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Delayed start for ’16 SBL season
The Saipan Baseball League’s 2016 season will be delayed since the Francisco M. “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field still cannot host night games after the lights were damaged by several typhoons. (Jon Perez)
Saipan Baseball League coordinator Tony Rogolifoi said the opening of the 2016 season would be delayed due to the unavailability of the Francisco M. “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.
Rogolifoi told Saipan Tribune in a one-on-one interview yesterday that he informed representatives of the eight participating teams next season that the lights of the Tan Ko field have not yet been replaced.
“I can’t guarantee an exact date yet but I assured everyone that there will be a league next year. There will only be a one or two month delay. I just informed them of the current situation,” said Rogolifoi
“The delay is not because of the condition of the field. The baseball field is fine and playable but the lights are either broken or got re-aligned by the strong winds,” added Rogolifoi, who is also the Northern Marianas Sports Association’s executive director.
He said that it is only a matter of time before replacement and adjustment of the lights are done at the Tan Ko field.
“So I just told them to start practicing and to get in shape in time for the season. I don’t know when are they going to finish with the repairs but we have to wait. Right now, we can’t do anything about it so we’re just going to deal with it,” said Rogolifoi.
The Brewers will be returning to defend their crown with the Falcons, the runners-up last season, aiming to derail their bid of prolonging their reign to a fourth consecutive year.
The Blue Jays (formerly the Jets), the North Starz, and a team supported by Best Sunshine International, Ltd. are the other confirmed squads.
The Red Sox of CNMI Junior All-Star team coach Bernard Cabrera, Akkari (Carolinian word that means beat them up), and the Yankees, which would field a younger lineup, are still not sure of their participation in the 2016 season.
Rogolifoi is advising all teams, either sure of joining or are still tentative, to secure their uniforms and equipment. “The fee remains $1,000 and they should also secure their sponsors.”
