Honkers Ready and Eager to Play in 2020
Published on May 26, 2020 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Rochester Honkers News Release
ROCHESTER, MN. - The Rochester Honkers baseball club announced today that they have their "Readiness Safety Plans" in place to open Mayo Field and are eager to begin their 2020 season whenever they are provided clearance to open.
Rochester, one of the Northwoods League's founding teams, has continued preparing for it's 27th season of play despite the restrictions that have been put in place in the state of Minnesota. Noting that other teams within the Northwoods League have begun preparations to play, the Honkers want to join their fellow affiliates.
"While we are certainly happy for them, it's also frustrating at the same time to see other teams within our same league now being able to get their stadiums ready to play and start inviting their players to their respective cities to begin pre-season workouts," exclaimed Honkers co-owner Chris Goodell, who is also part of the groups that manage the La Crosse (Wis.) Loggers and Mankato MoonDogs.
The Bismarck (N.D.) Larks have publicly stated that they are looking to begin play on June 15 while multiple teams from Wisconsin are receiving the go-ahead to play, including the La Crosse Loggers and Green Bay Booyah. All five Northwoods League teams in the state of Minnesota continue to wait without the ability to generate much needed revenue to keep their baseball businesses moving forward. Like the Honkers, the Willmar Stingers are also ready and awaiting the green light.
"It's no secret that we're a seasonal business that fully depends on fans in our stands during the summer months and the support from our great community sponsors to operate," shared Goodell. "We only have a finite window to get in our home games and, if we don't get clearance soon, that window will be closing."
Being outside in a facility like Mayo Field certainly provides its advantages when it comes to providing a safe haven for fans, says Honkers general manager Jeremy Aagard. "Our readiness safety plan illustrates that we can provide social distance seating options in our ballpark and being outdoors during this time is definitely advantageous. Furthermore, the game of baseball itself provides a great deal of social distancing within the game." Aagard continued, "We've provided our readiness safety plan to the park & recreation department who oversees Mayo Field, they've been tremendously helpful and great to work with."
The Honkers were originally scheduled to open the 2020 season tonight against the St. Cloud Rox, but opening day has been delayed indefinitely until more guidance can be provided from the state of Minnesota. The Honkers are offering a virtual opening day special online for any fan wishing to purchase $40 worth of a Honkers gift card, they will receive $50 in return. Those are available right now at www.RochesterHonkers.com or by calling the Honkers front office at 507-289-1170. Fans can also watch a special replay of the Honkers June 28 game from 2019 on the Honkers Facebook page tonight, with the first pitch being thrown at 6:35 p.m.
Northwoods League Stories from May 26, 2020
- Turtle Creek Stadium Serving Lunch Thursday as Part of Virtual Opening Day - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Mallards Team Store Construction Completed - Madison Mallards
- Honkers Ready and Eager to Play in 2020 - Rochester Honkers
- Dock Spiders Front Office and Team Store Now Open - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Larks Release Smart Start Plan - Bismarck Larks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
