Considering we don't start playing for 6 weeks or so and won't see each other much until then I think the prudent thing would be to wait and see. We have a supplier in China who has been back at full strength since February 10 so there's no reason to cancel an entire season that ends in early fall.
If circumstances call for a delay or eventual cancellation in my opinion I'm confident our Board Members will make a smart, timely decision.
Some teams (mine included) are relying on sponsorships from places now closed - those that werent already closed have been negatively impacted by this situation.
Plus, Im certain there are lots of players who have dealt with or are dealing with lost wages which will make paying for baseball problematic.
Are there plans in place for teams unable to make deadlines? And, I mean other than to charge late fees and or forfeit spots?
This is where I was going but didn't explain myself well enough
The_Hurricane wrote:
Just a thought:
Some teams (mine included) are relying on sponsorships from places now closed - those that werent already closed have been negatively impacted by this situation.
Plus, Im certain there are lots of players who have dealt with or are dealing with lost wages which will make paying for baseball problematic.
Are there plans in place for teams unable to make deadlines? And, I mean other than to charge late fees and or forfeit spots?
Hopefully the season will not be cancelled. Not as much contact as basketball or football. If we can't get baseballs, I can contribute 10-15 dozen, although they are Diamonds, so, not what we usually use. I guess we have to see what the future holds before throwing the towel in.
Some teams (mine included) are relying on sponsorships from places now closed - those that werent already closed have been negatively impacted by this situation.
Plus, Im certain there are lots of players who have dealt with or are dealing with lost wages which will make paying for baseball problematic.
Are there plans in place for teams unable to make deadlines? And, I mean other than to charge late fees and or forfeit spots?
That's an interesting thought Rob .. I'm not sure what, or if, there's a good answer. I know the intention is to have each division run more or less even and maintain a small reserve so there isn't any substantial chunk of money that would allow a reduction in fees unless there was a corresponding reduction in expenses which obviously could happen with a delayed start.
Maybe there will end up being some sort of grant / relief that we as a non profit would be eligible for?
The Board of Directors and the Commissioners will be meeting this Friday to discuss Covid-19 and our League. To this point we have conducted our business without any special consideration to Covid-19. We've collected Team deposits, bought and received baseballs, applied for field slots , contracted with umpires, bought insurance and paid our MSBL dues among are many off season duties.
As we all know this as swept upon us and much of our circumstances have been imposed on us in our daily lives already. We do await certain reactions from the municipalities that own fields that we lease. And more circumstances could be imposed by Health Depts, the CDC, and other governing bodies.
Your elected Board will conduct a discussion that hopefully produces not only the potential obstacles in front of us but various means of overcoming them and the timelines associated with that.
So stayed tuned for more of course.
The CDMSBL is a strong and solid organization that will endure. have faith and take care.
The Capital Division is disposed to keeping the option of playing our games, even if we end up with a delay. No reason we see to cancel, at least until we are much more clear about the impact of the disease and the recommendations of the CDC and health departments going forward. Baseball Forever.
Jim A
Statement from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel on NCAA events
March 11, 2020 4:15pm
We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects the players, employees, and fans.
New Rules We will need to use longer bats so we are able to keep our social distance from the catcher. Home Plate umpires are to stand six ft behind the catcher when calling the game. We should be able to throw the ball at the baserunner to get them out so there no need to tag them. Of course no high fives, fist pumps and other contact celebratory actions. Add to list if you think of any other changes needed.
Statement from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel on NCAA events
March 11, 2020 4:15pm
We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects the players, employees, and fans.
Jim A
Come on Jim,
They cancelled the entire tournament the following day
I'm anything but a "the sky is falling" person but we're all around people who either have a compromised immune system or know someone who does and we are literally putting their lives at risk. Between that and the economic devastation baseball is the least of many people's worries at the moment. We're 8 months into a new business and now we're shut down for an undetermined amount of time and had to lay two employees off as part of it. Hopefully we all do what we're asked and in two weeks things are improving and by summertime we're back to some sort of normalcy.
Also don't forget by now the league has extended a fair chunk of money for expenses like insurance, baseballs etc. so if we don't have a season and every team expects a full refund it might cause a serious problem for the league.
John, you are confused. The NCAA baseball tournament is cancelled. The official position of the NCAA is that baseball games may continue, just no tournament. The NCAA says playing games is up to the locals. We kept playing baseball during WW II. It was good for us. Just as it will be now. As long as we follow the recommendations of the CDC and health experts, baseball! You don't have to worry, John. Stay home. But, let those that want to play have the opportunity.
Jim A
John, you are confused. The NCAA baseball tournament is cancelled. The official position of the NCAA is that baseball games may continue, just no tournament. The NCAA says playing games is up to the locals. We kept playing baseball during WW II. It was good for us. Just as it will be now. As long as we follow the recommendations of the CDC and health experts, baseball! You don't have to worry, John. Stay home. But, let those that want to play have the opportunity.
Jim A
Read the updates today?
No games are being played, many seasons are cancelled entirely now. I was you two weeks ago. Now Im not. Ever give any thought to the idea that most Capital Division players are at higher risk than the general population?
Having said that Im not in favor of canceling the season by any means but I do think we should follow guidelines. Theres zero chance a baseball game occurs without close contact.
At the end of the day it wont be our call anyway. The fields we play on are controlled by others. We certainly shouldnt risk fields to play when were not authorized to use them
