I’m in Cooper Flagg’s head. Isn’t that what sports writers are supposed to do, get inside the heads of the athletes we cover?
Specifically, I’m in a corn field artfully crafted to form a resemblance to Flagg’s head. Every fall, Thunder Road Farm in Corinna creates a corn maze. This year, the maze’s theme is Cooper Flagg, from one town over in Newport, and the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June by the Dallas Mavericks.
Much of the left side of the maze is what you’d typically find in a corn maze, a grid of sharp turns and dead ends, where you’re lucky if you only need to retrace your steps once or twice. The upper left quadrant of the maze is carved like a basketball hoop, the rim emerging into crisscrossing lanes that from above look like the net.
The right side of the maze is why my friend Amy and I visited on a recent Saturday afternoon. The paths through the corn form the shape of Flagg, poised to dunk a basketball. Across the front of his jersey is his last name, probably to avoid being chased through the maze by lawyers representing either Duke University or the Dallas Mavericks, looking for their bite of this sweet pie. Under his name is Flagg’s No. 2, the number he wore in his one season with the Blue Devils.
Seen from above, it’s obvious this maze was carved with care and love. The Peavey family, the owners of Thunder Road Farm, know the Flaggs. They know what Cooper means to the community, the entire state, really.
The little details are what make the maze. The shoelaces are there, as are the socks. The waistband on the shorts. The lines on the basketball. The ragged ends of the net.
There’s even a comma after Cooper in the lower portion of the maze, where the paths spell out “Cooper, the Maine Event.” The Peaveys paid attention to the details, and that is appreciated.
Aesthetics from above are one thing. The proof is in the adventure.
The maze is actually two mazes, with entrances next to each other. To the right is a shorter puzzle winding through and around the “Maine” and “vent” in “The Maine Event.”
We did the short one first. It took maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Call it a warm up maze.
The other day, I reached out to Mike Curtis, who covers the Mavericks for the Dallas Morning News. Has Cooper Mania reached maximum mania in Dallas yet?
“The city is definitely excited and optimistic. Of course, there will always be the crowd that’s still a little salty over Luka,” Curtis said, a reference to the Mavs trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of last season.
I wonder if Doncic had a corn maze created in his honor.
Curtis covered Flagg’s preseason debut Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Flagg started and played 14 minutes, scoring 10 points with six rebounds, three assists and a block. The applause Flagg received in the pregame introductions was equal to the applause given to Anthony Davis, Dallas’ star forward. Curtis also saw a few Flagg jersey scattered throughout the crowd.
The main event – pardon me, Maine Event – was an enjoyable walk on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Are we going in a circle? We must be in one of the Os in Cooper. This is a long straightaway. Is it a leg or an arm? It’s easy to get turned around and feel lost. Then you hear people nearby, and then you see them, and it’s fun again.
The maze is prep for how Maine will view the upcoming NBA season. Total Cooper Flagg immersion.
The Mavericks open the regular season at home on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs. The maze at Thunder Road Farm is open weekends through Oct. 26. If you go now, you might be out in time for opening night tipoff.
