David Briggs: As Mud Hens return, Napoli sees 'light at the end of the tunnel'

Feb. 28—Think back to a simpler time, when life was precedented and flattened curves were hit for non-grim milestone home runs, and imagine if I had told you: The Mud Hens will open their season with a six-game series against a team from Nebraska in front of a capacity crowd of 3,000 or so masked fans at Fifth Third Field.

You would have said the universe had gone mad.

Today, it represents a return to its axis.

If it is true there are two seasons — winter and baseball — the longest winter in Toledo since the Paleozoic Ice Age (probably) is set to end.

After 18 months without minor league baseball at the downtown ballpark, the Mud Hens will soon begin their migration north. Opening day is April 6 against the Omaha Storm Chasers.

"We're getting a glimpse at the light at the end of the tunnel," Joe Napoli said.

I checked in with the Hens' president and CEO this week as he and his team prepared for their grand re-opening in the new (inventively named) Triple-A East.

With each passing day, it all feels a little more real.

On Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine — himself the owner of a minor league baseball team in North Carolina — announced that outdoor sports and entertainment venues in Ohio can reopen at 30 percent of max capacity.

For the Hens, who have hosted as many as 13,406 fans to Fifth Third Field, that means an anticipated cap somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 spectators, contingent on county and state approval, along with an assortment of protocols. The main ones: Members of the same household — and their "trusted acquaintances" (sorry, Uncle Bob!) — can buy no more than six tickets together. Each seating pod must be separated by at least six feet. All traffic flow will be one way. Masks are mandatory.

That won't please everyone, of course.

The open-up crowd will bristle at the restrictions. Others will say they're too loose.

But, to me, this is a sensible middle ground. As the pandemic continues to relax its insidious grip — keep getting vaccinated, everybody — it's time to open the gates, a crack at first, then, if all goes well, wider and wider as the season goes on.

"The governor has indicated to us that he wants to work with the major and minor league baseball teams in the state," Napoli said. "He wants us to be an example of how to do this very well. He expectations are high. We have to illustrate that we can open safely. We have to monitor behavior within the ballpark and make sure that we're putting on baseball games as safely and securely as possible."

He noted the Hens will be the first minor league team to play in Ohio this season.

"All eyes will be on Toledo," Napoli said. "We have to nail this."

If not, well, that's not an option.

Everywhere, minor league teams have fallen on lean times, and the Hens are no exception.

A reminder: In a usual season, the average minor league league club grosses $5.4 million in revenue, according to MiLB. The Hens — with an iconic brand and healthy attendance numbers — might generate more than double that, with a profit margin in the neighborhood of 11 percent.

Last year, the perfect storm rolled in.

Without the monster TV contracts that made it worth MLB's while to play games in empty ballparks, minor league teams that rely exclusively on the in-stadium experience went a full year without meaningful revenue, at the same time that they were on the hook for many millions in fixed costs. You can do the math.

To keep going, the Hens and Walleye, operated together as a private, not-for-profit organization, took aching measures, including indefinitely furloughing about two thirds of their 80 full-time employees. They also leaned on a seven-figure Paycheck Protection Program loan, a subsidy from the Tigers for hosting their major league taxi squad, and their own reserves.

But all of that was just to keep the lights on.

What every minor league team needed to survive was for their stadiums to re-open.

Now, slowly but surely, they are, allowing clubs to begin charting the path ahead. Factoring in the lost year, the Hens hope to balance their budget by the end of 2022. "We're not sure we'll have hit break even over that three-year period," he said.

The rate of recovery will depend on the rate at which fans return this season.

There are no guarantees, given the virus variants and the specter of a fourth wave. We all have to keep doing our part. But as long as conditions continue to improve — and herd immunity begins to kick in — the hope, of course, is to responsibly open Fifth Third Field to larger crowds as the season goes on, with late summer a best-case target for the return of relatively full houses. (For what it's worth, the NFL is reportedly operating under the assumption that teams will have 75-percent attendance this fall.)

We'll look forward to that day.

For now, though, the Hens are focused on acing their launch. That includes Napoli, who, given what remains a skeleton full-time staff, has both hands on the deck.

"Whatever it takes, really, is what it's going to come down to," he said. "Don't be surprised if there's a game or two where you find me taking tickets or cleaning the restrooms."

For the longtime boss, no detail is too small for one of the biggest — and most rewarding — challenges of his visionary career: Bringing Mud Hens baseball back to Toledo.

"We will be under the microscope," he said.

Welcome one and 30 percent of all. Play ball.

First Published February 27, 2021, 7:00am