April 21, 2021 - Rep and Select Tournaments have been cancelled
OFFICES OF THE BASEBALL COMMISSIONERS
April 21, 2021
This past Sunday, both the Rep and Select Councils held planning meetings for the 2021 baseball season. We are pleased to announce the following:
PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Both Councils affirmed our commitment to deliver safe and meaningful Provincial Championships and we are currently exploring options to crown our 2021 Ontario Champions! We will share more details with you in the coming weeks…stay tuned!
REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
As we prepare for a meaningful baseball season for our players, we recognize the importance that competition plays in the development of young athletes. The Provincial Government has limited team sports to league bubbles of 50 players, even in areas where the restrictions are elevated to Green. While Baseball Ontario, like other outdoor Provincial Sport Organizations in Ontario, have petitioned the government to increase bubble sizes to 200, we must continue to plan around the framework that the Ontario Government has provided. Accordingly, we have come to the difficult decision to cancel all Rep and Select Sanctioned Regular Season Tournaments for the 2021 season to allow leagues and teams to focus on:
1. Organizing bubbles for regular season play and determining their local standings, and
2. Preparing for Provincial Championships at the end of the summer.
Until and unless the Government removes the bubble restrictions or allows bubbles to increase to 200 participants or more, regular season tournaments are not feasible. Teams are not permitted by the Government to be in multiple bubbles and therefore must dissolve one bubble and create a new one for, at most a 4-team tournament. All teams are required to take a 7-day break from competition before and after the tournament. Playing a round robin or double knockout tournament-style weekend within your league bubble is always permitted.
The cancellation of Sanctioned Tournaments does not mean that Rep or Select Provincials have been cancelled. Both Commissioners have committed to asking Council to revisit the tournament decision if the Government lifts the restrictions to allow for bubbles of 200 or more players.
While we know that this is not the baseball season we had all hoped for, the Rep and Select Councils are working hard to make this season a meaningful and memorable one for all participants. We look forward to seeing you on the ball field soon, but in the meantime, stay safe and take care!
Yours in Baseball,
David Black
Commissioner of Select Baseball
Justin Snively
Commissioner of Rep Baseball
April 21, 2021
This past Sunday, both the Rep and Select Councils held planning meetings for the 2021 baseball season. We are pleased to announce the following:
PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Both Councils affirmed our commitment to deliver safe and meaningful Provincial Championships and we are currently exploring options to crown our 2021 Ontario Champions! We will share more details with you in the coming weeks…stay tuned!
REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
As we prepare for a meaningful baseball season for our players, we recognize the importance that competition plays in the development of young athletes. The Provincial Government has limited team sports to league bubbles of 50 players, even in areas where the restrictions are elevated to Green. While Baseball Ontario, like other outdoor Provincial Sport Organizations in Ontario, have petitioned the government to increase bubble sizes to 200, we must continue to plan around the framework that the Ontario Government has provided. Accordingly, we have come to the difficult decision to cancel all Rep and Select Sanctioned Regular Season Tournaments for the 2021 season to allow leagues and teams to focus on:
1. Organizing bubbles for regular season play and determining their local standings, and
2. Preparing for Provincial Championships at the end of the summer.
Until and unless the Government removes the bubble restrictions or allows bubbles to increase to 200 participants or more, regular season tournaments are not feasible. Teams are not permitted by the Government to be in multiple bubbles and therefore must dissolve one bubble and create a new one for, at most a 4-team tournament. All teams are required to take a 7-day break from competition before and after the tournament. Playing a round robin or double knockout tournament-style weekend within your league bubble is always permitted.
The cancellation of Sanctioned Tournaments does not mean that Rep or Select Provincials have been cancelled. Both Commissioners have committed to asking Council to revisit the tournament decision if the Government lifts the restrictions to allow for bubbles of 200 or more players.
While we know that this is not the baseball season we had all hoped for, the Rep and Select Councils are working hard to make this season a meaningful and memorable one for all participants. We look forward to seeing you on the ball field soon, but in the meantime, stay safe and take care!
Yours in Baseball,
David Black
Commissioner of Select Baseball
Justin Snively
Commissioner of Rep Baseball