We’ll be seeing less Baseball this Spring and Summer, but will we be seeing some?:Let’s see???(Greensboro Red Wings make a Statement)

**********New Statement coming in from the Greensboro Red Wings**********
GREENSBORO, NC — On Monday, North Carolina’s American Legion Department Executive Committee announced that American Legion Baseball will not take place in North Carolina this summer. However, many of the teams who traditionally compete in American Legion in Area III are not letting that decision halt their hope for a similar brand of baseball to be played this year.

On Tuesday, nine teams met via video conference to discuss forming a new baseball league to fill the void left behind by American Legion. These teams were not necessarily disappointed by the state’s decision to cancel its season as much as they were disappointed in the timing of it. The new NC3 American Baseball League will allow these teams to adjust their schedule as North Carolina potentially begins to lessen restrictions.

On a Facebook Live video, High Point-Thomasville HiToms president Greg Suire, who organized the virtual meeting, announced that the league is aiming to begin its season on June 1st with a decision to be made on May 15th. If the league determines it is not yet safe to begin play or North Carolina’s government does not lessen restrictions, they will aim to begin its season on June 15th with a decision coming on June 1st. Currently, Greensboro has not set a date to hold a workout.

That timetable was specific to the Senior League, but Suire announced that a Junior League will look very similar with more information coming within the next week and a half.

All teams involved are committed to making sure baseball is played this summer so long as the government deems it safe to do so.

“This virus changes daily, sometimes it seems hourly,” Athletic Director Jim Goard stated on the conference call. “Our kids have lost an awful lot this year. We just want to give them any chance we can to get out on the field and be kids again. These are our future leaders. The leaders of the teams in this area did not want to abandon them.”

So what can fans and players expect from this new league in terms of competition? Much of the same, according to Goard. The rules, schedule, roster-construction, and opponents will follow American Legion Baseball as closely as possible with the potential for a couple of small changes.

“Our goal is that when you walk in to a game this summer, you would never know it wasn’t an American Legion game,” Goard said. He continued to say that if other members of traditional American Legion Areas follow suit, there is even potential for a State Championship at the end of the summer.

The Greensboro Red Wings organization and other NC3 teams are hoping to play with the American Legion patch on their sleeves once again next summer, but felt as though this made the most sense this year. Formerly the Post 53 Red Wings, this year’s teams will simply be the Greensboro Red Wings and the Greensboro Redhawks. The organization has updated its website and social media handles to reflect this change.

Although several details still need to be resolved, the Greensboro Red Wings organization and other NC3 teams are excited about seeing this region’s young athletes get the opportunity to get back to doing what they love to do.

Mike Duprez@LexDispatch/The Lexington Dispatch:
There will be a prep summer baseball league beginning with a tentative date of June 1 if coronavirus restrictions are lifted, according to HiToms president Greg Suire.

Greensboro Post 53 Red Wings
@post53redwings
Tonight/Tuesday night, we joined eight other Area III members on a video conference to discuss a plan for this summer. We do not have a finalized plan, but we are all committed to playing this summer.

When the ban is lifted and it is safe to do so, we will play baseball in 2020.

Important Message from the Greensboro Grasshoppers
Dear Hoppers Fans,
In light of the current coronavirus outbreak, and after consultation with medical professionals and our partners at Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball will delay the start of the 2020 season.

We will continue to monitor the developments and will announce additional information about the 2020 season at a later date. We will work with Major League Baseball and our community partners to resume play as soon as it is safe to do so. The health and safety of Minor League Baseball fans, players, and executives is our top priority, and our thoughts are with those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak.

As we work diligently on the appropriate next steps, we thank you for your patience. We will share additional information as it becomes available.

Sincerely,
Donald Moore
President & General Manager

Most recent word from the Winston-Salem Dash….
(This sounds like a great idea, as long as baseball has the green light to return by this date of June 8.)

Dash to recognize Dave Goren on June 6
NSMA’s Executive Director and former local TV veteran to receive 2020 Service Through Sports Award

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Dave Goren, the Executive Director of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) and former sports anchor at WXII, is this year’s Winston-Salem Dash Service Through Sports Award winner. Goren will be honored at BB&T Ballpark before the Dash’s home game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Saturday, June 6 at 6:00 p.m. He will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Each year, the Dash honor a member of the local sports community through the Service Through Sports Award. This award is given to a local resident who has had a positive impact on the Winston-Salem community through their work in sports as a player, coach, executive or member of the media.

Based in Winston-Salem, the National Sports Media Association is devoted to mentoring and connecting the next generation of sports media, while recognizing current and past sports media for excellence. Goren is responsible for all facets of the organization, including fundraising, marketing, increasing membership, and involving the community.

Each June, Goren organizes an Awards Weekend where the NSMA honors sportscasters and sportswriters of the year from each state, a national sportscaster and sportswriter of the year, and Hall of Fame inductees.

Along with his duties with the NSMA, Goren is a sideline reporter for Wake Forest Football on the Wake Forest Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. He is also a professor of practice at Wake Forest University, teaching sports broadcasting classes.

Prior to joining the NSMA in September of 2009, Goren worked more than 20 years as a sportscaster for WXII, joining the station in 1988. Serving as the sports director, Goren was voted the NSMA’s 2008 North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year. He was also inducted into the Winston-Salem Forsyth County High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. Originally from Taunton, Mass., Goren attended Syracuse University and graduated from the SI Newhouse School of Communications.

Along with his sports media work, Goren spends much of his time volunteering. Since 2012, he has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication at High Point University. He has also participated in the “Men Who Cook” fundraiser to benefit the SECU Family House in Winston-Salem.

“Dave’s passion and professionalism have helped make the NSMA the strong organization that it is today. The NSMA Awards weekend annually brings a national sports spotlight on our community,” said Dash Team President C.J. Johnson. “Dave has had a positive impact on the development of countless individual’s careers in sports media.”

Here’s the full list of previous Winston-Salem Dash Service Through Sports Award winners:

2010: Clarence “Big House” Gaines, the late Winston-Salem State University men’s basketball coach
2011: Tom Walter, Wake Forest University baseball head coach
2012: Bob and Lisa Gfeller, creators of the Matthew Gfeller Foundation
2013: Rich Brenner, the late sportscaster at Fox 8 (WGHP-TV)
2014: Howard West, longtime high school boys basketball coach
2015: Lenox Rawlings, three-time North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year
2016: Rusty LaRue, former Wake Forest multi-sport star and creator of the Rusty LaRue Golf Tournament
2017: Dave Odom, former Wake Forest basketball coach
2018: Mike Lambros, the late longtime high school teacher and softball coach at North Davidson High School
2019: Tom, Andy, Mike and Adam Muse, local high school teachers and basketball coaches

High Point Rockers News:
ATLANTIC LEAGUE SEASON TO BE DELAYED
Atlantic League President Rick White said the CDC recommendation that organizers cancel or postpone in-person events consisting of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks has made clear the Atlantic League’s Opening Day of April 30 will be delayed. He also announced that ALPB Professional Tryout Mini-Camps slated for early April have also been postponed. Those interested should refer to Prospect Dugout’s website www.prospectdugout.tv for further tryout camp news.

“As the Coronavirus pandemic evolves, the ALPB remains focused on the health and well-being of our neighbors, fans, players, umpires, and employees,” White said. “When these challenging circumstances pass, we look forward to welcoming fans to our ballparks, putting smiles on their faces, and creating lifelong memories.”

White added that an announcement regarding the ALPB 2020 Championship Season schedule will be made at a future date on all team and Atlantic League websites and official social media platforms. Schedule decisions, he said, will be based on the Atlantic League’s monitoring of news and public information sources, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, and state and local health departments for the communities to which ALPB clubs belong.