening round, then shocked George Washington in the semies before downing Pete Rose to take the crown.

Cleopatra won the title thanks to a huge internet push. Actually it was too big. More people voted for Cleo than attended the game, suggesting that someone may have hacked into the site. The folks at Roger Dean Stadium don't really care too much - and rightly so. The fact that an idea so dumb moved someone to try to affect an outcome is more than could have been asked for.

On a different front, MinorLeagueDugout.com's timing on the Trenton pitching staff story couldn't have been better. Two of the players featured in that story - Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy - were called up to the big squad in the past week. Congrats guys.

Finally, Kane County fell about 500 participants shy of breaking the record for the World's Largest Pillow Fight (August 11 Promo of the Day). The day was still pretty successful for the Cougars, who broke the Midwest League's attendance record with 14,492 fans. Here's their press release:

COUGARS SET SINGLE-GAME ATTENDANCE RECORD!

14,492 FANS TAKE PART IN A SENSATIONAL SATURDAY

GENEVA, IL – In the opening night of a two-game series against the Peoria Chiefs, the Kane County Cougars hosted a record-setting crowd of 14,492 fans for the Saturday evening contest. The flock of fans at Elfstrom Stadium surpassed the Midwest League single-game record of 14,452 that was set by the Cougars on August 16, 2003.

Before, during and after Saturday’s game, fans were treated to one of the most exciting nights of the season, culminating in a spirited attempt for the World’s Largest Pillow Fight sponsored by Back to Bed. Fans earnestly signed up to be a part of the fun, many bringing pillows from home, while the first 3,000 fans received mini-pillows courtesy of Back to Bed. During the attempt, feathers were flying on the outfield grass as fans laughed their way through the 90-second try. While the Cougars’ attempt came up just short (3,085 fans took part – the current Guinness World Record stands at 3,648 pillow fighters), it will be remembered as one of the most unique events in the Cougars’ 17-year history.

A pre-game autograph session, along with a fireworks show, a performance by the Jesse White Tumblers, and an opportunity for fans to run the bases after the game only added to the excitement.

“Although we fell short of breaking the record for the world’s largest pillow fight, we realize that every fan in attendance was part of a special night at Elfstrom Stadium,” Cougars General Manager Jeff Sedivy said. “Last night’s record-setting crowd was one of the most entertaining nights in the history of our organization. It was truly a great experience for our fans.”

The Cougars series continues today against the Chiefs, as both teams take the field at 2 p.m. for an intra-division battle. Kane County travels to Peoria Monday for a two-game series before continuing the road trip in Davenport, Iowa against the Swing of the Quad Cities.