RICHMOND COUNTY: The coming baseball season is in the air as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues.
In its 50th season, the Richmond Amateur Baseball Association has met and appointed a new executive for 2020, including past president Richie Cotton, secretary Trudy Samson, treasurer Sherri Samson-Dorey, and new president Gary David. The search is on for a new vice-president.
“We’ve met, we’re organized, there’s a schedule being drawn up on the idea that we are going to be able to start up on the dates that we anticipated,” David said.
If the season proceeds as they plan, David said it would start in early June, ramp up in July, finish in early August to allow two weeks for make-up games, then the play-offs would start on the second last week in August for the bottom three teams. That next week would be slated for the weekend play-off tournament.
So far, the new president can confirm that the Inverness A’s are out of the league for this season and the Port Hawkesbury Flyers have returned.
David said the RABA is hoping to hold its next meeting at the end of this month or early next month.
“Right now, we’re not going to make any type of decision or look at it or make any decision until late April, beginning of May,” David said. “We were looking at a starting date which would bring us into the first couple of weeks in June, but not a heavy schedule, so you’re basically looking at a July-August schedule.
“Because it’s the 50th season, we’d love to crown an RABA champion,” David noted. “We’ll be doing whatever it takes to get there. That might be a series of tournaments on weekends by the top four teams, however we want to go from, as opposed to a full schedule. We do not have any idea right now and we’re not in a position to examine anything, not knowing what the future holds.”
Although specific plans for the milestone are in the air right now, the RABA has formed an anniversary committee.
“We’re going to do an all-star weekend, and bring in all kinds of players who used to play in the RABA for that weekend, and honouring all the players who played,” David said of some ideas floated.
Meanwhile, the Baseball Nova Scotia (BNS) board of directors held a conference call on March 30 to determine the next steps for the organization.
In-line with the decision by the provincial government to further delay the reopening of schools, BNS is extending it cancellation of all in-person activities until May 4.
While Baseball Nova Scotia remains optimistic baseball will be played in 2020, this further delay will undoubtedly create additional challenges to associations and programs.
Brad Stevens, Cape Breton regional director with BNS, said the whole schedule has been pushed back.
“The hope is that at some point this summer, there is some form of baseball played here in Nova Scotia,” Stevens said. “Everybody is trying to be optimistic.”
Even if the season gets pushed back into July, Stevens remains hopeful, but if that start date goes into August, there could be complications.
Also the president of Royals Minor Baseball in eastern Richmond County, Stevens said everyone is playing the waiting game, but it appears many national baseball tournaments are in jeopardy.
“The next month is going to tell the tale for everyone across the country,” he noted.
As far as registration for local minor baseball leagues, Stevens said anything scheduled for April will be cancelled until at least next month.
“Everything is on hold, registration included,” he said.
The tentative deadline for Bluenose registration is May 29. On June 10, the Bluenose schedules will be released. Bluenose League play will begin on June 15. July 7 is the provincial registration deadline and July 8 is the date for the classification deadline.
July 31 to August 2 are the tentative dates for the classification tournament and provincial qualification tournament.
For 2020, the entire summer schedule for Bluenose League will be released on June 10. If the schedule goes as planned, timelines are going to be very tight. All teams that register AAA, AA, and A, will play in those leagues all year (with opportunities for cross-over games if teams declare as being strong at their division when registering). Unfortunately, BNS won’t be able to move teams up or down in the league at any point.
This is tentative, and assuming BNS can resume operations on May 4. The BNS board of directors will re-evaluate in two weeks and provide another communication to membership by April 17.
Stevens added that the BNS included 12 people from across the province, all committed to a season this year.
“There’s not one of us that want to concede a season,” he added. “We can still do something, baseball-wise, if we can get this cleared up some time in July.”