There May Not Be Major League Baseball, But There Is Still Good Baseball To Go See
BOSTON (CBS) -- Major League Baseball doesn't want to play ball this season, with the labor squabble between owners and players leading to commissioner Rob Manfred canceling the first two series of the season on Tuesday. And that is likely just the start, with no signs that either side is going to budge in the dispute.
So that means no Major League Baseball for the foreseeable future. Closer to home, the Red Sox have lost two home series thus far, with more to come. It's not great.
But no Major League Baseball doesn't mean no baseball. Far from it. There is a lot of good baseball still to be seen locally in the coming weeks and months while a buncha rich folks bicker and complain about not being rich enough.
If the Red Sox are your thing, you can still see an iteration of them. As in the Red Sox of the future (we hope) in Worcester. The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox are unaffected by the nonsense going on in the big leagues and have a full season ahead, with Opening Day at Polar Park on April 12. Tickets for all WooSox games are now on sale.
If getting a "Welcome to Worcester" isn't your thing, you could head north and check out the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston's Double-A affiliate. They open their season on April 8 at Hadlock Field.
And if that is a little too far of a trip for you, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) are a lot closer in Manchester. After starting their season in Portland, they will enjoy their home opener against Hartford on April 12.
OK so you're really miffed at MLB and anyone affiliated with its clubs. Fair enough. If that's the case, you probably don't want to support another, far more greedy organization like the NCAA. But there is a lot of good college baseball in New England.
Boston College has a solid program under former Eagle Mike Gambino, and is an easy and affordable option for anyone close to the city. Bird Ball has already played some games in warmer climates, but will be back in the Commonwealth soon enough. They have road games against Holy Cross (March 15) and Northeastern (March 22) before opening up in Brighton on March 23.
Don't forget about the baseball Beanpot on April 15 and 22, which will pit Boston College, Harvard, Massachusetts and Northeastern against each other for all the beans. Really, you can't go wrong checking out a game at any of those four programs, or any other local school for that matter. Heck, make a road trip out of it, and hit up some high school games along the way.
And once it gets nice and warm out, there is no beating the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is baseball at its purest and finest, both from the play on the field and the atmosphere at the parks. Just ask Dan Roche or anyone who has ever gone to a game. It's a fantastic take, and all of that fun begins on June 12.
The New England College Baseball League, which features 13 teams located throughout all six New England States, also gets underway in June. Opening Day for that league is June 7.
We may not get to see the best of the best go out and earn those high paychecks they're fighting over for some time. But we can still see baseball, and you really don't have to look all that hard to find it.
