Take me out to the ball game

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/06/2020 (2114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buy you some peanuts and Cracker Jack? More like Lysol disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.

Local slo-pitch enthusiasts can officially take themselves out to the ball game as adult rec leagues around town kicked off their seasons this week. With dugouts closed off, softballs being wiped down between innings, sunflower seeds and gum forced to stay at home and players not allowed to high five after a big hit, the game is a little different in the pandemic era, but Stacey Lazor isn’t complaining.

Lazor, who was playing catcher for The Runs on Wednesday night at Buhler Recreation Park in a battle against Two Claps and a Ric Flair in Kildonan Co-ed Softball League (KCSL) action, is just happy to be playing ball.

“It’s one thing I do every summer. I play three times a week, sometimes four, and weekends,” said Lazor, a radio host on QX104 and 94-3 The Drive.

“I thought summer was going to be a little boring… Everybody is super jacked to be here. Even our team got together to hit a few times before this. Everybody is super excited to be back on the diamond.”

The green light to play is also a huge win for KCSL president Bobby J. St. Laurent as he originally had some doubts about the 2020 season. For months he was being asked by players if the league would be able to hit the diamonds this summer and for a while, he didn’t have an answer. When St. Laurent, who’s been running the league since 1994, isn’t on the field playing, you’ll find him driving around the park in a cart reminding everyone to stay at an appropriate distance.

While the list of rules set out by Slo-Pitch National may seem long, St. Laurent said the game still looks and feels the same for the most part.

“The game itself hasn’t changed, just when you’re off the field it’s a bit different, that’s all,” St. Laurent said.

“On the field, there are no changes other than the catcher has to stand a little farther back and once you hit the ball usually the catcher would throw the bat, but now you have to wait and someone on your own team has to grab the bat and throw it to the dugout. That’s about the only changes and it only slows the game down a tiny bit, so it’s not a big deal… Once everyone has been playing for 10-15 minutes, they’ve got the hang of it.”

For those who run facilities such as Buhler Park, a lot needed to be done to get ready for opening day. Facility manager Steve Mymko said they had to spend $5,000 on signage, and his staff spent three days blocking off bleachers, benches and dugouts.

Even though leagues are running, Buhler Park is still feeling the sting of COVID-19 as tournaments are classified as events, so they’ve been cancelled. In a typical summer, Buhler Park hosts tournaments every weekend, which brings in people from out of town and gives local hotels and businesses a lot of business. Mymko said in a normal year, the park generates $10 million to $12 million in spinoff revenue for the local economy.

“We’re a non-profit charitable organization. We depend on concessions, advertisements and all that. But businesses are laying people off, so how can you go to them for advertisements or sponsorships when they’re laying off people?” Mymko said. “It still costs $700,000 to run this park and you don’t have that revenue coming in. It’s $28,000 just for insurance on this place.”

Post-game beers at the clubhouse are also no longer a thing as St. Laurent and Mymko are forced to ask teams to leave as soon as the final out is recorded. One of the finer traditions in adult rec slo-pitch is no more, for now.

“Hey, we’re not complaining about it, we want safety first, but everybody has to understand it’s not business as usual,” said Mymko.

 

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31