NDBL to have no baseball season for first time since Second World War

July 16, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

Ontario Baseball recently announced that teams may now start training in limited capacities, however the go-ahead from the governing body of the sport in the province doesn’t mean a lot of teams are back on the baseball diamond.

The restrictions on baseball activity include a limited number of players on the diamond, social distancing during practice, and sanitizing for both players and equipment.

There have been a few minor baseball teams giving it a try, however the training is more of a way to keep players busy during the summer and to keep their skills in check.

There won’t be any actual games and even though some tournaments are still scheduled in various places for the fall, many teams are opting out of travelling for late season tournaments.

Team and league executive are concerned about the logistics of competing in a tournament with regards to travel and over night stays in different towns.

Even though Ontario Baseball has given the okay for training, that doesn’t mean that teams will have a place to toss the ball around or get in some batting practice.

Not all municipalities have opened parks to the public. Many teams simply don’t have a venue in which to gather.

Booking diamonds and getting insurance is a problem in many places so a lot of teams are having no activity at all this year.

The North Dufferin Baseball League has cancelled the 2020 season for both the senior and junior divisions.

Currently none of the teams in the League have had a return to any kind of training for practice on local diamonds.

In addition to no League play, the League also cancelled its annual All-Star game and popular mid-summer tournament.

This means the NDBL won’t have a champion for the first time in 75 years.

The League has been running since 1931 and the only interruption was during the period from 1940 – 44 when the league was suspended due to the Second World War.

They have had a champion every year since 1945.

For 2020, the record books will have a blank page.