When their announcement went live on their social media platforms the morning of July 9, it would have been understandable if diehard fans of the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes went into panic mode.
“As the 2026 season winds down, we wanted to personally share that at the conclusion
of the season, we will be stepping away from our day-to-day roles with the Springfield
Lucky Horseshoes,” according to a statement signed by Jamie Toole and Melissa Gaynor-Toole, the majority owners of the team that plays in the Prospect League.
When reached by phone shortly thereafter by Illinois Times, Jamie Toole said the statement shouldn’t be construed as alarming to Lucky Horseshoes faithful.
“We’re still part of Golden Rule Entertainment, and Golden Rule Entertainment will still
be part of that ownership group,” Jamie Toole said. “We’re not just selling or going away. It’s just that, six years of running and gunning is tough.”
Translation: The Tooles, whose permanent address throughout their ownership of the
team has been West Palm Beach, Florida, want to move back there full time to spend
more time raising their family.
Toole said he and his wife will retain a share of ownership of the team, and will serve as
consultants in the near future. In essence, the Tooles are stepping down as CEOs of the
team and will hand that title off to a new successor.
Who will that successor be, and when will that announcement come?
Toole wouldn’t say, but said an announcement should happen “soon.”
He feels like he and his wife have left the Horseshoes in great shape moving forward.
“I would say, over the past year, I really feel like we’ve made such huge strides to
position the ballpark for greatness in the future,” Toole said. “Working with the
(nonprofit) Friends of Robin Roberts, getting a new lease agreement that allows you to
program more events and getting the new women’s league. I can’t even tell you how
gratifying that is, and will be.”
The inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Baseball League will start Aug. 1,
with four teams from Boston, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles competing at
Robin Roberts Stadium through September.
“We’ll be here seeing that through, and make sure we handled that right,” said Toole, 47.
It is unclear just how much of a percentage the Tooles will continue to own of the team
into the future, but Jamie Toole said he foresees the couple’s role as consultants for an indefinite period of time. He and his wife just won’t be in Springfield much anymore, having to wear all the hats that being a minor-league team owner usually entails.
Toole said he may sell his share of ownership within Golden Entertainment if the Prospect League gets more teams and therefore overall values are enhanced, but for now, that’s not on his mind.
“We’ve lived here in Springfield way more calendar days than we did at home, and, you
know, my kids are in high school, and we want to be able to do more family things,”
Toole said.
“We love Springfield, though, and will always consider this a home away from home,” he said.
“You put yourself in a position where the whole summer, but really the entire year, is spent on the hustle, because you’re trying to build something up and get it right,” he said. “But I am confident that this organization is going to move in a positive direction, and I’m excited to see it. It’s sort of like the Three Pigs; We built the brick house, not the one with the pines and sticks.”
Good riddance.