Western Canadian Baseball League announces potential schedule changes
With hockey, basketball and every spring and winter sport on hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak, eyes are now turning to the near future.
As in where things will be right around the time summer sports are set to take centre stage.
That includes baseball, with the Western Canadian Baseball League announcing Sunday that plans were in place not only with a deadline for a full season to be played, but potential shorter schedules if the pandemic hasn’t cleared in time for the late-May Opening Day.
The Moose Jaw Miller Express are slated to kick off the season on Wednesday, May 27 when they host the Swift Current 57’s at Ross Wells Park.
The current plan sees a deadline of May 2 for the full 2020 season to take place. Provisions are also in place for a start date near Father’s Day (June 21) or Canada Day if possible, but if by early June health and travel restrictions haven’t been lifted, the season would likely be cancelled.
Given how things have progressed with COVID-19, the announcement came as little surprise to Miller Express general manager Cory Olafson.
“You look at the professional leagues and they aren’t at the mercy of an end date,” Olafson explained.
“We have an end date we have to keep in mind, and that’s the start of the U.S. collegiate school year. So we have a window, but the more it starts to close, the more it’s going to be difficult to get in any kind of season. “We’re just a small fish in a big pond right now, we obviously can’t do anything until restrictions on travel have been lifted, and the quarantine thing, we’re in a waitand-see holding pattern as everyone else.”
The press release also contained a dire warning about franchises potentially needing to take emergency leavesof-absence if the situation doesn’t improve soon. Fortunately for the Miller Express, they aren’t one of those teams. But the situation isn’t going to be a positive one if things are still in purgatory when preparations for the campaign would begin in earnest.
“We have a roster that’s really, really close to being full, we could start the regular season tomorrow and we’ll have enough guys to play. So that’s not an issue,” Olafson said.
“But I’m a businessman and I’m in the business community a lot, and the thing that probably scares me the most if we have any season at all is picking up a phone and calling these businesses that might not know if they can keep the power on next month. It’s going to be really tough, and uncharted waters we’re entering .... we know that without our sponsorship, we’re sunk. It’s well over half our budget and it’s probably between 60 and 70 per cent of our budget.”
One thing that isn’t a concern what kind of response the Miller Express sponsors will have once the COVID-19 crisis has passed.
“We have some wonderful sponsors who, if we can pull this out of the fire, they’re going to want to get people out of the house and come to the ballpark,” Olafson said. “By then everyone is going to be cooped up for quite a while and getting out will be a treat.
“Maybe it could be perfect storm for us that way, too. Maybe people will say ‘hey, let’s go to the ballpark, let’s do something, let’s go feel alive today’.”
The league expects to release a new update on or around April 20.
In the blink of an eye, everything has changed. There is nothing newsworthy to report on except the global crisis. Piano lessons, the weekly TOPS meeting, the Friday lunch with co-workers, the weekend ball clinic, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t written in our day planners or milling through our thoughts. We’ve just missed Easter gatherings in our homes and our churches... never in a million years, would we think that was possible. But, yes, it has happened as our world has been shaken to the core. We still haven’t even found a new normal. We are reeling from the hourly changes, not even just the daily changes, to our personal lives, our personal responsibilities and governmental expectations. Life seems to be falling apart at the seams. Life is just hard right now for countless dear people.
Dear readers, I am carrying you in my heart. The people of this region are in my heart. I love this region. I love the readers of this paper. I have never written this column for the pay (although I was thankful to be paid!). In fact, at this time, as cutbacks have been delivered I am no longer on the payroll. But yet, I consider this opportunity an assignment from the heart of Father God to deliver words of encouragement from His heart to yours. My prayer is that you will be impacted and changed by the words in this column, as always and going forward.
As I listen into what is on the Lord’s heart for this week, I know He wants to impart strength, hope and peace deep into the recesses of your heart. I know He wants to reassure you that He is with you and will never leave you. And I know He wants to calm your every fear. This morning, as I spent time with Him before the rest of the household was up, I sensed Him asking me to list the fears I have believed; both old and new. I began to confess them and ask Jesus to speak truth over each fear. It was such an intimate precious time in His presence. He reassured me that those are fears... they are not the truth. He reminded me that fear is a liar. He reminded me of His steadfast love and promises and faithfulness. He told me that He would protect my family and provide for me and keep us under His shelter. He is no respecter of persons (meaning He treats all of His followers the same). What He has done for me, He will do for you! It’s as simple as having a visit with Him over coffee! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. In this world of shifting shadows when you don’t know if you can even trust your neighbor, He reminds us that we can trust Him! He is with you! He is beside you! He is behind you! He never changes. He is always the same. He is filled with love for you. Overwhelming love. And He promises to carry you through these uncertain times! As I close this week, please listen to “The Blessing with Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes”on Youtube. It is my prayer that you will sense His unending, unchanging faithfulness as you walk through this one step at a time. He is for you, dear readers. Rest assured.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:2426
Concerns over COVID-19 see Miller Express season potentially in jeopardy, with early June deadline for cancellation of campaign
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of tHE AutHOr, AND DO NOt NECEssArILy rEflECt tHE POsItION OF tHIs publication.