There really are no clues to this mystery of Saskatchewan?s ball diamonds. We haven?t seen them since September when our flowing fields of flax were snow covered. Try saying that three times quickly.
I have decided to let the April 4 dump of nearly six- inches in my parts of the province melt on it?s own except for my back deck. I needed to allow my ancient cat to catch a few rays and watch for the first appearance of migrating birds. She is no longer the clandestine predator which actually used to lurk in a maple tree and wait like a statue until some nitwit robin landed beside her with a sign on it?s chest reading I?m the lunch special.
Back to baseball. We know the white stuff will eventually give way to slo-pitch tournaments and a beer garden full of drunken has-beens producing enough empties I could retire after a trip to SARCAN. But for baseball itself, it is a harder sell these days, as rural Saskatchewan seems to have a tougher road to hoe trying to fill a roster.
In my youth, we had so many kids the Regina Little League had a team named after every single professional club and dozens of disappointed youngsters suffered the indignity of actually 小蓝视频 cut and sent home to watch TV. Nowadays, it often takes half a dozen towns to fill the lineup card. After about 12 years of coaching, I finally just gave up trying to learn names and called them by their numbers on their jerseys.
Getting cut from a baseball team in this era means you?re either breaking probation from a recent murder conviction or can?t remember which arm you use to throw. At least we have video consoles, and prison, to keep us occupied.
The gist of the column is an annual one that doffs it?s hat to the noble members of Sask Baseball who have nurtured the sport at an administrative or coaching level. Try to imagine coming home from a 10-hour day at a stressful office and then hustling over to spend a few more hours coaching and encouraging a group of kids you?ve never met.
Sask Baseball is an amazing hierarchy of dedicated folks who have taken the sport to new heights over the past decade. They have implemented rule changes to speed up games at the lower levels by expanding the strike zone with bigger home plates. This same group of progressive ?front office staff? have taken on many new challenges to improve the entire baseball universe with umpiring clinics, well groomed ball fields and an on-line statistical template that not only promotes healthy competition but also puts demands on the coaches and scorekeepers to properly track the results of the various age groups.
On that topic, virtually every age category is represented with a choice of: A - small towns with limited rosters and facilities, AA - first rate ball players who often choose less travel than AAA squads and AAA - the cream of the crop with a deep roster and a 100 per cent commitment.
Check out the website for information if you are a parent or player looking for a wonderful way to spend your summer. Also take a quick peak at the PMBL website for the older midget players who are 小蓝视频 funneled into US College scholarships faster than you can imagine. Hundreds of midget players out of our fair province are not only earning a valuable education, but also playing the game at the highest possible level. My kid chose plumbing.
In any case - whether it is the Regina Red Sox or your favourite senior team - get off that recliner and go take in a ball game.
Trust me, summer will arrive and the excitement of provincials, league playoffs or the all-star team selections to represent the province in a national tournament, gives you no better way to spend an afternoon.
The many cities and towns within the PMBL have amazing ballparks from Moose Jaw?s Ross Wells Park that resembles a scaled down Wrigley Field, to smaller venues like Weyburn, Estevan, Humboldt and Lumsden.
One final note, take heed of the hard-working, hamburger-flipping concession folks who are generally moms and dads of the hosting team.
Pay your respects with a thank-you and a nod to their precious part of what we call Sask Baseball.
As a hamburger connoisseur, I hereby declare a tie game between Weyburn?s great facility and Regina?s Optimist Park. Call me a liar, but that means you have to take in a few games this summer. Another great site to visit is a real treat and managed by my friend Jane Shury is basebalhalloffame.com
I will try and save up from those slo-pitch beer garden recyclables so I may take in more of the inductee ceremonies held annually in North Battleford. I promise to wear more than just a jockstrap and a ball cap.
