The four-team United Shore Professional Baseball League in suburban Detroit "submitted a 188-page health safety protocol program this spring to state and local health officials in a bid to convince them to allow the games to begin with limited fan attendance at the league's lone stadium," according to Bill Shea of THE ATHLETIC. The hope is that the detailed plan and a limit of about 1,500 people at Jimmy Johns Field "will satisfy government officials and allow games to begin soon." The USPBL plan "requires approval" from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration. USPBL Owner & CEO Andy Appleby is "eager to get that OK so he can start play by the lucrative July 4 holiday weekend." Appleby said, "We are waiting on the governor. At this point, we're just hoping that we'll be able to play." Meanwhile, one advantage the USPBL has over MLB is that its four teams -- the Utica Unicorns, Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers, Eastside Diamond Hoppers and Westside Woolly Mammoths -- "all share the same 1,900-seat ballpark." The stadium "already reopened its outdoor bar and restaurant options for public use." Appleby said that his league, "which is for young prospects, has been profitable every season, although he predicts 2020 will be difficult to get into the black" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/20).
