WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th , 2020

- City Fishes for New Lease Deal With Goldeyes— Free Press (Joyanne Pursaga), 7/8/20 - Goldeyes Manager Stressing Patience During Unique Season—Winnipeg Sun, 7/8/20 - Hilton Sets Tone in “Home” Opener— (Steve Schuster), 7/7/20 - Winnipeg Wins Home Opener...In Fargo—Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 7/7/20 - Goldeyes Win Home Opener Against RedHawks (Video Link)—KVRR Fargo (Nick Couzin), 7/7/20 - A Mini Miracle—Winnipeg Sun, 7/5/20 - Baseball is Back, and Goldeyes Open With 9-5 Win—Winnipeg Sun, 7/4/20 - Kelly ‘Super Thankful’ to be Playing Baseball as RedHawks Open Season Against Rival Winnipeg—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 7/4/20 - Goldeyes Get Set for Some Game Action—Winnipeg Free Press (Hayden Goethe), 7/3/20 - Goldeyes Holding Out Hope of Playing Some Games in Winnipeg in 2020—Winnipeg Sun (Ted Wyman), 7/3/20 - RedHawks Games at Newman Expected to Feel Different for Fans This Summer Due to COVID-19—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 7/3/20 - Fishing Around in Fargo—Winnipeg Free Press (Hayden Goethe), 7/2/20 - ‘It’s a Breath of Fresh Air:’ New Goldeyes Just Happy to be Back on the Diamond—Winnipeg Sun (Ted Wyman), 7/2/20 - Mitchell Lambson Interview (Audio Link)—680 CJOB (Christian Aumell), 7/2/20 - Goldeyes Manager Forney ‘More Than Happy’ to Play in Fargo—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 6/27/20 - Fish Take to Field in Fargo—Winnipeg Free Press (Taylor Allen), 6/26/20 - ‘We’re Just All Thankful to Have Some Baseball’—Winnipeg Free Press (Mike McIntyre), 6/25/20 - ‘It All Doesn’t Seem Real’: Goldeyes Rick Forney Deals With Tragedy, Pandemic, as Camp Opens—Winnipeg Sun (Paul Friesen), 6/25/20 - Goldeyes Pitcher, Wife Kept Apart by a Closed -U.S. Border During Pandemic—Winnipeg Sun (Ted Wyman), 6/18/20 - Goldeyes Players Ready to Play Ball in What Promises to be ‘Extremely Competitive’ Season—Winnipeg Sun (Ted Wyman), 6/17/20

CITY FISHES FOR NEW LEASE DEAL WITH GOLDEYES JOYANNE PURSAGA – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 th A NEW stadium lease could soon be struck with the Winnipeg Goldeyes — if the baseball team and city council approve it.

In a new report, city staff propose a 15-year lease agreement for Shaw Park to replace the Goldeyes’ current $1-per-year lease.

Instead, the team would pay an annual rent of $75,000 in Years 1 to 5, $85,000 in Years 6 to 10, and $95,000 in Years 11 to 15.

The current lease for Shaw Park is set to expire July 27, 2023.

City staff also propose to offer the independent league team annual grants that equal the amount of entertainment tax the club pays each year ($325,000 in 2019), as well as the municipal portion of property taxes on the ballpark itself ($43,100 in 2019).

Those grants would last until Nov. 14, 2029, when a similar deal with Winnipeg Jets/ Moose owner True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. expires.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy, chairwoman of council’s property and development committee, said little about the proposal Tuesday, other than to note it would require millions of dollars of taxpayer support over its term.

"The proposed agreement represents a multimillion-dollar subsidy for a professional sports team, so I will be scrutinizing it thoroughly throughout the committee process," Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) said in a brief emailed statement.

Meanwhile, Goldeyes president/owner Sam Katz said he’s concerned the report overlooks the team’s $13-million investment in its $20-million ballpark’s original price. Shaw Park opened in 1999.

Katz, a former Winnipeg mayor, said that investment helped spark the initial $1-per-year lease and should be acknowledged within any new deal. "We think we’ve paid our fair share."

He also called the proposed tax grant "pretty standard," noting the same benefit is provided to the Jets of the NHL and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. However, he expressed concern about the clause that specifies those grants would last only until 2029.

"If that expires, the Goldeyes would expire as well. The business model doesn’t work that way," said Katz.

The baseball team is also concerned the lease proposal includes a parking lot at 41 Westbrook Ave. for its initial 15-year term, but not necessarily during two optional five-year extensions.

Katz said the team wants to keep its current home but must ensure a viable business model, especially after COVID-19 is forcing it to play all American Association of Independent games in the United States this season.

"There’s no secret what we’re going through right now. We’ll have zero revenue for 20 months… That’s hard to overcome, let alone survive," he said. Gord Chappell, a real estate administrator for the city, said the new rent amount was chosen based on an appraisal. Chappell said the city also wants to keep its options open for some parts of the downtown stadium site, such as potentially redeveloping the Westbrook parking lot after the initial lease ends.

"We want to maintain that right to potentially redevelop that lot if it becomes available. Otherwise, it very well might be included in a future option to extend (the lease)," he said Tuesday.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), a former Winnipeg property and development chairman, said he believes the lease proposal offers a fair deal for the city, and plans to support the deal.

"For the next 20 years or so, this is the best use for the land, and it’s a good amenity for downtown," said Mayes.

"You have people saying we shouldn’t subsidize this. Well, we subsidize the Jets a whole lot more."

Council’s property and development committee will vote on the report July 13.

GOLDEYES MANAGER STRESSING PATIENCE DURING UNIQUE SEASON WINNIPEG SUN – WEDNESDAY, JULY 7 th All things considered, the American Association’s opening weekend was a success.

The Goldeyes won two of three from the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, and came within three outs of sweeping the series. All six clubs participating in this unique season earned at least one victory, including the first in the managerial careers of Milwaukee’s Anthony Barone and Fargo-Moorhead’s Chris Coste.

Sunday presented a brief setback when a positive COVID-19 test resulted in the postponement of a game between the Milwaukee Milkmen and Chicago Dogs. However, those same two teams returned to action Tuesday during Chicago’s home opener at .

Still, the league is only four games into an abbreviated 60-game schedule, and Goldeyes manager Rick Forney is fully aware of the need to stay vigilant over the long haul.

“You don’t know what to expect, because you just don’t know how much the players are ready for it physically or mentally,” Forney said. “You have to respect the process and let them go out there and play, but protect their health at the same time. Both their baseball health and doing the best you can to fight the COVID situation as well.”

One of the unique aspects of the American Association is a burning desire to compete and win up and down the hierarchies of each organization. That competitive spirit is no more evident in the field managers.

Given everything that had to break right just for the league to make last weekend a reality, Forney admits expectations have to be managed somewhat, at least in the short term.

“This isn’t easy on these guys,” said Forney. “They’re basically getting out of bed, coming up here, and playing. You can’t be impatient with them. There are so many unknowns this year, and it’s going to be a different feeling for everybody.”

One of the reasons Forney is stressing patience is the understanding that early-season games weren’t the only development tool players missed out on. With gyms and baseball facilities unavailable during the peak of the lockdown, even the most dedicated of players had a difficult time maintaining a consistent routine.

“I built my own home gym in my basement to stay in shape,” Goldeyes pitcher Kevin McGovern said. “I would long toss alone to build my arm up. Friends from home that I played ball with also agreed to stand in and catch me whenever I needed it. I wouldn’t be as close to ready without them.”

Winnipeg scored 31 runs in the three-game series against Fargo, but its team defence may have been most impressive. In normal years, it could take anywhere from two to three weeks for a collective defence to catch up to game speed. However, the Goldeyes committed just one error and turned eight double plays, two of which would have led to the RedHawks immediately winning Sunday’s game had they not been turned.

Upon their arrival in Fargo two weeks ago, Forney has observed a very tangible desire in his players. And even with expectations tempered for the moment, Forney’s goal each night is the same as it has been since he took over as manager in 2006.

“For me, if we’re at the ball park to play a real game, and they’re keeping score, then we want to win,” Forney concluded.

HILTON SETS TONE IN “HOME” OPENER STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – TUESDAY, JULY 7 th FARGO, ND – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (3-1) beat the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 7-1 at on Tuesday night.

The Goldeyes served as the home team.

In the bottom of the second, Kyle Martin singled on a sharp ground ball up the middle. After Logan Hill singled through the right side, John Nester hit a three-run down the left field line that gave Winnipeg a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish.

The RedHawks (1-3) scratched out their lone run in the top of the fifth. Trey Hair reached on an error leading off. Hair then stole second, stole third, and raced home on a dropped third strike.

After Goldeyes’ reliever McKenzie Mills escaped a bases loaded jam in the top of the sixth, the Goldeyes extended their lead to 6-1 in the bottom half with three unearned runs. Darnell Sweeney reached leading off on an error by Christian Ibarra at second base. Eric Wood drew a four-pitch walk, and a double steal attempt by Sweeney and Wood resulted in a throwing error by Dylan Kelly in which Sweeney scored. Wood then scored on a dropped third strike that allowed Martin to reach first. Martin stole second, and three batters later, Jordan George ripped a line drive single to right for the Goldeyes’ third run of the inning.

With two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the seventh, Sweeney reached second on a two-base error charged to Brennan Metzger. Wood followed with an RBI single to right.

Goldeyes’ starting pitcher Kevin Hilton (1-0) picked up the win, allowing one unearned run on two hits over five innings. Hilton walked one and struck out four. Hilton threw just 77 pitches during his five innings, and at one point retired nine batters in a row.

RedHawks’ starter Dustin Beggs (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits in five-plus innings. Beggs walked two and struck out one.

George finished with three hits. Evan Grills (1.0) and Nate Antone (2.0) combined for three shutout innings on just one hit to close out the night. Antone’s fastball touched 98 miles per hour during the top of the eighth.

Game two of the three-game series is Wednesday night at 7:02 p.m. Mitchell Lambson (1-0, 1.50) takes on right-hander Bradin Hagens (0-1, 3.00). All the action can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

For information on Goldeyes’ merchandise and 2021 season tickets, visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com

WINNIPEG WINS HOME OPENER...IN FARGO FARGO-MOORHEAD REDHAWKS – TUESDAY, JULY 7 th FARGO, N.D. – The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks found themselves behind early in Tuesday night’s contest against the Winnipeg Goldeyes and couldn’t muster enough offense to get back into the game in a 7-1 loss at Newman Outdoor Field. Fargo-Moorhead, playing as the visiting team at Newman Outdoor Field for the first time in 2020, managed only five hits against Winnipeg’s four hurlers.

Goldeyes starter Kevin Hilton gave up just one unearned run on two hits over 5.0 innings of work in what was planned to be a relief start for Winnipeg. McKenzie Mills, Evan Grills, and Nate Antone combined to give up three hits over the game’s remaining four innings.

Winnipeg scored three runs in the second and sixth innings and added another in the seventh to build a tidy six-run lead that proved decisive. The RedHawks couldn’t get anything going offensively down the stretch, managing only one hit over the final three innings.

Fargo-Moorhead’s lone run in the game came when right fielder Trey Hair advanced to first on an error by the Winnipeg first baseman, stole second and third base, and scampered home on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth inning.

RedHawks starter Dustin Beggs earned the loss after giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits in five innings pitched. He walked two and struck out one in his first start of the year.

Winnipeg moves to 3-1 on the year and the RedHawks drop to 1-3 for the 2020 season.

The Goldeyes and RedHawks will continue their three-game series Wednesday night at Newman Outdoor Field. RHP Bradin Hagens is scheduled to start for the RedHawks against Winnipeg LHP Mitchell Lambson. First pitch is set for 7:02 p.m.

VIDEO: GOLDEYES WIN HOME OPENER AGAINST REDHAWKS NICK COUZIN – KVRR FARGO – TUESDAY, JULY 7 th LINK: https://www.kvrr.com/2020/07/07/goldeyes-win-home-opener-against-redhawks/

A MINI MIRACLE WINNIPEG SUN – SUNDAY, JULY 5 th It may not be eating ice cream with the enemy, but independent baseball’s fiercest rivals must co-exist in order for the American Association to complete the small miracle that is the 2020 season.

For the past quarter century, the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks have entertained fans with some of the most intense on-field competition the industry has seen. In their combined 50 years of existence, the two clubs have reached the playoffs 36 times and won nine championships. Comparing their dynamic to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox isn’t too much of an exaggeration.

The on-field success, close geographic proximity, and frequent head-to-head matchups typically make the odds of at least one bench-clearing incident per season better than a coin flip.

The COVID-19 Pandemic, however, has forced the two clubs into a truce, and the Goldeyes will be calling Newman Outdoor Field home for the next two months.

“We’re familiar with this place,” said Goldeyes’ manager Rick Forney. “I’ve been here a ton, and we’re obviously thankful to the RedHawks for hosting us. We’re just trying to do the best we can.”

Forney’s sentiments reflect the true nature of the Goldeyes-RedHawks relationship.

Despite each team dealing the other varying degrees of heartbreak between the lines, there exists a mutual respect for how the organizations conduct business. Goldeyes’ players enjoy the accommodations when they visit Fargo, and vice versa.

“Fargo is a great town that I’m familiar with,” Goldeyes’ starting pitcher Kevin McGovern said. “It helps knowing the situation is going to be comfortable. It definitely helps in us committing to be here all summer.”

Playing games at Shaw Park is a long shot at best due to current border restrictions and provincial guidelines. The only way for the Goldeyes to play at all this summer was under the current format. Likewise, the RedHawks’ have expressed that without a hub partner, their ability to play games was equally compromised.

Between Winnipeg and Fargo-Moorhead, Newman Outdoor Field will have a game scheduled every night during the American Association season. There are still logistics to work out, but the on-field rivals are committed to working together to minimize any discomfort.

“We’re somewhat winging it every day,” Forney said. “I’m just trying to communicate as much as possible with (RedHawks’ manager) Chris Coste in terms of sharing the field and what times work best for both of us.

“I’m not sure how this whole thing is going to work once we go on the road,” Forney continued. “Do we move all of our stuff out of the clubhouse? We haven’t figured all of that out yet, but we’ve still got another week before we have to answer that question. We’re just trying to keep an open mind, and thankful that we’re here playing baseball. We’ll work through any inconveniences that we may have.”

McGovern officially begins his fifth season in a Goldeyes’ uniform when he takes the mound this afternoon. If playing an entire schedule on the road was the only means of wearing that uniform, then the 31-year-old was all in.

“I wanted to play ball,” he said. “It’s a big part of my life, and I wanted to keep giving it everything I had if I had the opportunity to.”

BASEBALL IS BACK, AND GOLDEYES OPEN WITH 9-5 WIN WINNIPEG SUN – SATURDAY, JULY 4 th For love of the game.

A cliche uttered so much throughout the game’s history, the phrase became the title of a feature-length film.

Twenty-one years later, however, that cliche has never been more of a reality for anyone connected to baseball.

Fans, players, coaches, and employees at all levels of baseball have had their lives turned upside down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes, along with five other teams in the American Association, are among the fortunate few who will get to wear a uniform this summer.

“I definitely missed the game, like we all did,” said fourth-year Goldeyes infielder Wes Darvill. “But it put things in perspective. I was able to spend a lot more time with family, and enjoy some things I normally wouldn’t have had the chance to. Now that we’re back playing, I couldn’t be happier.”

The Goldeyes played their season opener on Friday night in Fargo, N.D. defeating the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 9-5, with spectators allowed in Newman Outdoor Field, but all six clubs around the league could claim victory for having simply taken the field.

The American Association was originally scheduled to begin its 2020 season on May 19. After that date was indefinitely postponed, hope diminished as each passing day brought few concrete answers and the league as a whole a bit closer to a potential cancellation.

Even after the league’s mid-June announcement that six teams would play an abbreviated 60-game schedule, it was certainly fair to question whether the interested parties would make it to Friday night.

The affiliated minors officially cancelled their 2020 season last week, and the independent Frontier League wiped out their entire schedule as well.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic League, another independent circuit, announced its intention to salvage some form of a season, but prospects remained unclear to the point that one of its members — the Texas-based Sugar Land Skeeters –seceded from the league preemptively so they could operate four locally- based clubs out of one stadium. Independent teams going independent — one of the current realities of the professional baseball landscape.

The so-called path of least resistance would have been easy.

The six participating American Association clubs likely will operate at a loss. Goldeyes owner Sam Katz has implied those losses could be greater for each club than if they hadn’t played at all.

Over the past few weeks, those involved have frequently been asked: ‘Why?’

There’s that cliche again.

“I’m a baseball player at the end of the day,” Darvill said on his decision to ultimately make the trip to Fargo. “I had a lot of faith in the Goldeyes organization to take care of us and provide us with a great opportunity to go out and play this season.”

The players recognize the opportunity in front of them. In what was already a highly talented and highly -competitive league, there may be more eyeballs than ever on American Association players.

And while there was some initial skepticism as to how many players’ contracts might be purchased by MLB organizations (due to the cancelation of the affiliated minors), changes to big-league roster rules might actually create openings.

MLB teams will be allowed 60-man rosters (active players and a taxi squad) in 2020, increased from 40 in previous years. If you work your way down the pecking order, the top 50 players in an organization represent the MLB and triple-A teams. That leaves 10 spots for double-A types, which often has been the corollary for the level of play in the American Association.

“It’s a great opportunity to be in the spotlight being the first league in North America to start playing,” said Darvill. “It’s going to be extremely competitive, and it’s going to be a ton of fun to try and win another championship.”

KELLY ‘SUPER THANKFUL’ TO BE PLAYING BASEBALL AS REDHAWKS OPEN SEASON AGAINST RIVAL WINNIPEG ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – SATURDAY, JULY 4 th When Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks manager Chris Coste breaks down catcher Dylan Kelly from a skills perspective, there isn’t one single attribute that jumps off the page.

Coste, a former catcher, prefers it that way.

“He’s so good everywhere, but he’s not a superstar ability level in a lot of things,” Coste said. “To be honest with you, that’s what you want in your catcher. You don’t want a catcher who just specializes in one skill because there’s so much that goes into catching and he checks off all those boxes.”

Kelly and the RedHawks opened the season Friday night against the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Newman Outdoor Field, the first game in an abbreviated 60- game American Association season that had its start delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The game hand't been completed when this edition went to press.

“I’m super thankful to be here,” said Kelly, from Roswell, Ga. “We’re going to be playing even before Major League Baseball so that is super exciting.”

The COVID-19 outbreak is part of the reason Kelly landed with the RedHawks this summer. Only six of the league’s 12 teams are operating this summer due to the pandemic. Kelly played for the Sioux City Explorers the past three seasons, but Explorers are not playing this summer.

The RedHawks selected Kelly during a mid-June dispersal draft in which the operating teams could draft players from the six teams not playing this season.

“I’m just happy to be on a team,” said Kelly, who played college baseball at Missouri.

The left-handed swinging Kelly batted .287 with 19 doubles, three home runs and 29 RBIs in 97 games last season with Sioux City, which is managed by former RedHawks pitching coach Steve Montgomery. In the previous two seasons with the Explorers, Kelly batted at least .294.

“Having watched him play for Sioux City, the phrase I kept saying to myself was, ‘That’s what a manager wants in his catcher.’” Coste said. “It’s a guy who will catch every single inning of every single game the entire season if you let him.”

Due to the pandemic, only around 2,200 fans (50% capacity) will be maximum allowed into Newman Outdoor Field at least to start the season. Even though crowd size was limited Friday and will be throughout the season, Kelly thinks the fans will add to the games.

“I think it’s going to bring a good atmosphere because I think people want to get outside and enjoy some weather and baseball,” Kelly said.

Kelly also played hockey for most of his youth even though he grew up in a warm weather state. He started skating when he was about little more than a year old and played hockey until he was 16 years old. His father, Brian Kelly, played professional hockey in Sweden and in the minor leagues.

“I really enjoyed doing the two sports and that helped me with baseball as well,” said Kelly, who went to Centennial High School in Roswell. “I was a (hockey) center so I was more like a playmaker. That’s how I feel when I’m catching.”

Kelly said if he wasn’t going to be able to play for Sioux City this summer, Fargo was a good landing spot, especially to play for a manager like Coste. Coste is a former RedHawks player who worked his way to the Major Leagues and won a championship with the in 2008.

“He has literally made it to the 1% of what I’m trying to accomplish with my career, I’m trying to get to that level that he has been to and played at and played very well,” Kelly said.

Kelly said he and his teammates are committed to do the necessary things to stay healthy while playing baseball during a pandemic.

“We’ve done such a good job with just being safe and I feel like our guys, they value baseball,” Kelly said. “This is our livelihood so we’re taking it super cautious and being smart, doing the little things to help us stay on the field.”

Coste said Kelly brings an “energy and attentiveness” that is needed to be an effective catcher.

“I try to play it like every day is the biggest game of my life and I’m here and I’m still chasing it just like everyone else on the team,” Kelly said. “I bring some energy. Everybody sees the catcher so you’ve got to have energy. When you start to slow down, everybody else starts to slow down.”

GOLDEYES GET SET FOR SOME GAME ACTION HAYDEN GOETHE – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – FRIDAY, JULY 3 rd FARGO, N.D. — As Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney watched his players during a recent workout, he was struck by the team’s potential.

In theory, he said, one would think the level of play this season should be better than ever.

"There are good guys in the infield, but I got a major-leaguer standing in centre field (Darnell Sweeney)," Forney said this week. "I’ve got a right-fielder (Logan Hill) who has been hitting 15 to 20 home runs in Double-A and Triple-A the last couple years. I’ve got two really good (John Nester and Roy Morales). We have a lot of good baseball players."

The Goldeyes open their abbreviated 60-game season tonight at Newman Outdoor Field, which is their 2020 home owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they’ll be in their familiar position as the road team when they face the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

The season opener comes exactly three weeks after the American Association announced that six teams would play this season.

"I somewhat had a roster in place, but I somewhat stopped building because I didn’t think we were going to play," Forney said. "When this whole thing came together, we had to put it together really fast. I had some immigration issues because I had some guys signed that couldn’t come into the U.S. I had some guys who chose not to play this year and move on with their careers. I had to get some players in a hurry."

For the six teams who are playing in what is normally a 12-team league, there were players available. The league held a dispersal draft two weeks ago, where the six active teams drafted players from the six teams that are inactive. Winnipeg drafted nine of the 42 players chosen in the draft, giving the Goldeyes and the other active teams a mix of additional independent league stars and much-needed depth.

There’s even more talent available after Minor League Baseball cancelled its season on Tuesday. Baseball America reported that Minor League Baseball players could sign with independent teams if approved by the player’s team. The Mexican League also cancelled its season earlier this week.

"I think the media coverage and scout coverage could be bigger than ever before," Forney said. "We’re the only game in town."

Chris Coste, who is serving as the RedHawks’ interim manager this season, feels this season will provide players with more exposure than ever before.

"There are guys on the field on both teams that, if we get a whole season in, they will be signed by somebody," said Coste, a Fargo native who was a member of the champion Philadelphia Phillies. "There will be a couple guys or more in this league who will make the major leagues as a result of us playing this season."

The Goldeyes had just nine players on their training camp roster who played in Winnipeg last season. Despite the new faces on both teams, a pair of returning pitchers will start tonight’s game. Left-hander Mitch Lambson, who is in his fourth season with Winnipeg, is expected to face RedHawks right- hander Bradin Hagens, who pitched just seven innings with the AA club last season before spending the rest of the year with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A team.

Goldeyes first baseman Kyle Martin acknowledged last week that he was still learning the names of many of his new teammates. The pitching, in particular, has caught his eye.

"Normally, the hitters lag behind the pitchers," Martin said. "That will take a little longer than normal."

Newman Outdoor Field has been approved to play games at 50 per cent fan capacity, which means a little more than 2,000 fans could be in attendance for tonight’s game. Stadium staff will be required to wear face masks, while fans are encouraged to do so but aren’t required. Additionally, hand sanitizing stations, plastic shields and enforced social distancing between fans will be part of the safety measures.

Five new Fish to watch Most of the Goldeyes players on tonight’s opening-day roster weren’t with the team last season. Here are five players to watch as the season unfolds:

• 3B Eric Wood: the Toronto native spent most of the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. In 2018, he hit .269 with 11 homers and slugged .481 for Indianapolis.

• OF Darnell Sweeney: the former major leaguer was the Goldeyes’ first-round pick in the June dispersal draft after he batted .288 and posted a .968 OPS for the Kansas City T-Bones of the AA. He has 87 big league at-bats in stints with the Philadelphia Phillies (2015) and Toronto Blue Jays (2018).

• OF Logan Hill: Hill played the last five seasons in the Pirates’ organization. Last year at Double-A and Triple-A, he batted .250 with 14 homers and 72 RBIs.

• OF Jordan George: George has spent time in the Pirates, Royals and White Sox organizations. In his five-year pro career, he has more walks (208) than strikeouts (203).

• C John Nester: acquired from Cleburne in the dispersal draft, Nester hit .277 with 16 homers and a .505 slugging percentage for the Railroaders last season.

GOLDEYES HOLDING OUT HOPE OF PLAYING SOME GAMES IN WINNIPEG IN 2020 TED WYMAN – WINNIPEG SUN – FRIDAY, JULY 3 rd Winnipeg Goldeyes owner Sam Katz is closely monitoring the federal government’s response to requests by the Toronto Blue Jays and the National Hockey League to lift COVID-19 quarantine orders for returning or visiting players.

The Blue Jays have announced their intention of playing their home games at the Rogers centre in Toronto — pending government approval — while the NHL is reportedly planning to use Toronto and Edmonton as hub cities for it’s 24-team restart later this summer.

The Goldeyes, meanwhile, are set to begin play as a road team for the entire season in independent baseball’s American Association because of border restrictions and quarantine orders in Canada.

The American Association season begins Friday, with the Goldeyes taking on the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo. The Goldeyes will make Fargo their home base for the entire 60-game season unless some opportunity arises for them to return home and play in front of fans at Shaw Park in Winnipeg.

“We hope to play some home games in Winnipeg, even though when we started this journey, that was not the case,” Katz said Thursday. “We’ve been watching closely what’s going on with the NHL and the Blue Jays but I don’t think I’ve seen anything as yet that has changed our situation.”

The Blue Jays are looking for an exemption letter from the government to avoid quarantine rules. The NHL is believed to be getting a similar exemption so players can return to Canadian cities for training camps and then head to Edmonton and Toronto for the start of the season, but it has not yet been rubber-stamped.

Katz and American Association commissioner Josh Schaub both believe their league should be afforded the same exemption.

“We’re hoping for Winnipeg,” Schaub said. “We are following the developments in Toronto. We are in contact with Major League Baseball and I hope to get to the person in charge in terms of making that happen so I can get some insight into how it was accomplished.

“We still have the issue of fans being in the stadiums in Winnipeg though. We are a gate-driven league and that has to be able to happen. Even if we are able to return to Winnipeg, we need to have fans in the stands.”

Six teams will take part in the American Association season, with Winnipeg playing out of Fargo, the St. Paul Saints playing out of Sioux Falls, S.D., and the Milwaukee Milkmen and Chicago Dogs playing in their home cities.

The Dogs were originally slated to play in Milwaukee but their local health authorities gave them the OK to play at home in Rosemont, Ill.

“The only thing I can tell you for sure is if players were allowed from the other five teams to come across and not have to do quarantine, yes, we would definitely play in Winnipeg, at Shaw Park,” Katz said. “It would be at a significantly reduced capacity and with our COVID-19 safety plan in place. We’re still hoping but I have yet to see anything that has steered me in that way 100%.”

Katz said the Goldeyes would need 10 days to two weeks to get things ready at Shaw Park, so unless something happens soon, it might not even make sense for the team to return home.

However, Katz envisioned a scenario where things go very well for the Goldeyes on the field this year, while playing 42 games in Fargo and 18 more in other American cities.

“If we were one of the teams that made the playoffs, I would certainly consider having our playoffs in Winnipeg,” Katz said. “As long as we had the blessings of the federal and provincial government.”

The American Association was supposed to begin in mid-May, with 12 teams but was postponed due to the pandemic.

On June 12 the league announced a revamped schedule — starting on July 3 — with only six teams, which would be preceded by a player dispersal draft and training camps, all in a short period of time.

“Things have been moving very fast, as you can imagine,” Schaub said. We’ve had to do a lot. It’s been a whirlwind the last two weeks pulling this together.

“We still hold out hope that all of our teams will be able to play at home.”

COVID-19 positive test rate in American Association low All players and staff involved in the American Association have been tested for COVID-19 — some twice — and while commissioner Josh Schaub would not reveal the number of positive tests, he said the rate is low.

That clearly indicates there have been some positive tests in the league, but it certainly doesn’t sound like that will have any impact on the start of the season on Friday.

“The process itself has been pretty smooth,” Schaub said. “We got tests for everyone and they have been tested. I can’t divulge the specifics of positive tests but what I can tell you is our test results have been far superior to other leagues in terms of percentage of (positive) tests.

“We’re seeing colleges and Major League Baseball springing up with a pretty high percentage of (positive) tests. Ours have been significantly less.”

REDHAWKS GAMES AT NEWMAN EXPECTED TO FEEL DIFFERENT FOR FANS THIS SUMMER DUE TO COVID-19 ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – FRIDAY, JULY 3 rd FARGO — During their first 24 seasons, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks averaged at least 3,400 fans per game each summer, a trend that will change this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When the RedHawks open the American Association baseball season Friday night at Newman Outdoor Field, the ballpark will operate at around 50% capacity due to COVID-19.

That means around 2,200 fans can be allowed into Newman based on those restrictions.

“The way that we’ve been social distancing for the last several months, that 2,000 people is going to feel like 50,000,” RedHawks interim manager Chris Coste said. “What my expectations are, I have no idea. I’m cautiously optimistic that things are going to feel great that we can get back to the fans feeling comfortable, the players feeling comfortable. We know that we have an unknown road ahead of us to a certain extent.”

The RedHawks start the regular season at 7:02 p.m. Friday against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, starting a shortened 60-game season that was delayed due to COVID-19. Fireworks are scheduled for after the game.

A 100-game season was supposed to start in May, but had to be pushed back.

“The hope of all this is to provide some level of normalcy to the community by even having games,” said RedHawks general manager Matt Rau. “While the experience may change a little because of what we’re asking (people) to do to stay healthy, the general feel of Newman Outdoor Field will be there.”

The RedHawks have a list of frequently asked questions for fans on their official website to address changes for the season due to the pandemic. It outlines safety precautions the club has in place to keep fans, players and staff healthy.

For starters, multiple rows of seats will be closed and there will be two empty seats between family and friend groups sitting in the same row to create physical distancing.

Fans are encouraged to wear a face covering, but masks are not a requirement to start the season, Rau said.

All seating throughout the stadium will be general admission with a $10 price for tickets purchased in advance and $12 for game-day sales. Rau said there will be spacing markers for proper distancing if a line develops during entrance to the stadium through the main gate, which opens an hour before each game.

Fans can only enter the stadium through the main gate and exit through the season-ticket holder gate, which is located on the south side of the stadium and faces 15th Avenue North.

Rau said the precautions shouldn’t make entrance to the stadium longer than normal.

“With our normal entrance procedures, it’s contactless with (ticket) scanning anyway,” he said. “If fans are looking for specific seats and locations, the earlier the better. But nothing as far as that we would expect anything slowing it down more than normal.”

No sunflowers seeds or peanuts will be sold or allowed in the stadium during the season. Concession stands will be open throughout the stadium and will follow COVID-19 protocols. Rau said dividers and plexiglass will be placed in areas where necessary and all team staff members are required to wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be available at every point of purchase.

“It’s a different way of a RedHawks game for the time being. I think the precautions that are in place go above and beyond what regulations have been placed,” Rau said. “We’re doing everything or above what Fargo Cass Public Health has recommended to us.”

Enhanced cleaning protocols are going to be in place throughout the stadium, including restrooms. Rau said the team has been working on a COVID-19 plan since March following local, state and federal health guidelines.

Coste said the game is going to feel different from his perspective, too. Players and coaches will not be allowed to sign autographs.

“We are not going to be allowed to interact with fans which is really strange,” Coste said. “If I’m coaching third base and get a foul ball, I can’t throw it into the stands, which I love to do. … We really hope the fans understand that. Especially for me, someone that wants to make sure the fans go home happy, it’s going to be a tough one.”

Rau said there will be fewer tables in the beer garden area down the left-field line to allow more spacing between fans. The playground down the right- field line is closed. Rau added there will be limited promotions and giveaways to minimize points of contact.

“Baseball is the focus of this season,” Rau said. “There will still be interactive stuff on the video board. As far as on-field promotions go, it will look a lot different this year.”

FISHING AROUND IN FARGO HAYDEN GOETHE – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – THURSDAY, JULY 2 nd FARGO, N.D. — Frank Duncan was settling in for the evening. The new Winnipeg Goldeyes pitcher had wrapped up an afternoon of team drills to prepare for the upcoming season and played a round of golf with four of his new teammates. Then, a pot of water on the stove grabbed his attention.

"It’s boiling. It’s boiling," he blurted.

Baseball. Golf. Cooking. This season was going to be Duncan’s opportunity to put a domestic twist on a career that usually requires living out of a suitcase. This was to be his first season with the Kansas City T-Bones after playing in four major league organizations and spending 2019 in the Can- Am League. Kansas City has been his home for years. He starred at the University of Kansas. His fiancée, whom he proposed to in December, is in Kansas City. Baseball players are accustomed to life on the road, but this was a rare and unique opportunity to be home.

However, the person in charge of boiling water was neither Duncan nor his fiancée. It was his new Goldeyes teammate, catcher Roy Morales. And this wasn’t Duncan’s home in Kansas City. It was a hotel room in Fargo.

In a matter of weeks, Duncan’s 2020 plans had changed dramatically. First, the American Association postponed the start to its 100-game season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, on June 12, the league announced plans for a 60-game season, set to start Friday, with only six of the league’s 12 teams participating. The T-Bones aren’t one of them.

If the 28-year-old San Francisco product wanted to play, he would do so with another club. He didn’t hesitate. He wanted to play.

"If you have the opportunity to play and you believe in yourself to play right now, you have to take it," Duncan said.

"So when the opportunity came up, there was no doubt. Right now, at my age, you never know who is going to watch, and you’re just looking for one break."

Five days later, 42 players from the six teams not playing in 2020 were chosen in the league’s dispersal draft. The Goldeyes, who will play their home games at Fargo’s Newman Outdoor Field instead of Shaw Park in the Manitoba capital, selected nine of those players, including Duncan and Morales (both from the T-Bones).

"There’s nothing that’s happened in my 30-year career that compares to what’s happening right now and what’s going to happen in the next two months," Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. "Not even comparable."

Changes everywhere The usual curiosity that comes with opening day has been replaced by a general curiosity of how this AA season will work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the changes for this season: • Six teams playing in four cities. The six teams are: the Goldeyes, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Sioux Falls Canaries, Milwaukee Milkmen, St. Paul Saints and Chicago Dogs. Four of the six teams will play in their home stadiums. The exceptions are Winnipeg, which will host games in Fargo, and St. Paul, which will host games in Sioux Falls.

• Fans will be allowed at games, but stadium capacity is reduced. Newman Outdoor Field will operate at about 50 per cent capacity, which means a little over 2,000 fans. Every other row of seats will be blocked off, and there will be two empty seats between groups of fans.

• The regular season ends Sept. 10, followed by a best-of-five championship series between the top two teams.

• Roster limits based on player status were eliminated for this season.

"Typically, with a 23-man roster, you’re required to have five rookies and a maximum of five veterans," said Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier. "That’s a normal season. This year, the roster rules are wide open." Teams still have to operate within the league’s salary cap.

• Teams can carry two extra pitchers for the first 10 games. On opening day, teams will have 25 players, 15 of whom are pitchers. After 10 games, rosters are pared down to 23 players, 13 of whom are pitchers.

Safety the priority On the first day of Goldeyes training camp last week, players were tested for COVID-19. Then, baseball drills followed. While the play between the foul lines may look like it always has, what happens off the diamond will be dramatically different.

Throughout the season, players will undergo daily temperature checks and clubhouse activity is limited. Visiting teams at Newman Outdoor Field will leave the stadium in uniform, since both clubhouses are occupied by the RedHawks and Goldeyes.

"We’re not showering in the clubhouse. We’re not spending much time in there," said Forney of his team’s activities at their own clubhouse in Fargo. "People are wearing masks in the clubhouse. Basically, go in there and change into your gear and get out."

Forney and RedHawks manager Chris Coste have met with their players and delivered an identical message: "Don’t let the virus take the jersey off your back." That means being cognizant of the COVID-19 risk on and off the field

"There are a lot of moving parts we don’t even know about yet," Coste said. "Fortunately, the areas where we’re playing baseball right now are in good shape. But in no way does that mean we’re taking it lightly."

Forney said the league has advised the Goldeyes not to comment on the testing results. The league office could not be reached for comment.

Life on the road Each team and stadium will enforce COVID-19 readiness plans approved by local health departments and government officials. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, so too do local restrictions. The Chicago Dogs were slated to call Milwaukee home, but later gained approval to play in their home stadium in Rosemont, Ill., when the state of Illinois began Phase 4 of its recovery, which included a resumption of outdoor sports with limited fans.

Winnipeg’s hopes of returning to Shaw Park are complicated by the U.S.-Canadian border. Currently, the two countries have mutually agreed to restrict any non-essential travel across the border.

"The Canada-U.S. border would have to open without a restriction for us to have a chance (to return to Winnipeg)," Collier said. "Even if the province allowed us to play in front of fans, even a limited number of fans, if the border is closed, then it’s kind of a nonstarter."

For Duncan, who will be wearing the Winnipeg uniform for the first time but, at least right away, won’t experience the thrill of pitching in front of 4,000- plus fans at Shaw Park, it’s a missed opportunity.

"I’ve heard unbelievable things about the Goldeyes," he said. "Playing in Winnipeg sounds like it would be amazing."

‘IT’S A BREATH OF FRESH AIR:’ NEW GOLDEYES JUST HAPPY TO BE BACK ON THE DIAMOND TED WYMAN – WINNIPEG SUN – THURSDAY, JULY 2 nd There was a time in 2020 when Canadian pitcher Dylan Rheault thought he was “on top of the world.”

He had signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds and was having a strong . He got into a big-league spring training game and travelled with the team.

“Then stuff started to happen and I was just: ‘Oh no,’” Rheault said this week from Fargo, N.D., where he is preparing to pitch for the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association.

The “stuff” that started to happen was, of course, the coronavirus pandemic and the worldwide sports shutdown that has affected so many athletes.

Rheault, a 28-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., was on a one-year, minor-league contract. With no minor-league baseball being played this year, he was released.

That was on June 1 and, at the time, it looked like the prospects for playing in 2020 were about as good as being down three runs with two out and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself,” Rheault said. “We’re all going through this together. At the end of the day, life just isn’t fair. We can sit here and complain about it or we can make the best of the situation and try to make it some kind of positive.”

To that end, Rheault signed with Winnipeg and will take part in the American Association season, which is slated to open on Friday in Fargo, with the Goldeyes taking on the Redhawks.

“I get to come here and pitch,” said the 6-foot-9, 245-pound right-handed reliever.

“It’s a great escape being out there on the diamond,” he said. “We’ve all had (baseball) taken away this year. It’s just nice to be back out there. It’s a breath of fresh air. You can go into a dark spot and baseball has always been that solace.”

There are many players with stories like Rheault’s in the independent league this year. The American Association will be the first North American pro baseball league to get its season going. It has been reduced to six teams and the Goldeyes are playing out of Fargo because of restrictions on fans in the stands in Winnipeg and at the Canada-U.S. border.

With the six remaining AA teams drafting players from the other six and with the minors shut down, the Fish revamped their roster just as training camp was to begin.

Also finding himself in a Goldeyes uniform unexpectedly is catcher John Nester — a pickup from the Cleburne Railroaders in the dispersal draft.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Nester said. “It’s been a really long off-season.

“Personally, I got to the point where I figured it wasn’t gonna happen. Then we had the league getting going and some teams opting out and then a draft. Every day, it’s something new so it’s been interesting, to say the least.”

The abbreviated spring training camp in Fargo has been different from everything the players have experienced before.

“You can’t really describe it, you just have to be here,” Rheault said. “Everybody is kind of avoiding each other and you don’t know how to act. You go to give a dude a high-five and then you think: ‘Nah, I shouldn’t be giving high-fives right now.’

“Baseball is like a brotherhood, so we’ve always got our arm around somebody. Now, you just don’t know what to do.”

The players and team personnel have all undergone COVID-19 testing and have been asked to be vigilant in their efforts to avoid contact with the public. While they are not locked down in hotels, Nester said everyone shares a sense of responsibility in these strange times.

“You know you’ve got the rest of your team to look out for as well as yourself,” Nester said.

“All the guys seem to be doing their best day to day. Everybody is on board to be smart about it and do what we’re told.”

Independent baseball players are never in it for the money. They are in it because they love baseball and want to stay in the game by whatever means possible. If that leads to a job in a big-league organization, it’s a bonus.

That love of the game is on full display this week in Fargo.

“First practice, everybody just had a smile on his face, because we’re out here,” Rheault said.

“Usually, I don’t like standing out there for an hour and a half for batting practice, but when I’m out there now it’s like: ‘I get to be out here now and stand for BP.’ All the stuff you hate, after it’s really taken away from you, you just want to breathe it all in and enjoy it.”

Goldeyes looking like ‘stacked’ team for 2020 season A day ahead of the start of the American Association season, members of the Winnipeg Goldeyes are feeling very good about their team’s chances.

“Our team’s really good,” relief pitcher Dylan Rheault said. “Our lineup is stacked, our pitching staff is really good. It’s gonna be fun.”

Goldeyes manager Rick Forney has assembled quite the array of talented players, including some returnees, players from AA teams that are sitting out the season and cuts from major league organizations.

Among the players the Goldeyes have this season are former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Darnell Sweeney, former AAA player Eric Wood and Canadian third baseman Wes Darvill, who spent many years in the Chicago Cubs’ and Los Angeles Dodgers systems.

“It’s tough to say how we’ll do because we’ve only had a few days really,” Nester said. “It seems like we’ve got a really strong defence and some strong bats to go with it. Everything I’ve seen from the pitching side, they seem pretty polished and ready to go.

“One of the biggest issues is gonna be if guys are not ready because of the short spring training and all the uncertainty about what was gonna happen with the season in the first place.”

AUDIO: MITCHELL LAMBSON INTERVIEW CHRISTIAN AUMELL – 680 CJOB – THURSDAY, JULY 2 nd LINK: https://globalnews.ca/news/7135167/winnipeg-goldeyes-return-to-play/

GOLDEYES MANAGER FORNEY ‘MORE THAN HAPPY’ TO PLAY IN FARGO THIS SUMMER ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – SATURDAY, JUNE 27 th FARGO — Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney wasn’t confident there would be American Association baseball this year as recent as mid-June, but then he received a late-night call from team owner Sam Katz.

“I think we might be going,” Forney said, recalling Katz’s words.

A couple days later, the league announced an abbreviated 60-game season, due to the coronavirus pandemic, was going to start July 3. That news came June 12 and a shortened training camp started Thursday. Forney said the past couple weeks have been a whirlwind.

“Overwhelming to say the least,” said Forney, entering his 15th season as Goldeyes manager. “It’s been really hard to put this thing together. Up until like a couple weeks ago, I pretty much thought we were done. There was no way we were going to play. You just weren’t hearing anything positive that made you feel like we were going to play.”

The Goldeyes are sharing Newman Outdoor Field with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The teams have been longtime rivals since the RedHawks started operations in 1996. Forney was also one of the top pitchers in Goldeyes history, playing for the team from 1997-2000.

“We’re certainly appreciative of the RedHawks being our host and I like being here,” Forney said. “I’ve always loved coming to Fargo. I like Newman Outdoor Field. I love the fan base, they’re energetic, they’re into it, they understand the league. I’m happy to be here, and if we have to play in a hub and not play in Winnipeg, then this is a place I am more than happy to play.”

Forney said building a roster on short notice has been one of the challenges over the past couple weeks with the short notice.

“You got to get on the phone with all your players and see who still wants to play, who doesn’t want to play and who can’t play because of immigration issues,” Forney said. “I realized I had about 10 days to get 13 guys. It’s been overwhelming to say the least. You’re sharing a ballpark and unloading equipment out of a trailer into the visitor’s locker room that you’re going to call home for the summer. It sure is strange.”

RedHawks general manager Matt Rau said it’s also been a challenge on the operations side.

“It’s just a compressed schedule as a whole, from getting a stadium ready, to getting our team here, to getting our vendors ready,” Rau said. “Typically, it’s a month-long process and we’re doing it on a very shortened time period.”

The Goldeyes practiced Friday afternoon at Newman Outdoor Field and will call the visitor’s locker room home this summer. The RedHawks and Winnipeg open the regular season at 7:02 p.m. next Friday at Newman.

Forney said the Goldeyes have used the locker room in a limited capacity thus far due to the COVID-19 outbreak, not wanting to congregate in an indoor space. He expects that to be the norm this season.

“You’re trying to make sure your players aren’t hanging out too much in that clubhouse and still trying to practice social distancing and things and that’s pretty hard to do inside of a baseball locker room. We’re pretty much not even using it,” Forney said. “Right now, it’s just really, really different. It doesn’t feel like it used to.”

Six of the 12 American Association teams are operating this summer due to the pandemic. The Sioux Falls Canaries, St. Paul Saints, Milwaukee Milkmen and Chicago Dogs are the other four franchises.

Forney said once he found out Winnipeg was playing this summer, there was no question he was going to be in the dugout.

“100%, if the Goldeyes are playing, Rick Forney is going to be there,” he said.

FISH TAKE TO FIELD IN FARGO TAYLOR ALLEN – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – FRIDAY, JUNE 26 th Day 1 of training camp usually begins with players walking into the clubhouse, catching up with teammates and introducing themselves to the new faces in the room.

But this year’s camp had a bit of a different start for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

The Fish kicked it off on Thursday with a field trip. They left their Fargo hotel first thing in the morning and drove over to State University to get tested for COVID-19. From there, they went back to the hotel, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to Newman Outdoor Field — home of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks — for their first training session. The Fish, one of six teams playing a modified 60-game American Association season with fans in attendance at half capacity, are playing out of Fargo and will share the ballpark with the RedHawks.

They will get the results back from their COVID-19 testing in a day or two.

For veteran infielder Wes Darvill, the only normal thing about the first day of camp was their time on the diamond, other than the fact it didn’t take place at Shaw Park, of course.

"Once we got out on the field and you get to see some familiar faces like (Mitchell) Lambson and (Kevin) McGovern, you know, guys you’ve played with for a long time, it’s actually quite comforting. It’s almost like a bit of a break from all the craziness, really," said Darvill, a Langley, B.C., native who’s entering his fourth season with the Goldeyes.

"Really, when you’re out there playing, for the first time you could let the COVID and the pandemic turn off in your mind for a little bit and you could relax. It was really nice to be back on the field and have some resemblance of normal life."

The decision to cross the border and spend the summer living out of a hotel room to play baseball wasn’t an easy one for Darvill, a member of the Canadian national team and the Goldeyes’ 2016 and 2017 championship squads. Darvill flew from Vancouver to Winnipeg before making the drive to Fargo earlier in the week.

"I wrestled with it for probably about a week on whether or not I wanted to go," admitted Darvill.

"I had a lot of talks with my family and that was probably one of the hardest parts. You feel really safe at home and I was pretty confident that in the situation that I was in that I wasn’t going to contract it and not really having a risk of getting it. So, that was a really, really tough decision for me. But I’m really trusting that everyone in charge is really putting us in the right situation and doing their best to keep us safe. That’s what ultimately led to me to the decision to come down here."

Spending months in a hotel sounds less than ideal, but Darvill said it’s not as bad as you may think. Perhaps the lack of distractions will do him good. It’ll also force him to hit the books as he’s taking online courses at the University of Phoenix in business administration.

"The hotel setup is really great. Really spacious rooms, we have a little kitchen in there, so they did a really great job at setting us up," said the 28-year- old who hit .317 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 88 games for the Goldeyes in 2019.

"Personally, for me, I’m doing some summer classes to try to knock out my degree, so that’ll keep me busy when I’m not on the field. Other than that, I think everyone is just trying to be smart, be safe and not put themselves in compromising positions and just have a season with baseball and hang out with the guys. I’m looking forward to that."

The Goldeyes will have a week to adjust to their new surroundings before they open the regular season on July 3 against the RedHawks. All American Association games will be hosted by the RedHawks, Milwaukee Milkmen and Sioux Falls Canaries. The Goldeyes will play 42 of the 60 games at "home" in Fargo to limit travel. The Chicago Dogs and St. Paul Saints are in the same boat as the Goldeyes as they’ll be playing out of hub cities. The Dogs will occupy Ballpark Commons with the Milkmen and the Saints are paired up with the Canaries as they’ll be based out of .

It was announced on Thursday that radio 93.7 FM CJNU will broadcast all Goldeyes games. There’s been no announcement on whether the games will be streamed online.

"That’s bizarre and that’s really unfortunate," said Darvill on not being able to play at Shaw Park in 2020.

"Playing in front of Winnipeg fans, being in Winnipeg, getting to experience the city, that’s what makes baseball so much fun. That’s why all those players love to come back to Winnipeg because of the fans and the city. Everybody really loves the city. It really sucks, but we’ll do what we can and hopefully we’ll have baseball back up there real soon."

‘WE’RE JUST ALL THANKFUL TO HAVE SOME BASEBALL’ MIKE MCINTYRE – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – THURSDAY, JUNE 25 th Driving more than 2,000 kilometres in less than a day might seem like the equivalent of getting a root canal to many. But it's a journey Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney was happy to make this week, one that started from his residence in Maryland and ended in his most unusual temporary baseball home of Fargo, N.D.

Unable to play games at Shaw Park this summer owing to COVID-19 restrictions banning large gatherings for sporting events until at least September, the Fish will instead fly in enemy territory. An abbreviated spring training gets underway Thursday followed by an abbreviated 60-game American Association baseball season starting July 3.

Forney's 24th season with the Goldeyes, including the past 15 as skipper, is going to be unlike any other.

"It's not ideal, but it's not a reason to not work. If the Goldeyes are going to operate in any fashion, then I want to be a part of it," Forney said by telephone as he passed the midway point of his solo trek just outside Chicago.

Prior to hitting Newman Outdoor Field for the first time to shake off cobwebs, Forney and his players will have to undergo mandatory testing for coronavirus. There will be additional nasal swabs taken over the next couple of months, along with daily temperature checks.

Unlike the NHL or NBA, there is no protective bubble being established in the American Association. The Goldeyes will be living out of a hotel this summer, playing 42 of their games in Fargo and 18 in the other three hub cities of Milwaukee, Chicago (which announced Wednesday they've been cleared to open) and Sioux Falls, which will also house the St. Paul Saints.

On the bright side, it means the lengthy bus trips that are a staple of playing in Winnipeg against 11 American rivals are in the rear-view mirror, for now. It also means Forney will have to include some additional lessons in his talks with players that go well beyond the fundamentals on the field.

"We're going to have a conversation as a team about making good choices, trying to avoid crowded places and socially distancing ourselves from everybody else," he said.

Another big difference from other pro sports in North America is that there's a plan for fans in the stands, which was the key to getting a modified 2020 campaign underway. With no lucrative television contract bringing in big bucks, the league needs people passing through the turnstiles in order to function.

"I think people will be anxious to come out, watch baseball, enjoy some sunshine, maybe visit the beer garden, maybe heckle Rick Forney," said Forney.

The idea may seem foolhardy to many, especially with the curve rapidly growing in many markets south of the border. You get the feeling this could all go sideways in a hurry. In reality, Winnipeg would have been among the safest places to play, and the fact it's not being allowed tells you plenty. Forney, 48, admits health and safety are on his mind as he tries to put together a team that can compete for a championship.

"Obviously it's a factor, but I'm not consumed by it. You try to make sure you're not putting yourself into a situation where the odds increase of you getting it. But we've got to live our lives and do the best we can to keep ourselves safe. I try not to focus on it too much," he said.

Doing what he loves and being back in his natural element took on an added importance this year following the tragic sudden death of his oldest son, David, in February, due to cardiac arrest. The 22-year-old was found unresponsive in his dorm at the Naval Academy, where he was a midshipman and key member of the football team. More than 3,000 people attended the funeral, which included full military honours.

The Goldeyes will honour David this season by wearing a patch on their uniforms bearing his initials and football number.

"It's touching. I didn't know anything about it until (general manager Andrew Collier) mentioned it. I'm touched. I'm glad people still remember David and are thinking about our family," said Forney, who is looking forward to visits later this season from his wife, Erika, and children, Chris, Rebekah and Erik.

As for the task at hand, Forney believes this could be the most talented Goldeyes roster assembled in some time. With six other league teams pausing operations this summer, the other clubs were able to pick through their rosters in last week's dispersal draft. There are also plenty of prospects looking for jobs following a slew of minor-league releases from MLB clubs.

The league has also got rid of its usual restrictions capping the number of veterans and requiring multiple rookies on the roster, and teams can carry 25 players instead of 23. However, some Latin American athletes, including veteran Goldeyes slugger Willy Garcia, will have to sit this season out due to currently being in the Dominican Republic and unable to travel to the U.S.

"We still have a salary cap we have to work with, so it's not a gigantic free-for-all where you can go sign whatever you want. But you do have the ability to potentially sign guys with a little bit better resumé and a little bit more experience than in years past," said Forney.

"We have a real good roster right now, but so does everybody. Truth be told we don't know what we're walking into. We don't know what kind of shape these guys are in. But we're going to find out."

With only two months of play and the top two teams advancing to the playoffs, this season is more like a sprint than a marathon. Forney has a week to assess what he has before the real fun begins.

"Every day is going to be a new story. We'll just have to see how it's going to unfold," he said. "It's going to be a bit strange. But I like Fargo, I like the ballpark, I like the fan base. It could lead to a great experience. I'm sure we're just all thankful to have some baseball."

‘IT ALL DOESN’T SEEM REAL’: GOLDEYES RICK FORNEY DEALS WITH TRAGEDY, PANDEMIC, AS CAMP OPENS PAUL FRIESEN – WINNIPEG SUN – THURSDAY, JUNE 25 th It’s about a 20-hour drive from Walkersville, Rick Forney’s hometown in Maryland, to Fargo, N.D., and Forney did all but four hours of it in one day.

The 1,300-mile trip would have provided a lot of time for the Winnipeg Goldeyes manager to ponder the surreal predicament he finds himself in.

Scrambling to put together a team on a couple weeks notice, a team that’ll spend the entire season on the road, headquartered in the home of their fiercest rival, for a makeshift American Association season involving just six teams — it’s enough to leave anyone’s head spinning.

But it’s Forney’s heart that’s still taking the brunt of what’s been a cruel and unusual start to 2020.

“I still cry every day,” the 48-year-old, on the phone from Fargo, was saying on Wednesday. “Yesterday was no different. I’m driving past South Bend, Ind., and I was just there in November watching David play football against Notre Dame. Every day you have your little moments. Your life is forever altered.”

David was Forney’s son, the oldest of four kids.

Studying and playing football at the Naval Academy in their home state, he died of a sudden heart attack in his dorm room on Feb. 22. He was 22.

While doctors have said there were some anomalies regarding his heart, Forney still doesn’t have all the answers as to what caused it.

All he knows is his son, a star offensive lineman who was about to graduate and take a shot at the NFL, his whole life ahead of him, had it cut short, instead.

“He was sitting at his desk, peeling an orange, getting ready to write a paper,” Forney said. “It’s hard to explain. He played practically every snap of football all season long. How does this not happen during the season, during a game?

“I firmly believe one day we’ll all know why.”

Forney has been leaving home for baseball season in Winnipeg for the last 14 years.

This 15th time was the hardest.

“When we’re busy we’re good,” he said. “When we have time on our hands then things can get a little difficult. Graduation time was tough. And Mother’s Day was tough. And David’s birthday was May 15, right around the same time as graduation and Mother’s Day, so it was a tough week. Everybody’s doing OK, though. Best they can.

“It all doesn’t seem real.”

Neither does what’s happening to his baseball team, moved to a new home base in Fargo for a season-long road trip because of the closed Canada- U.S. border.

A hastily convened training camp, comprised of a hastily-signed roster, opens on Thursday. Eight days later, the season-opener.

“We’ve got a lot of people on our roster that weren’t signed up to play for the Goldeyes until two weeks ago,” Forney said. “We had to change everything in a hurry.”

Forney recalls team owner Sam Katz calling him late on a Wednesday to give him a heads-up that something would likely happen.

Two days later, it was a go.

“And I knew we had roster problems, with immigration, and I had to find out if guys that I had signed still wanted to play,” Forney said. “And people not wanting to play, and people that I can’t get in. And having to go find 15 people in two weeks wasn’t easy.”

Many players said thanks, but no thanks.

“What are you going to say to that?” Forney said. “You understand, 100 percent.”

The result: A roster even the most ardent Fish fan wouldn’t recognize.

Just a handful of players, including infielder Wes Darvill and pitchers Kevin McGovern and Victor Capellan, are back from last year’s team.

“I think everybody has more returning guys than I do,” Forney said, chuckling. “It’s like a brand new Christmas present. It makes it fun at the same time. It keeps it fresh.”

Keeping it safe is another story.

Forney and the entire team is to be tested for COVID-19 on Thursday morning. He planned to keep players from using the clubhouse until the test results are in.

Even then, he’ll probably have them report every day in waves, limiting the room to 10 players at a time.

“I don’t know how often we get tested throughout the season,” he said. “I’m sure we’re going to do temperature checks daily. I don’t know how it’s all going to work out, to be honest with you. We’ll just play it by ear every day.”

With the virus still having its way south of the border, this could be an ever-changing game plan.

“I think we’re going to be OK just because we have an older group of guys that are going to be staying in the hotel and not going out anywhere,” Forney said. “We’re going to do the best we can to social distance and keep each other safe.”

Through it all, Forney will have a constant reminder of the personal tragedy he’s dealing with.

In honour of his son, players will wear a decal with the initials DF, along with the number 68, his jersey number at Navy.

“That was a really nice gesture by the Goldeyes,” Forney said. “We’ve been there a long time.”

Not that he needs the reminder.

“I’m not over it,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. And I’m in no hurry. I’m OK crying.”

GOLDEYES PITCHER, WIFE KEPT APART BY A CLOSED CANADA-U.S. BORDER DURING PANDEMIC TED WYMAN – WINNIPEG SUN – THURSDAY, JUNE 18 th Throughout the course of their relationship, Winnipeg Goldeyes pitcher Kevin McGovern and his wife Danielle Doiron have always managed to make things work from long distances.

In 2020, it has been an entirely different kind of challenge.

McGovern lives and works as a private baseball instructor and coach in Philadelphia, while Doiron lives and works in Winnipeg.

They were married in April of 2019 and spent the next few months in Winnipeg as McGovern pitched for the Goldeyes. For the rest of the off-season they planned to visit one another at least once a month in their respective home cities.

They were still doing the long-distance thing when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March and that means they haven’t seen each other in person since. “This is the longest we’ve ever been apart and it will probably continue to be that way for a while, but it could be a lot worse,” said Doiron, who had to cancel a few flights to Philadelphia. “We live in the age of the Internet. We still have FaceTime, we can text each other. We make it work. It’s actually been a lot better than I thought it would be.”

The Canada-United States border was closed to non-essential travellers in March and will remain closed until at least July 21.

In a normal year, McGovern would have returned to Winnipeg in early May to begin spring training with the Goldeyes but this year the season was postponed and was only recently re-scheduled to begin on July 3 in three U.S. hub cities.

“I was working here and he was working there and we had no idea how long this was going to last,” Doiron said. “So, initially, we were still thinking he’d come up here in May for the Goldeyes season.

“So we didn’t make any snap decisions then but by the time we thought about doing it one way or the other it was a little bit too late.”

McGovern is going to start spring training with the Goldeyes next week, but it will be in Fargo. He’s getting closer to Winnipeg but he and Doiron don’t expect to be seeing each other until at least September, after the American Association season.

“I look forward to being closer and we’ll see how the border looks and how the responses to the virus go in the next few weeks,” said McGovern, who has played three seasons with the Goldeyes and won two American Association championships.

“This is the longest I’ve been away from Winnipeg for a very long time now and it’s definitely starting to wear on me.”

The Canadian government recently relaxed border restrictions specifically to help out separated families, but Doiron still doesn’t expect to be going to Fargo, as the players will be in a bubble environment for the two-month season.

“If I lived in Emerson and he lived in Grand Forks we’d be one of those couples sitting on lawn chairs across the border from each other,” Doiron laughed. “But Fargo is still a while away. I don’t think it’s really going to be in the cards.”

“We just want to make sure we’re on the safer side of things,” McGovern added.

Both McGovern and Doiron remain upbeat through all this and are waiting patiently for things to return to normal. No one knows when exactly that might be.

“After the season’s over, maybe I’ll be able to get across the border,” McGovern said. “I would have to be quarantined but I don’t think it would be too much of a problem to have to spend a mandatory 15 days with Danielle and her family up in Winnipeg.

“Her family basically feels like another dad, another mom, another brother and another sister to me. I miss them a lot. This has been a tough year for everybody with those personal connections.”

GOLDEYES PLAYERS READY TO PLAY BALL IN WHAT PROMISES TO BE ‘EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE’ SEASON TED WYMAN – WINNIPEG SUN – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 th In the middle of an enthusiastic conversation about the return of American Association baseball in a few weeks, a blunt question was posed to Winnipeg Goldeyes Canadian third baseman Wes Darvill.

“Training camp starts on June 25 in Fargo … is it 100% that you’re going to be there?”

He paused for just a second and then answered: “I can say, pretty much 100% I will be there. I’m leaning strongly toward playing. I still want to see a few more of the details come out. Obviously, there are concerns. I can’t comment too much on it, I just go by what the health experts are saying.”

Darvill’s answer is representative of what a lot of independent baseball players are likely thinking right now.

While they’re thrilled about the opportunity to play a shortened 60-game season in three U.S. hub cities, it’s not going to be for everyone.

Some players have already decided they aren’t going to play, for a variety of reasons. Some can’t, because they live in countries like the Dominican Republic or Colombia and can’t get visas right now.

Others are still mulling it over, knowing that the coronavirus pandemic remains a major concern south of the border.

“I’m still in that situation where I’m trying to weigh everything,” said Darvill, who has played three seasons with the Goldeyes and 11 seasons of professional baseball. “I’m really confident that the people who are in charge are taking careful consideration for our health and safety and putting a quality product on the field. It’s a really good opportunity for everybody involved.”

The Goldeyes will spend most of their summer in Fargo, N.D., with a few trips to Sioux Falls, S.D., and Milwaukee. They’ll play 24 games against the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks and nine each against the Milwaukee Milkmen, Sioux Falls Canaries, St. Paul Saints and Chicago Dogs.

The American Association plans to allow fans in the stands and conduct its shortened season (starting on July 3 and ending Sept. 10) as normally as possible — with six less teams than usual.

“It’s obviously really exciting, especially with all the uncertainty we’ve had,” Darvill said from his home near Vancouver. “I think a lot of people probably didn’t think this was gonna happen. Credit to everyone who stuck it out and got something done.

“It’s pretty special, especially with what’s going on in Major League Baseball right now. To maybe be the only professional baseball league going in the United States is pretty cool and it will be pretty special to participate in that.”

Major League Baseball was due to start in early July as well, but a disagreement between the players and owners has even commissioner Rob Manfred saying he’s not confident there will be a season.

Organized minor league baseball has been shuttered as well, leaving the independent American Association as the only league ready to start up. Six of the league’s teams — Gary, Sioux City, Kansas City, Lincoln, Cleburne and Texas — have chosen to sit this season out and at least 150 players just became available.

“There’s a lot of guys who are sitting on the couch right now that would love this opportunity,” Goldeyes pitcher Kevin McGovern said from Philadelphia Tuesday.

“Honestly, out of everyone in the world, there’s not a lot of people that are getting to play professional baseball right now.”

McGovern, who married a Winnipeg woman and normally splits his time between Winnipeg and Philly, is ready to go for training camp next week.

“I had a chance to talk to (Goldeyes manager) Rick (Forney) about it and I told him I was ready,” McGovern said. “I was staying ready the whole year and I always had the mental preparation for the season to start. I’m happy to come up and at least get to play some baseball this year.”

McGovern has been following health and safety information about the Covid-19 pandemic closely and believes the American Association has come up with a good plan to minimize the risks.

“I know there are some risks that come with everything,” he said. “When they talked to me about making it a little bit more localized with the three cities and the six teams, it was something that I was willing to follow through on. It’s hard to go this long without baseball and I’m really excited about trying to give back to it.”

One thing that appeals to both Darvill and McGovern is just how intense the upcoming training camp and the short season promise to be.

“With the league shrinking in half and the amount of jobs that are open, I think it’s gonna be the most competitive baseball that this league has ever seen,” said Darvill, who was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2009.

“There’s lots of guys who want to play and have been working really hard and staying disciplined over this quarantine and are waiting for this opportunity to come.”