Chicago Cubs: Low risk for Cubs and MLB to play in Hawaii

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Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

Why MLB and the Chicago Cubs need a place like Hawaii and playing there could help the economy

Hawaii tried to shut its doors to the outside world when the pandemic hit and rightfully so with scores of Chinese travelers and all the Indo-Asian countries in the Pacific flowing into the island as tourists daily. Last year as many as 30,000 tourists came to the Hawaiian islands in a single day, and the average is just a bit lower.

Hawaii Governor David Ige was only able to manage, putting every visitor to Hawaii under a 14-day quarantine in their hotel. Visitors thought this was a joke until they started getting arrested and fined up to $5,000 for leaving their hotel rooms. As of last week, people are still getting arrested for breaking the island quarantine rules.

In the morning, the local Hawaii newspaper posts the mugshots of the quarantine violators on the front page of the paper. Like the thoughtless tourists, they are; some are smiling in their mugshots. Hawaii people are not smiling. They see these tourists as assassins that left their homes somewhere in the world, to bring the plague to Hawaii homes. Many of the comments online to these stories support the strong actions of the state because those actions are keeping the Hawaii people safe.

I mean, how’d you like it if you had to stay at home in quarantine by the Governor of your State, but tourists were outside breaking the law and rolling around the islands infecting everything?

Hawaii people are some of the kindest and gentle souls on earth; however, they can get agitated if visitors are not respectful, and even worse, endangering local lives is the ultimate disrespect.

It took two months, and to the great credit of the Hawaii people, they stayed indoors, obeyed all proclamations from the state and flattened their curve of the virus. To date, Hawaii has the lowest mortality rate due to the virus (17); the 50th state also boasts a daily average of almost zero among the islands.

Hawaii has chased out the virus but is still welcoming tourists under the same 14-day quarantine rule. The Governor was about to call Hawaii the ‘safest place on earth,’ but can you imagine how many tourists would be coming then? That campaign is still a work in progress.

Are these stats making you want to visit Hawaii? Well, you may not be that excited when you still have to be in quarantine for 14 days, even with much of the island opening up, and there’s always a large fine to break quarantine.

Currently, the Hawaii government is looking at ways of testing visitors before they arrive in Hawaii, so tourism can soon open up without quarantine. However, there hasn’t been much success, so quarantine is still in place.

Could MLB rescue the state’s economy by making a historic partnership with the state in conjunction with opening up tourism? What if only this year, MLB played their whole season and World Series in Hawaii?

There are plenty of reasons why playing in Hawaii would help MLB avoid a crisis, but before all of that, here are some of the reasons Hawaii might love MLB coming to the islands.

Aloha Stadium, Chicago Cubs (Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport) /

Chicago Cubs: Growing up with baseball in Hawaii

Many people in the mainland United States do not understand how popular baseball is in Hawaii. The most popular sport on the water is surfing and paddleboarding, but from the time kids are barely walking on the island, they are at the ballpark playing baseball.

Consider this; the very first Chicago Cubs team (they were called the White Stockings then) was a founding member of the National League in 1876. However, the very first mention of baseball in Hawaii was back in 1860 when Hawaii was still a Kingdom under Kamehameha IV.

The Polynesian newspaper wrote of an event in April of that year when Esplanade, the Punahou Boys and the Town Boys (Pick-up ball clubs) played the first known game of baseball – on the Sheriff’s property! So Hawaii people were already following baseball almost 50 years when the Cubs won their first World Series (back-to-back) in 1907 and 1908.

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The largest ethnic group by population in Hawaii ais the Japanese people. The Japanese people are crazy about baseball, which is why baseball is the number one sport in Japan! Many brought that love of the game when they came to Hawaii and so became coaches and assistants to the baseball teams on the island. With so many Japanese in the population, it’s no wonder that baseball is so prevalent in Hawaii.

Although there is also a deep love of football on the island and pride because of the many years the NFL hosted the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, there are more leagues, tournaments, clubs and games for baseball player youths in Hawaii. The game is played year-round with no significant breaks, while football is really only played in the fall/ winter time. With so few games of football, the one’s that do get played on the island are usually very emotional, nail-biter affairs.

The Japanese parents of all those kids playing baseball don’t work for the park district; they are high-powered politicians, executives and business-people throughout the islands. In a sense, they run the island and could have an impact if MLB came to Hawaii.

Everyone after work, no matter what walk-of-life, meets at their ballpark as the kids practice daily or are playing a 7-inning game. Work and baseball is a way of life and why it would be so tempting to hear a plan to bring all of MLB to Hawaii for a season.

Chicago Cubs: Hawaii back to work and MLB back to revenue

In April 1997, the first MLB game was played in Hawaii. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres in a double-header at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. That was the last time anyone saw an MLB game in Hawaii, but it proved that it could be done.

If MLB announced today they were going to finish the season, postseason and World Series in Hawaii; certainly there would be a lot of interest from hotels and rental homes, cars, businesses and the whole local economy.

Some Hawaii people could go back to work supporting MLB. There would be a lot of work to do and jobs available. Seating would have to be added to certain areas and construction might get some quick work. There’s also selling food, souvenirs, getting fields ready to play, vendors of all shapes and sizes, broadcasters, TV jobs, security, drivers, deliveries and more.

Once safety measures were locked in place at the venues, Hawaii families could buy tickets and attend games. Families of MLB players could stay on the island with their players after they’ve been quarantined and tested. After 14 days, they would be just like everyone else in Hawaii.

Eventually, visitors could also be allowed to attend the games once medically cleared. If MLB plays ball in Hawaii, many of those visitors will gladly stay in quarantine for 14 days.

All of these baseball games would be televised, and so revenue streams would begin again for owners along with ticket sales and advertisements. Depending on where the games are located, there could be substantial revenue for everyone.

Speaking of locations, are there even enough professional fields in all of Hawaii to play the season?

Hawaii, Chicago Cubs (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Fields of dreams in Hawaii

The biggest issue with playing in the islands is the lack of professional fields. The best fields belong to the local colleges like the University of Hawaii who play at Les Murakami Stadium in the City and County of Honolulu. Here’s how the Les Murakami Stadium compares to Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Les Murakami Stadium – Leftfield (325 feet), Center (385 feet), Rightfield (325 feet), Capacity 4,312

Wrigley Field – Leftfield (355 feet), Center (400 feet), Rightfield (353 feet), Capacity 41,649

Les Murakami Stadium is actually longer than Fenway Park, so the only work that would have to be done is expanding the seating capacity. There are no bleacher or outfield seats at Les Murakami Stadium, so that is certainly a way to add capacity.

Of course, Aloha Stadium, which has hosted the Pro Bowl for many years and hosted the only MLB game ever played on the island, would be needed. Again, there would need to be some conversions done but nothing too drastic to get the historic Hawaii stadium ready for ‘The Show’.

With a 50,000 person capacity, Hawaii singing, ‘Take me out to the ball game’ in Aloha Stadium all properly socially distanced, would be history.

The Big Island of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai most likely have two to three parks that could host games, so MLB can split itself up among the islands (as long as the Cubs play on Oahu).

Between the four islands (including Oahu), that would give MLB about 12 parks that it could play about 2-3 games on a day.

On June 16, the Governor of Hawaii approved inter-island travel to begin again among the islands. This means that teams could fly the 45-minute flight to play on neighbor Hawaii islands and break up the league, so it is not concentrated on one island.

Sure there will be teams that don’t draw big crowds, but all the California teams would be sell-outs for sure and could be split up among the islands to entice ticket sales. There are also big Texas, Atlanta, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs fans on the island; most would buy season tickets immediately.

In 2008 and 2018, Hawaii kids won the title of Little League World Champions. This year, it was recently announced the Little League World Championship was canceled due to the virus. No doubt the kids will head back to the field when it’s safe so they can try and win in 2021. It’s nestled in this type of life-long love for the game, in communities that eat, sleep and breathe baseball that MLB could possibly find a home this season.

Hawaii, Chicago Cubs (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: MLB needs a place like Hawaii to feel safe

One of the main attractions for bringing MLB to Hawaii is the weather. The temperatures in Hawaii range from 65 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Humidity is virtually non-existent due to the trade winds that blow through the islands regularly. There is a reason Hawaii touts itself having the ‘best weather on the planet’ and what could be better for any upcoming season of baseball?

While it does rain in the tropical state about 17 inches a year and mostly during the winter months, December is the rainiest month of the year for the islands and wouldn’t be an issue for the upcoming MLB season.

Besides, local players tend to call the misty rainfall that falls on them during games, “blessings,” and who couldn’t use a lot of those?

Hawaii has no professional teams on the island in the NBA, NHL, NFL or MLB. It is one of the few States that has no representation professionally. This makes it a very neutral ground to hold the season.

Just as MLB began negotiations with Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, to play the season in Arizona, will MLB contact Hawaii Governor David Ige to get his thoughts about partnering together? It’s clear that there are benefits to baseball in Hawaii. Baseball is good for the island’s recovery, good for the safety of MLB players and the local population and good for the nation to see baseball again.

If the National Guard can throw together hospitals in a day or two, imagine what they could do to put together some stadium seating for several parks around the island?

When MLB eventually departs the islands in November, all of those upgraded fields will belong to the Hawaii youth and families who can use those parks. Maybe it will entice MLB to play more games during the regular season in Hawaii and use those parks, seating, and upgrades.

If fans in seats – equal revenue for MLB, then owners and the league will be happy to have the ‘safe fans’ of Hawaii watching the games live opposed to empty stadiums. Bringing professional baseball to Hawaii can give the economy a jump-start, but Hawaii must think big and bold.

Hawaii, Chicago Cubs (Photo by Kat Wade/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Feeling da local kine

During the “2020 Hawaii MLB Season,” players and their families would be as part of the local population and do the same things locals do. They could swim, hit the beaches, hike the numerous trails around the island, surf, scuba dive, fish and play golf.

What a treat for Hawaii residents to see Chicago Cubs first baseman, Anthony Rizzo shopping in the local Hawaii Wal-Mart or Cubs shortstop, Javy Baez trying out some Loco-Moco fast food. Maybe they would see San Diego Padre Manny Machado out paddle-boarding in Waikiki or Los Angeles Angels pitcher; Shohei Ohtani getting some Zippy’s take-out while Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, Bryce Harper belts out a few tunes of karaoke at Dot’s restaurant in Wahiawa. MLB players would get a front seat education of’ da kine’ life in Hawaii.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish recently said he was in fear for his life to play baseball. Perhaps playing in a safe place, like an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, would calm Darvish’s fears. Considering there’s little to no virus on the island, and Darvish’s spouse would get a three-month Hawaii vacation to lie on the beach, it would be hard to find ‘anyone’ who wouldn’t love to play the season in Hawaii.

Playing the rest of the MLB season, postseason and World Series in Hawaii could make this tragic season unique for players, their families and the people of Hawaii. I’m sure Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant wouldn’t mind dragging his little guy and wife to the baby-blue waters of Hawaii for an abbreviated season.

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MLB might help the local economy and islanders could attend games and island- events, possibly sponsored by MLB. Locals that have never traveled off the island before would get to see a professional ball game for the first time in their lives.

For many Hawaii families, it would be the first World Series they have ever witnessed in-person. For the world, it would be the first World Series they have ever seen on TV, played in Hawaii.

The 116th World Series Championship meeting – Honolulu 2020.

Talk about making history.

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