The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

One year after being elected as the new president of the Bahamas Baseball Association, Sam Rodgers and his executive team got all of the fragmented organisations to come back under one umbrella in 2017.

Now, after serving his first four-year term in office, Rodgers is preparing to continue the work he started as he seeks another term in office when the association holds its election of officers in late September.

No date has been confirmed as yet, but Rodgers said he's still committed to getting the sport to the level that it needs to be before he exits the scene.

"I think I have a lot more to lend to this association. I think we have a lot of work to do in continuing this marriage with all of the leagues and organisations in this country," Rodgers said.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but I am sure that we will be able to get it done and to do it properly. The merger has been good for us in baseball and for the country. I think we are moving in the right direction."

With the elections pending, Rodgers said he's currently working on assembling a team of candidates to contest the elections. But while he hasn't heard anything yet, he expects that he will be challenged. "In any election, you would expect to have challenges," said Rodgers. "So that is a part of our democratic system. But I'm prepared for the challenge that will be presented."

On Wednesday, Rodgers was a part of the delegation that got to tour the new national baseball stadium that is being constructed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Rodgers said he was impressed with what he saw and he's looking forward to the usage of the facilities when it is projected to be completed by the end of the year.

"I guess we'll just have to work closely with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority because they will be in charge of the facilities," Rodgers pointed out. "We know that the stadium will be a multi-purpose one, so we just have to sit down with the Minister of Sports (Lanisha Rolle) and her team and the NSA team and see how best we can put a schedule in so that everybody can be accommodated."

While there are plans to stage a shortened Major League season in the aftermath of the lifting of the ban of some of the safety measures from the coronavirus pandemic, the minor league season has been postponed.

At least 20 local players have been affected with the majority of them at home grasping for some competitive games to participate in.

"These are Bahamians. These are our boys," Rodgers said. "We just have to sit down with the Ministry of Sports and to see if anything can be done for them in these unprecedented times.

"We know that funding is not at our leisure, but we hope that once the stadium is completed, we can have a facility for them to participate in as we amalgamate this whole system so that everybody can benefit from it."

Although there is currently no league for the senior players or the minor and professional players to participate in, Rodgers said there is a group that is working on redeveloping the league that was dismantled when the old Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium was demolished to create some space for the construction of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

"I think if we were not hit with coronavirus, we would have been in a much better position to get the league underway," Rodgers said. "But I know that there is a group working on doing something concrete for the senior players, but I'm not at liberty to say exactly what will be done."

Rodgers, however, said that the BBA commissioned a committee, headed by Freedom Farm's Commissioner Clarence 'CJ' McKenzie, who was able to devise some plans for the safety of the return of baseball when the Ministry of Health gives the all-clear to resume activities under the new social-distancing norm.

"We got the report and it has been submitted to the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Health and the Bahamas Olympic Committee for their consideration," Rodgers said. "Once it has been approved, we will release the full details."

In the meantime, Rodgers said they will continue to meet with all of the relevant parties involved in the sport so that everybody can be on the same page and into the election of officers for the next four years.