Even though there isn’t going to be any American Legion baseball this year, there still may be a chance for players in that age group to take the field during the summer of 2020. Last week, the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association, LLC was formed by several of the state’s American Legion zone directors, who are looking to provide avenue for ballplayers to compete, instead of having to sit out another season.

Following the cancellation of the high school spring season due to COVID-19, the American Legion baseball season was canceled across the country. The cancellation came after the national organization shut down sponsorships for American Legion programs, meaning that no teams would have been able to play with the backing of an insurance plan, thereby ending any potential season. On May 11, David Greenleaf, the chairman of the Connecticut American Legion Baseball committee, officially announced that the season had been canceled in the state.

When he heard the bad news, North Haven American Legion baseball General Manager Charlie Flanagan wanted to see if there were any alternatives in terms of forming a league that would offer a similar level of competition as Legion. With the insurance situation serving as the biggest sticking point, Flanagan, who’s worked in insurance for more than 35 years, tried to see if he could find an insurance plan that was comparable to the one under which American Legion baseball had previously been played. Flanagan was able to find a company that offered what is essentially an equivalent insurance plan for any teams that compete in the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association.

Meanwhile, Flanagan asked Andrew Lucey, the statistician for North Haven’s high school and American Legion baseball programs, to email the coaches in Zone 2, which features teams from the Greater New Haven area, to see if they had any interest in joining this new league. The response was resoundingly positive, and every team wanted to get involved. As word got out, Legion programs from the other five zones in Connecticut grew interested and started to hop on board. Consequently, the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association was born.

“I am all about opportunity. If we can collaboratively create something that benefits someone, I am in. This is a great chance for kids to play baseball and a great chance for seniors to have another shot at playing baseball,” said Flanagan, who was head coach of the North Haven Senior Legion team from 1997 to 2017. “When I see kids who have been putting in the time, working hard all winter, were ready to go come springtime, and then have that opportunity taken away from them with no control over it—that hurts and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. So I said, ‘What can I do to lessen the pain of that experience?’ You can never recreate what happens on Senior Night, but this isn’t too bad for the next-best thing to that.”

The league’s plan is for the regular season to take place over the course of five weeks beginning in the first week of July. Just like in American Legion, teams would be organized at the 19-U (Senior), 17-U (Junior), and 15-U (Prep) levels. Every team would play about 20 regular-season games within its zone with an option to play additional non-zone games. After that, there would be an eight-team single-elimination State Tournament that would conclude in early August.

Flanagan said that he’s expecting “85 to 90 percent” of the teams that have previously participated in American Legion baseball to be a part of the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association, including a full boat at the local level. The towns that would compete in Zone 2 are Branford, East Haven, Hamden, Madison, Milford, Orange, New Haven, North Haven, Wallingford, and West Haven.

“To Andrew Lucey’s credit, he sent out an email to all the Zone 2 coaches and managers and asked if they were interested in playing organized baseball this year. It was unanimous. Everyone wanted to do it,” Flanagan said. “Then we threw it out there to the other zones in the state and, the next thing you know, we’re off to the races. Everyone wanted to play.”

The chairman of the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association is Craig Zimmerman, who was previously the state director of American Legion baseball. The vice chairman of the association is Tim Vincent, who is the head of Zone 1 for Legion baseball in the state. There are 12 members on the board for the league, including Flanagan.

During the past few weeks, board members have been holding remote meetings to discuss the things that have to happen in order for a season to take place. One of the most important things is the way the phase-by-phase reopening of the state unfolds. Governor Ned Lamont recently announced that youth baseball will potentially be allowed to begin on Saturday, June 20. That date is slated to mark the approximate start of Phase 2, which would allow outside gatherings of up to 50 people as long as social distancing guidelines are followed. The prospects of the new league holding a 2020 season are contingent upon the state’s plan to reopen.

While Flanagan wants games to be played, he knows that maintaining the safety of everyone involved is an essential component of the league’s mission to compete. Whether that means testing and tracing the athletes, having the players and coaches wear masks, or having the home-plate umpire set up shop behind the pitcher’s mound, Flanagan understands that every safety protocol needs to be followed to a T in order for the boys of summer to hit the diamond this year.

“We are all extremely concerned about exposure. As a group, we will be implementing as strict a procedure to abide by and follow as any organization out there,” said Flanagan. “The goal here is to allow people an opportunity to play baseball, but we have to make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to mitigating any problems. We have to keep our guard up, stay focused, and stay organized. If we can do that, we are confident that the season will happen.”