Weinreb: Summer wood-bat leagues undergo uneasy transition
From Josh Weinreb at the (New Hampshire) Valley News on August 5, 2017:
Crane admits some of his anxiety is a matter of self-interest. His team belongs to a league that, in the last 10 years, has had to adapt to a changing summer baseball landscape. More leagues exist now, meaning more teams are grabbing for the finite number of collegiate baseball players available.
There’s also the changing mindset by college baseball coaches who shut down their top-tier talent out of potential injury concerns. Additionally, the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, a for-profit venture in some of New England’s bigger markets, competes with the NECBL.
“I really don’t know” where the NECBL will be in five or 10 years, Crane said last week, as his first-place team prepared for a midweek game against the Sanford Mainers at the Maxfield Sports Complex. “If we continue to keep the status quo, I think we’re going to be in trouble. If we finally get it and start doing things differently, I think we have a chance. I think we have some great franchises. We have some great teams. We have a wonderful history and a huge alumni base that we can leverage.
Read the full article here: http://www.vnews.com/Summer-Baseball-Continues-to-Evolve-11352103
Originally published: August 16, 2017. Last Updated: August 16, 2017.