Letter To The Editor: Baseball will return when it’s safe

This Letter To The Editor from Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp owner/CEO Ken Babby and executive vice president Harold Craw originally appeared in the Florida Times-Union on April 16, 2020.

This week was scheduled to be an exciting one for Jacksonville — the return of baseball, hot dogs, beer and fireworks on Wednesday, April 15.

For many, Opening Day is synonymous with more than just the game — it means the return of spring, fun nights together and memories made for a lifetime. While we won’t be able to gather at 121 Financial Ballpark like we all hoped, we wanted to take a moment and share a few thoughts.

During these uncertain times, we believe it is the Jumbo Shrimp’s role and responsibility as the leader of Affordable Family Fun in Jacksonville to prioritize the health and well-being of our staff, fans, players and partners while also supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to resolve this unprecedented situation.

To say that we are disappointed that Opening Day at 121 Financial Ballpark is delayed is an understatement, but our staff is diligently working to prepare for baseball in 2020 and welcome our amazing fans into the ballpark.

The moment we hear any information from Minor League Baseball about a confirmed start date we will immediately share it with you and respond accordingly. Rest assured, we are committed to bringing Jumbo Shrimp baseball back to Jacksonville as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, on behalf of the entire Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp family, we want to extend a huge thank you to our local doctors, nurses, health technicians and first responders. Your efforts have been nothing short of incredible and you are heroes.

We are committed to Jacksonville, its community and all of our fans for the long haul. We are grateful and humbled to have received so much passion, loyalty and support from our fans and partners since day one.

A heartfelt thank you to our new long-term naming rights partner at the ballpark, 121 Financial, for helping us continue to deliver Affordable Family Fun for decades to come.

We can’t wait to officially celebrate this new partnership with everyone soon.

This is truly new territory for all of us. Stay safe and healthy and know that we’ll all be together again soon experiencing Affordable Family Fun at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Ken Babby is the owner and chief executive officer of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Harold Craw is executive vice president and general manager.