Goldeyes return to Shaw Park Aug. 3

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This article was published 22/07/2021 (1581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The long-awaited return of the Winnipeg Goldeyes is set to bring the team back to Shaw Park for an Aug. 3 celebration.

“Well it’s very exciting and hard to put into words,” said Andrew Collier, Goldeyes General Manager.

“It’ll be 701 days between home games for the Goldeyes, pretty much living on the road the last two seasons. Everybody is thrilled to be back.”

It’s a welcome return for Goldeyes Owner Sam Katz, who didn’t hold back his excitement.

“Well put it this way, many years ago there used to be a TV show called The Wide World of Sports, and they used to start off with ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy,” said Katz. “Well we’ve gone through the agony for almost two years, today is ecstasy to put it bluntly.”

The Aug. 3 matchup against the Sioux City Explorers will mark the Goldeyes’ first game at Shaw Park since Sept. 2, 2019. A lot has changed in the world since that time and for the Goldeyes, their 2020 season found them playing out of Fargo, N.D., in a move that tested everyone in the organization. The Goldeyes shared Newman Outdoor Field with the Fargo Moorhead RedHawks as a result of the pandemic. Collier says a tremendous amount of effort was put in from field manager Rick Forney to keep the team organized.

“I don’t think enough can be said about Rick Forney and what he does,” said Collier.

“Last year playing in a different ballpark and sharing a park where we were never really the home team. This year convincing players to come play for the Goldeyes has been a whole different situation for him and he’s done a great job these last two years.”

The same message was echoed from Katz, who saw Forney step up to fill the shoes for others who couldn’t travel south of the border.

“I know a lot of the responsibilities Rick had to take over, being on the road all the time, not having a home, it was extremely difficult,” said Katz.

“Last year we couldn’t get our trainer Evan (Fehr), and our equipment manager Jamie (Samson) in with the team, this year we could. There were times when Rick had to put the ice bag on the pitchers.”

Now in 2021, the Goldeyes have spent the majority of their season playing home games out of The Ballpark at Jackson, in Jackson, Tenn. While Katz and Collier appreciated not having to share a stadium this season, the return to Winnipeg is going to test the organization’s ability to be ready in a short period of time.

“The other side of the equation is the interaction with the fans which I missed,” said Katz.

“The financial challenges with revenue still exist as your expenses were still there. To me our world is changing drastically. It’s a unique scenario which, God willing, no one ever has to go through again.”

After positive steps were made with the provincial government and the international border, the Goldeyes have fulfilled the requirements to operate Shaw Park at 100 per cent capacity for 20 games. Katz noted every Goldeyes player and coach has been fully vaccinated since May, and the other teams in the American Association have followed suit in order to play in Winnipeg.

All Fish fans wishing to attend must be fully vaccinated and mask requirements will be in effect for all indoor spaces at the stadium.

Through 57 games, the Goldeyes find themselves 28-29 as they approach the two-thirds mark of their season. Collier says the Fish, who are 6-4 in their last 10 games, have been playing a lot better lately and expects the return to Winnipeg to bolster team morale.

“We’ve had some close games that didn’t go our way whether it was pitching or hitting but I think things are coming together now,” said Collier.

“I think living out of a suitcase all summer even though we were in Jackson, the players were packing up all the time. I think given everything the team has been through, if we can win tonight and get back to .500 I’m pretty happy with that.”

With the significant absence from Shaw Park, both men said the new Goldeyes members will now be able to put a visual on a place they’ve heard so much about from when times were simpler.

“I think to a player they are all thrilled to get back to Winnipeg, they’ve all heard so much about it, they’ve seen the pictures and videos,” said Collier.

“Here’s the biggest challenge, they hear the stories but they can’t grasp it,” said Katz.

“They hear about Shaw Park and Friendly Manitoba on our license plates, but it’s not a slogan, it’s real. We have extremely friendly people. Hopefully the fans will be able to show how much the team really means to them.”

Katz says the challenge of a two year departure from Shaw Park ranks near the top in difficulty alongside originally building the stadium, and negotiating a lease with the city which is still not complete. Despite all of this, the owner is elated to bring a safe and fun baseball atmosphere back to Winnipeg.

“You have to be patient, hang in there and persevere and that’s who I am,” said Katz. “The people that come to work for the Goldeyes, it’s a family and the family bonds together. No one is afraid to roll up their sleeves and get whatever needs done.”

Individual tickets to the Goldeyes will go on sale Tues., July 27, at 9 a.m. and the organization will be contacting season-ticket holders on options for the remainder of the season.

jbernacki@freepress.mb.ca

twitter:@JosephBernacki