Senator's virtual roundtable urges return of summer ball
Butler County youth baseball and softball fields remain empty.
For now.
Local associations are still hopeful of having a season this summer — those hopes received a boost Thursday through a virtual roundtable chaired by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
“I'm the father of three kids myself, including a 10-year-old who really wants to play some baseball,” Toomey said. “I know parents are apprehensive, but the (COVID-19) curve has significantly diminished.
“Reopening states should include youth baseball and softball. That should be the leader among returning sports. Among children under 18, the risk of COVID-19 runs much lower than influenza.”
Toomey's panel for the roundtable included Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University; Jennie Finch, Youth Softball Ambassador and former Olympic softball gold medalist; Stephen Keener, Little League International president; Tony Reagins, executive vice president for Baseball and Softball Development; and Jimmy Rollins, retired major league shortstop.
Keener said the international Little League organization sent out structured safety guidelines this week for youth leagues to follow upon their return.“Safety is the first priority,” Keener said. “Little League has 6,500 affiliated programs in 84 countries around the world.“We know some local leagues are hurting financially from this pandemic. We've waived Little League affiliation fees for 2020. That's about $1.5 million in value to us, but the $200 to $300 it saves local leagues can go a long way for them.”Among the safety guidelines are:No handshakes, high-fives, chest bumping or other physical celebratory contact.No shared team snacks or drinks. Players should bring their own food, clearly marked as their own.Cloth masks must be worn in dugouts. Masks are optional on the playing field.Players should bring their own equipment. Any team equipment should be disinfected often.Players should bring their own hand sanitizer to games and practices.No concession stands are to be open.No gum or sunflower seeds, or spitting of any kind, should take place.Spectators should consist of essential volunteers and limited family members, who may sit together. Social distancing should be adhered to otherwise.Spectators are encouraged to bring their own chairs.“We're prepared to adhere to social safety procedures,” said Carl Ekas, president of Center Township's baseball organization. “Our teams are drafted and ready to go once Gov. (Tom) Wolf allows us to go green.“We would need two weeks to practice. We would get our uniforms ordered at that time. We just can't order them until we're sure we're gonna have a season.”Center Township has 14 teams for ages 4 to 18. The Mars Baseball Association has 500 children. Butler Township and East Butler have merged youth associations and have 600 children.“We probably won't even use the dugouts when we return,” said Larry Fox, Mars Baseball Association president. “We'll have the kids stand outside of it, maintaining social distance.”Local youth baseball officials have said the plate umpire will stand behind the mound to call balls and strikes as opposed to behind the plate.Since Butler Township and East Butler have merged, their teams have yet to be put together.“Our coaches don't know the Butler Township kids and their coaches don't know our kids well enough yet to put balanced teams together,” said Mark Lunn, East Butler Baseball Association president. “We're a bit behind in that regard.“We haven't bought jerseys or baseballs yet. We're hoping we can play by June 15. We may wind up buying different color T-shirts and differentiate the teams that way at first.”Lunn added that East Butler's baseball complex has limited space near the dugouts, while Butler Township and Meridian fields have a lot more open space.“There will be a lot of trial and error in terms of where to put the kids (when they come off the field),” he said.Right now, the goal is to get youths all over the country back on the field.Bhattacharya believes that time is now. Toomey agreed.“I would sign my 10 year old up tomorrow,” the senator said.“The virus spreads more through indoor settings, in nursing homes and hospitals,” Bhattacharya said. “The virus does not do well in the summertime, out in the sunshine.“Nationwide, 15 kids have died from COVID-19. That compares to over 100,000 adult deaths. And research shows it's highly unlikely for kids to pass COVID-19 on to their parents.”He added that youth sports promote health and well-being.“Baseball and softball are the safest sports to reopen,” Bhattacharya said. “There is natural social distancing on the field. The sports build habits of active lifestyles.“The isolation kids have been experiencing will already have negative effects on them. It's time to get them back out there.”Finch is the mother of three children. She lives in Louisiana, where youth baseball and softball recently returned.“My 8-year-old was counting down the minutes to her first practice. She said it was the greatest day of her life,” Finch said.“It's hard to see kids isolated. Being a mother, I see the values instilled through sports: Teamwork, leadership, discipline, sacrifice, all of the things sports teach you. We can't have our youth go without that.”She added that numbers don't lie when it comes to girls benefiting from participating in sports.“Girls involved in high school sports are 92 percent less likely to do drugs, 80 percent less likely to get pregnant ... Three times the number of girls go on to graduate (from college) than non-athletes. Their sports involvement begins at the youth level.”Reagins said parents will ultimately make the final call.“Parents have to be comfortable with it,” he said. “They are going to control when to let their kids go out there. It's all individual choice.“They will be the ultimate factor.”
