MACON, Ga. — Much of the sports world is at a standstill because of coronavirus. Leagues have temporarily shut down to protect athletes, fans and staff.
But the Macon Bacon say, at least for now, that they'll continue business as usual in hopes that by the summer they can still have a season.
Macon Bacon President Brandon Raphael and his staff have made concessions to the virus. Bacon staff began working from home last week.
However, the Bacon don't begin official play until the end of May. That leaves some wiggle room to see if society can figure out how to deal with the virus.
"If you look at it from the perspective of our season is still two months, two months and two days from today, we're very hopeful that the season is going to continue, and we'll have a great opportunity obviously to be the rallying point for Middle Georgians this summer," Raphael said.
The Bacon play in the Coastal Plains League. League leadership of all 16 teams have agreed that they want to have a season if possible, according to Raphael. The teams are comprised of college-level players, many of whom lost their senior seasons after COVID-19 began shutting down leagues.
Raphael said the CPL will follow the patterns of other leagues like Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball, who postponed their opening days and are aiming for a summer start.
"Currently, they're stating middle of May, with a return of hopefully starting the season around June 1st and with our season happening at the end of May, it's a perfect time frame," Raphael said.
With plans still full steam ahead, there is a possibility of roster expansion, which means the Macon Bacon will need a handful more host families for their players to stay with. Gary and Cindy Grinsted have been a host family every season since the Bacon returned to Central Georgia and have hosted a total of five players.
"It's been very rewarding, you build lasting relationships. You get to watch these young kids grow," Grinsted said.
Not much is required of host families, other than giving the player somewhere to eat and sleep when they aren't playing or practicing, but there can be some late nights after ball games and road trips.
Grinsted said ultimately families should just aim to make their house feel like a home away from home.
"My wife started calling them summer sons, and that's what they're like. They're our summer sons," he said. "One of them liked to fish so we would go out on the boat and fish, they take the kayaks out when they're not playing, they get out and throw ball with the grand kids."
It's a relationship that can go beyond the players and build bonds for life. The Grinsteds have traveled to several other states to watch the Bacon players play for their respective college teams and have even hosted the players' families in their home.
"All those families have been in our house so that's rewarding right there, and that means a lot to us that we can create that," Grinsted said.
Beyond host families, the Macon Bacon are also still looking for members of their in-game entertainment team, the Sizzle Squad. You can apply for both of those positions on the team's website - maconbaconbaseball.com
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