AS EACH DAY GOES BY THEIR IS GROWING OPTIMISM THAT AN AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL SEASON IN WYOMING WILL HAPPEN. TEAMS WERE GIVEN THE GO AHEAD LAST WEEKEND BY ALB COMMISSIONER CODY BEERS THAT THEY CAN HIT THE FIELD FOR PRACTICE, WITH HEAVY RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE. RIGHT NOW ONLY NINE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED ON ANY ONE FIELD AT ANY GIVEN TIME. SAFETY HAS BEEN THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY THROUGH THE COVID-19 PROCESS. THE HOPE AROUND THE STATE IS ONCE GOVERNOR MARK GORDON EASES THE RESTRICTIONS ON PEOPLE GATHERING, THAT COULD SIGNAL A START TO GAMES IS NEAR. CODY BEERS BELIEVES THE ABILITY TO PLAY GAMES IS ON THE HORIZON.
“BOTTOM LINE IT’S ABOUT FOLLOWING THE HEALTH PROTOCOLS, IT’S ABOUT BEING SAFE BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE NOT THE AGENT THAT CAUSES THIS VIRUS TO SPREAD. WE BELIEVE WE CAN HAVE AN AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL SEASON. WE BELIEVE WE CAN BE SAFE. WE’RE ALREADY LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN HAVE GAMES NOW AND I’M HOPEFUL THAT IF THE RESTRICTIONS ARE RELAXED, THAT WE’LL BE PLAYING GAMES BY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.”
CODY DOES GO ON TO SAY THAT IF A REGULAR SEASON DOES GET UNDERWAY, THERE WILL BE NO FANS IN THE STANDS BUT ADDS CODY HAS AN INTERESTING SITUATION.
“WHEN WE DO PLAY BASEBALL GAMES, FANS NEED TO BE AWARE THAT WE’RE GOING TO PROBABLY PLAY THOSE WITHOUT SPECTATORS DOWN AT THE FIELD. NOW CODY IS UNIQUE. WE HAVE A GREAT COMPLEX IN CODY THAT I WAS PRIVILEGED TO PLAY ON. YOU CAN SIT UP ON THE HILL AND WATCH GAMES AND IF YOU SOCIALLY DISTANCE AS A SPECTATOR YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SIT UP ON THE HILL AND IN THE GRANDSTANDS ON THE HILL. BUT OUR FIELDS, THE BLEACHERS ARE GOING TO BE CLOSED.”
CODY GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE RESPONSE FROM COACHES, NOW THAT TEAMS ARE ALLOWED TO PRACTICE, AND SAYS THE RESPONSE ACROSS THE STATE HAS BEEN POSITIVE.
“OUR COACHES AND THEIR KIDS, THEIR PLAYERS, WANT TO PLAY BASEBALL. THEY’VE BEEN COOPED UP JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE HAD. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT, BASEBALL GIVES US AN AGENT FOR HOPE. THESE KIDS ARE EXCITED TO GET OUTSIDE, GET THEIR ARMS IN SHAPE, START HITTING THE BASEBALL, PUT ON THE CATCHING GEAR, WHATEVER IT IS.”
COMMISSIONER BEERS DOES SAY THAT HE AND AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL ARE TAKING THINGS ONE STEP AT A TIME, MAKING SURE NOT TO GET AHEAD OF THEMSELVES.
“WE NEED TO GO SLOWLY, REACT TO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. BOTTOM LINE, EACH PROGRAM NEEDS TO PRACTICE THOSE SAFE GUIDELINES THROUGH THIS PRACTICE PERIOD SO THAT WHEN WE DO RECEIVE WORD THAT WE CAN HAVE BIGGER GROUP SIZES, THEN WE CAN IMPLEMENT A BASEBALL SCHEDULE.”
AND HE GOES ON TO OUTLINE WHAT A STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE COULD LOOK LIKE.
“PLANNING A DOUBLE-A STATE TOURNAMENT IN LARAMIE. WE’RE PLANNING AN A STATE TOURNAMENT IN POWELL. CODY WILL HOST THE DISTRICT TOURNAMENT, THE LAST WEEK OF JULY. WE’LL HAVE A “B” STATE TOURNAMENT IN SHERIDAN AND IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A “C” STATE TOURNAMENT IS GOING TO BE PLAYED IN JACKSON. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME PRETTY HEAVY SAFETY PROTOCOLS WITH TOURNAMENTS THIS YEAR. WE CAN BRING TWO TEAMS IN, PLAY A GAME. HAVE THEM LEAVE THE COMPLEX AND THEN WE’LL CALL THE NEXT TWO TEAMS TO SHOW UP.”
STAY TUNED TO THE BIG HORN RADIO NETWORK FRO MORE ON AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL IN WYOMING.
