Game Results
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By Terry Toohey This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. @TerryToohey on Twitter

From the Daily Times published 7/1/2020

 

EASTTOWN TWP. — For a short while Tuesday evening, it looked as if the Delco League was going to have to wait at least one more day to commence its coronavirus-shortened season.

Dark, ominous clouds hung overhead and a light rain fell on the finely manicured field at Devon Prep. The odds of a rainout seemed high as players and fans began to arrive.

“I was a little worried,” Wayne general manager Chuck Freeman said as he looked toward the sky.

 

Mother Nature, though, wasn’t about to be that cruel and spoil the much-anticipated return to live local sports after more than three months of inactivity due to the pandemic.

Eventually, the rain stopped and the skies cleared and the tarps were removed from the field so that Wayne and Concord could get the season under way, much to the delight of the nearly 40 players and more than 80 fans in attendance to see the teams battle to a 2-2 draw.

The outcome didn’t matter. The fact that there was an actual event to watch in person was the most important factor on this evening.

“I’ve been jonesing for some baseball,” said fan Ted Seiler Sr.

That was pretty much the sentiment everywhere, especially among the players. They’ve been waiting for this day since the pandemic shut down all sports in mid-March.

“It was just good to get out on the field,” said Concord first baseman Chris Salvey. “I just missed being out here, the atmosphere, everything. Nothing compares to being on the baseball field.”

It didn’t take the Cardinal O’Hara grad and five-year league veteran long to give the fans and his teammates a thrill, even though he hasn’t faced live pitching in quite some time. Sure, he hit off a tee and went to a batting cage when he could as he and every player in the league waited for the green light to play, but it’s nothing like stepping into the batter's box for the first time with a runner on base.

 

And Salvey made the most of the opportunity. He belted a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, a no-doubt-about-it blast that landed roughly 35 feet beyond the right-field fence, which is estimated at 285 or 290 feet, giving the Canes an early lead.

“I was saying before the game that it’s been a while since I hit one,” said Salvey, who played collegiately at Cumberland County and Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. “It felt good off the bat and the fence isn’t that far.”

Eventually, the game settled into a pitcher’s duel, as expected. The teams combined to use 11 pitchers, seven by the Canes. Only four other balls fell safely for hits after Salvey’s bomb. There were two errors, 12 combined walks and two hit batters, which was not completely unexpected for the first time out.

Concord didn’t score again after Salvey’s blast and Wayne needed an RBI single from Ed Paparella in the bottom of the seventh inning to draw even and earn a point.

“It felt a little surreal to be back out there,” Wayne second baseman Dan Williams said. “The tough part for me was getting my timing at the plate and getting a couple of ground balls, getting that out of the way.”

There were a few other hiccups.Several of the newcomers for Concord had jerseys with no numbers and the color of the newer caps was different than last year’s model. The jerseys were leftovers from last year, according to Concord general manager Joe Convery, who said he didn’t have time to get numbers put on them. He also had to scramble to get the caps. But as he looked out on the field, Convery liked what he saw.

“We’ve got some pitchers,” Convery said. “I’m ecstatic about this team. Last year, we ran out of pitchers. I look out there tonight and we have four lefties. I’m just glad we’re back playing baseball.”

That sentiment was echoed several times throughout the contest.

“I can’t wait to step in the batter’s box and see live pitching,” said Marple Newtown first baseman-outfielder Tom Carey Jr., who stopped by to watch the game. “This was going to be my first season as the head (baseball) coach at Upper Darby and I just felt so awful for those players who had their season ripped away from them, especially the seniors. It’s heartbreaking. As a player, all you want to do is play and I’m excited for myself to be able to get back on the field and play.”

League News
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By Terry Toohey This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. @TerryToohey on Twitter

From the Daily Times posted Jun 28, 2020

 When the coronavirus pandemic hit and shut down sports at every level from youth leagues to the pros, Concord Canes manager Frank Saviski did not have a good feeling there would be a Delco League season this summer.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Saviski said.

Thankfully, Saviski was wrong.

Nearly two months later than scheduled, the Delco League will kick off its 113th season Tuesday with the traditional meeting of the two teams that played in the final the year before. Concord and defending champion Wayne open the season Tuesday at Devon Prep. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wayne needed five games to hold off the Canes and win their record 16th league title last season.

“I’m excited that we get to play,” Saviski said.

League president Nick Ducomb hopes to have a live audio stream of the game on the league’s website, Delcoleague.com. The Concord-Wayne game will be the first of six scheduled for this week. There are three games scheduled for Wednesday and two for Thursday before the league shuts down for the July 4 weekend. Concord, Wayne, Narberth and Upper Darby will play two games in the first three days. Aston Valley, Chester, Marple Newtown and Springfield will play one game each. The league is still finalizing some field availabilities but Ducomb hopes to have the rest of the schedule out by mid-week.

“We’re certainly in uncharted territory here,” Ducomb said. “There are still some things we have to work out. No one can predict what’s going to happen, but we’re certainly going to give it a go. We’re going to start on Tuesday and do the best we can to be flexible to changes that are needed for the safety of everyone involved and getting the games in.”

The regular-season schedule has been reduced from 32 games per team to 16. Those 16 games will be played over a 33- or 34-day span for time reasons. One big change for this season is that all eight teams will make the playoffs instead of the usual six. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be a best-of-3 series, while the finals will remain a best-of-5 set. The 25 percent rule for playoff eligibility remains intact, which means a player must make an appearance in at least four games to be playoff eligible.

Ducomb expects the regular-season to end Aug. 2 or 3 with the playoffs to conclude in the third week of August. Last year, Game 5 of the championship series was on Aug. 12.

“I figure we’re going to be 10 days to two week behind normal,” Ducomb said.

 

There also is one less team in the league this season. The Middletown Lions chose not to play for safety reasons.

“It was not an easy decision,” Middletown general manager Bill DeFeo said. “We didn’t want anything to happen to the players that would affect their future. We’re going to miss it, but safety has to come first. We’ll still follow the league and hopefully the Lions will be back next season.”

Safety is a major concern for the league, Ducomb said, and the league will be following CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines for restarting team sports in the green zone.

Every player and umpire will have their temperature taken before each game with temporal thermometers provided by the league. Temporal thermometers use an infrared scanner to record a person’s temperature. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or above will not be allowed to participate and must return home. Anyone with a temperature of 100.3 or below is good to go.

Also, players are asked to practice social distancing while on the bench or in the dugout, not share equipment and should refrain from high fives and fist bumps. Wearing a mask is not required but players are encouraged to do so when not on the field. Fans should also follow all CDC and DOH guidelines and practice social distancing at games.

Ducomb said he is finalizing other safety protocols and is keeping his options open amid a fluid situation.

“We’re open to change,” Ducomb said. “Look at the PGA Tour. They’re out there changing their model on an almost daily, let alone weekly basis to accommodate some of the things that are popping up. We will remain flexible and if certain things need to be changed we’re certainly going to make those changes.

"I’m not naïve. I know we’re going to encounter obstacles and have to make change. It’s going to happen, but we’re trying to get ourselves up here and play some baseball.”

That’s all anyone wants.

“At least we’ll get some baseball in and hopefully a full season as long as nothing crazy happens,” Wayne manager Brian Fili said. “The biggest thing is have a season. It’s the oldest (semi-pro) league in the country; play what we can, crown a champion in August, move on and hopefully we can go back to normal next year.”

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