Summer Ball Programs Delayed
Monday was supposed to be the first day of games in McDonald County’s summer ball program. Instead of the sounds of summer, the ballparks were quiet as a snowflake landing on home plate on Christmas day.
On Monday of this week, you should have heard the ping of aluminum bats, the thump of balls hitting leather gloves and the screams of kids, parents and grandparents at ball parks throughout McDonald County.
Monday was supposed to be the first day of games in McDonald County’s summer ball program. Instead of the sounds of summer, the ballparks were quiet as a snowflake landing on home plate on Christmas day.
How long those parks will remain shuttered is still up in the air.
Tim Neale, of Pineville, and Mike Schlessman, of Anderson, deans of town directors throughout the county, said as of right now, the summer league is on hold for at least two more weeks. Neale said a decision will be made later this month whether to have summer ball or to cancel it totally for the year.
“We were to have a decision by May 1, but we have decided to wait and see for now,” Neale said. “I talked to Gregg (Sweeten, Emergency Management Director) and he has talked to Paige (Behm, Health Administrator) and we decided to wait to see if opening up things on Monday will fire up more cases,” Neale said. “If we do get to play, we will follow the guidance of the state and the local health department. Paige said she would not recommend starting on May 4, so Mike (Schlessman) and myself agreed to wait a couple of weeks.”
Neale said all the cities in the program (Anderson, Pineville, Goodman, Southwest City and Rocky Comfort — Noel has no summer ball program) had completed sign-ups which began in February and went through mid- March. He said from mid March through April is for practices in preparation for the opening games the first of May, but no practices have been held this year.
Neale said based on the number of teams he received in order to prepare schedules,
there were well over 500 kids signed up to play summer baseball or softball.
Schlessman said he would favor postponing rather than canceling the summer program even if it meant not starting games until June and completing the season in July.
“I think a lot of kids would be ready to play,” Schlessman said. “They have been cooped up inside for too long and need something to do. Playing video games all the time is not good for them.”
Schlessman said years ago the later dates were the standard.
“I know it will be hot, but we used to play then,” Schlessman said. “The kids need to play. I can’t imagine not being able to play summer ball.”
The two directors have a friendly rivalry between them, but it probably concerns their facilities more than it does their team.
Neale has traditional red clay infields while Schlessman utilizes agriculture lime surfaces in order for quicker turn-around play when it rains.
“Right now I am staying busy mowing, weed eating and dragging fields,” Neale said. “It’s not like Mike in Anderson when he needs to do something to his field to get ready he just pours on another bag of Quikcrete,” Neale said.
Neale said the future decisions regarding plans for the summer program will be publicized via Facebook.