2021 LMBA RETURN TO PLAY

TENTATIVE OPENING WEEKEND - JUNE 25-26-27

LMBA Return to Play 2021

 The lifting of several provincial health restrictions has resulted in adult sports returning to play.  The LMBA hopes to start an organized return to play with scheduled games starting on the weekend of June 25-26-27.

Teams intending to play will need to meet the following conditions and deadlines.

1. Inform the LMBA of your intentions by Monday, June 7^th
2. Register 12 (minimum) players by Monday, June 14^th – It is recommended that you try to register 15 players as summer holidays will be much busier than last year.

If your team is short players and possibly willing to join with another team in the same situation it is important to let us know.

3. League Fees are set at $1250 – payment is due by Saturday, June 18^th – late payments not accepted.  League fees will cover baseballs (2 1/2 dozen), insurance, umpire costs, and league administration costs.
4. Contact your local minor baseball association or parks department to secure playing allotments.  You need to forward the DAY and TIME to LMBA Scheduler by Monday, June 14^th.

Dan Taylor – (604) 512-7911 : 1994lmba@gmail.com

5. The weekends of June 4-5-6 and June 11-12-13 should be used for practice sessions – teams will need to develop covid plans for playing the game.  Please refer to the one page summary in the NEWS banner above.  More detailed resources are available in our Return to Play document.
6. Weekend of June 18-19-20 – if teams have practiced a possible exhibition game can be mutually arranged with a team from your municipality or possibly a neighbouring municipality.  Umpire(s) must be paid at the park – umpires will be paid LMBA rate – contact LMBA Scheduler.
7. ZOOM meeting for teams – Monday, June 21 at 8:00pm – participation mandatory.
8. First weekend of play (Organized Schedule) – Weekend of June 25-26-27.  A league schedule of 9 or 10 weeks will be organized up to the Labour Day Weekend.  No games on Canada Day Weekend (July 1-2-3).  August Holiday Weekend (TBD). 
9. The objective for 2021 is to make a successful return to the diamond and organize an equal number of games for each team.  Playoffs are TBD – the season may extend into September and a decision about the format will be made but not until all teams have played between 8 and 10 games.
10. Umpires may be in short supply.  There should be no ejections – some games may go with only one umpire.  We hope to supply two umpires but they are going through a strict RTP process.  We expect our teams to adjust accordingly.

Contacts: Parks, Playing Dates and Times, Scheduling

                  Dan Taylor – (604) 512-7911 : 1994lmba@shaw.ca

                  Registration – Dan Sitar – dsitar@gmail.com

                  Baseballs – Ward Gogol – wtg58ward@hotmail.com

                  Finances – Tim Everson – tim@ballparksports.ca

KEEP IT UP!

APRIL 17-18-19 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 696 FRASER HEALTH + 1845

APRIL 24-25-26 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 466 FRASER HEALTH + 1632

MAY 1-2-3 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 438 FRASER HEALTH + 1509

MAY 8-9-10 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 325 FRASER HEALTH + 1201

MAY 15-16-17 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 291 FRASER HEALTH + 861

MAY 22-23-24 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 157 FRASER HEALTH + 630

MAY 29-30-31 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 140 FRASER HEALTH + 394

JUNE 4-5-6 : VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH + 70 FRASER HEALTH +285

TO USE A BASEBALL ANALOGY THE "CURVE" IS BENDING!

STAY SAFE!

UPDATED BC HEALTH ANNOUNCEMENT - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15TH 

STAY TUNED!

UPDATE - MAY 9TH

NO UPDATE FOR LMBA TEAMS CURRENTLY PRACTICING OR THOSE PLANNING TO RETURN TO THE DIAMOND.  ALL RESTRICTIONS IN THE APRIL 19TH UPDATE ARE STILL IN EFFECT.  PRACTICE LIMITS ARE 10 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.  IN ADDITION, BC HEALTH AUTHORITY RECOMMENDS THAT TRAVEL (EVEN WITHIN THE HEALTH AUTHORITY) BE LIMITED TO ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY.

OUR LMBA TICKER IS LISTING THREE DAY CASE LOADS (FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY) SO THAT TRENDS WITHIN OUR TWO HEALTH AUTHORITIES (VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH AND FRASER HEALTH) CAN BE TRACKED BY OUR MEMBERS - NEXT UPDATE MONDAY, MAY 10TH.  MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE COMING ON MAY 25TH - IN THE MEANTIME, LMBA EXECUTIVE ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO STAY SAFE (AND PATIENT).

April 19th Updates

Ban on social gatherings, events, indoor dining, and group fitness for adults in effect until May 25th. 

Non-essential travel ban to be in effect starting Friday, April 23 - residents advised to remain within their health authority. 

LMBA Return to Play Update - April 14, 2020

With the arrival of good weather, we are anticipating that LMBA teams may plan to take their first steps on the diamond.  Please note the following requests.

1. Teams should let the LMBA know the first date they plan to practice as a team
2. We are expecting TEAMS to return – we are not permitting groups of players from different teams to assemble at one park.  Once we have determined the number of teams prepared to progress through the Return to Play process, we will make a decision regarding players from non-returning teams who wish to join teams involved in the RTP process. 
3. If your team is not planning to return as a TEAM, please let us know by April 21. 
4. Players may only participate on ONE team at ONE time.

4. All players should register through the LMBA’s website. 

5. All teams should have a Covid contact who is responsible for assembling a binder with the following documents:
   • Baseball BC 2021 Return to Play Document
   • LMBA 2021 Return to Play Document
   • LMBA 2021 Contact List
   •  
6. Team Covid contact and team manager are responsible for developing a process for conducting practices following Covid guidelines AND for keeping a record of attendance.

7. At the present time only team practices involving a maximum of 10 participants are allowed.  We expect a progression to full team practices followed by “in club” games, followed by cohort games.

8. No determination has been made regarding league fees.  We are charging teams involved in the RTP process a fee of $100.  LMBA needs to pay for insurance plus there are a couple of administrative costs to cover on an annual basis. Teams should contact LMBA Treasurer Tim Everson for payment.

Tim@ballparksports.ca

9. Questions regarding Return to Play should be directed to:
   • Dan Taylor, LMBA Commissioner – 1994lmba@gmail.com – (604) 512-7911
   • Ward Gogol, LMBA Deputy Commissioner – wtg58ward@hotmail.com (778) – 384-1485

LMBA EXECUTIVE ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS ON AND OFF THE DIAMOND

***FOR BC COVID CASE NUMBERS AND UPDATES CHECK THE LMBA'S TICKER BOX***

COVID BASEBALL BASICS

FOR A ONE PAGE SUMMARY OF COVID BASEBALL PROCEDURES HIT THE NEWS STORY BANNER "COVID BASEBALL BASICS". IF EVERYONE READS THIS ARTICLE ONCE WE WILL ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE.

COVID BASEBALL PHOTOS (2020)

USE THE MENU AND HIT "PHOTOS" - TWO ALBUMS WILL COME UP

BASEBALL IN THE AGE OF CORONA - THANKS TO HOWARD SANDREL (WR EAGLES 45+)

PIRATES COVID BASEBALL - THANKS TO KEVIN GORDON (BURNABY/VANCOUVER PIRATES)

Return to Play Update

March 25, 2021

viaSport and Baseball BC have issued updates recently concerning the numbers allowed for adult sports in British Columbia.  Currently 10 participants are allowed at activities designated as “skills development”.  While vaccines are making their presence felt, Covid cases, particularly in Coastal and Fraser Health regions are increasing and more cases are turning up in adults aged 30 to 49.  All of our LMBA teams are located in the two health regions.

The LMBA Executive is anticipating that baseball will be played at some point in 2021.  It is likely that teams will begin with practices (skill development) in small groups.  As the health and sports bodies in BC issue updates, event numbers will increase to full team practices. 

A return to practices will involve a number of steps.  Baseball BC and Lower Mainland municipalities will be expecting all teams and individuals to follow proscribed Covid guidelines.  Baseball BC has issued two waivers which must be signed (acknowledged) before ANY individual participates in ANY baseball activity in 2021.  Failure to complete these two waivers results in insurance being voided.  All LMBA players need to register online and acknowledge these two waivers before any LMBA team takes the field or organizes indoor practices. 

Teams planning to take the field for practices need to make sure they have an allotment to use the field – this means teams must contact either their local parks department if they receive allotments directly OR they must contact minor baseball groups if allocations are granted through those groups.  Taking the field without receiving permission is not allowed – jumping the fence because the park is empty is not allowed.

The LMBA has developed a 2021 Return to Play Plan and this will be forwarded to all team managers and Covid contacts.  It will be accompanied by Baseball BC’s Return to Play Plan.  Both documents contain detailed procedures to be followed during each phase of the provincial RTP process.  Team Covid contacts will be responsible for informing players about Covid requirements – they will also be responsible for determining the format of all practices.

A note of caution to everyone – everyone in British Columbia has done a great job during the Covid pandemic.  By joining your team, you are increasing your contacts (bubble).  The LMBA Executive expects that all players and all teams will proceed with caution and all guidelines will be followed. 

2021 LMBA Season

“BASEBALL WILL BE BAAAAACK”

(A. Schwartzeneger – left fielder Terminators)

As we begin to organize for a return to baseball in 2021 we trust everyone continues to be safe – BC has done a terrific job and the course needs to be maintained for a bit longer.  For 26 years, the LMBA has been a resilient group and we will need to be flexible moving forward.

Baseball BC Update

During the 2021 season Baseball BC will be issuing a number of Covid updates as groups transition through the return process.

February 5^th, 2021

As announced today, the Provincial Health Officer has extended the current order restricting gatherings and events until further notice. 

Baseball BC would like to take this opportunity to remind all member organizations that baseball is currently in Phase 2 of the Return to Play (RTP) Guidelines as outlined in both the viaSport and Baseball BC Guidelines.

The following activities are currently permitted;

• Team training / development (practice)

The following activities are not permitted;

• Games / Tournaments
• Programming for athletes over the age of 22 – No ADULT baseball activities permitted.

Baseball specific guidelines in place at this time;

• Participants must maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another.
• Activities should be low risk of transmitting the virus (e.g. individual activities, group training that maintains physical distance).
• Spectators are not permitted at any baseball activities. (Defined as games, competitions, tournaments, training, or practice).
• Masks are required in all indoor public settings. (As defined by the current public order)
• Strength training and dryland training are not permitted, unless there is a COVID 19 Safety Plan is in place for this type of activity that is strictly followed (see Regional Health Authority for your local requirements).
• Verbal symptom screening and attendance tracking must be performed daily.
• Stay home if you’re sick.    

All member groups and local associations are encouraged to review the PHO orders and review and revise respective COVID-19 Safety Plans and Policies and adapt where necessary.

Finally, we would like to remind all member organizations and their clubs that local municipalities may have additional requirements for access and that they are encouraged to check with their facility partners for direction.

Please note Baseball BC will continue to monitor provincial health orders and direction from viaSport as they are made available and base all future programming adjustment decisions as required.

Details on Baseball BC’s RTP Guidelines can be found on our webpage at:

https://baseball.bc.ca/return-to-play

Please direct any questions you have on this topic to Baseball BC Executive Director David Laing at 604-586-3312.

December 4, 2020

Attention: Baseball BC Membership (and affiliated clubs)

From: BC Amateur Baseball Association

Re: COVID – 19 UPDATE – Return to Phase 2.

Please note effective immediately, Baseball BC is requiring all member organizations and their clubs to move to Phase 2 of it’s Return to Play Guidelines (as of July 10, 2020).  This Phase change is required by new Provincial Health Officer Orders put into effect on December 2, 2020.

This return to Phase 2 – July 10 is in effect province wide for all baseball organizations and includes the following additions or changes;

All baseball programming for athletes aged 19 years and older is suspended at this time.

Baseball programming for athletes aged 18 and younger can continue but:

• Participants must maintain a physical distance of three metres from one another (This is an increase to the previously required 2 metres).
• Activities should be low risk of transmitting the virus (e.g. individual activities, group training that maintains physical distance).
• Games, tournaments and competitions for teams are not allowed at this time.

Reminder of additional restrictions / requirements and measures required at this time are as follows:

• Spectators are not permitted at any sport activities. (This means no spectators at any games, competitions, training, or practice).
• Masks are required in all indoor public settings.
• Strength training and dryland training are not permitted, unless there is a COVID 19 Safety Plan is in place for this type of activity that is strictly followed (see Regional Health Authority for your local requirements).

And as always;

• Verbal symptom screening and attendance tracking must be performed daily.
• Stay home if you’re sick.
• All government expectations and requirements to be met, including viaSport Phase 3 Guidelines and the current PHO Orders.                       

All member groups and local associations are also required to review the new PHO orders and review and revise respective COVID-19 Safety Plans and Policies and adapt where necessary.

Finally, we would like to remind all member organizations and their clubs that local municipalities may have additional requirements for access and that they are encouraged to check with their facility partners for direction.

Please note Baseball BC will continue to monitor provincial health orders and direction from viaSport as they are made available and base all future programming adjustment decisions as required.

Details on Baseball BC’s RTP Guidelines can be found on our webpage at:

https://baseball.bc.ca/return-to-play

LOWER MAINLAND BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1st – 3:00PM

The 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Lower Mainland Baseball Association will be convened on Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 3:00PM.  Due to the Covid-19 conditions at the present time, the meeting format will be VIRTUAL.

Members of the LMBA Executive will be setting up a virtual meeting using a ZOOM format and it will be able to include a representative from each of our 38 teams and Executive members.