Grind Continues

Anthony Barone stood at the bottom of the mound at Diethrick Park on Monday evening and calmly threw a strike just prior to the Jamestown Tarp Skunks’ Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game against the Geneva Red Wings.

It was a nice, relaxing way for Barone to kick off a three-day stay in his hometown during the American Association’s all-star break.

But when the Milwaukee Milkmen’s manager returned to the Midwest on Thursday afternoon, the intensity picked back up.

Barone isn’t used to losing, and his Milkmen have some work to do.

Milwaukee entered the all-star break with a 24-27 record, 10 1/2 games back of the first-place Chicago Dogs in the East Division.

“We’re a little disappointed with where we’re at. We have high expectations and put together a really good roster,” Barone said while driving to Geneva, Illinois, before the Milkmen took on the Kane County Cougars last night. “We’ve had some injuries and a few guys getting signed by affiliated organizations. It’s sort of a juggling act right now. We’re looking to turn it around. We have a really good ballclub so we’re excited to see what the next half of the season brings.”

The Milkmen had five players featured as all-stars at Chicago’s Impact Field in the Windy City suburb of Rosemont, near O’Hare Airport, so it’s not that Barone’s team is lacking talent.

“It was exciting having five guys named all-stars. It shows we have a little talent, but baseball is not an individual game either,” Barone said. “It takes nine guys and a pitcher to secure a win. It’s always pitching, defense and timely hitting; that’s the recipe for success. Some nights it’s there and some nights it isn’t, but we have the type of roster to get this thing going.”

The third-year manager feels the pressure and knows it’s on him to get the season turned around.

Barone was an assistant coach for the Milkmen during 2019, their first season in the American Association of Professional Baseball. After that inaugural season Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures, dismissed manager Gary McClure in favor of Barone.

Zimmerman and Barone had a prior relationship because Barone managed ROC Ventures’ Jamestown Jammers in the Prospect League and Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League from 2015-18. Barone was named the PGCBL’s Manager of the Year in 2017 and 2018 as the Jammers won the West Division in 2017 and the league championship in 2018.

“There’s a lot of trust. I’ve been working for Mike and Dan (Kuenzi) for eight years now,” Barone said. “We’ll all work together and try to come up with solutions. We’ve had a lot of success.”

In 2020, Barone’s first season as manager of the Milkmen, the coronavirus pandemic greatly affected the AA season, shortening it considerably. Just six teams participated in the league that summer and Milwaukee finished first in the regular season with a 34-26 record. The Milkmen then beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 4-1 in a best-of-seven championship series to clinch the league title in just their second year in existence.

Last year, Barone’s team finished 18 games over .500 at 59-41, but four games behind Chicago in the North Division. The Milkmen then lost a one-game playoff to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

“Records are always different and teams are always different. … Last year we started hot, had the best record after 75 games, and didn’t finish where we wanted to,” Barone said. “Throughout these past three years as manager, it’s always been about getting your guys in the right position and trusting they are going to do their jobs. I learn and grow each year.”

This season hasn’t been as easy for the 1997 Jamestown High School and 1999 Jamestown Community College graduate.

“It’s baseball. Baseball is a weird sport. We can lose three in a row and then go win seven in a row,” Barone said. “We’re not overly concerned. We’re going to go out these last 50 games and put our best effort out there. We think at the end of the year, we’ll be close to where we want to be. We want to win a championship and it starts with making the playoffs.”

The top four teams in each division qualify for the postseason with three-game series in the first round. A best-of-three series then decides the division champions before a best-of-five championship series.

The East Division is made up of the Milkmen, Dogs, Gary SouthShore RailCats, Kane County and Lake Country DockHounds — all less than 150 miles from each other in the Chicago area — and then Cleburne (Texas) Railroaders. The West Division is made up of the RedHawks, Canaries, Kansas City Monarchs, Lincoln Saltdogs, Sioux City Explorers and Winnipeg Goldeyes.

The travel and time away from his family wears on Barone, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“There are obviously days … we call it the grind of the season … it’ll wear on you occasionally, but my love of the game has never been stronger,” he said. “I have a great support system with my wife, my children and my family. Being around a high level of baseball is something I always envisioned when I was younger.

“It’s something I love to do and always will love to do,” Barone added. “You are going to go through some ups and downs in any profession. I’m very lucky to be doing what I love to do. I couldn’t think of a better job.”