Baseball Road Trip Possibilities

Last Monday, professional baseball was played in the United States. Certainly it wasn't MLB, who are still shooting themselves in the foot, nor was it the minor leagues, which cannot start play without an agreement covering the majors first. Instead, it was the Northwoods League, a collegiate wood bat circuit that usually sees 22 teams doing battle over a 72-game season. This year, of course, is different. The league will play in three regions: North Dakota (three teams playing at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark); Wisconsin/Illinois (six teams each playing at their home ballpark, with others joining later if possible); and Michigan (six teams sharing three stadiums). Update: another region will include five teams in Iowa and Minnesota, while Kenosha will see a series of games between two teams.

Obviously, the WI/IL region is the best for a road trip, and there is even another team that will be playing in the Dairy State starting July 1. The Milwaukee Milkmen are one of six clubs in the independent American Association that will see action this summer. That league is divided into three hubs, each of which will host two squads: Milwaukee and Chicago will be based at Milkmen Stadium in Franklin, just west of MKE airport; Fargo-Moorhead and Winnipeg will use Newman Outdoor Field on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, while Sioux Falls and St. Paul will call Sioux Falls Stadium home. Each team will play 30 home games and 12 road games at their hub ballpark, with the other 18 tilts coming at one of the other two hubs.

With games nearly every day, it is quite easy to plan a week-long trip to see every park in Wisconsin, plus Rockford. I'd love to do it just to get away after three months in my apartment, but trips of that length are no longer possible for me, with or without a pandemic. And who knows if you can even get tickets, with capacity limited every night. The first four games in Bismarck sold out, with just 500 lucky fans allowed in each night, just over 25% of its usual capacity.

Still, all is not lost for my baseball road tripping options. I am hoping to take a family trip to the Upper Plains starting in late July, and if that happens, I will stop at Fargo and Sioux Falls to add those two states to my baseball list (leaving just Wyoming and Alaska as ones where I have not see America's pastime). Things are still in the planning stages and will depend on how those states deal with the coronavirus, but it looks pretty good right now. Update: The Expedition League began play on June 25 and has 3 teams in the Dakotas, so I hope to add those to my list. Update 2: I did not take this trip, but did go to Martinsville, Chicago, and Milwaukee.

For those living elsewhere, there are other baseball leagues are set to start in the next few days. The Texas Collegiate League, another wood bat association, will have ten teams, including five that are being run by minor league franchises, including two at HODGETOWN in Amarillo. Also in Texas, the Sugar Land Skeeters are hosting four teams at Constellation Field. Meanwhile, the Coastal Plain League (also wood bat) is starting next week with three teams in Georgia and South Carolina playing each other, while eight other clubs based in North Carolina and Virginia will face off. Update: the list changes daily, so you might want to use Baseball Mapper's COVID Map to help plan your trip.

So there is plenty of baseball to be seen, just not at the level you might be used to. Each team will have their own COVID policies and those would need to be researched, particularly with respect to ticket availability. I would not expect any to be found at the box office on game day. With the way the mask debate has devolved into a political battle (the abject stupidity on display in this country is staggering), you can expect that most fans will not be wearing a face covering and probably giving you the evil eye if you happen to have one on. Personally, I think if you are outdoors and away from people, you don't have much to worry about. The vast majority of initial transmission comes from being inside for an extended period of time (restaurant, bar, church, gym, subway/bus, hospital/nursing home, etc.) where there is an infected person in your vicinity. Viral load matters, which is why masks, though not 100% effective, are helpful in reducing both the spread of particles from infected persons and the number of particles being inhaled by those who are still free of the virus. As always, do your own research and make your own decisions. Just try not to end up being an addition to the COVID page of shame.

I'll update this post if I find out more baseball leagues that are playing, and once I book my vacation to the Dakotas. Until then, stay safe everyone!

Best,

Sean