Jackfish hope to be back in season
Manager Essery is optimistic IBL can begin shortened schedule in July
Welland Jackfish manager Brian Essery knows all about stakeouts in his day job as a detective sergeant with the Niagara Regional Police.
Years of experience have taught him the importance of playing the waiting game well. While it’s the early birds who get the worms, it’s the patient ones who wind up arresting them and making the charges stick.
But the 45-year-old former pitcher and Central Ontario Baseball Association Hall of Famer hasn’t experienced anything like COVID-19 when it comes to waiting to hear the cry “Play ball!”
Essery expected to be back on the field for a second season with the Jackfish on May 10, but the pandemic closed ballparks across Ontario, including Welland Stadium, until at least June 30.
“This is crazy, isn’t it? This is just bizarre,” he said. “Nobody saw this coming.”
The Intercounty Baseball League has already conceded it won’t be able to play the traditional 36-game regular season, but Canada’s oldest amateur baseball league remains determined to get back on the diamond sometime this summer, albeit with a reduced lineup of teams.
The Guelph Royals, Hamilton Cardinals, London Majors, Toronto Maple Leafs and Welland are committed to playing, while the six-time defending playoff champion Barrie Baycats, Brantford Red Sox and Kitchener Panthers have opted to come back in 2021.
“We have the mindset that we’re going to go on the field at some point in July. That’s what we’re hoping for anyway,” Essery said.
Contingency plans at this point include playing home and away games followed by playoffs rather than tournaments at a single site.
“As long as all the municipal governments allow each team to play and to operate their stadium, we will be playing home and away games,” Essery said. “Hopefully, they will give us some reduction in capacity.
“We’re a ticket-generated business, so we have to have the fans.”
He doesn’t foresee the league scheduling doubleheaders of seven-inning games to make up for lost time. “I think the plan right now is to continue to do nine-inning games. Reduced schedule obviously, probably somewhere in the vicinity of 20 games and then playoffs,” he said.
Essery can’t wait for the season to start, though only if it’s safe to do so. “I just want to play. I’m itching to get out there, and I know the rest of the coaching staff, ownership and, obviously, the players are itching to play, but we want to make it safe for everybody,” he said. “We’re not going to go out there and take any risks, that’s for sure.
“If we get the OK to play, then definitely we’re going to play.”
Unlike basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, rugby and soccer, contact in baseball is more incidental than intentional. But there is contact nonetheless.
“There isn’t the full-on clutching and grabbing and hitting like there is in hockey and football, but there is definitely going to be close contact for sure,” Essery said, speaking from years of experience that included pitching for the British national team at the European championships in 2007.
“There is that close contact with the catcher, the batter and the umpire. Then when you come on base with the first baseman,” Essery said.
“Then there are still tags, you’re going to have to get into someone’s personal space.”
The Jackfish manager has kept in contact with his players during a long off-season that is getting longer every day.
“We’re always in contact just making sure guys are still available, still want to come to play considering what’s going on,” Essery said. “So far, I haven’t heard any different from any of the players. Everybody is itching to play and hit the field.”
With IBL teams allowed to play a maximum of five imports, continued closure of the border could become an issue if the league gets the OK to play before the it reopens.
“If borders are still closed, we won’t be able to get our Americans in. Our Caribbeans and our Venezuelans, that will be tough, as well, to get them over, but we’ll do our best.”
That won’t necessarily be a dealbreaker, however, for the Jackfish.
“We have players coming from across Canada, so we’ll be fine. We’ll still have a very competitive lineup,” said Essery.
Last season, in their first year in Welland, the former Burlington Herd finished fourth in the eightteam league with a 19-17 record.
They defeated London 4-1 in the quarterfinals before being swept by eventual champion Barrie in the second round of the playoffs.
“As long as all the municipal governments allow each team to play and to operate their stadium, we will be playing home and away games.”
BRIAN ESSERY WELLAND JACKFISH MANAGER