Dreams On Hold

It’s been Anthony Barone’s lifelong dream to manage a professional baseball team.

This was supposed to be the summer that happened for the Jamestown native.

But the coronavirus pandemic may put that plan on hold.

Barone is patiently waiting in his Jamestown home for a call to return to Milwaukee and manage the Milkmen for their 2020 American Association season.

He realizes it’s a call that may never come.

“It’s disheartening when you aren’t able to do that thing that you love,” Barone said Wednesday afternoon. “Some people say it’s just a game, but it’s what we love to do and it’s our job … so it’s tough.”

The American Association is an Independent League that features former major and minor league baseball players.

Barone was the Milkmen’s hitting and infield defense coach last season when they finished 38-62, prompting the dismissal of manager Gary McClure.

ROC Ventures, the team’s ownership group, then turned the reins over to Barone, with whom they’ve had a relationship since 2015 when he was the manager of the Jamestown Jammers in the Prospect League.

Throughout the offseason, management and Barone put together a new coaching staff to lead the 2020 Milkmen.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Wade Taylor was named Milwaukee’s pitching coach after more than 20 years scouting in the Major Leagues.

“Wade has a lot of affiliated baseball pedigree,” Barone said. “I’m looking forward to working with him.”

The team’s new hitting coach is Matt Passerelle, who spent the previous five seasons in the same position with the Sioux City Explorers. In four out of his five seasons, the Explorers finished in the top three in hitting in the American Association.

“It’s really nice to get him,” Barone said of Passerelle. “We got a guy that has experience in this league and knows how to win in this league.”

Lastly is assistant coach Roger Fegan, who is also the head coach at NJCAA Division II Highland Community College.

“He’ll do a lot of our scouting stuff and analytics stuff,” Barone said.

Barone was excited to get to work with his new staff in year two of Milkmen Stadium at Ballpark Commons in Franklin, Wisconsin.

“It’s first class,” Barone said of the facility. “A summer night there at the stadium is one of the best in the country. I’m really proud to be part of it.”

Now, he’ll wait on the league — with input from local medical experts — on fate of this season. On April 21, the league’s board of directors postponed the start of the schedule, which was to begin next Tuesday.

“We’re allowed to bring 28 guys into camp and then cut it down to 23,” Barone said of his roster. “Of the 28, seven are from last year’s roster. We identified guys we thought would be a good fit with myself and with what we have coming in … and sort of overhauled it a bit.

“But we feel like we have the best starting pitcher, best closer and one of the best power threats in the game,” Barone added. ” … That’s what’s sort of fun about independent baseball. There are so many guys out there looking for jobs.”

In last month’s release, the league said “the American Association will aim for a start date of the season in early July. The league intends a season that will include 80 games and extend to late September. The early July timeline, along with the length of the season, is subject to the ability to hold games in home markets while abiding by federal, state, provincial government laws and municipal health orders and guidelines.”

“We want to play as many games as possible. With an early July start, we would need to have about a week of training camp,” Barone said. “As a first-year manager, we won’t have much time to work the kinks out, that’s why building relationships with players right now is so important.”

“The American Association looks forward to the day when we can safely re-open our stadiums to our fans and provide entertainment and social interaction,” said Joshua Schaub, American Association commissioner. “However, we will not jeopardize the safety of our fans, staff, players, umpires or vendors and will abide by all national and local restrictions when determining if we can open in early July.”

“I want to be there for my players, just as someone to talk to. It’s a difficult time for everybody,” Barone said.

Unlike Major League Baseball, which receives substantial money from local and national television contracts, minor leagues and independent leagues will likely be unsustainable without fans in the stadiums due to ticket, concession and merchandise sales.

“Having fans in the stadium … needs to happen,” Barone said. “Maybe we play at 50 percent or 25 percent capacity, but we do need fans in the ballpark to generate revenue.”

For now, Barone will enjoy the extra time he has with his wife and children while waiting for the possibility of getting back on the field.

“The safety of everybody and their families is what’s most important right now,” Barone said. “We’re all in the same predicament. It’s our livelihoods … and eventually there’ll be baseball again.”