Fabulous Fish tale The independent-league Winnipeg Goldeyes celebrated a quarter-century of success on the field, at the gate and in the community this week; the low-budget indie ball club proved to be a tasty catch for fans, owner By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 13, 2018

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This article was published 12/07/2018 (2315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maybe it was last September, when the Winnipeg Goldeyes had just captured their second-straight American Association championship by throttling the Wichita Wingnuts in front of a raucous home crowd in the decisive fifth game of their memorable final series.

Reggie Abercrombie, a former major leaguer who is now the heart and soul of the franchise, took the celebration off the field and into the front lobby of Shaw Park. Several teammates quickly joined him, posing for selfies and exchanging hugs and high-fives with complete strangers who’d come out to support them.

Or maybe it was earlier this week, when the Goldeyes had just lost an 18-inning heartbreaker to the Sioux Falls Canaries — the longest game in league history — on a sweltering summer day that began in the morning and nearly carried into the evening.

In the final leg of a gruelling stretch of 31 games in 31 days in which they’ve experienced far more failure than success, you couldn’t blame players if they had just left the ballpark for a few hours of peace and quiet at home. Except most didn’t, instead heading out to Steinbach for a few hours of drills with a local youth baseball team.

Two snapshots, both capturing the essence of what it is to be a professional athlete whose career has taken you on an unexpected detour far away from the bright lights of MLB and into the most northern outpost of indie ball, continuing to chase an elusive dream for pennies on the dollar. A typical roster of 23 is playing under a combined salary cap of $125,000.

Two snapshots, both showing what the Goldeyes have come to mean to a city that has embraced them with open arms and made the team one of the most successful operations of its kind in North America.

“Did I know and think they’d be embraced the way they were by Winnipeggers and Manitobans? No. Was I praying for that? Yes. I believed in them and that’s why I took the risk,” owner Sam Katz told the Free Press this week. “I thought baseball would do well here. It was a gut feeling, nothing more than a gut. (Former MLB executive) Pat Gillick was the one who motivated me to do something.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary season for the Goldeyes in Winnipeg, which was celebrated Thursday with a gala luncheon that brought the past and present together.

During that time they’ve made the playoffs 19 times and captured four championships — which is four more than Winnipeg’s other pro sports teams have won in the same quarter-century. And more than six million fans have watched them play.

“Since the Goldeyes began play in 1994, only one professional baseball team has had more winnings seasons — the New York Yankees,” team PA announcer Ron Arnst told the luncheon to thunderous applause.

“That’s pretty good company.”

The organization has also raised nearly $2.5 million for local charities through its Field of Dreams Foundation.

“You quickly understand what it’s like to play here in Winnipeg. The expectation is to win. The organization has always kind of been that way, the city, the fan base. They expect to win around here. That’s all you can ask for,” manager Rick Forney said.

“You want to be put in an environment like that where losing is not really accepted. That’s kind of been the way it is. It’s a great place to work.”

“You want to be put in an environment like that where losing is not really accepted. That’s kind of been the way it is.” – Manager Rick Forney

Forney was joined at the gala by the man who brought him to Winnipeg, former Goldeyes skipper Hal Lanier, whose No. 22 jersey was retired Thursday night.

“Coming to Winnipeg, it’s like my second home. I call it my second home. Being able to manage here in Winnipeg for 10 seasons, I will never forget,” said Lanier, 76, the longtime major-league infielder whose hiring brought instant credibility to the Goldeyes.

Aside from inaugural bench boss Doug Simunic, who was here for the first two years, Lanier (10 years) and Forney (13 years) are the only other managers the franchise has ever known.

“I must admit, when I first showed up in Winnipeg in 1997, I figured I’d pitch my way out of it and get back to affiliated ball,” Forney said. “Twenty-two seasons later, I’m still here.

“I’m thankful to Hal for bringing me here. He tried to get me in ’96, he was really persistent in calling and trying to get me to sign. I didn’t know anything about Winnipeg. I just knew they had a hockey team. He put a good sales pitch on, but I chose another place. Thank goodness he tried again the very next year.”

Forney played under Lanier as his ace pitcher, then transitioned into a pitching coach and eventually the manager when Lanier moved on.

The Marylander won’t forget his introduction to Manitoba. For starters, he arrived in April 1997… during the Flood of the Century.

“I remember getting to Fargo and seeing water all over the place. As I start going up I-29 and get to Grand Forks, there’s not only water, but tractors parked on the side of the road. And there’s some snow piles still. Then I get to the border, they send me on some dirt road, I think I ended up in Carman. I saw the big sign, ‘Home of (NHL Hall of Fame goaltender) Eddie “The Eagle” Belfour.’ I knew who that was ‘cuz I’d played Sega hockey,” Forney said.

“So I’m thinking, ‘What did I just get myself into? I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life.’ I show up to the field, and Hal had done a great job of not telling me what it’s like to pitch in a football stadium (where the Goldeyes were playing in their first years).

“We don’t run the Goldeyes like a normal business. It’s not employer and employee. It’s family.” – Owner Sam Katz

“So I get to the field, I walk outside and see this artificial-turf field, it’s about 250 (feet) down the left field line, 330 to left-centre field. I figure I’ve just created career suicide.”

Lanier and Forney truly represent the past and the present, and their long legacy stands out in a league where managers can be as transient as the players going through the revolving-door lineup every year. Having that kind of stability has helped breed success.

“We don’t run the Goldeyes like a normal business. It’s not employer and employee. It’s family. We’ve got people here who have been here since Day 1, people being here for 10, 15, 20, 25 years is actually the norm, not the exception,” said Katz.

“Having consistency is important, and it goes to show this is part of everybody.”

Lanier is still managing, now at the helm of the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am League. He came out of retirement in 2015, saying he was tired of playing golf — and losing to his wife — every day.

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be doing this, but it’s been a good ride in independent baseball,” he said. “I’ve always told my players — every day — that you may be in an organization and you may get released, but another door opens up for you. And that’s independent baseball. You still have your dream.”

There have been plenty of success stories with players resurrecting their careers in a big way after stints with the Goldeyes. Pitcher Brandon Kintzler, currently with the Washington Nationals, is the latest. Others include Jeff Zimmerman and George Sherill.

“I paid (Kintzler) $1,100 a month to come pitch for me. He just got a $10-million contract this off-season,” Forney said. “It happens, guys. Your dream isn’t over when you come to indie ball. There’s plenty of opportunities to move back to affiliated ball. Not only that, but you’re getting a legitimate chance when you get to affiliated ball.”

The Goldeyes are not without their challenges. Attendance has been steadily declining in recent years, albeit in small increments (they’re drawing an average of just over 4,300 a game so far this season — second-best in the 12-team league). And while they continue to be among the most-watched independent teams in North America, Katz said the organization is always trying to find ways to get more people to the park.

They recently added the popular craft-beer corner and hope to bring in a new scoreboard, along with expanded safety netting, in the near future.

“What we have to do is continue putting a quality product out there and entertaining the fans and making sure they’re getting bang for their buck. Without them you don’t have anything,” Katz said.

“We’re not in a scenario like the Winnipeg Jets, where demand exceeds supply; you can’t take anything for granted. As long as you give them quality entertainment at a reasonable prices, Winnipeggers and Manitobans will come out to support you. And if you don’t do that, you don’t deserve it.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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