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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Baseball is back in Wisconsin.
With the Minor Leagues cancelling their season and the Major Leagues postponing theirs until the end of the month, the only team named after a soup found a way to get started on Wednesday. The Green Bay Booyah kicked off Northwoods League action against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
It’s the first baseball–in fact, the first live sporting event–anyone has seen since the COVID-19 pandemic began back in March. Outfielder, Eastern Illinois University Athlete, and Kaukauna High School Grad Grant Emme is glad to see it.
“People haven’t seen baseball in so long,” Emme told WTAQ. “It’s gonna be cool just to get things rolling again.”
Players have spent the pandemic period at home, doing what they can to stay in shape. The Northwoods League hosts collegiate players looking to continue playing between NCAA seasons. RHP Garrett Martin spent his lockdown at his family’s home in Colorado.
“We’ve been itching to get back out on the field and ready to throw,”said Martin. “I’m excited to see how this season’s gonna go because a lot of guys amped up.”
Just because baseball is back doesn’t mean COVID-19 is gone, so the Booyah are taking extra steps including regular sanitizing during the game. Booyah spokesman Brian Kuklinski says they’re going out of their way to keep the coronavirus away.
“You’re going to see extra sanitizing happening during the game,” said Kuklinski. “We will be scrubbing down hand railings. closing and sanitizing bathrooms, sanitizing the dugouts, all throughout the game. Everything we can do to possibly make this a safe experience for everybody.”
The Booyah have also gone cashless at concessions throughout the staium.
The return to sports was appreciated by cabin-fever stricken, baseball deprived fans like Greg Wenholz of Ashwaubenon. He was the first through the gate with his kids.
“We’re big Booyah fans, we went to a lot of games last year,” he told WTAQ. “We love sports in general…to get out to a live sporting event again feels good.”
“Real good.”
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