The Traverse City Pit Spitters and the Northwoods League’s Northern Michigan Pod season is back on hold after players tested positive for COVID-19.
Just last week, fans were welcomed back to Turtle Creek Stadium after a delayed start to baseball season. Mickey Graham, general manager of the Traverse City Pit Spitters, says reopening was something he was looking forward to.
“We were really proud of what we were doing there, and it felt really great because of all of the work we put into it,” he said. “Our staff worked really hard on this, it’s something we felt we should be trying to do for the community, to have events and so many things canceled up here, we’re like, this is something that would be great,” Graham says.
Graham says his staff worked hard developing a plan to keep the fans safe like social distance seating and eliminating player to fan interaction.
“It stinks to say this, you’re at a baseball stadium, no autographs, no high-five the guys while their walking by and such; and that’s part of what fans got used to last year was that closeness they got with the players and unfortunately this year, we had eliminate that,” Graham says.
Now, Graham says he’s grateful for doing that after players recently tested positive for COVID-19.
“These guys are young athletes, they don’t always notice symptoms of this, so that’s why we tested them and we screen them every day; every day they come here, they go through the screening processes.”
Graham says the teams are currently regrouping to control the spread and play ball again.
“What we’re really trying to do is ask everybody to be safe, practice social distancing, wear your masks, take care of yourself, take care of the people around you, take care of your teammates and then we’ll be able to play ball this year.”
Graham says their goal is to restart the season Friday, July 10.
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