Milkmen planning to open season July 3 with fans
Major League Baseball remains in a stalemate for the foreseeable future, but the crack of the bat be audible in a Milwaukee-area stadium this summer.
The Milwaukee Milkmen are one of six teams electing to play their American Association schedule in 2020, and a 60-game season begins July 3, with Franklin's Milkmen Stadium serving as one of three “hub” locations for games.
With safer-at-home restrictions keeping fans from attending sporting events in Illinois, the Chicago Dogs also will play at Milkmen Stadium, and both teams will play 42 of their 60 games in that ballpark (with 24 head-to-head contests). Likewise, the St. Paul Saints and Winnipeg Goldeyes will play in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Teams will enforce COVID-19 readiness plans approved by local health departments and play with limited capacity for fans with social-distancing guidelines.
A truncated spring training begins June 25. Chicago and Milwaukee square off July 3. The Milkmen professional baseball club began operation in 2019.
Chinooks eye July 15
The Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League, a summer baseball circuit featuring college players, announced Monday that they're hopeful to begin play July 15 but won't be ready sooner.
“We are currently working with city and county officials as well as Concordia University Wisconsin to assure the health and safety of everyone involved from the players and staff to our fans,” a team release noted. “A final decision and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.”
The Northwoods League is scheduling teams in “pods” and announced that several other Wisconsin affiliates would begin play July 1. The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, Green Bay Booyah, La Crosse Loggers, Rockford Rivets, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters and Wisconsin Woodchucks are all in a pod together.