Springfield ownership group, which includes WWE Hall of Famer, to have name-the-team contest in Quincy

QUINCY — Don’t call them the Gems just yet.

The most recent Quincy franchise in the Prospect League (formerly the Central Illinois Collegiate League) was called the Gems for 27 years. Golden Rule Entertainment, a Springfield ownership group, announced Friday morning it is finalizing a lease agreement with Quincy University to return summer collegiate baseball in the Prospect League to Quincy for the 2025 season.

Golden Rule Entertainment also owns Capital City Baseball LLC, the ownership group that has operated the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in the Prospect League since the 2022 season. The Springfield franchise was named the Sliders when Capital City Baseball LLC took over ownership. One of the first things the ownership group did was conduct a name-the-team contest, and fans opted to pay homage to the city’s “one-of-a-kind, recognizable horseshoe sandwich.”

Tim Hoker of Grayslake, one of the partners with Golden Rule Entertainment, will be the director of the new Quincy team. He says another name-the-team contest should be expected. For now, call the team the Quincy Baseball Club.

“The people will tell us if they want to keep the (Gems) name or not, and if not, they will tell us what the name will be,” he said. “If we stay with the Gems, it would be a rebrand, and we’ll make it look modern and up to date. If it’s not a rebrand, it’s a total rebuild. That would be something that the fans actually voted for.

“Who knows where it’s going to go, right? Our whole thing about this is it’s not about us. We’re just ambassadors for the team, and 20, 30, 40 years from now, somebody else will own the team. It’s our job to be good stewards of the team. The community owns it, so they’ll make the decisions, and we’ll run with it.”

Details about the team’s name, branding and future events will be announced during Golden Rule Entertainment’s initial media event on Nov. 15. A time and a location were not announced. The ownership group encourages fans and residents to share their thoughts and feedback at fun@quincybaseball.com.

So what is Golden Rule Entertainment? 

Hoker says Jamie Toole is the “brains of the organization.” Toole spent 20 years in minor league baseball in various capacities, including a four-year stint as the general manager of the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins in the Florida State League. He founded Golden Rule Entertainment in May 2020 and now has the title of “chief storyteller” for the organization.

“This is not a corporation,” Hoker said. “This is a company that’s been formed to make and sell fun. (Toole’s) not selling anything. He’s telling a story about why baseball is such a great thing.”

When Toole took over the Springfield team in the Prospect League, he told the Springfield State Journal-Register he wanted to bring even non-baseball fans to the stadium through entertainment.

“I tell people all the time: baseball can be very boring,” Toole told the SJ-R. “That sounds weird coming from a baseball person. We want you to go to the restroom during the game so you don’t miss the between-inning stuff.”

Toole has a management team consisting of a community development officer, a marketing director and a retail director. He also has a group of advisors which includes Hoker, who manages an interstate freight carrier business, and Jeff Jarrett, a World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer. He now is signed with All Elite Wrestling, where he also serves as director of business development.

“Jamie met Jeff at the baseball winter meetings five years ago, and they hit it off,” Hoker said. “Jeff’s an interesting dude. I mean, he’s 57 years old, and he’s a full-time wrestler. 

Not only is he an entertaining performer, but he also writes the storylines. He’s doing stuff that 27-year-olds are doing. He’s an amazing guy. He’s fantastic, and he supports us. He comes by seven, eight games a year.”

Hoker said conversations between the ownership group and people in Quincy started last winter.

“One of your aldermen, and I forget the name, talked to (Jamie),” he said. “We had a hot stove event in the winter at Motorheads Bar and Grill in Springfield, and we had (Chicago Cubs announcer) Pat Hughes come in and talk about baseball season and the Cubs. One of the aldermen from Quincy came over and struck up a conversation with Jamie.

“Jamie made a visit in February or March. I was on vacation, and he called me up after the meeting and said, “I think there’s something here. I think we can do a good job for the community, and I think there’s a good business plan.”