WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.434 SPORTS AND 2 00:00:01.434 --> 00:00:05.138 ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT RICK FUSON. WELL, THERE IS GOOD NEWS OUT THERE THAT BASEBALL WILL BE 3 00:00:05.138 --> 00:00:11.711 PLAYED THIS SUMMER. THE BAD NEWS, THOUGH, THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 120 YEARS, THERE WILL BE NO 4 00:00:11.711 --> 00:00:17.417 INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS BASKETBALL. BILL BENNER HAS MORE IN THIS WEEK'S INSIDE INDIANA SPORTS. BILL. 5 00:00:17.417 --> 00:00:22.956 >> GERRY, THANKS. AND WHILE THE BASES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FOR THE RESUMPTION OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN A FEW 6 00:00:22.956 --> 00:00:30.497 WEEKS, THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE IS THAT ALL OF MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, INCLUDING THE TRIPLE A INDIANS WILL BE UNABLE TO FIELD 7 00:00:30.497 --> 00:00:36.069 TEAMS AND, THUS, NO GAMES. AND HERE TO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE AS WELL SOME PLANS FOR ACTIVITY AT VICTORY FIELD IS INDANS 8 00:00:36.069 --> 00:00:43.176 PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER RANDY LEWANDOWSKI. RANDY, WELCOME TO THE SHOW. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A TRYING TIME 9 00:00:43.176 --> 00:00:49.849 FOR YOU, THE ORGANIZATION, THE INDIANS. IT'S AMAZING WHAT WORLD WARS COULDN'T DO AND EVEN THE SPANISH 10 00:00:49.849 --> 00:00:58.324 FLU BACK IN 1918 HAS DONE TO THE PANDEMIC NOW HAS DONE TO THE INDIANS, WHICH IS TO TAKE THE SEASON. 11 00:00:58.324 --> 00:01:06.332 HOW DID THIS ALL COME DOWN FROM MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL? >> WELL, IT'S BEEN A LONG PROCESS. 12 00:01:06.332 --> 00:01:11.337 THANK YOU, BILL, FOR HAVING US ON. AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, THE LAST FOUR MONTHS HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 13 00:01:11.337 --> 00:01:17.577 EVERYBODY, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE HOSPITALITY AND THE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES. WE'VE HAD AN INKLING FOR A WHILE 14 00:01:17.577 --> 00:01:26.886 THAT OUR SEASON WAS GOING TO BE IN JEOPARDY, BUT AGAIN, THE COMMUNICATION HAD BEEN PRETTY QUIET FROM BOTH MAJOR LEAGUE 15 00:01:26.886 --> 00:01:34.160 BASEBALL AND THE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL OFFICE. THERE WERE OCCASIONAL GLIMPSES AND BLIPS TO SEE WHERE WE COULD 16 00:01:34.160 --> 00:01:39.966 CREATE TESTING FOR PLAYERS AND CREATE OUR OWN LITTLE BUBBLES THAT YOU HEAR ABOUT IN THE MAJOR LEAGUE SPORTS, BUT ULTIMATELY WE 17 00:01:39.966 --> 00:01:44.871 GOT WORD LATE MONDAY/EARLY TUESDAY THAT THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT WAS GOING TO COME THAT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WAS 18 00:01:44.871 --> 00:01:53.112 NOT GOING TO PROVIDE PLAYERS TO THE MINOR LEAGUES THIS YEAR, INSTEAD THEY'RE GOING TO GO THE ROUTE OF TAXI SQUADS NEAR THE 19 00:01:53.112 --> 00:01:59.752 MAJOR LEAGUE FACILITIES AS THEY GET THEIR SEASON STARTED WITHOUT FANS. ULTIMATELY, AGAIN, WE KNEW IT 20 00:01:59.752 --> 00:02:04.924 WAS COMING BUT STILL RATHER SOBERING TO SEE IT COME ACROSS AND HAVE TO TELL OUR STAFF AND HAVE TO ANNOUNCE TO OUR FANS. 21 00:02:04.924 --> 00:02:14.667 >> AND AGAIN, A BLOW NOT ONLY FOR BASEBALL FANS BUT, YOU KNOW, THE INDIANS BRING ABOUT 600,000 FANS DOWNTOWN EVERY YEAR TO THE 22 00:02:14.667 --> 00:02:22.675 GREAT VENUE THAT IS VICTORY FIELD. YOU OPEN YOUR CONCESSION STANDS THAT ARE RUN BY CHARITABLE 23 00:02:22.675 --> 00:02:27.614 GROUPS. I KNOW IT AFFECT YOU AND YOUR STAFF, BUT THIS ALSO HAS WIDER RAMIFICATIONS. 24 00:02:27.614 --> 00:02:34.120 >> OH, IT CERTAINLY DOES. AGAIN, I THINK WE VIEW VICTORY FIELD AS A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE AND WHILE OUR CORE 25 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:40.360 BUSINESS IS OBVIOUSLY BASKETBALL, WE DO IT FOR SO MANY OTHER THINGS BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE'S SO MANY ANCILLARY FOLKS 26 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:46.266 THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE BALLPARK, WHETHER IT'S OUR PART-TIME STAFF THAT WORKS HERE IN THE SUMMERTIME, OBVIOUSLY OUR 27 00:02:46.266 --> 00:02:53.873 STAFF BUT OUR FANS, THE COMMUNITY, ALL THE ANCILLARY BUSINESSES AROUND THE BALLPARK THAT BENEFIT FROM US BRINGING 28 00:02:53.873 --> 00:03:00.280 600,000 PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, IT HELPS KEEP DOWNTOWN ALIVE AND VIBRANT AND RIGHT NOW THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE IN ANY WAY, 29 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:08.054 SHAPE OR FORM, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO OUR PART TO CONTINUE TO BRING PEOPLE TO DOWNTOWN BUT WE'LL TRY 30 00:03:08.054 --> 00:03:13.326 TO PIVOT, WE'LL TRY TO STAY ACTIVE, WE'LL TRY TO STAY ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT OUR FOCUS IS 31 00:03:13.326 --> 00:03:19.198 NOW GOING TO BE TURNED TO. >> AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, YOU'VE GROT 32 00:03:19.198 --> 00:03:28.274 GOT A BLOOD DRIVE SCHEDULED, ICE CREAM SOCIAL, YOU'VE GONE TO WORK IN ANTICIPATION OF NOT HAVING BASEBALL TO REALLY 33 00:03:28.274 --> 00:03:33.980 SCHEDULE A WIDE ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE PLACE AT THE VIC. >> I GET A LITTLE SMILE ON MY 34 00:03:33.980 --> 00:03:40.453 FACE BECAUSE MINOR LEAGUE FOLKS ARE USUALLY KNOWN TO BE CREATIVE, WE NEED TO BE AT TIMES, AND THIS IS GOING TO TEST 35 00:03:40.453 --> 00:03:45.091 OUR CREATIVITY, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF GREAT THINGS. WE'LL STAY TRUE TO OUR CORE WITH SOME BASEBALL. 36 00:03:45.091 --> 00:03:51.130 WE'VE ALREADY HOSTED SOME YOUTH TOURNAMENTS, LESS THAN 100 PEOPLE IN THE STANDS AS WE FOLLOWED THE PROPER GUIDELINES 37 00:03:51.130 --> 00:03:57.270 AND SUCH, BUT WE ARE GOING TO HOST SOME COLLEGE SUMMER LEAGUE GAMES ON SOME THURSDAY NIGHTS HERE COMING UP IN JULY. 38 00:03:57.270 --> 00:04:03.443 SO WE STAY TRUE TO OUR BASEBALL, BUT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. COMMUNITY ENDEAVORS AS YOU 39 00:04:03.443 --> 00:04:08.881 MENTIONED, THE AMERICAN DAIRY ASSOCIATION HAS HOSTED THE ICE CREAM SOCIAL ON THE CIRCLE FOR 30 YEARS. 40 00:04:08.881 --> 00:04:13.720 YEAR 31 IS GOING TO BE AT VICTORY FIELD AS A DRIVE-THRU AND WALK-UP EVENT. WE'RE GOING TO HOST A BLOOD 41 00:04:13.720 --> 00:04:20.226 DRIVE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS. WE'RE GOING TO HOST MUD STRUT IN LATE SEPTEMBER, THAT'S BEEN OUT 42 00:04:20.226 --> 00:04:24.063 AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A HOME THIS YEAR AS THE SPEEDWAY HAD TO 43 00:04:24.063 --> 00:04:34.440 JOSTLE AND JUGGLE THEIR DATES TO DEAL WITH THE PANDEMIC, SO AS THE MUD STRUT IS LOOKING FOR A HOME, WE OPENED OUR DOORS TO 44 00:04:34.440 --> 00:04:39.479 THEM. WE'VE DONE DOG BARKS AT THE PARK THE LAST FEW YEARS. WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO BE A 45 00:04:39.479 --> 00:04:45.952 LITTLE CRAZY, A LITTLE CREATIVE. WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MAKE A LITTLE PITCH AND PUTT GOLF COURSE HERE AT VICTORY FIELD FOR 46 00:04:45.952 --> 00:04:53.926 LATER ON IN THE SUMMER. THOSE DETAILS ARE YET TO COME. LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE THROWING AROUND. 47 00:04:53.926 --> 00:05:00.600 DRIVE-IN-TYPE CONCERTS OR MOVIES, LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ALL THOSE DETAILS WORKED OUT YET, BUT NOW 48 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:06.506 THAT'S WHERE OUR FOCUS IS GOING TO REALLY SHIFT SINCE WE KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A BASEBALL SEASON AND WE'RE REALLY 49 00:05:06.506 --> 00:05:11.010 EXCITED TO ROLL SOME OF THE THINGS OUT SO LOOK FORWARD TO YOU AND OTHERS TO HELP US GET THE WORD OUT ON SOME OF THESE 50 00:05:11.010 --> 00:05:19.419 THINGS TO KEEP VICTORY FIELD ALIVE AND VIBRANT IN OTHERWISE WHAT'S GOING TO BE A PRETTY QUIET PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL 51 00:05:19.419 --> 00:05:22.889 SUMMER. >> WE'RE HERE FOR YOU, RANDY AND AGAIN, VERY DIFFICULT FOR EVERYBODY, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD 52 00:05:22.889 --> 00:05:29.796 TO THE OTHER MULTIPLE RE-USES AND EMPLOYMENT OF VICTORY FIELD, AND THANKS FOR BEING ON THE SHOW WITH US THIS WEEK. 53 00:05:29.796 --> 00:05:35.168 WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WE HEAR "PLAY BALL" SOMETIME NEXT SPRING. >> WELL, THANKS, BILL. 54 00:05:35.168 --> 00:05:40.740 WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AS WELL. WE'LL BE ABLE TO WEATHER THE STORM, WE'LL BE BACK IN 2021, BE 55 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:45.211 BETTER THAN EVER. WE'LL LEARN A LOT, WE'LL GET BETTER, WE'LL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY AND WE 56 00:05:45.211 --> 00:05:48.081 APPRECIATE ALL YOUR ASSISTANCE, SO WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.