Every summer, families in the Cedar Valley take in an additional one, two, sometimes three new members. The additions migrate from Louisiana, California, Oregon and all over the Midwest. They come to follow their passion - baseball.
The Waterloo Bucks are part of the “wooden bat league.” The Northwoods League is a Summer Collegiate Baseball Association (SCBA) league. Top collegiate players from across the U.S. and Canada participate. While not the Yankees or the Cubs, the Moondogs, Honkers, River Bats and Border Cats make up one of the top collegiate summer leagues in the country. The Northwoods League regularly leads the nation in attendance, topping 854,000 for the season last summer.
The league was formed in 1994 with franchises in Kenosha, Wausau and Manitowac, Wis.; Dubuque, Iowa and Rochester, Minn. Waterloo joined the Northwoods League in 1995. The league is comprised of 14 teams. It recently reached agreement with ESPN networks to broadcast Northwoods baseball nationally through the 2009 season.
The season begins in May and runs through August. Players must already have graduated from high school and be signed to play with a Division I, NAIA or junior college team. They also must have at least one year of eligibility remaining in college to qualify to play. They are not paid, so their participation doesn’t affect their NCAA eligibility.
Dan Corbin, General Manager of the Waterloo Bucks, said, “It’s a good opportunity for players to work on their skills. They understand they are here to improve their stock. Scouts often come to the games to watch potential prospects.” Waterloo has had several players drafted by major league teams.
Rosters are chosen in October or November prior to the upcoming summer season. Northwoods’ coaches and managers have strong networks with college coaches. Most players arrive in mid-May unless their college teams are playing in the College World Series. Some west coast players arrive later after their classes end. Some players drop off the roster for summer school. Others are drafted by major league teams and spend the summer in the minors.
Families Away from Home
One of the unique aspects of the Northwoods League is the housing arrangements made with families in host cities. The Bucks have 17 families who open their homes to players. 
“It’s a safe, good environment for the guys,” Corbin said. “Players are expected to abide by house rules of the host family. They understand it is a privilege, not a right. Families provide food and a bed for their players in exchange for season tickets. We’ve had very few problems over the years with our players and their host families.”
Some families request a certain position player like pitchers, first basemen or outfielders. There are logistics like transportation to be worked out. “We try to house players who don’t have cars with those who do or at least close to those who do. That way they can give each other rides to practice and the games,” said Corbin.
Most host families have been in the program for many years, sometimes playing host to the same players several years in a row.
Linda Baker began hosting players for the Waterloo Black Hawks. She learned about the same program for baseball when the team was still the Waterloo Diamonds. She hosted her first baseball players in 1990. Her home is small, but she gives up her entire basement to two or three players every year.
“I’m a baseball nut, so it’s a lot of fun. The guys are good people. I don’t see much of them because I work 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and by the time I get home, they are gone to the ballpark for practice or games. I’ve never had one bad experience with baseball players,” Baker said. She has recruited several other families to be hosts, including the Wolf and Cooke families.
Nancy Wolf and her family have been hosting for 10 years. Her daughter was two years old and her son five when they began. “It’s been great for our kids. They are involved in baseball, also. Our son loves hanging out at home with the guys. The players’ parents come and visit when they have long home stretches and we get to know them.”
The Wolf family has a running tradition to house a player with an animal last name if possible. “It started because of our last name. We’ve had players with the names Colt and Hawk.”
Dana and Vickie Cooke also have hosted players for 10 years. They began when their son, Tanner, was six years old. “It was like having another older brother for him to play baseball with,” said Dana. One year, the Cookes hosted a Japanese player. “Vickie and I had a hard time understanding him, but he and Tanner would compete at Play Station for hours.”
Player Benefits
The housing arrangements benefit not only the families, but the players as well. Tim Flattery, a senior on the University of Northern Iowa baseball team, played for the Bucks in 2007. His host family was Mark and Sandy Baade.
“It was a good time. Mark and Sandy were great. I lived with another player, and we’d go golfing with them. Mark came to our UNI games at home this spring to watch me pitch,” he said.
“The best part about the host family is, as a player, you don’t have to worry about food and stuff. When you’re living on your own and on the road, there’s not much food in the house sometimes. Our host family always had food in the cupboards which was nice. They’d cook for us and come to all our games.”
Travis Hendrix, also from UNI, lived in his apartment in Cedar Falls but had a great experience with the Bucks, also. “The Northwoods is a great league, the second best in the nation. There are really good players involved,” he said. Hendrix was named to the All-Star team and won the league’s Silver Glove award for his efforts at short stop.
Long-term Relationships
The relationships formed between the families and the players last long after the summer is gone. Most of the host families keep in touch with the players after the season. The Wolf family’s daughter was flower girl in the wedding of the first player they hosted. Linda Baker follows all of her players’ college and pro careers.
“I try to listen to their games online. Last year, I had a player from Stanford stay with me. I went out to see him play at the end of April. I still exchange Christmas cards with a lot of their families,” she said. She has had players she hosted drafted by Toronto and Chicago. She’s traveled to Chicago to see her former housemate play. “What I love most is the chance to watch them progress in their careers.”
Vickie Cooke sends birthday cards to many of their former players and keeps in touch with almost all of them. “We keep doing it because she falls in love with all of them. They become like your own kids,” said Dana.
New This Year
The Bucks have a newly renovated stadium with updated concession stands and a walk-in souvenir shop this season. “We have a winning product that all of our families and fans can be proud of. We get great support and are looking forward to a good season,” Corbin said.
Check out the Bucks’ schedule in the Calendar of Events section of Cedar Valley Athlete.
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