Thanks Gems & Cavemen for Keeping Baseball Alive!

So the local baseball regular season for the Quincy Gems and the Hannibal Cavemen has wound down.  For those who went to see the teams play this season, you undoubtedly had an enjoyable time and isn’t that what you want when you spend your money….. to be entertained?  Oh, maybe the Gems and the Cavemen didn’t win as many games as you may have wanted them to, but the fact is it is a wonderful place to take your family for an economical price.

Both cities are extremely fortunate to have a team playing in the Prospect League. Just two years ago, the Gems were for sale and there was some question as to whether a new owner would come forward.  Fortunately, someone did. Meanwhile in Hannibal, rumors at the end of last year and re-surfaced again this year had the team folding or leaving Hannibal. Thankfully, it didn’t happen and according to Cavemen officials it’s not happening.

Both teams really need each other to survive in that they played each other 13 times this past season.  That was 7 “short” road trips for Quincy on their schedule and 6 “short” road trips for Hannibal saving both owners a substantial amount of travel expense as they battled for the “paddle” again this year. Who won the paddle this season you ask? Who cares, it was for fun, but if you must know it was the Gems this season.  Who knows who will win it next season.

Next Season???  I guess I am making an assumption because there is no guarantee that there will be a next season. If there is at 2017 season for the Gems and Cavemen, you can thank the owners of both teams, Jimmy Louthen of the Gems and Bob Hemond and Rick DeStefane of the Cavemen.  So when you see them out and about, let them know how much you appreciate them in keeping baseball alive and well in Quincy and Hannibal. And that’s the way I see it.