Frontier League not taking too big a lead on season
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Wild Things general manager Tony Buccilli sits in the stands in 2019. Buccilli is among the many who eagerly awaited Monday's news that the governor was easing COVID-19 restrictions, enabling fans to return to the ballpark this summer.
For the Frontier League, it’s still business as usual – for now.
That is likely to change in the coming days as the independent baseball league, which includes the Washington Wild Things among its members, prepares for the 2020 season while keeping tabs on the coronavirus pandemic.
While winter- and spring-based sports leagues, from the youth level to the professional ranks, have either suspended or canceled seasons because of the spreading health problem, the Frontier League had time on its side. The league has been in a holding pattern as teams work toward the May 14 opening day.
Time, however, is rapidly trickling away. It’s now the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs.
“Hopefully, we’ll have an announcement in a day or two,” commissioner Bill Lee said Tuesday.
The league has an open tryout and draft scheduled for April 27 and 28 in Avon, Ohio, but national social-distancing guidelines were extended last weekend to April 30.
The league’s board of directors has been holding conference calls weekly to update Lee and deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler about the situations in each team’s market and to discuss the problems the pandemic has created for baseball.
“The league office is getting weekly updates. I’m sure the things that are developing are the same things MLB and the NHL are dealing with,” said Tony Buccilli, the Wild Things’ general manager. “How it’s unfolding in Pennsylvania is different than in other places. Each state has its own unique situation. New York is different than New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is another situation.”
The league issued a press release March 12 that stated it was monitoring the health crisis and that updates about the upcoming season would be made at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, teams have continued signing players and building rosters in hope that a season will be played.
“Fortunately, for us, we have only six or seven roster spots to fill for spring training,” Buccilli said.
He added that the biggest concern he’s heard from players is not about the coronavirus, but rather about the inability to use training facilities during the shutdown of schools and gyms.
“If and when we get started, one thing that will have to be evaluated is players are going to need X-amount of time to get ready if we’re going to pull this thing off,” Buccilli said.
Another stumbling block for baseball, Buccilli said, is that “U.S. Immigration has been shut down, so the process of getting work visas has stopped.” He said Washington has two players signed who still need a visa: corner infielder Randy Cesar, who is from the Dominican Republic, and outfielder Steve Brown, who is a native of Colombia and currently lives in Canada.
This was to be a season of change for the Frontier League. Gone is the defending league champion River City Rascals but five former Can-Am League clubs, including two located in Canada, have been added to make it a 14-team league.
The Wild Things are scheduled to open the season May 15 at the New York Boulders, one of the former Can-Am teams. The home opener is May 19 against Quebec.
Washington is scheduled to host the league all-star game July 15.
“At this time of year, in a typical day, I’m checking emails, checking into players, making calls, getting our social media out there, we would have to get tickets lined up to go on sale, the all-star game stuff would be in play. We would be in full promotion mode,” Buccilli explained.
Instead of doing those baseball-related things, Buccilli spent one morning last weekend delivering doughnuts.
“I took the Wild Things vehicle out and bought doughnuts for the local police and fire departments,” he said. “It was Washington, South Strabane and Chartiers Township. … We stress how important community is. It’s just a way of letting them know how important they are to us.”
Until word on the 2020 Frontier League is announced, Buccilli will continue on during this unique time.
“Just when you think you have this job figured out, they throw some new wrinkles at you,” he said.