Cancelling WCBL season is a downer
Summer league boasts high-calibre games and a welcome sense of community
The plaintive plea, in essence, was this: Help me, Wanda!
I contacted my friend Wanda Harron via Facebook Messenger on Thursday, interrupting her morning with this lament: “I am doing a column on the Western Canadian Baseball League cancellation. Why does this one feel really cruel? I’m trying to wrap my head around it. Maybe because it is the first season to be wiped out instead of postponed? I don’t know ... theories?”
Obviously, there are far bigger issues in our world, and infinitely greater consequences resulting from COVID-19, than the state of a small baseball league.
But this announcement, disseminated locally by Regina Red Sox president Gary Brotzel on Wednesday night, hit me like a foul ball to the increasingly ample forehead.
That sentiment, it turns out, was not solely mine.
“I honestly was crushed last night, Rob,” Wanda replied. “Maybe because, as compared to a big pro league, there is more of a sense of community with the Red Sox.
“There are things like letting kids’ teams go out on the field with the players before the game for the national anthem ... letting the kids run the bases and get autographs after pretty much every game.
“It’s a quality league with almost a small-town feel to it.”
And these are the thoughts of someone who doesn’t even live anywhere near Regina, let alone Currie Field.
Wanda and her husband, Dave, reside in Estevan. Summertime excursions to and from Regina — gateway to Grand Coulee — have become routine.
The Ceo/coo/president/ Gm/treasurer of Wanda Harron Photography delights in capturing priceless images of Red Sox games, even if it means returning home after midnight and having a shortened sleep before the next work day begins.
The long drives, you see, aren’t restricted to the home-run hitters. Wanda, in her own way, is a key part of the Red Sox family.
“Seriously, before this announcement was even made (Wednesday) night, I had two players touch base with me just to see how our family was doing,” Wanda noted.
The WCBL, for the uninitiated, is a collegiate summer league that customarily begins its schedule in late May and continues play until August.
Many of the players are Americans who use the WCBL to hone their skills and stay sharp.
The 10-team loop spans Saskatchewan and Alberta.
This province is represented by the Red Sox, Moose Jaw Miller Express, Swift Current 57’s and Weyburn Beavers. (The Yorkton Cardinals and Melville Millionaires had each been granted a one-year leave of absence.)
The Red Sox, a team with a long and storied history, were revived in 2005 by Brotzel and general manager Bernie Eiswirth. The latter gentleman doubles as the WCBL’S vice-president.
Despite starting from scratch, Brotzel and Eiswirth have turned the Red Sox into a summertime treasure. That helps to explain why they, along with Red Sox secretary Sharon Clarke, were enshrined in the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
They aren’t in it for the money, but simply to provide rich experiences.
Currie Field at sunset — or anytime, for that matter — is a wonderful place to be.
The games are of high calibre, but the score often seems to be a secondary matter. A trip to the ballpark is principally about fun.
Not to mention food. The hot dogs are delectable. Ditto for the popcorn. How about the lemonade?
And now ... crickets.
“It’s a tough situation for all involved,” Brotzel lamented. “Some sponsors have been hit hard in the downturn as well, so it isn’t just us that will feel the pain.
“We will take a financial hit even not playing, and it looks like non-profit sports teams aren’t in line for any government funding, which is a shame.”
The WCBL’S announcement comes at a time when many sporting associations, such as the CFL, NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, are looking for ways to commence or resume their seasons.
Meanwhile, news arrived Thursday that the Boston Marathon — an event with 124 years of tradition — has been cancelled.
The pandemic period, not yet three months in duration, already feels like a marathon.
Wanda, my great friend, summed it up in picture-perfect fashion: “I’m just about done with this year.”