The umpires are ready but no one is yet sure what is going to happen with the baseball season in Ontario.
Umpires in the OBA joined umpires from around the country in a virtual training event on March 21, featuring Baseball Canada instructors, MLB umpires, rules modules, video training, and networking opportunities.Whether they will get much opportunity to put their skills out there this year is still up in the air.In a normal season, older players would be start-ing some sort of spring training this time of year and getting ready to head out onto the diamonds to start practicing.
However, the current situation is leaving players and leagues in unfamiliar territory when it comes to planning for the 2021 season.
The North Dufferin Baseball League with senior and junior teams in the region, said it is unsure of how things will progress.
“Currently, the provincial regulations don›t allow us the numbers to play a competitive season,” said League Secretary, Scott Anderson. “We don›t expect to have any play in the month of May. Hopefully we can start in June.”
Anderson said they are planning a League meeting in April to discuss options.
The South Simcoe Minor Baseball Association is looking forward to a start this summer but so far, they have yet to make a decision on what is going to happen.The SSMBA said they have put four committees together to address new rules of play and protocol with hopes of resuming baseball in some fashion.
The Tottenham Minor Baseball Association has announced they are looking to fill vacancies on their Peewee team, however plans have not been announced for actual schedules for this season.
Many clubs around the province have started pre-registering players so they can at least get a handle on numbers and start planning teams and leagues if they get the go-ahead on putting something together and playing games this summer.
Brian Lockhart, Local Journalism Initiative, New Tecumseth Times
