When Premier Doug Ford announced in mid July that recreational activities - including team sports - could resume as part of the province's Stage 3 reopening plan, four Orillia men’s slo-pitch team representatives got together to organize a bubble league that played from July 26 until Oct. 4.
“It all just started as a way to get out, have some fun and play some baseball. It at least allowed us to stay moving and play the sport that we all love playing,” said Steve Hamilton, one of the league organizers.
The four teams, Studabakers, Wagner Lawn Care, Morton Metals and the Lumberjacks played with strict protocols put in place by Slo-Pitch National and local health officials.
Hamilton says while the health and safety of the players was paramount, getting out to play the game of slo-pitch was also important to the players.
“This let us live some sort of a normal life for a few hours a week and it gave us an escape from the pandemic,” Hamilton said.
Because of league player limits and other COVID-related issues, the Orillia Slo-Pitch League (OSPL) cancelled its season back in June. As a result, the four- team bubble league was the only organized slo-pitch league that played games this summer.
“I felt very privileged and lucky to have this opportunity, to be able to get out, have some fun, and play in a league where it was serious enough that we could compete and play the way we normally would, but no one was hanging their head if they lost. It was a great atmosphere,” Hamilton said.
The bubble league became even more important to the players after the Labour Day long weekend when Steve Makins, a well-known men’s and co-ed division player in the OSPL tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident.
“Steve showed how ball was supposed to be played. He was serious when he needed to be, but he was mostly just there for fun,” Hamilton said, while reflecting on his former teammate.
“He would play with anyone, he always showed great sportsmanship, he was a great teammate, and he was always there picking you up when you were down.”
Hamilton says Makins exemplified everything the bubble league was about.
“Getting out to see your friends and having a good time is basically, why Steve played the game; he was about all of that,” he said.
To honour the man who had been a major part of the local slo-pitch community for decades, the bubble league players came together to purchase a championship trophy for the league's champion, which they decided would be called the Makins Cup.
“We thought a great way to have a memoriam would be to have something named after him that can be carried on beyond this one little season. This can always be something he is a part of; this is something that will always bring his memory to the forefront,” Hamilton explained.
“The Cup meant a lot to his teammates and the people who were close to Steve at the diamond."
The Makins Cup will be a new annual tradition each summer. As part of Baseball Day in Orillia, the four bubble teams plan on coming together for a tournament which will honour their teammate and friend.
