Home-cooked meals for Fish

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This article was published 14/09/2020 (2049 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kash Beauchamp is no dummy.What’s the first thing the Winnipeg Goldeyes hitting coach did when he returned home to Missouri after spending the summer on the road? Take his wife Penny out for a date night, of course.

“I gotta take care of who takes care of me, that’s for sure. And she does. She’s got her work cut out for her, too,” said Beauchamp with a laugh.

Beauchamp and the rest of the Goldeyes said their goodbyes after Thursday night’s season finale when they defeated the Milwaukee Milkmen 4-3 to give them a 29-31 record on the year. The Goldeyes, who were a travelling team this year based out of Fargo, N.D., were one of only six teams competing in the American Association in 2020 owing to COVID-19 concerns. They ended the campaign in fourth place. The top two teams, Milwaukee and the Sioux Falls Canaries, are currently playing a best-of-seven series to decide the league champion.

For Goldeyes infielder Wes Darvill, there’ll be no date nights for him anytime soon. The Langley, B.C., native, who’s coming off his fourth season with the Fish, flew home on Friday and is quarantining for two weeks in an RV on his parents’ property.

“I’m just gonna mark the days down almost like I’m in prison there with Xs at the back of (the RV) or something,” joked Darvill.

Darvill and Beauchamp both said eating a home-cooked meal for the first time since late June was what they were looking forward to most, but they’d gladly go back to eating at hotels, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and ballparks if it meant they could compete for an AA ring. For the majority of the season, it looked like the Fish were going to defy the odds and qualify for the final, but those dreams were shattered when they went on an 11-game losing skid Aug. 22-Sept. 3. It tied a franchise record for longest drought.

“We were a little banged up and weren’t quite playing our best baseball either. It seemed like nothing was really going our way,” said Darvill, who hit five homers with 31 RBI and a .268 batting average.

“It was almost laughable at times at how much we’d get up and we’d line out two or three times an inning and then they’d come up they’d have a blooper, a broken-bat hit or a swinging bunt. It just seemed like that stuff was compiling.”

Off the field, however, things went according to plan for the Goldeyes. When players arrived in Fargo for training camp prior to the start of the season, everyone was tested for the virus and two Fish players tested positive. Players and staff were tested frequently throughout the 60-game season and despite the fact it wasn’t played in a bubble, the Goldeyes didn’t encounter any more COVID scares. Beauchamp said he and manager Rick Forney didn’t have to remind the guys to stay in their hotel rooms as much as possible as everyone was responsible. Fans were also allowed at games, although in limited capacities to maintain social distancing.

“These guys are grown men. They’re there to do a job. They’re professionals and we had the utmost trust in them,” said Beauchamp, who replaced longtime Fish hitting coach Tom Vaeth prior to the season.

“They were there to play baseball. And look, you can tell within three days if a guy is there to play ball or not. I did not ever get a vibe that anyone was there for any other reason than to play baseball to the best of their abilities… I mean, we are one of the only leagues in America that were playing in front of fans in a stadium, an outdoor stadium. Honestly, Major League Baseball should be doing what we did instead of us trying to emulate what they’re doing. We’re not having 16-17 guys on a team showing up positive. I thought the COVID cases early on could’ve been a problem, but after they got it curtailed in spring training it wasn’t a problem for anybody.”

While spending the majority of the time away from the ballpark in a hotel room was less than ideal, Darvill said they were able to have fun with it.

“Honestly, we would just like to have ball talk or talk about life. Some guys liked to play cards and just kind of hang out. Get some guys in the room, tell some funny stories, talk about the game or whatever. That’s always nice,” Darvill said.

“Like (Evan) Grills you could always go hang out with him and go play guitar. Some guys had a little putting set up so you could go putt some balls in another guy’s room. Victor (Capellan) has got all the things to keep you healthy like cupping and stuff like that, so you could see him if you need to get something worked on. Everybody is different and there are so many great personalities and different characters in this game and on our team and to just get to hang out with them maybe a little bit more was something that was nice if you’re looking at the positives of being on the road and being in a hotel all year.”

Even though players and staff were able to make the best out of their unique situation, they’re hoping they don’t find themselves in a similar spot in 2021. Beauchamp, who has sat in the visiting team’s dugout at Shaw Park when he managed the Wichita Wingnuts in 2008, is eager to coach the home team at the downtown Winnipeg diamond.

“I can’t lie, I can’t wait to get back up there,” said Beauchamp. “I’ve always enjoyed it when I was there. It’s something I’m really looking forward to and having some fans cheer for us for a change.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31