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 examines how the Milwaukee Milkmen could very well find themselves at the heart of the baseball universe.

A Second Chance to Make a First Impression

Last season was going to be a real winner for the Milwaukee Milkmen. The team was in their inaugural campaign playing in a brand new ballpark, but delays in the construction led to the team playing the first month of their home games in Kokomo, Indiana and the enthusiasm the team was hoping for dissipated.

Now the team has a chance to do what few others have been able to do – make a great first impression a second time. The Covid-19 pandemic has shutdown the baseball world, but the American Association will kick-off their season on July 3, using three hub cities to host all six teams. One of those cities will be Milwaukee.

Milkmen Stadium will host both the Milkmen and the Chicago Dogs. Milkmen stadium is a fantastic park, and is the second newest in all of minor league baseball (The new Wichita Wind Surge’s stadium was set to open this year, but is dormant). It is a beautiful park that didn’t get to fully shine in its first season, but that is about to change.

A Double Bonus

There is no doubt that the American Association is going to garner a lot of national attention as they will be one of only three baseball leagues currently scheduled to play ball this summer. With the Milwaukee Milkmen hosting at least 60 games, their stadium is going to be in the news a lot. That is going to mean a lot of highlight reels beginning with “Today in beautiful Milkmen Stadium…” The stadium will do a lot to promote itself and the league as a whole.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Milkmen. It looks like Major League Baseball is not going to have a season, meaning no Milwaukee Brewers. However, fans wanting baseball will not have to travel far as they can head to Franklin to watch the Milkmen play.

That should give both attendance and interest in the team a big boost, but the good fortune does not end there. With the Dogs playing their “home” games in Milwaukee, it would not be surprising to see a large group of people make the trip from Chicago so they can see some baseball. Milwaukee is going to become the destination for all Chicago baseball fans.

Plus, there is not going to be any minor league baseball. That means fans in Beloit, Appleton, Great Lakes, Peoria, West Michigan, Kane County, and Peoria could make the trip to Milwaukee as well. The Milkmen are going to attract baseball fans from around the region because they will be the only game in town.

Doesn’t Routine Feel Stupid Now?

A year ago, Milkmen Stadium was called Routine Field. The baseball apparel company had the naming rights to the stadium, but later sued the Milkmen claiming they had not signed a contract. The battle still rages on in court.

This could very well go down as the dumbest decision any company ever made. Routine was about to get a whole lot of national exposure, but chose to be petty and litigate something that should have never been an issue. Now, they have no naming rights and will remain in the shadows of Under Armour, Adidas, and the others.

Meanwhile, when it’s all said and done, the Milwaukee Milkmen are going to get national television exposure, they are going to be the destination place in the Great Lakes area for baseball, and they could wind up with a lucrative stadium rights deal. No doubt about it – this is going to be a Grade A year for the Milkmen.

By Robert Pannier