COVID-19 League Updates and Information
Players and Managers, as we plan for the upcoming season, be sure to check this page for the latest COVID-19 updates and information in regards to the 2021 BMBL season.
QUICK REFERENCE
- Fill out 2021 Online Player Waiver
- View 2021 COVID-19 BMBL Guidelines Updated 5/13/21
- Mass Safety Standards for Adult Amateur Sports Activities - Phase IV, Step 1 Updated 4/12/21
Past COVID-19 Documents
May 24, 2021
A lot of you have been asking about the COVID-19 mask requirements. The current rules technically remain in effect for now (A few towns sent us emails on the subject last week).
That being said, we expect to see significant changes once we hit June as state guidelines for amateur sports evolve. We highly recommend getting vaccinated if you haven't done so already.
May 13, 2021
On May 10, 2021, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) relaxed regulations around outdoor face coverings. Our league is adjusting our COVID regulations to be in line with those rules.
To summarize, face coverings are no longer required at all times. We go back to a modified version of 2020 guidelines. Participants should stay six feet apart as much as possible. To reduce risk, players are required to wear a face covering in and around dugouts, while on offense, and when they can't socially distance.
Also, the following regulations below have been removed. We will go back to the home team providing balls and teams may throw the ball around the horn after a strikeout.
- The defensive team will supply the baseballs for their inning of play from the defensive dugout.
- There is no throwing the ball around the horn.
With today's CDC updates around vaccinated individuals, we expect to see a further relaxation of requirements in the coming weeks as those rules filter down to the state level.
May 6, 2021
Even though the MA governor announced that masks aren't required outside (unless you can't socially distance), the EEA still hasn't updated the rules. We are ready to change the official BMBO COVID rules as soon as the adjustments are made. We have already put that request into the agency (as have others based on this article).
April 27, 2021
Our country is beginning to open up. We have seen a lot of national and local announcements today regarding the use of masks, social distancing and other safety regulations.
We expect to update our guidelines in the coming week to be in line with the state guidelines around baseball/sports (Not yet released).
April 12, 2021
The 2021 COVID-19 Safety Plan and Guidelines for the BMBL is now available. The regulations follow the policies set by the State of Massachusetts. These are the same rules that local high schools and colleges are using. The biggest change is that face coverings MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.
As more people become vaccinated and rules change, we anticipate adjusting those rules during the season. Stay tuned!
April 7, 2021
With the new 2021 season upon us, we are in the process of updating the COVID-19 rules to be in line with local and state regulations. We expect to have these updated rules by mid April.
As of now, we anticipate the rules will be similar to the 2020 rules. Stay tuned.
August 18, 2020
Below are the updated state guidelines effective August 18th, most of which are already part of our league guidelines. Baseball doesn't have deliberate contact activities like faceoffs/tipoffs so that new part does not apply to the BMBL.
August 7, 2020
Today, Governor Baker announced that the state is postponing part 2 of phase 3 indefinitely. The state is also adjusting outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50.
At this time, it does not appear that this announcement impacts amateur sports in the state.
Please stay diligent and keep up your great work of staying socially distant and wearing face coverings when you are supposed to. The state's latest COVID-19 findings suggest the uptick is being caused by gatherings not adhering to those rules.
As a reminder, according to the state and our own policies, face coverings are required for:
- Managers and Umpires
- Around/in the dugout
- Offensive players running and hitting
- First baseman if holding someone on
- When you can't socially distance
July 30, 2020
The survey results are in. Over 100 players responded to the COVID-19 survey earlier this month. Are players comfortable? Are players following guidelines and rules? Are changes needed to help reduce risk around COVID-19?
To summarize, players are thrilled to be back on the field (97%) and four out of five players are very comfortable with the guidelines when they are on the field. However, there is some room for improvement with social distancing and the use of face coverings.
July 21, 2020
Updated Guidelines: A week+ into the season, most players seem to be doing a great job with covering their faces at the plate and following some other guidelines. In addition to checking with teams, we have also sent out a survey to gauge how we are doing as a league with the guidelines.
Thanks to your feedback, we have made some immediate tweaks to the 2020 COVID-19 Safety Plan and Guidelines in order to reduce risk.
Here are the adjustments:
1. All players must wear coverings while in and around the bench/dugout areas. We have seen instances where players are having challenges socially distancing and not wearing coverings when around others, especially in and around the dugouts/benches. This requirement is designed to reinforce that coverings are needed in those situations.
Please note that players should be spreading out down the line anyway.
2. Penalty for not wearing a face covering to plate. A strike.
According to an early draft of our survey, 96% of players are aware of this rule but we've seen several complaints via the survey. This should be a simple rule to follow, just like wearing a helmet. Those who do not follow this requirement may be assigned a strike (first offense) or may be ejected (second offense).
Please read the updated 2020 COVID-19 Safety Plan and Guidelines.
July 10, 2020
As we ready for the 2020 season, we held a league wide Facebook meeting to cover the upcoming season. The 40-minute session which includes a Q&A on new COVID-19 policies is below and also available on the league Facebook page.
We also released the new Online Waiver that every player must complete and we updated the 2020 COVID-19 Safety Plan and Guidelines. See the above Quick Reference section for details.
During the session, we discussed where to purchase neck/face coverings. Here is the site mentioned on the call that sells small and large packs of neck/face coverings.
July 7, 2020
Late yesterday, the state of Massachusetts released guidelines on amateur sports including the use of face coverings. Baseball is defined as a medium risk activity.
We are in the process of working these guidelines into our own guidelines and expect to release a new version on Thursday.
If you'd like to check out the state guidelines, here they are:
July 5, 2020
As you may have heard on July 2nd, Massachusetts is moving to a phase 3 approach on July 6th which means we are getting ready to return to baseball. This will be a busy week for our league as we pull together permits, organize schedules and finalize our COVID guidelines.
We are planning a Zoom league update on July 9th at 7:30 PM for players and managers who are interested in learning more about the season. More details to follow.
As it looks today, games should begin across divisions in the next 1-2 weeks. Please be in contact with your manager about game details.
When we do return to the field, please use common sense and abide by the COVID policies in place (social distancing, etc). We are all in this together--these policies are in place to reduce COVID risk as much as possible.
July 2, 2020
Earlier today, the governor of Massachusetts announced that the state is moving to phase 3 on Monday, July 6th (Boston July 13). This is good news for our league as we move closer to getting back on the field. Look for further updates after the July 4th weekend. Have a great holiday weekend everyone!
June 27, 2020
Our league board and commissioners met on Thursday to discuss the upcoming season. Thanks for your patience as we know you are all itching to get back on the field.
Summary: July 12th is still the target but there is risk.
We'd love to tell you that we are ready to go but the reality is this virus doesn't follow any baseball season timelines.
To summarize the conversations, we are still targeting a July 12th start date but that date is dependent on a few moving targets. Be ready to play but that date is very likely to get pushed back. We should have a better idea by July 6th or 7th.
Some Notes
1. Phase 3 for Adult Baseball Needs to be Approved before official league play/practice can begin. The governor said he wants to allocate at least two weeks for each stage. With the final part of stage two starting June 23rd, that tentatively puts a start date for phase 3 on July 6th. There are open questions that we'll need to contend with such as:
- Will there be multiple phases for phase 3 like there were for phase 2?
- Where does adult baseball fit in?
2. Permits Not Yet Available. Many towns are in a wait and see mode. They understandably aren't supplying official permits until the state says it's OK to do that. See point 1.
3. Guidelines On Hold. We discussed the current draft of guidelines and decided to wait to finalize it. There are still too many "what ifs." It doesn't make sense to keep drafting rules when they will likely change in a few weeks. We continue to monitor other leagues for best practices.
4. Official League Activities Not Approved. We know some teams want to start practicing. Due to liability and safety concerns, please keep in mind that any workouts or practices are not sanctioned by the league.
5. Will there be a season? We are moving towards a "yes" but recognize we may get to a point where an official season won't make sense. We'll tackle this point as we learn more about phase 3.
June 17, 2020
The Mass COVID numbers continue to improve and the state is tracking to a phase 3 in late June.
We are currently targeting a start date of Sunday, July 12th to get players back on the field. Permits from towns are slowly trickling in and we hope to start building a schedule by late June. Thanks for your patience.
A couple of notes:
- Pending we get to phase 3, be ready to play tentatively on Sunday, July 12.
- Like everything else, expect some updated procedures to reduce risk for our players and umpires. A current DRAFT of COVID guidelines are on our site. We expect these to change as we learn more about what phase 3 involves.
- Sign a new waiver with COVID disclaimer language. You will see this shortly.
- Please be ready to pay your managers as the league has a number of expenses due in a short period of time. We expect league fees to be decreased based on the number of games and we'll know more as we finalize the schedule.
- If you are uncomfortable playing due to COVID-19 or are in a high-risk category, it is 100% understandable to sit out the season. Please let your managers know.
May 21, 2020
As the state of Massachusetts begins to reopen, we are cautiously beginning to plan for the upcoming season. As of today, the "play ball" path puts a start date out 4-6 weeks with an anticipated start after the 4th of July holidays.
Why Early July?
The reasoning behind the date is twofold. Number one, caution. The health of players, managers and umpires is our top concern. We'll monitor how things progress over the next month while the state opens up. If things stay on course or get better, then early July looks like a reasonable time to start as of today. Otherwise, we will look to push back the season.
Secondly, the league needs time to partner with towns on field permits. We expect that process to take several weeks (at least) as we work with towns on a path forward.
Assuming the league does start games in early July, the league will take precautions to help reduce the risk of everyone involved.
We've developed these guidelines as a starting point. We expect these to evolve as we get closer to our "play ball" date. These guidelines were created from evaluating various state and town policies in addition to the national MSBL and MLB guidelines. There is also a possibility that the state of Massachusetts releases a policy that we would need to adhere to.
One important item missing from the current guidelines is the use of face coverings. We do anticipate requiring face coverings in certain circumstances and need to work through those situations with local towns. More to come on this point in June 2020.
We look forward to seeing everyone on the diamond once the time is right.
May 11, 2020
A post Mother's day update - The league and managers are in the process of collaborating with towns on permits and safety guidelines for when we get back to the ball field. As noted in a previous communication, everything is contingent upon the stay-at-home date (currently May 18th).
Many towns are waiting for that date before discussing permit availability details. We'll see how things progress on that front over the next week, but we anticipate starting play 4-6 weeks after that date.
As we all know, life in 2020 has been challenging and returning to baseball will be no different. Player and umpire safety is paramount. The league is developing new guidelines/rules with your safety in mind, so expect to see some temporary COVID-19 rules for the 2020 season. We're developing these over the next week as some towns are requesting our policy as part of the permit discussions.
April 7, 2020
The Boston Men's Baseball League is helping in the fight against COVID-19 by supporting our medical heroes and local businesses. Please consider making a donation to 'Heal with a Meal'. No donation is too small or too big. Every dollar matters. Together we can do our part as a community to say "thanks"!
April 2, 2020
Tonight, managers across all of our divisions got together remotely to discuss the season in light of the latest COVID-19 situation.
To summarize, we are hopeful to be back on the field at some point this season but baseball is taking a backseat at the moment.
- The health of our players is #1. We will not start the season until the state of Massachusetts says it's safe to go back outside. Add four weeks to that date to account for updated permit requests and schedule making. With a current stay-at-home date of May 4th, the earliest we anticipate playing is the weekend of June 5-6th. However, that May 4th date is likely to change, thus pushing out any start date four additional weeks.
- We will be supporting a cause called "Heal with Meal" to support feeding our medical heroes with food from local restaurants. Look for more details on this over the coming days. www.healwithameal.org
- We anticipate the season going longer this year into the Fall to account for loss of Spring games.
- Given all of the above, life today is very different than a month ago and it will be different a month from now. Everything is subject to change. We'll continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated.
- Stay safe and stay positive.
March 30, 2020
Hope everyone is staying healthy. The league commissioners/leadership teams are getting together virtually Tuesday night to discuss the upcoming season and how we can work around the COVID-19 situation. We are also working on a few ideas on how we can help those impacted as a league.
If you have any questions/concerns around the season, let us know. We will provide a recap later this week.
