“Sadly, we were unable to get the chance”.

… Mayor Hamilton joined elected officials from Monroe County and Ellettsville to affirm their continued coordination in maintaining current public health guidelines through May 15.

So with said order comes the harsh reality that we unfortunately won’t be able to provide you and our community baseball this Spring / Summer.  While we truly understood that we might of had lofty goals, it doesn’t make it any easier to accept this final outcome.

While I am certain that this news is disappointing to many, I am hopeful that we can come back strong in late summer / fall to provide you a unique baseball experience that will hopefully fulfill this lost time.

For those that might be interested in how we got to said final decision, here are just a few key points…

• The City (Parks and Recreation) has tentatively decided that the earliest possible start day for play at all outdoors sports facilities is July 4^th.  Disappointingly bucketing our program in the same matter that say a sports complex like Twin Lakes is.

• The City (Parks and Recreation) decided to convert one of our two fields (Field 5 – Blue Field) into a multi-function field (removed pitcher’s mound etc.) and rented it out full time to an adult soccer league leaving us less time slots for events.

• We now share our one field with USSSA travel program (and South High School) which again limits our time slots available for events.

• We would lose one week in July to an ASA (Softball) Tournament.

• Unlike our sister youth organization (BJLBA) you might be accustomed to, we face the challenge in timing as it pertains to high school sports (like football etc.) so our program and associated schedule have to be generally high school sports friendly. (so we can’t “easily” go into late July or August for example)

• And lastly, we told ourselves that we wouldn’t take your hard earned money unless we could provide you a quality program that would consist of at least 10 games, a tournament and associated practices.

So as you can might imagine on a “good year” we have our fair share of challenges to overcome and unfortunately the unique challenges in 2020 were just too much.  So on behalf of the officers, we want to thank everyone that reached out, registered and generally provided support while we charted our possible return.  So what are our next steps?

• We will release everyone from the wait-list to officially signify our cancellation and your removal from our registration system.

• For those early registrations that have previously paid, we will begin processing refunds this week.

• With the assumption that the City will be open at some point, the officers will take this time to discuss the opportunity to provide a unique program between the months of August – October. More details to come.

So at this time, I will officially put a close to our Season Status responses with the hope that these touch bases have been helpful and have given you a better appreciate of our league and at least given you an insight to are many moving parts.  Thank you again for all the positive input and thoughts and I truly hope to see you all sometime in the near future.  Until then take care of yourself, your family and our community.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

** PLEASE SHARE **

“We will figure it out”.

I think I can speak on behalf of all officers that are feeling like this isn’t just a moment of time, or movement, but truly our mission. With that, I hope that you understand and appreciate our commitment to bringing your child(ren) and our community youth baseball and will continue to do everything in our power to do so.

With that in mind here are some things we are thinking about:

• Our next steps will likely hinge on what comes out of the Governor’s plan that is expected to speak to how the state will gradually bring on services and events within Indiana. With this message slated for this Friday, May 1st

• As previously discussed we were targeting for a return on May 4th with the understanding this was indeed a lofty goal. While we will obviously miss this date, it won’t deter us from continuing to set goals and expectations.

• Our new dates are now focused on the weeks of May 11th, May 18th and May 26th with the understanding that is we can get started in May we will continue to stay the course of providing a quality baseball experience this spring / summer

• If we are unable to resume by June 1st (give or take), the Officers are also in agreement that we would look to cancel the Spring / Summer season in its entirety and look towards providing a unique late summer / fall-ball program

• We are continuing to look at possible changes to our league by-laws, rules and/or general baseball etiquette that would help with the transition to our possible new norm (ex. End of game sportsmanship / not shaking hands)

• Our overall goal is to provide each team a regular 10-12 game schedule (plus practice days and tournament game play) finishing the season by mid-to-late July

• Registration is still open and requires no money down at this time (all new registrations added to a wait-list)

• We are now currently limited to around 6 SLOTS LEFT in our MINOR DIVISION before we hit our max (and move to a wait-list / non-guarantee) so if you want a chance to participate REGISTER NOW

• For those players currently on the wait list we will release you once we get official word from the city that we can resume operations (once released we will require quick turn-around from you)

• For those currently unpaid, we will move to a PLAY NOW – PAY LATER model that will generally consist of deferred payment up to a set time (more details to follow, but it is our hope to accommodate those most affected by today’s landscape)

• We are still taking registrations for our MAJOR DIVISION (16-18 yo) with events and associated registration timelines currently under review with the likelihood of being modified accordingly – REGISTER NOW

In closing, I hope this message finds you healthy and positive minded and would like to truly thank all those that have previously acted on our call to register. While I can truly respect that all this can be overwhelming (changing messages, dates etc.) we will continue to make it a point to over communicate with you in hopes of helping everyone plan and schedule accordingly. With that, if there is anything we can do to help or you need additional information, please feel free to reach out to us. Thanks.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

** PLEASE SHARE **

Register at https://sports.bluesombrero.com/mcslba

Minor Division (12-15 yo) parents and players, as promised the league officers met this weekend (virtually) and discussed our challenges and opportunities in regards to providing you and our community a fulfilling 2020 Spring/Summer baseball season.

With that in mind here are a few key points we landed on:

• As previously discussed and based on the current May 1st stay-at-home mandate, we are currently working on a modified calendar of events that has us tentatively starting our player evaluations the week of May 4th with the understanding that we will continue to evaluate this and all dates as we move closer to “normal” activities

• With the realization that we might not be able to safely resume by May 4th as mentioned above, the Officers are in agreement that as long as we can get started by June 1st (give or take a few days) we will continue to stay the course of providing a quality baseball experience

• If we are unable to resume by June 1st (give or take), the Officers are also in agreement that we would look to cancel the Spring / Summer season in its entirety and look towards providing a unique fall-ball program

• We are continuing to look at possible changes to our league by-laws, rules and/or general baseball etiquette that would help with the transition to our possible new norm (ex. End of game sportsmanship / not shaking hands)

• Our overall goal is to provide each team a regular 10-12 game schedule (plus practice days and tournament game play) finishing the season by mid-to-late July

• Registration is still open and requires no money down at this time (all new registrations added to a wait-list)

• We are currently limited to around 10 slots left in our MINOR DIVISION before we hit our max (and move to a wait-list / non-guarantee) so if you want a chance to participate REGISTER NOW

• For those players currently on the wait list we will release you once we get official word from the city that we can resume operations (once released we will require quick turn-around from you)

• For those currently unpaid, we will move to a PLAY NOW – PAY LATER model that will generally consist of deferred payment up to a set time (more details to follow, but it is our hope to accommodate those most affected by today’s landscape)

• We are still taking registrations for our MAJOR DIVISION (16-18 yo) with events and associated registration timelines currently on as scheduled – REGISTER NOW

With that said, the officers are excited and positive minded in our mission to provide you and the community a healthy distraction from today’s challenges. I do hope this message finds you also positive and optimistic and if there is anything we can do or if you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support and hope to see you at the ball park soon.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

** PLEASE SHARE **
Register at https://sports.bluesombrero.com/mcslba

Parents and players, I hope this note finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. As we continue to monitor the situation and as information continues to become available, I want you to know that the officers are working hard to provide you with timely guidance, support and to genuinely share with you exactly what we are thinking (right, wrong or indifferent).

Those thoughts currently are:

• We continue to follow the city’s lead and associated recommendations (shelter in place)

• We our continuing with our suspension of in-person activities – At this time, this mainly affects our travel ball program (Mayhem) which normally would be practicing and preparing for the upcoming tournament trail

• We are currently working on a “modified” calendar of events that has us tentatively starting our player evaluations the week of May 4th with the understanding that we will continue to evaluate this and all dates as we move closer to “normal” activities

• We are looking at possible changes to our league by-laws, rules and/or general baseball etiquette that would help with the transition to our possible new norm (ex. End of game sportsmanship / not shaking hands)

• Registration is open and requires no money down at this time (all new registrations added to a wait-list)

• Discounted Early Bird pricing has now ended with general registration closing soon

• The officers will be meeting (virtual) this Sunday, April 19th to discuss many of the items mentioned and therefore I will likely follow up with additional thoughts next week

As I have stated before we are hopeful to provide baseball for you, your children and the community as a whole but we all understand that we provide just that, baseball. While I believe baseball would be good for the soul right about now, please know no matter our desires (some would same dreams) right now we will not at any time jeopardize the health and well-being of our players or the community as a whole so if we must continue to postpone our program or cancel it in its entirety we without hesitation will do so. BUT for now, we will stay positive and optimistic.

Lastly, as stated above our early-bird registration has ended and general registration is now open. Our last call out was greatly received and acted on with near capacity received already. This is great news as a whole, but could leave you or your child on the outside looking in. With that said, we always try to accept as many registrations as we can, but understand that this year will likely required us to cut off player registration soon. So to give your player their best chance of participation this year, REGISTER NOW!

Again, I do hope that this information sharing is of benefit to you and WELCOME any and all feedback on anything I have spoken to today or before (good, bad or ugly).
Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation and be safe.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

** PLEASE SHARE **

Register at https://sports.bluesombrero.com/mcslba

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the beautiful and positive turn in our weather.  I don’t know about you, but this weather makes me excited for the multitude of outside activities and with bias, spring season baseball.  With that said, I wanted to again follow up with everyone on what we are currently thinking about in regards to the upcoming season(s).

• We continue to follow the city’s lead and associated recommendations (shelter in place)
• We our continuing with our suspension of in-person activities – At this time, this mainly affects our travel ball program (Mayhem) which normally would be practicing and preparing for the upcoming tournament trail
• Our first scheduling challenge will likely be our Minor Division / Swing Player Evaluations that are scheduled to take place the week of April 27 – We are currently taking a wait and see approach, but suspect that we will need to push this event back at least 1-2 weeks (maybe longer)
• Likely we will need to modify our overall schedule (practices and games), but will do everything in our power to provide an adequate and enjoyable season
• Based on the possibility of an abbreviated season, we will look at any and all options that could include playing more days a week than our normally allotted 2-days a week
• At this time, we are not expecting to hold weekend activities (excluding our Jamboree)
• We are looking at possible changes to our league by-laws, rules and/or general baseball etiquette that would help with the transition to our possible new norm
• Registration is open and requires no money down at this time (all new registrations added to a wait-list)
• Discounted Early Bird pricing ends this Sunday, April 12^th.

I do hope that this information sharing is of benefit to you and if there is anything we can do as a league or if you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to reach out to any of the officers of myself directly using the email address below.

To conclude, I can’t stress enough that it all starts with registrations and that you must register to guarantee a spot in our program while remembering at this time that your registration requires no money down.  Once we have enough registrations and when the all clear has been given we will release registrations to an active status where you will then go back into our portal and pay.  SO PLEASE REGISTER NOW.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation and be safe.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

** PLEASE SHARE **

As we all continue to adapt to these unusual circumstances, I wanted to share with you what we are currently thinking about as we wait out this unfamiliar and turbulent time.

As previously mentioned we continue to follow the lead of the City of Bloomington which is generally adhering to the requirements and recommendations of the State and Federal mandates and guidelines.

With that we are still hopeful that we can bring you and our community (and surrounding) youth baseball.  As most of you already know, our season starts “later” than what some of you are accustomed too especially those that are coming across the parking lot from our sister organization, BJLBA.  While I would like to say that this was foresight on our part this year, it is actually our norm since inception for a couple reasons.  First, it allows our High School players to finish up their season and not miss much of MCSLBA Spring Season activities (which sadly could be a moot point this year).  Secondly, most of you know that Indiana springs are not usually kind on the weather front so we like to hope that Mother Nature gets most of its pinned up rainfall out of its system before we actually start.

So what this all means is that we still have time to weather the storm.  So as previously mentioned the officers got together this week to discuss the situation and formulate a game plan.  Generally, these are the key points that we landed on…

• We will continue to shutter all activities (including Travel Ball) until further notice.
• We will continue to follow the City recommendations and mandates.
• We will keep our calendar of events as-is at this time, but will evaluate things again in a couple weeks if not before (expected around the week on April 13^th).
• We have decided to extend the minor division “early-bird” pricing until April 12^th.
• We will continue to “wait-list” all new registrations, honoring pricing based on when you register (no payment at this time).
• We WILL look to accommodate players and families which could mean modifying normal spring season protocol and rules.

With that, I do want to touch on the last bullet point because I think it generally speaks to our overall mission.  What this is in reference too is that our league has always tried to bring baseball to the kids in our community in a matter that provides full inclusion.  This year will be no different.  So with no current specifics in mind at this time, what we are asking is that if you (and you are between the ages of 12-18) want to play baseball, REGISTER NOW.  From there and based on registrations we will come together to formulate a season(s).  This could include multiple divisions (for example our normal 12-15 and 16-18), double headers or a hybrid.  We know there are kids being displaced whether be it through the possible cancellation or severe condensing of their high school season or as a displaced travel ball player we want to provide everyone an opportunity to play this year.  So my shorter point is, REGISTER NOW and WE WILL FIGURE IT OUT.

While I hope this message sheds a little more light on what we are currently thinking, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or comments.  Thank you and stay safe.

Kyle McAninch

President MCSLBA
president@mcslba.org

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) weaves itself into every fiber of our life and the communities that we serve we too understand that our little corner of the world is likely to be impacted to.

While we all surly hope that this disruption is temporary we must acknowledge that it is always everyone’s responsibility to protect our players, officers and our communities. With that and in partnership with the City of Bloomington (namely the Parks and Recreation Department) please know that the league is in communication with city representatives and have chosen to follow their lead and guidelines.

What we know today is that the city of Bloomington has postponed all events at the Winslow Sports Complex (and other parks) until April 6th. As of now this timeline doesn’t affect the Spring season (and travel ball), but we all must understand that the story is forever fluid and likely moving forward this postponement will be modified based on newly released state and federal guidelines.

Lastly, the officers are scheduled to meet this Tuesday, March 24th to discuss our options in the event that the season will not go off as originally planned. While it is to early to determine next steps, all options are currently on the table. This could include a modified schedule or complete cancellation. Once we have more clarity, we will share it.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation and trust that we will do everything in our power to provide baseball for our kids and the community. Stay well.

Kyle McAninch
President MCSLBA