No home pond for Fish

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This article was published 15/06/2020 (1968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They’re still the Winnipeg Goldeyes, but the Fargo Fish might be a more fitting name for the team this season.

On Friday afternoon, the American Association revealed their plan to salvage the 2020 campaign. Instead of 12 teams playing 100 games, this year will feature six clubs battling it out in a 60-game season starting on July 3 with fans being allowed to attend.

But that doesn’t mean local baseball enthusiasts will be heading down to Shaw Park this summer to take in a game at the Craft Beer Corner.

All games will be hosted by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Milwaukee Milkmen and Sioux Falls Canaries. The Goldeyes will be based out of the Fargo, N.D., hub and will play 42 of their 60 games there to limit travel. The Chicago Dogs and St. Paul Saints round out the six participating teams.

The six clubs and the three hubs were determined based on which cities would allow fans, made the most sense geography-wise, and local COVID-19 restrictions.

Details have yet to be finalized but it’s expected ballparks will be allowed to only operate at half their seating capacity in order to maintain physical distancing.

“It’s bittersweet. We all want to play games at Shaw Park in front of our fans,” said Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier.

“We thought we had a good plan to do so providing social distancing. But even if the province gave us the go-ahead, with the borders not being open, that was a non-starter. So, this is the next best thing. We still get to play games and have a season, a shortened one albeit, but we’re all excited about it.”

But what’s the incentive for the Goldeyes to play a season away from their home? Owner Sam Katz said there definitely isn’t a financial one.

“There’s no opportunity for us to make any money. There certainly is a chance we could lose money,” Katz said over the phone from his winter home in Arizona. He’ll be returning to Winnipeg next week.

“But you know, I just thought about it and thought about it. It’s a line from a movie with Kevin Costner where he says it’s ‘For the love of the game.’ It gives us a chance to keep things going. At least our fans will be able to listen to a Goldeyes game and see the games on social media and obviously we’ll be able to keep going until 2021 comes along and hopefully, things will be much better then… It was just something that I felt was the best for our players and the best for our fans to see us continue to play.”

There hasn’t been a formal announcement on how fans outside of the hub cities will be able to follow the action, but Collier said it’s a pressing issue they’re currently working on.

“Radio and streaming are two of the topics we’ve been discussing. I’d say radio is almost a certainty. We just have some details to iron out,” said Collier. “Then streaming is something the league will have to figure out with the three hub cities to see if we can make it work.”

The six teams that aren’t playing, the Gary Southshore RailCats, Cleburne Railroaders, Kansas City T-Bones, Lincoln Saltdogs, Sioux City Explorers and Texas Airhogs, all plan on returning to the league in 2021. Players from those teams that are interested in playing in 2020 will be up for grabs in a draft today. The roster rules will also look different this year as the league eliminated rookie, LS, and veteran minimums and maximums.

Katz said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney has been in contact with the players currently under contract and their reaction to the plans have been positive. With spring training kicking off on June 25, there’s not a lot of time to get rosters sorted out.

“They are absolutely ecstatic and extremely appreciative of the opportunity to play,” Katz said of the players.

The regular season closes on Sept. 10 and the top two teams will play a five-game league championship series. Katz is crossing his fingers that the Fish will make it to the end as there’s a slim chance restrictions could be lifted that would allow the series to be played in Winnipeg. But Katz is the first to admit he’s not holding his breath.

“There’s a long, long, long shot that things could change come the end of August or September and we might be in the playoffs and get to play in Winnipeg. I know it’s not likely, but there is a possibility,” Katz said.

Even though it’s unlikely local Fish fans will be able to watch the team in person this season, Katz is confident the city will support the team as they try to win their first league title since 2017.

“What I believe is I think the fans will appreciate the fact we kept the Goldeyes going for the 2020 season. Ultimately it’s up to every individual and every fan to decide what they want to do in the future… But I can tell you we’ve already had a lot of positive feedback from our season ticket and mini-pack holders,” said Katz.

“In the end, time will be the judge but I think they appreciate what we’re going through, what’s happening, and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31