COMMISSIONER’S CORNER 

     We have just passed the halfway point of our 2011 season and the level of excitement and the quality of play has once again exceeded expectations. The Harwich Mariners and Hyannis Harbor Hawks are leading the standings in their respective divisions with everyone else not far off the pace. Since the CCBL playoff format expanded in 2010, the competition became intense right up until the last day of the season and this year is certainly heading in that same direction. The competition parity in the Cape Cod Baseball League is amazingly similar and any team at any time can get on a roll and barnstorm right into the playoffs. Who will it be this year that gets hot at the right time and duplicates the run that Cotuit put on in 2010 enroute to the CCBL championship?

     The weather has created some issues, especially in June, but all ten teams have done a marvelous job making up games that were cancelled due to the elements. Interestingly enough, we had more cancellations during the first half of this season than all of last season. However, the league record of 65 game cancellations that occurred in rainy 2009 seems intact and is one record that we would prefer not to break.

     Our annual All-Star Game at Fenway Park is less than three weeks away and ticket sales are brisk. The game is Friday, July 29^th at 7PM at Fenway Park and will be broadcast live nationally. Ticket prices are only $10 per person with open seating. Can you imagine sitting in a seat of your choice at Fenway Park for that price? The earlier you get there the best chance you have for your seating preference. Tickets are available from any of the ten Cape Cod Baseball League teams. We hope to see you at this special event.

     The next edition of this Commissioner’s Corner will be at the conclusion of the playoffs. It seems almost impossible at this point to predict who might win the championship let alone who will be the eight participating teams. But what we do know is the competition will be spectacular and the crowd expectations for these games will be extremely high as evidenced with last year’s attendance figures. The CCBL playoffs take on a complete life of its own and we are so pleased to be providing more baseball in August for our loyal fans and volunteers. It is such an exciting time and is only weeks away, which is hard to believe since it seems like we just started. So buckle up, and enjoy the ride because one thing is for certain, there will not be a shortage of excitement and emotions. Thanks for your unwavering support. We really appreciate it!

Paul A. Galop, Commissioner

Cape Cod Baseball League