If We Want Better Baseball in Ontario, We Have to Start Working Together

Ontario baseball has more options than ever before. There are association programs, private programs, high-performance programs and several different leagues providing opportunities for players throughout the province.

That should be a good thing.

More opportunities should mean more competition, more ideas, more coaching and ultimately a higher standard of baseball.

But having more doesn't automatically make us better.

Teams spend most of their seasons inside their own leagues, playing familiar opponents and operating within their own baseball environments. There is nothing wrong with having different leagues or philosophies. Families should have choices, and organizations should be able to build programs they believe in.

But those differences shouldn't prevent us from playing each other.

I've written before about why some of these matchups never happen and whether reputations, league affiliations, recruiting and business interests sometimes get in the way of competition. That was the focus of Some Teams Aren't Avoiding Games... They're Avoiding Being Exposed.

This is the other side of that conversation.

Instead of only asking why these games don't happen, maybe we should also be asking what Ontario baseball could gain if they did.

There Is Value in Playing Outside Your League

Ontario has Baseball Ontario/OBA programs, the Canadian Premier Baseball League (CPBL), the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO), the Fergie Jenkins Showcase League, Future Stars programs and other competitive environments.

They don't all operate the same way, and that's part of the value.

When teams spend most of a season within the same competitive circle, familiarity naturally develops. Playing outside that circle gives players an opportunity to experience something they don't normally see and compete without already knowing what to expect.

They have to watch the game, communicate and adjust as it unfolds.

There is also value in simply playing more quality baseball against opponents you wouldn't otherwise see. It doesn't have to determine which team, program or league is better.

Sometimes it's just a good baseball game that both teams can benefit from.

We'll Cross a Border Before We'll Cross a League

This is where I see one of the biggest contradictions in Ontario baseball.

Teams regularly travel to Michigan, Ohio, New York and other parts of the United States because they want their players to experience different competition. There can be tremendous value in those trips, and I'm not suggesting Ontario teams should stop travelling. But if that experience is valuable enough to drive several hours and cross an international border for, why wouldn't we see similar value in playing teams from other Ontario leagues?

There might be an excellent opponent 45 minutes away that you've never played simply because they're outside your regular schedule. An American opponent doesn't automatically become more valuable because you crossed a border to play them.

Sometimes the competition you're looking for is already here.

Coaches Benefit Too

Playing outside your normal schedule gives coaches another opportunity to evaluate their teams.

You might learn something you didn't know before the game. That's useful information, and what you do with it afterward is where coaching matters.

There is another benefit as well.

Cross-league competition puts coaches around people and ideas outside their normal baseball environment. You don't have to agree with everything another coach does, but you should be willing to pay attention.

If I see something that can make me a better coach, I want to learn from it.

Knowledge shouldn't stop at organizational boundaries.

The Business Should Support the Baseball

There is a business side to youth baseball, particularly as private programs, facilities, showcases and other paid opportunities continue to grow. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Fields cost money. Facilities cost money. Coaches may need to be paid. Organizations have expenses. Private programs need revenue to operate.

The problem is when we start evaluating every baseball opportunity by what it does for the organization instead of what it offers the players. Business considerations are real, but they shouldn't automatically determine whether two teams play each other.

Sometimes a game is worthwhile simply because it's good baseball.

The business should support the baseball. The baseball shouldn't exist simply to support the business.

Competition and Cooperation Can Exist Together

Programs are going to compete for players. Private organizations are businesses. Association programs want registrations. Leagues want strong teams.

That's reality.

But competition doesn't require isolation.

Organizations can believe strongly in what they do while still being willing to play teams outside their own environment. Those games also don't need to become arguments about which league or program is better.

It's one baseball game.

Let the players compete, let the coaches coach, shake hands afterward and go back to work. Because if every cross-league result becomes ammunition for adults trying to prove their baseball environment is superior, we'll only create another reason for these games not to happen.

Working together doesn't mean everyone has to become part of the same system. It means recognizing that we all contribute to the same baseball environment. The players eventually cross these boundaries anyway. They meet at showcases, provincial opportunities, tournaments and higher levels of baseball. Some who spent years in completely separate systems eventually become teammates.

At that point, the league they came from matters a lot less than whether they can play.

Raise the Standard

Ontario doesn't have a shortage of baseball. We have players, coaches, facilities, leagues, organizations and talent.

We need to make better use of all of it.

Play teams you don't normally play. Travel to the United States when the opportunity makes sense, but don't overlook the quality competition already in this province.

The first conversation was about why some of these games don't happen. Maybe the next conversation should be about why they should.

Because if we're serious about raising the standard of baseball in Ontario, it has to become bigger than any one team, league, program, brand or business. The standard won't be determined by which league wins the argument.

It will be determined by the quality of baseball we create together.