Blue Wahoos Continue Working Despite Opening Day Postponement

The solitude of Blue Wahoos Stadium became a reminder Thursday the originally scheduled Opening Day for the 2020 season was unlike any other.

There was sunshine, a warm breeze, but no stir of activity. The grass was lush, freshly mowed, the infield in perfect shape, but no players to use it. The seats gleamed and the concourse sparkled from a fresh round of pressure washing the past week.

The concession stands were shuttered. The wonderful array of ballpark aroma with hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy and other popular items that only baseball provides would have to be another day.

“It’s sad not to be able to have baseball,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith, as he stood near home plate and put the scene in perspective.

“This is my first Opening Day since 2001 that I won’t participate in,” said Griffith, referring to all his previous years working in minor league baseball in a variety of leagues.

“In 2011 (as Blue Wahoos Stadium was being built), there wasn’t baseball here, but I went to go to see a baseball game.”

A year ago, the Blue Wahoos’ season-opener on April 4, 2019 in Mobile against the Mobile BayBears – the final season for the BayBears – was rained out. It was made up in a double-header that weekend as the Blue Wahoos took the series and began their new affiliation with the Minnesota Twins with a franchise-best eight consecutive series wins.

It included winning the home opener on April 10 against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

“We have sold out every Opening Day since our first season,” Griffith said. So not only are we upset as an organization, but we feel for our fans. That’s over 5,000 fans each Opening Day for the last eight years.

“So that’s a lot of disappointment in the community. We feel everyone’s disappointment as well and we just can’t wait to get everybody back and start having great time again.”

Even though it didn't host a game today, the stadium will be more than ready when baseball returns.

In fact, the Blue Wahoos have made history again without a game.

Installation of additional protective netting at the ballpark, which now extends the length of the field to each foul pole, was finished earlier this week. The Blue Wahoos are the first affiliated baseball team in Minor League Baseball and among all teams in Major League Baseball to have the netting in front of each dugout.

Previously, the netting was anchored behind the dugout roofs. At urging of Blue Wahoos players last year and the Minnesota Twins, the Blue Wahoos readily agreed to protect the dugouts.

Whether standing on the field, or sitting in the stands, the netting protecting fans along both baselines hardly becomes noticeable, as the team selected one of the thinnest grade nets on the market.

“Hopefully when fans get out here and see how thin the netting is, and even thinner down the line that you can see through it, they will be fine,” Griffith said. “And it’s all about safety. We don’t want anybody to feel threatened to get hurt watching the game.”

With the netting now in front of the dugout, players will be able to easily toss baseball and foul balls to kids from the dugout. The netting also features a retractable section near the dugout to allow for pre-game autographs.

“It still gives us the fan engagement,” Griffith said. “We will have the fan engagement with safety on top of it.”

While it’s uncertain when the season will begin, the Blue Wahoos organization is still active in a variety of ways.

1) The Blue Wahoos are offering a five-day package of prepared family meals by executive chef Travis Wilson to feed four people. For $150, the food will provide five dinners for families all week as well as a large package of essential grocery items.

The first week sold out in hours. The next week of food is available for order purchase on Monday.

2) Kazoo University has added new material this week to entertain and educated children ages five through fifth grade. It is free and available at this link.

3) The Blue Wahoos are remodeling their entire home team clubhouse. New carpeting, new painting, new lockers, new padded seats with the Blue Wahoos logo, a new trainer's office, and a new kitchen were installed this week. Furniture will soon be delivered and the training room and weight room will be completed.

“We’re going to be ready to play as soon as we are told we can,” Griffith said. “We are just trying to do all we can to stay involved in the community and continue on mission to improve the quality of life.”

To that end, chef Travis Wilson, along with Eric Kroll, general manager for food and beverage, along with others, were busy Thursday preparing and boxing the family food deliveries The kitchen, located inside the stadium, along the third base line was a beehive of activity.

“It’s sort of bittersweet,” Wilson said. “The fact is it opening day and our first missed game, but we are doing something important is a good feeling. It is a different set of accomplishment.

“I would have been preparing a ton of food, just different varieties and just in a mass production.”