Teams such as the Rosebud Royals (red) and Wynyard Blues (blue) will play on in 2020 with different health protocols in place. (Submitted photo/Michael Jordan).

By Aaron Schulze

Play Ball

Men’s fastball league learning the curves of resuming competitive sports

Jul 8, 2020 | 5:38 PM

Two days into its resumption of play, and it’s so far so good for the Richardson Pioneer Men’s Fastball League.

The league of 10 teams with 10 to 14 players each – in towns such as Foam Lake and Wynyard – resumed play on July 6 as part of Phase Four of Re-Open Saskatchewan. Four games have already transpired.

Despite the eagerness to get back on the softball diamond, the league knows playing its fifth season during the coronavirus pandemic will be an adjustment for players, managers, and spectators.

“We’ve had a couple of hiccups where we, or the umpires, need to remind ourselves to stay socially distant and not to touch the other team’s equipment,” Richardson Pioneer Men’s Fastball League President Michael Jordan told northeastNOW. “It’s human nature a lot of the time. You just did those things.”

Some of the changes the league had to make during the pandemic include:

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• teams not sharing balls
• disinfecting equipment between innings
• closing off seating; asking attendees to watch in their vehicles or bring their own lawn chairs
• list attendees’ information for contact tracing purposes

Still, some games with health guidelines is better than none, as the league rescheduled its season four times during the pandemic before settling on a nine-game season, down from its regular 14.

“It sounds more than it is,” Jordan said of the protocols they must follow. “Ninety-five per cent of people wouldn’t notice any changes unless they were really paying attention to what was going on.”

In the event of a positive COVID-19 case, Jordan said the decision of delaying or cancelling their season would be in the hands of Softball Saskatchewan. He mentioned the difference between his fastball league resuming and professional leagues who have people’s livelihoods at stake are different scenarios.

“We’re just playing for recreation and fun; competing against rival towns where it’s not nearly as needed,” he said. “I can’t say that we would or wouldn’t shut it down. It would depend on the situation and where the contact happened. From what I’ve heard, everybody has enjoyed getting out and playing and the people who’ve been able to watch have enjoyed having live sports to watch.”

If all goes according to plan, Jordan said the league expects to wrap up its season with a provincial tournament within the first two weekends of August, being played at multiple sites to follow the 30-person gathering limit.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow