HYANNIS – The Cape Cod Baseball League will be making its return this summer after a year marked by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but not without some continuing challenges.
Director of Broadcasting for the Cape League John Garner said that the focus over the past months amid the pandemic has been on preparation for 2021.
“You really have to prepare for a season like it’s going to be played in its entirety. In the meantime you have eleven different entities: the Cape Cod Baseball League overall and ten different franchises who are all meeting on a monthly period to get this all prepared as well,” said Garner.
Several adjustments had to be made to the season in order to ensure public safety, including remote meetings for organizers, committees and teams.
Other changes include shifting to a 40 game schedule per team, as opposed to the usual 44.
When it came to last year’s cancellation of the season, Garner said it was a hard choice to make, but necessary.
“We had to wipe the season out by mid-April. We had to make that really hard decision. And it was the right one to make, because every other summer league team sanctioned by the NCAA followed suit,” said Garner.
“In a lot of cases, it had a trickle-down effect. The Cape League is really a volunteer league, but there’s still a lot of bills to be paid and none of the money was really coming in until people heard whether or not you’re having a season.”
Every year, the players rely on volunteer housing to be able to participate in the season, with each franchise requiring between 35 to 45 beds every summer for players.
Pandemic restrictions and public safety protocols made this impossible and contributed to the need to cancel the season.
“We need to get people up and about as far as the housing situation. You have some people who house as many as four players, and those people are like gold. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Garner.
“If you’re living in a community and have some extra space, please reach out to the Cape League.”
Garner said that he hopes to see all of the players, mostly aged 18 through 21 and correspondingly lower on the state’s vaccination eligibility list, vaccinated by the beginning of the season.
The Cape Cod Baseball League returns June 12.
The schedule for 2021 can be found on their website.
The full Sunday Journal interview with John Garner can be found here.
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