American Association Daily provides insights and features on the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions going on with teams around the league. In today’s edition, Robert Pannier discusses the butterflies for managers Jim Frisbie and Anthony Barone, as the first-year managers are forced to wait on the start of the 2020 American Association season.

Frisbie, Barone Set to Begin First Season at the Helm

Opening day is an exciting and frightening day for all players and managers but it is especially so when you are going to be managing your new team for the first time. There is probably a lot of second guessing as to whether the right 23 players were kept, if the pitching staff is deep enough, maybe even a few thoughts of “what did I get myself into?”

Those are only natural thoughts to have, but the butterflies quickly disappear once the season gets underway. All they have to do is get to May 19, and everything will be ok.

Indefinite Butterflies Are the Challenge

When a manager has a set day as to when the season will get underway, it is easy to put those second guesses in the back of your mind. After all, once the season gets underway you know everything is going to be ok.

However, the Covid-19 virus has two new managers on indefinite hold, keeping those butterflies firmly entrenched in the stomach. That is the plight that Milwaukee Milkmen Skipper Anthony Barone and Lincoln Saltdogs Manager Jim Frisbie are forced to endure as they are in a permanent limbo status waiting on word of when the 2020 American Association season will begin.

A Little Easier Ride for Frisbie

Jim Frisbie takes over the Lincoln Saltdogs, but this is not his first rodeo. “Friz” was the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Atlantic League) manager in 2018, leading the team to a 50-76 mark. He is not new to the American Association either, managing the Texas AirHogs in 2016 when the team went 34-65. He also has two years of experience in the Frontier League, managing Rockford in 2014-15 where he went 89-103, and led Bradenton (South Coast League) in 2007, a team that went 47-42, and managed Rio Grande Valley (Central League), where his team went 37-59.

Frisbie has been through a lot of opening days as a manager – six in all – so he is no stranger to the butterflies. He understands that once the first pitch is thrown, the second guessing is over and he can focus on the season.

However, this is not any ordinary season for Friz. The new Saltdogs Skipper takes over for Bobby Brown, who had a solid run in Lincoln, going 201-197. That included a division championship in 2017.

President and General Manager Charlie Meyer opted to go another direction after the team finished in the bottom half of the South Division the last two seasons, sending a clear message that playing above .500 is not a high enough standard.

No one hears that message louder than Frisbie, who needs to shake off the fact that he has had just two winning seasons in six years as a manager. No doubt he was ready to build a legacy with the Saltdogs, but now has to wait, letting the butterflies churn.

The Bumpy Ride for Barone

While Frisbie can lean on his experience, this is going to be a completely new day for Milwaukee Milkmen Manager Anthony Barone. The Milkmen skipper has four years of experience in the Perfect Game College Baseball League, leading the Jamestown Jammers, but this is his first time opening the season as the manager of a professional club, and now his debut is delayed for at least a month.

Barone also comes with the pressure of creating a winner right away. The Milwaukee Manager replaces Gary McClure, who was given just one-year before his tenure was over. Owner Mike Zimmerman is looking to build a certain culture, but he also wants a team that is competitive in the North Division.

There is a lot of pressure on an independent league manager as they are not only the field general but the G.M. as well. Barone had to not only create the culture he desired, but find the right players to fit that mold. There was probably no one in the  league who wanted to see how well he had done at building a team than Barone, but now he is waiting around to see when he can allow his stomach to settle into the season.

Hurry Up and Wait

For about three months now Jim Frisbie and Anthony Barone have been working the phone and reviewing the waiver wire to find the right players for their teams. More than most, they were likely hoping that the 2020 American Association season would go off without a hitch. That will not be the case as, unfortunately, a virus has no concern about a schedule.

This virus is known to cause problems breathing. Who knew it could also increase indigestion? At least, for two managers, it has probably done just that.

By Robert Pannier