RIVERSIDE GETS ANOTHER DAY IN THE SUN

Association to host 13-and-under nationals in two years after 2020 tourney cancelled

Baseball Canada will give Windsor another shot.

The Riverside Minor Baseball Association was scheduled to host Baseball Canada’s 13-and-under national championship from Aug. 27-30. However, the 2020 event was cancelled last month by Baseball Canada, along with all nine other national championships, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We got a message about a month ago that there was going to be a decision made by May 1, and then they called it in April,” said Tom Laporte, convener of the 13-and-under national tournament.

That meant a lot of hard work and planning went out the window.

“We had already done a lot of the ground work,” Laporte said. “We had the hotels lined up, because you have to make arrangements for all players to stay, and a banquet to start it off.

“The opening ceremonies were ready to go, and while we hadn’t gotten a major sponsor, we had minor sponsors on board.”

Last year’s event in Quebec attracted 10 teams from eight provinces, but holding a national championship is nothing new to Riverside. The association hosted the Canadian bantam championship for eight straight years from 1999 to 2006.

“I think one of the reasons we were accepted as host is because of our past experience,” said

Laporte, who is a past-president at Riverside.

But while there was disappointment in the event being cancelled, Baseball Canada turned around and offered Riverside a chance to host the 13-and-under event in 2022

“Very gracious of Baseball Canada to be forward thinking like that,” Laporte said. “I was very, very thankful that they gave us the opportunity to take the 2022 championship.

“I’m not sure if they did that across the board, but it’s easier to accept when 2020 is gone, that we have it in 2022.”

Baseball Canada explored the option of Riverside hosting next year’s event, which is being held in Woodstock, and then having Woodstock host in 2022.

“The Woodstock bid is by the city with the association — where ours is the association working with the city,” Laporte said. “Plus, we still see 2021 as possibly being a negative response to COVID, and you never know if everything will be full up to snuff, but by 2022 everything should be fine.”

While Riverside will get the event in 2022, Laporte admits he does feel for this year’s 13-and-under team that was supposed to get an automatic berth.

“The team that was going to host this year, they had their trials back in September and worked out all through the winter,” Laporte said. “Their whole season was based on the national tournament.”

Instead, this year’s 11-and-under team will be the host team for the event. That current group of players is scheduled to host the Ontario Baseball Association 11-and-under AAA championship over the Labour Day weekend. As of now, that event remains scheduled, although baseball in the province is still on hold until at least May 31.

“On one hand, it’s very disappointing for the current 13-and-under team, but I’m happy for the 11-and-under team,” Laporte said. “They (this year’s 13-and-under team) will have an opportunity in two years to play in the national tournament in the bantam division, and we’ll just set it up again.”

We had already done a lot of the ground work. We had the hotels lined up ... and a banquet to start it off. The opening ceremonies were ready to go.