BASEBALL
Welker noted the concerns over clashing with other summer youth sports due to a pushed-back season. In an email sent out to families, Welker stressed the importance of playing multiple sports as something he didn’t want a little league season to alter.
“Small towns, man, these kids want to play all the sports,” Welker said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Joe (Pozar), myself, Dave (Merrell, Continental Little League Vice President), are huge advocates of multi-sport athletes. We believe it produces a better adult, in addition to a better athlete. I personally didn’t want to infringe on these other sports either.
” … When the board collectively took everything into perspective, everything from family input to COVID-19 data to the timing of the season, it just didn’t make sense to move forward,” Welker added.
Welker said WFLL had plans as recently as last Thursday to start a season, but due to the newest recommendations he and the WFLL board of directors had to change course.
Much of Welker’s concerns stemmed from having to cut a Little League season too close — and to fit it in a short time. Last week, it was announced that all youth fields were to remain closed until June 1, and the city of Flagstaff announced to the leagues that fields would remain closed until there was a 14 straight days of decreases in COVID-19 cases, Welker said — which would push any potential start to mid-June.
