HarbourCats offer pop-up baseball, on the big screen

The Victoria HarbourCats came up with a novel idea amid the novel coronavirus pandemic — virtual pop-up baseball.

This weekend would have been the start of the HarbourCats’ 2020 season in the West Coast League.

COVID-19, however, put paid to those plans.

But the club kept the spirit of the season alive Saturday on a projection screen by replaying a past game and a past fireworks display in the parking lot behind Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park. There were also food trucks.

“We’ll be co-ordinated with lines and distance, as we all know is the necessity right now and no more than 40 people will be on site at any time, hence, the come-and-go nature of the physical setup,” said HarbourCats GM and managing partner Jim Swanson, as he prepared for the event.

“It’s a chance to be outdoors, see people from safe distance and give a wave. We’re all missing the social aspects of life.”

The team will also look to do a similar event June 30.

“We’re still here and we’ll be back [in 2021],” said Swanson.

The HarbourCats have issued a version of their 2020 game-day program, featuring what would have been the club’s 2020 lineup. It is available for download via the team’s website.

Games from past seasons are being made available on hcats.tv

Meanwhile, the WCL officially cancelled its season Saturday. The HarbourCats, one of two Canadian clubs in the 12-team league, had announced last month they could not play this season due to the CanadaU.S. border being closed to all but essential travel. Most of the HarbourCats players’ are American collegians from the NCAA.

B.C. is also currently banning gathers of more than 50 people, including at sports events.

Nanaimo will become the WCL’s 13th franchise in 2021.