May 29, 2020 at 11:40 a.m.
Northwoods Babe Ruth season canceled due to COVID-19
Rhinelander organizers hope to hold baseball activities in July
Northwoods Babe Ruth season canceled due to COVID-19
After much deliberation and debate, the league decided to cancel its 2020 season.
The league, for players age 13-16, includes teams from Rhinelander and surrounding Northwoods towns that play a 12-to-14 game regular season ahead of a league tournament.
"It didn't happen overnight and we had the kids in mind a lot, because of everything going on," league president Joe Patrone told the River News. "There was too much to deal with and with everything else going on, it was a tough decision to make."
The virus began impacting everyday life back in mid-March, right when registration for the upcoming season was ongoing. Subsequent Safer At Home orders issued by the state made it clear the start of the league season would at least be delayed. After canvassing leaders of the individual community Babe Ruth programs that comprise the league, league officials said the decision to cancel the season became clear.
"We asked the communities a series of questions of their facilities, their interest and just their general attitudes about traveling and everything. It was just something that didn't seem to interest them at this point. If you don't have their full-throated support, you don't have anything," said Brian Young, the league's secretary and treasurer. "A pause, while unfortunate for the kids involved, is probably, in the long haul the right way to go."
"Our primary concern was not to put the health of all the players, officials and volunteers at unnecessary risk," Young added.
Even if some sort of season would have been able to take place, the league and its respective teams faced several logistical hurdles over and above any rules and adaptations that would have needed to be made to comply with social distancing guidelines. The Rhinelander Babe Ruth Board enumerated these challenges in an email to parents and guardians of participants last Wednesday evening following the league's decision to cancel the season.
"We did want to address why we felt we couldn't have a traditional season this year," the letter stated. "Some of the considerations and challenges included:
• Other area towns are not playing ball this year, so we had no teams to play against.
• We don't feel comfortable asking local businesses to sponsor this year, given the financial hardships of the recent pandemic. Those who have already sent in sponsorships will be refunded.
• Without those sponsorships, we don't have the funds necessary for umpires, league fees, uniforms, etc.
• Because there is not a traditional RHS (Rhinelander High School) season happening, there would be no concessions.
• Getting a Babe Ruth charter in time would be very challenging and without the charter, we don't have insurance.
• The JV field is dug up due to work on the dome (Hodag Sports Complex), so we need to share Stafford Field with the RHS teams.
• Even if we had other towns to play against, scheduling is a huge concern."
The cancellation of the Babe Ruth season was yet another blow to the high school and youth baseball scene in the area. The WIAA canceled the spring high school season, while giving prep teams an opportunity to gather, practice and play beginning July 1, provided it was OKed by local school officials. The Rhinelander High School baseball team plans to practice the first two weeks in July, culminating with a series of games July 13 and 15. Furthermore, the Wisconsin American Legion Baseball season was canceled May 9. While legion baseball was geared more toward players between the ages of 16-18, historically a number of younger players in Rhinelander have simultaneously participated in both Legion and Babe Ruth.
What's more, Babe Ruth baseball usually serves as the first opportunity for 13-year-olds to experience baseball on a full-sized diamond, after moving up from the Little League ranks.
"It's a big loss for kids from 12-13. I think it's a big year, everyone would agree, when you're moving up, making that step to the big field," Young said.
With the cancellation, the league left open the option of local teams playing in tournaments and/or holding practices and scrimmages during the summer.
"Kind of getting everyone together and, either practicing or scrimmaging each other. I think we are going to leave it open to other communities," Patrone said. "If they want to come out and play, it's going to be at their own risk. We're going to have waivers sent out."
The Rhinelander Babe Ruth program is actively pursuing these options. In its email to parents, the Rhinelander Babe Ruth Board outlined its preliminary plan for later this summer.
"We will be offering Prep nights (2 per week) and Senior League nights (2 per week) throughout the month of July," the email stated. "We will contact you via email again shortly with more specifics about which days of the week/times/etc. The boys will be able to meet at Stafford Field with others in their age group and spend 1-2 hours working on baseball skills and playing fun scrimmages against each other. The goal is to give the boys some baseball instruction and skill building, but mostly to give them a fun way to get a little baseball in."
The email added that the sessions would be supervised by a group of coaches and volunteers and that parents would need to sign a waiver before their child would be allowed to participate. Additionally, the email stated that player registration fees would be waived for the year and that further details regarding the practice nights would be made available in the near future.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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