Adversity. This word is tossed around a lot when talking about sports. The good teams overcome adversity and move forward, while others struggle to deal with the misfortune that presents itself throughout the year. The Waterloo Bucks baseball program knows all about adversity after last summer.
Most people in the Cedar Valley would agree that the summer of 2008 was lost. Record-breaking flood watersswept away businesses, homes and nearly an entire baseball season for the Bucks.
The Bucks didn’t have a home after the Cedar River spilled over its banks in early June and flooded the park. The flood cost the team nearly $300,000 in lost revenue and some serious damage to the 62-year-old stadium.
The river literally washed through Riverfront Stadium. Water covered the entire diamond, reaching as high as six feet at the outfield wall and seeping well into the grandstand behind home plate. A 4,500-square-foot wooden party deck was lifted off its bearings and moved 30 yards by the river’s current. The clubhouses, new electrical system, concessions, team offices and merchandise store were ruined.
Many people were affected by the loss of half the season’s home games, including fans, players, coaches and front-office management.
“Last summer was surreal, like a bad dream,” General Manager Dan Corbin stated. “To see so much wash away with the flood was disheartening. But we know that we weren’t the only ones affected in the community.”
Corbin and the rest of the Bucks staff dealt with the adversity by moving everything into the living room of his home where they conducted business for the next month. The players dealt with the adversity by coming together for about six full weeks living on the road, bouncing around the upper Midwest playing in cities like Duluth, Madison, Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse and Thunder Bay.
Injuries, a major flood and a month on the road would have defeated most teams. But the 2008 Bucks bonded together and became a family. They picked each other up and finished the year just a game out of first place for the second half of the season.
That was last summer. Much has happened since then. The City of Waterloo continues to devote many resources to help revitalize the damaged Riverfront Stadium. Sponsors have been contacted. Nearly every one is back supporting the team that lost so much. The players are ready to get the 2009 season started so they can showcase their talents in front of the greatest fans in the Northwoods League.
“Taking baseball out of the equation, everyone was affected for a couple of months last summer with the flood,” Corbin said. “We are eager to get out and enjoy summer and be a part of that for so many people. It will be nice to be back into the swing of things.”
This year marks the 15th season of Bucks baseball in Waterloo. Over that time span the Bucks have had a lot of success, including a stretch of seven consecutive post-season appearances and winning two NWL Titles. They have produced the most professional baseball players in the league’s history.
If you haven’t been to Riverfront Stadium in the last couple of years you need to purchase a $5 ticket and take in a game. With all the renovations that have taken place, the gem of the Northwoods League carries the appearance of a minor league ballpark with all the amenities needed for fans of any age.
You will fall in love with the product that is on the field each night. The Bucks are a college all-star team playing in one of the best leagues in the nation. It’s a chance to see the future stars of professional baseball playing right here in the Cedar Valley. Last year, the Northwoods League had 141 players taken in the Major League Baseball draft. The players don’t get paid - they are just hungry to prove themselves and take part in America’s pastime.
The flood washed away the Bucks’ home schedule last season. Let’s flood the stadium with fan support this summer.
Eric Braley is host and producer of “Panther Sports Talk,” a weekly UNI Sports TV show airing Sunday nights on KWWL after the 10:00 news and throughout the week on CFU Hometown Channel 15. |
